Once she’d set Diamond’s crate, her dog bed, and what was left of her food by the door, Moira had nothing else to do but wait for Martha. She realized that her friend probably didn’t know anything about the events of the last two weeks. They hadn’t spoken since she had dropped her dog off right before leaving for the trip. I hope she has the time to stay for a cup of coffee, Moira thought. We have a lot to catch up on.
“Oh, hi baby. How are you? Did you miss me?” Martha knelt down so the wriggly little dog could lick her face. Diamond’s tail was wagging so hard that her entire body shook.
“I’m pretty sure she did,” the deli owner said with a laugh. “She never greeted me like that.”
“I know I already said it, but thanks so much for watching her. I hope she wasn’t too much trouble.”
“Not at all,” Moira said. “She was great. I think Maverick really enjoyed having her around. How was the trip, anyway? What made you come back early?”
“My vacation was simply amazing. It felt so nice to get out of town and just have some me time. It feels good to be back too, though. That’s why I’m home early—my plane got in this morning; originally I was going to stay tonight at a hotel in Traverse City to try to nip jet lag in the bud, but I decided to drive straight back. I figured I’ll sleep best in my own bed, and besides, I missed Diamond.” She gave the dog a final hug, then rose to her feet. “How have you been? How did the fair go? Did you win? I don’t want to just talk about myself.”
Moira chuckled. “I have a lot to tell you. Do you want some coffee? This may take a while.”
The deli owner let Maverick and Keeva out of the mudroom to greet the other woman, then poured them both warm cups of coffee before sitting down to talk. Martha was suitably stunned at the adventures that Moira had had while she was gone.
“It’s so terrible that someone died,” she said, reaching down to scratch Keeva behind the ears. “But Moira, I don’t know how you do it. Your life is more interesting and action packed than anyone else I know. Sometimes I almost envy you. An exciting week for me is when a new season of one of my shows starts up.”
“Trust me, I would trade with you in a heartbeat,” Moira told her friend. “Right now I’m worried about the killer, who I think may be trying to blame me for Reuben’s death. I’m also worried about the police, since they already think I’m guilty, even though I have no reason to hurt anybody. All this just because the killer happened to poison the gumbo that was entered under the deli’s name. I didn’t even make it!”
“What if it wasn’t a coincidence?” the other woman asked, her eyes widening. “What if the killer has something personal against you and decided to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak—kill off Reuben Willis and get you arrested or put out of business?”
“Who would want to do that, though?” the deli owner asked. “My only real competitor in town is Denise and the Redwood Grill, but I don’t think my sales are affecting hers much at all. Plus, she’s my friend.”
“Well, didn’t you say that old guy who owns that diner, Arlo, was a judge? He would have had the perfect opportunity to slip something into Reuben’s soup, and everyone knows his diner isn’t doing well. No one wants to buy greasy, freezer-burned burgers when they can stop at your place and get a nice, freshly made sandwich with organic, grass-fed cold cuts.”
Moira considered this. Her friend had a point. Arlo hadn’t been very friendly towards her for a while. She didn’t think the food that he served was that bad; the diner had been a frequent haunt of hers and Candice’s since her daughter was a little girl. It was true that his diner didn’t serve as high quality food as she did, but his prices were good and he had a very loyal customer base. The diner was nearly as old as she was; could it really be in danger of failing after being a fixture in town for so long?
“I suppose that he would have motive to put me out of business,” she said after a moment. “But why would he want to kill Reuben?”
Martha shrugged. “That’s for your private eye boyfriend to figure out.”
“I don’t know. Somehow this just seems too sly for Arlo. He’s always been very vocal when he doesn’t like something. Besides, I can’t really see him spray painting the deli’s front windows. Doesn’t that seem like something someone younger would do?”
“That’s true, good point. I don’t know what to tell you, Moira. I just hope this all gets cleared up soon.”
***
David got to her house a few minutes after eight. He greeted Maverick and Keeva, who were both happy to see him, then gave Moira a quick kiss on the lips.
“Still no word about her?” he asked, looking down at the grey dog.
“None. It’s like she came out of nowhere.”
“I posted about her on a website that reunites lost pets with their owners in Michigan,” he said. “No one has answered the ad yet though.”
“That’s good.” Moira looked down at the huge dog and smiled. When she glanced up and saw that David had his eyebrows raised and was wearing an amused expression, she blushed. “I mean… well, I’ll be honest. I like her. I would be more than happy to keep her if her original owners never show up. But of course if they do contact me, I’ll be happy for her and them. I’m sure they miss her.”
“I would warn you again not to get too attached, but I’ve got the feeling it’s already too late,” he replied, chuckling. “I just hope no more strays show up. This place will be overrun with animals. Where’s the little dog, anyway?” He looked around, noticing Diamond’s absence.
“Martha came back a day early. She stopped by earlier and took Diamond home.”
“Oh.” She was amused to see disappointment flicker across his face. Despite his comments, he seemed to have enjoyed having the three dogs around. “Well, I bet they were happy to see each other.”
“Definitely,” she said. “Since having Diamond over went so well, I told Martha that I can watch her again the next time she goes away. She makes weekend trips to Traverse City pretty often, so it will be nice for her not to have to hire a sitter anymore.”
“I’m sure Maverick will enjoy having his friend over for the weekend once in a while,” David said with a smile. “Are you ready to go, or do you have to let them out one more time?”
“The dogs were just out—I’m ready.” She gave each of the dogs a pat goodbye, told them that she would be back later, then grabbed her purse and followed David out the door.
CHAPTER TWELVE
“Hey, Ms. D, can I talk to you?” Darrin asked, poking his head into the deli’s kitchen. “It will just take a minute.”
“Sure,” she said, setting aside the knife that she had been using to slice carrots. “Come on in. What’s going on?”
“Well, my dad is selling his place in Wisconsin and he needs some help getting everything packed up. Do you think it would be all right if I went over there this weekend? I’ll be back on Monday. I know it’s short notice, but I’m only scheduled for the one shift on Sunday, and Allison already agreed to cover for me.”
“Of course,” she told him. “You take as much time as you need to help your dad. I met him once, didn’t I?”
“Yeah. He used to live here, actually. He grew up in Maple Creek. When my grandfather died, he inherited the old house in Wisconsin, but the payments are just getting to be too much.” He sighed. “It’s too bad. It really is a beautiful place. It’s a waterfront property right on Lake Michigan, which is why the taxes are so high.”
“He must be pretty upset that he has to sell it. Go ahead, Darrin. It’s nice of you to help him out. And don’t worry about being back in time for work Monday. I don’t mind taking an extra shift.”
“Thanks, Ms. D. I’ll work extra when I get back to make up for it.” He raised his hand in a wave goodbye, then left. Moira smiled as she got back to chopping up vegetables. She was lucky to have such a helpful, conscientious employee.
A moment later she heard the bell ring, announcing that a customer had come in.
She set her knife down for a second time, grabbed her cup of coffee, which was nearly cold by now, and headed towards the front. She was surprised but pleased to see Sandy Keller examining the cheese shelves.
“Oh, hi,” Sandy said, spinning around as Moira come in. “I heard from someone at the town hall that you do catering. How much would you charge for a wedding reception? Gordon and I were just so impressed by your food the other day, and I know how much he likes to support the locals.”
“Congratulations on your engagement,” the deli owner said, smiling at her luck. She had lost the catering job with the mayor, but it looked like she had just found another. Hopefully this would help make up the money she had already spent on the canceled catering contract. “How many people will be there?”
“Oh, I’m not sure yet. Gordon will probably want to do some big thing, especially if he wins this next election. Let’s say around two hundred people.”
Moira quoted her an estimated price. “But it could go up or down quite a bit, depending on what you end up ordering and when the wedding is. A lot of produce gets much more expensive in the off-season,” she warned.
“I don’t think that will be an issue,” Sandy said, smiling. “Do you mind if I look around a little? I’d love to see what you have available.”
“Sure,” Moira said. “And remember, if you want something for the wedding reception that I don’t have in stock right now, I’ll probably be able to order it.”
Once Dante and Meg showed up for their afternoon shift, Moira had the rest of the day free to do whatever she wanted. It was a beautiful Saturday, the slight breeze keeping the temperature from getting too hot despite the clear blue skies. She considered going to the beach—Lake Michigan wasn’t that far away, after all—but knew that it would be crowded. It was best to go during the weekdays, when most people were at work; sometimes she could even find a beach that was nearly empty except for her and Maverick.
I want to do something outdoors, she thought. This wonderful weather won’t last forever. She decided to run back home, grab the two dogs, then come back into town and take them on another long walk. Maybe she would invite Martha and Diamond to join her as well—this beautiful day would be even more enjoyable with a friend.
“I really need a bigger car,” she grumbled to herself as she unloaded the two dogs from the back seat. She had a picnic basket, a cooler, and a tablecloth sitting in the front passenger seat; Martha had accepted her invitation to join Moira and the dogs on a walk, and had suggested that they make a picnic as well. She had also invited Denise along, who had surprised them both by agreeing to come. Their tall, redheaded friend was usually too busy for last-minute outings.
With all of the extra food that she had ordered in preparation for the now-canceled engagement party, she had been more than happy to provide a selection of cold cuts, cheeses, and other sandwich fixings for her friends to enjoy. It was looking like it was going to turn out to be a good day—but first, she had to get everything over to the picnic table without dropping something or getting tangled up in the dogs’ leashes.
She managed it without incident. After tying the leashes around one of the legs of the picnic table, she laid out the tablecloth and started unpacking the picnic. Neither of her friends were there yet, so she had a few minutes to herself to play with the dogs and enjoy the park once everything was set up.
“Excuse me,” an older man said, startling her. He was approaching slowly, his eyes on her dogs. “Is that your dog? The wolfhound?”
“She was a stray. I found her in my backyard,” Moira said, her heart beginning to pound. Was this it? Had Keeva’s owner found her at last? She glanced down at the dog to see if she seemed to recognize the man at all, but the dog just blinked and looked between them, obviously unsure why they were both staring at her. “I have posters up around town—you may have seen them.”
“I actually live about half an hour away,” he explained. “I’m just here for my niece’s birthday party. But my sister-in-law lost her dog a few weeks ago when she was visiting. It was a big grey one that looked a lot like this. Hers was female. I think the dog’s name started with a ‘K’.”
“Then it sounds like this might be her dog,” Moira said, trying to hide the rush of sadness that she felt at the thought of the big, friendly dog leaving her. “Her name is Keeva, and she’s a girl. I can’t imagine that there are too many dogs like her wandering around. Do you want to take her with you right now?” She wondered if she should ask the man for some sort of proof that it was his sister-in-law’s dog. To her relief he shook his head.
“I’m extremely allergic to dogs,” he told her. “Which is why my brother and his wife weren’t staying with me in the first place. It looks like you’re taking good care of her; would it be all right if I just gave Chelsea your number, and you can work things out with her? It may mean watching the dog for a few more days until she can get back up here; she and Rick live down in Kentucky.”
“That’s fine with me. She’s no trouble at all. Here, I’ll write down my number, and you can let your sister-in-law know that her dog is happy and comfortable in my house. She can come and get her whenever is most convenient.”
By the time Martha arrived with her dog, Moira was subdued despite the pleasant weather. It looked like she would only have a few more days with Keeva. How had she let herself get so attached to the dog? She had always known that there was a strong possibility that Keeva’s owners would contact her one day.
She told her friend what was wrong, then retold the story when Denise pulled up. The owner of the Redwood Grill looked tired, the lines around her eyes more defined than when Moira had seen her last. I bet the Grill still isn’t doing well, she thought. I should see if David wants to eat there again soon. I know we just went out the other night, but Denise could really use our support.
“I guess it was meant to be,” she said at last. “How are the two of you doing? Sorry I couldn’t make it to our normal Wednesday coffee get-togethers for the past two weeks. I’ve been insanely busy, first with the fair, then with everything else.”
“Well, the Grill is still struggling,” Denise said, confirming Moira’s earlier guess. “And my husband and I are officially separated. So I don’t really have anything positive to share. Oh, I did see one of your employees as I was heading out the door.”
“Really? Which one?” As far as Moira knew, Dante and Meg were at the deli, Darrin should have already left for Wisconsin, and Denise had yet to meet Allison.
“The guy that’s been working for you the longest,” her friend said. “Not the one that’s dating Meg. The other one.”
“Darrin?” She frowned. “That’s odd. He told me he was going to help his father finish up getting a house ready to sell.”
“He was with a girl,” Denise said. “Maybe he just wanted some time off to be with her.”
The frown stayed on Moira’s face even after her friends changed the subject. Denise’s restaurant had many more employees than the deli did, and she knew her friend dealt with lying employees every day. But she had thought that the little family that they had built at the deli was different. Why would Darrin lie to her? Where was he really going this weekend?
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Maybe letting them play in the stream wasn’t the best idea, Moira thought ruefully as she considered the sopping wet dogs in front of her. It was another hot day, and they had looked so miserable with their thick fur, that she thought a swim would be a good way to cool them off. The burbling stream behind her house turned out not to be deep enough for either of them to do more than wade, but they seemed to have fun anyway, judging from the amount of water and mud that they had managed to splash onto each other and her.
“Neither of you is coming in the house like that,” she said sternly. “I’d better go see if I can find that hose that Ben’s always using to water the plants. You’ll still be wet, but at least you won’t be muddy.”
By the time Candice pulled up the drivew
ay, Maverick was clean and starting to dry in the sun, and Moira was just beginning work on Keeva. The German shepherd’s ears perked up and he watched Candice’s car. She could tell the moment he realized who it was because he gave a soft whine and his tail started swishing back and forth, spraying tiny droplets of water across her front porch.
“Thanks for letting me come and do laundry,” Candice said as she got out of the car. She reached down to pet Maverick, who had rushed over to greet her, then recoiled as she touched his fur. “Eww, why is he all wet? Did they roll in something?”
“They were just in the stream,” she assured her daughter. “I forgot it was all muddy down there. I had to hose them off so they didn’t get the house dirty.” She released Keeva, who gave a swift shake, sending water flying in all directions before bouncing off to chase Maverick around the yard.
Chuckling, Moira said, “I’ll put them in the backyard while they dry. You can head in and start doing your laundry, if you’d like. I made some creamy potato and bacon soup for lunch, it’ll only take me a few minutes to heat it up.”
A few minutes later they were sitting across the table from each other with bowls of the homemade soup in front of them. The hum of the washing machine could be heard from the mudroom, and every once in a while one of the dogs, who were still too wet to come into the house, would press their nose against the kitchen window that looked out into the back yard.
“I think they’re jealous that we’re eating without them,” Candice said as Maverick stared at them from outside.
“They’re both a bit spoiled,” Moira admitted. “They know they get leftovers. But they’re very well behaved for the most part. Maverick is going to miss Keeva when her owner picks her up.”
“So she called you?” her daughter asked. “It’s really the right person?”
“Yes. She even emailed me pictures of Keeva, so I’m certain that she’s really the owner. I’m going to be very sad to see her go, but I’m glad that everything is turning out right for both Chelsea, that’s the owner, and Keeva. It sounds like she really loves her.” She had no doubt that the dog would be going back to a good home. Maybe she would think about getting a second dog of her own in the future, once things slowed down a bit at the deli. Or maybe not, she thought. I did promise Martha I would watch Diamond whenever she went away from business. That will be like having a second dog, part time. I don’t think I have the time or energy to raise a puppy right now anyway.
Hearty Homestyle Murder: Book 9 in The Darling Deli Series Page 6