VALENTINES AND MURDER (The Darling Deli Series Book 30)

by Patti Benning

  “Thanks for stopping in. I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of each other. Penny, will you give her the gift basket on the way out?”

  Moira followed the young woman back through the building, and waited in the entrance room while she grabbed a large gift basket out of an adjoining room. “Here you go,” she said brightly. “We’ve got them for all of the surrounding businesses. I’m glad you stopped in. You guys serve lunch, right? I may stop by during my break.”

  “We start serving lunch at eleven. Our special today will be Italian orzo soup and club sandwiches, but we can make any sort of sandwich you’d like. I hope we’ll see you. Are you related to Wyatt as well?”

  Penny shook her head. “No. Wyatt and Andre are the only two that are related. Me and one other girl work here now, and he’s planning on hiring more people once we open. If you know anyone with grooming experience, send them our way.”

  “I don’t think I do, but if I do think of anyone, I will,” Moira said. She hefted the gift basket. “Thanks again.”

  She left, taking peeks at the gift basket as she returned to the deli. She had a feeling that she was going to like her new neighbors.

  CHAPTER THREE

  * * *

  She got her wish for a slow day. After the first breakfast rush, when people stopped in for a coffee and a breakfast cookie on their way to work or school, business slowed down to a trickle. She managed to finish her book by ten, just in time to go back into the kitchen and start on the day’s homemade soup.

  Over the past few years, she had made nearly every kind of soup imaginable. From rich bisques, to hearty chowders, to cold summer soups, her favorites always seemed to include pasta. Today, she was making a vegetarian version of Italian wedding soup with orzo and vegetables. She took the biggest pot off its hook above the sink and put it on the stove before measuring out the vegetable broth. She set the burner to medium, and began to chop the vegetables while it heated up.

  In the summer, she bought their produce fresh weekly from local farmers, but in the winter, it all had to be shipped in. Even though she knew there probably wasn’t that much of a difference, she always thought that things didn’t taste quite as good when they weren’t local.

  It wasn’t long before the soup was bubbling away. She added the pasta, then remembering her desire to meet her husband’s new business partner, she grabbed her phone and sent a text to David. Everything is going so well, she thought as she slipped the phone into her pocket. David’s finally going to be able to focus on the microbrewery like he’s wanted to do for a long time, Candice and Ellie seem happy, even if they don’t live nearby anymore, and I’m going to be able to begin bringing the dogs to doggy daycare while I’m working. So far, the new year was going even better than she could have imagined.

  “Hey, Ms. D.”

  Moira jumped as Allison, one of her employees, walked into the kitchen. She had been so lost in thought that she hadn’t heard her come in.

  “Hey, Allison. How is everything?”

  “Good. What’s this?” she asked, looking at the gift basket that Moira had put on the employee table in the kitchen.

  “That’s from the people who are opening the new business next door. Did you notice the new sign when you came in?”

  “I saw,” the young woman said, sitting down at the table. “They put it up yesterday. Perfect Paws. What do they do?”

  Moira told her. “They seem nice. Feel free to take anything out of there that you want. I don’t need to eat so many chocolates, not unless I want to buy bigger pants.”

  “This is great,” Allison said. “Are these cookies for dogs?”

  “Yep. They have a small dog bakery too.”

  “I bet Keeva and Maverick will like them,” Allison said. She dug around in the gift basket until she found a box of chocolates, which she opened. “Did Candice tell you about the trip we’re planning this summer?”

  “Not yet. Where are you planning on going?”

  “Florida. We’re going to go to a couple of amusement parks, and spend the rest of the time lounging on the beach. The plan is to bond as sisters, since, you know, we missed out on a lot of that.”

  Just a couple of months ago, Moira had discovered that her employee was actually her daughter’s half-sister, from an affair that Candice’s father had had a long time ago. It had been an emotional discovery for all of them, but she was glad for it. She had always regretted not giving Candice a sibling. While it was true that she and Allison had missed out on being able to grow up together, they already had a solid friendship. She was glad that the girls were embracing their newfound relationship.

  “That sounds wonderful. I’m happy for both of you, and I’m sure you’ll have a lot of fun.” The bell on the door out front rang, and Moira waved a hand as Allison began to rise. “I’ll get it. You can finish your chocolate, then give the soup a stir. It should be just about ready.”

  She left the kitchen and found Penny standing at the register. The young woman smiled at her brightly. “I managed to stop by. I’ll have your special. I don’t remember what you said it was, but it sounded good.”

  “It will be just a second,” Moira said. “Do either of the others want anything?”

  “Wyatt brought a lunch from home,” Penny said. “And Andre left for the day, so they’re good. Do you guys sell drinks too?”

  “Yep, right over there.”

  While Penny examined the drink selection, Moira popped into the kitchen to give the order to Allison. She was just turning to head back to the counter and ring the order up when her cell phone buzzed in her pocket. She checked it and saw David’s name on the screen. Reluctantly, she silenced the call. She had to take care of business first.

  Once Penny left, she called David back, but he didn’t answer. He had, however, left her a message that said simply, Turn on the news. Beginning to worry, she asked Allison to take over up front and grabbed her tablet out of her purse. She set it up on the table in the kitchen, pushing the gift basket out of the way, and searched for a website that had live local news. I should get a TV for the kitchen, she thought as she waited for the page to load.

  What she saw pushed all idle thoughts out of her mind. With a banner that read, Breaking News floating across the bottom of the screen, the video showed a house with a multitude of police vehicles with flashing lights parked in front of it. She turned the volume up just in time to hear, “… confirmed shooting. The victim was found dead at the scene. The police received the first call at approximately ten-thirty this morning, with many other calls flooding in soon after. The quiet town of Lake Marion is flooded with chaos as the police begin the search for the shooter.”

  Moira took out her phone again and redialed David’s number. He answered on what must have been the last ring. “I’m sorry, Moira, I’m talking to the police. I can’t talk for long.”

  “Who is it?” she asked, her voice shaking. If David was already involved with the police, the victim must have been someone they knew.

  “His name was Rick Greene. He was a client of mine. We’ll talk later, I just thought you should know what’s going on. I might be home late.”

  “I understand,” she said. “Be careful, okay, David? You’re not in danger, right?”

  “I don’t think so,” he said. “I just thought you should be aware. I’ve got to go now. They still have no idea who the shooter is, so I’m going to share everything from the case I was working on. I’ll see you tonight.”

  They said their goodbyes, then David hung up. Moira let her hand drop, and slid the phone into her pocket. Even though David had told her he was fine, she couldn’t help but worry. Someone had shot and killed one of his clients. She didn’t know what sort of case the man had hired David for, but she knew that even something as commonplace as a suspected affair could quickly escalate to violence. She just had to hope that her husband wouldn’t be the next target.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  * * *

  She spent the rest of the
day at the deli checking her phone as frequently as possible, hoping for an update from her husband. When she had time for a break, she turned her tablet back on and returned to the news website, hoping to learn that the shooter had been caught. The story hadn’t been updated for hours, and she tried to hide her disappointment as she closed the page. By then, news of the shooting had spread, and it was all anyone was talking about. Lake Marion and Maple Creek were both small towns, and something as violent as an unsolved shooting would be the talk of the towns for weeks. Moira hadn’t told anyone that David had a connection to the case.

  The murder made her happier than ever that David was taking a step back from his private investigating business. If he kept at it, she worried that one day he would be targeted for whatever role he had played in bringing down someone’s marriage, or revealing an important secret. Running a microbrewery had to be a much safer profession than following people who didn’t want to be followed.

  It was late by the time she made it home. While she enjoyed being at the deli, twelve-hour shifts were tiring. With Darrin gone, she would have to pull more full days than she wanted to, but she knew that giving him the vacation time had been the right thing to do. His parents had gone on a cruise to celebrate thirty years of marriage, and he had been the only one they trusted to watch their animals and house while they were gone. She knew that if she were in his shoes, she would have appreciated the time off as well. Her employees were the backbone of her business, and she did what she could to keep them happy and let them know that she appreciated them.

  The house was dark, and David’s car wasn’t in the driveway. He had told her that he would probably be late, so she tried not to worry too much as she turned on all the lights and let the dogs out. She had brought home leftover soup for dinner, but knew that she wouldn’t have any appetite for it until David was back. I hate this, she thought. There was nothing worse than worrying about her family’s safety.

  The thought gave her chills. If someone wanted to target her husband, then the logical place for them to start would be at his house. She shoved the bag holding the cups of soup into the fridge and returned to the front door, making sure that the deadbolt was turned, and the porch light was on. Then she walked back through the kitchen to let the dogs in, not bothering to lock them in the mudroom while their feet dried. She felt better with the dogs with her. Both of them were large and had intimidating barks, and she knew that Maverick, at least, would protect her if he needed to.

  She didn’t know what to do with herself while she waited. She grabbed a library book from the counter, but couldn’t get past the first paragraph. In the end, cleaning was what kept her sane. She finished everything that had been on her list that she hadn’t gotten done yesterday, and was about to start cleaning the oven when her phone rang. She jumped up and grabbed it off the counter, relieved to see David’s number.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey,” he said. “I’m on my way home. I’m bringing Lenny, and I just thought I should let you know. He and I need to go over the case again. I’m sure there’s something that can point us toward the culprit.”

  “Lenny?”

  “My new partner,” he said. “I forgot you hadn’t met him yet. We’re picking up Chinese food now. Do you want anything?”

  “Just a couple of egg rolls,” she said. “I’ve got soup here. I’ll see you guys soon?”

  “I’ll drive straight there, and Lenny will be right behind me. It will be about fifteen minutes.”

  She breathed a sigh of relief. They said their goodbyes and she hung up. David was all right, and by the sound of it, he was with his new business partner, so he wasn’t alone. At least the house is clean now, she thought, looking around. They didn’t have people over very often, not now that Candice lived a couple of hours away, so she tried to mentally look at her home from a stranger’s point of view. David might not care much about that sort of thing, but she wanted to make a good first impression on this Lenny. By the sound of it, he would be a part of their lives for a long time to come.

  How can David do it? she wondered as she went upstairs to freshen up. I can’t imagine having a business partner for the deli. What if we disagreed about something important? She knew that David still cared about the business, even if he was taking a step back from it. He had built it from the ground up. How could he not? She told herself that he must really like Lenny, if he was willing to trust him to take over the daily operations.

  By the time the two cars pulled into the driveway, Moira was ready. She had brushed out her hair, changed her clothes, and had even put on a spritz of perfume. When the dogs began to bark, she called them into the kitchen and gated them in the mudroom, so Lenny wouldn’t have to contend with the two of them vying for his attention.

  “I’m glad you’re home,” she said as she opened the front door a minute later. David was standing on the porch, with a thin, balding man next to him. “I was worried, after what I saw on the news.”

  “I know, and I’m sorry. I still can’t believe what happened. Rick seemed like a good guy. I just hope it didn’t have anything to do with the case.” Her husband gestured to the man beside him. “This is Lenny Picard. Lenny, this is my wife, Moira.”

  “It’s nice to meet you,” Lenny said, shaking her hand. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

  “It’s nice to meet you too. Come on in, it’s cold out there.”

  Lenny pushed his glasses further up his nose, then walked past her into the house. David paused to give her a quick kiss, then followed him, a bag of Chinese food in his hand. Moira shut and locked the door behind them.

  “Here, I’ll take the food into the kitchen while you give Lenny a tour,” she said. “I’ll get plates out for everyone too. What do you want to drink?”

  “I’ll have a beer,” David said. “Lenny?”

  “Beer sounds good to me. It’s been that sort of day. Thanks.”

  Moira took the food into the kitchen and began getting plates and silverware out of the cupboards and drawers. Lenny wasn’t what she had expected, but he seemed nice so far. She just hoped that he was everything that David seemed to hope for — but then, David had always been a good judge of character.

  At last, the three of them sat down to eat, Moira with her eclectic soup and egg rolls, and the other two with their noodles and orange chicken. She still wasn’t very hungry, but the two men obviously were. She waited until they took a few bites before asking something that she had wondered ever since David had told her that the murdered man had been a client.

  “So, the guy that died… Rick… what sort of case were you working on for him?”

  “He thought that he was being followed,” David said. “So he hired me, well, us, to tail him and see what we could find out. I hate to admit it, but I thought that he was imagining things. That’s why I figured it would be an easy case for Lenny to start out with. No offense.”

  “None taken,” Lenny assured him. “I don’t mind starting off easy. It’s been a while since I’ve solved anything besides where a missing sock went.”

  “Do you have any experience with this sort of stuff?” Moira asked, unable to help but wonder what her husband saw in the man.

  “I do. I got my PI’s license years ago, and actually opened up my own office. Then, I got married. I ended up setting all the private investigating stuff aside, so I could work a more stable job and make enough money to take care of my family. Now, my daughter’s out of college and can support herself, and my ex-wife is living in Wisconsin with her new husband, so I figured I might as well follow my own dreams for once. I saw David’s ad in the newspaper, and decided to answer it. Of course, this wasn’t quite how I envisioned my first case going.”

  “So, what happened, exactly?” Moira asked. “Does this mean that your client was right, and someone really was following him?”

  “It might,” David said with a sigh. “Lenny was supposed to start following him this morning.”

  “He had already b
een killed by the time I got there,” Lenny said. “The first police car showed up just as I did. I feel terrible. If I had gotten there just a few minutes earlier, I might have seen the person who did it.” He popped another piece of chicken into his mouth.

  “I’m sorry,” Moira said. “This must be terrible for both of you. Is there anything I can do?”

  “I don’t think so. It was a new case, so we don’t have much to go over besides what he told me when I met with him. Feel free to join us if you want. Three heads are better than two.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  * * *

  Even with the three of them talking about the case for over an hour, no headway was made. Rick Greene had told David that a man in a dark colored car had been following him around town for the past week. Unfortunately, that wasn’t much to go on. David had done a background check on his client to see if he had any criminal records that might indicate that he was in some sort of trouble, but had come up with nothing. It was all the same stuff that the police would do as well, but she knew her husband felt better doing it himself. Lenny seemed to feel the same way; once they started going through the man’s records, he was all business.