Murder, My Darling

by Patti Benning

  The soup ready, she knew she couldn’t put off opening any longer. It was going to be a busy day, she could feel it. The sooner it began, the sooner the worst of it would be over.

  The deli’s first day open since Darrin’s death went much as Moira had expected it would. A lot of people came in purely to offer condolences. Moira was glad to talk to them, because she knew they meant well, though it was hard for her to spend all day dwelling on what had happened. Worse were the people who came in and asked about what had happened, hoping to get material for gossip. She tried to keep being polite even when she wanted to snap at them for making a man's death a source of entertainment, but it was tiring.

  She knew that normally she would have been focused on the new restaurant that was opening in Lake Marion, because no matter how popular the deli was, she knew that new competition would end up affecting sales somewhat, but it all seemed so far away compared to the constant knowledge that someone she had known for years had been murdered.

  When Candice called to let her know she was coming in, Moira was glad. She knew that she had probably been driving her daughter crazy lately, calling her twice a day and reminding her to lock her doors every night, but she was terrified about the possibility of the murder having something to do with the deli, and her family being the next target.

  Allison was on shift with Moira for the day, something the younger woman had insisted upon even though the deli owner knew she had been taking Darrin's death especially hard. The two of them worked well together, and between curious customers, Moira could almost pretend things were back to normal.

  Candice arrived just as the lunch rush began to drop down to almost nothing. The three of them were able to grab a table together and talk about the memorial float with only occasional interruptions when a new customer walked in.

  “We've got it all planned out,” Candice said, pulling out a slender folder and opening it up to reveal a handful of printed out pages. “Allison designed the flyers. We thought we’d make it open to the public. Everyone has heard about his murder already, and a lot of people knew him through the deli. They'll all want to give their condolences, and a lot of them will probably want to chip in and help with funeral expenses. At least paying for their son’s funeral will be one less thing his parents will have to worry about.”

  “I think it’s so lovely that the two of you planned all of this,” the deli owner said. “I’m sure it will mean a lot to his family.”

  “We didn’t do it just for them,” Allison admitted. She looked around, then lowered her voice. “We thought that raising awareness might help solve his murder. If anyone knows something about it, they might feel pressured to come forward.”

  The deli owner nodded. She wasn't sure whether the memorial would help with that or not, but it was worth a try. She wouldn't be able to stand it if Darrin’s death ended up being just another unsolved crime statistic.

  “There’s one more thing,” Candice said. “I want to help out here until the candy shop opens. I know you’re going to be short staffed with Darrin gone, and I know this place almost as well as he did.”

  “Candice, are you sure?” Moira asked. “Don’t you want to focus on getting the candy shop open?”

  “Honestly? I need the distraction. It will be just like old times.”

  She was about to reply when the front door jingled open. She looked up to see two young women come in. One she recognized right away; it was Jade, Darrin’s girlfriend — or possibly ex, considering the way he had acted when she mentioned her.

  “I’ve got this,” she said when Allison began to rise. She gave Candice a grateful smile, then pushed her chair back and stood up, walking over to the counter to see what she could help the two of them with.

  It wasn’t until both women were standing in front of her that she recognized the second one. She was Vickie, the woman who drove the dry goods delivery truck. Out of uniform, she looked different, more carefree and happier. Moira wasn’t surprised that she hadn’t recognized her immediately, but she was surprised that she hadn’t seen the similarities between the two women before. They looked like they must be related.

  “Hi, Jade,” she said. “How are you holding up?”

  Jade, whose eyes were rimmed with red, looked down at the ground and sniffled. “It’s horrible,” she said. “I can’t eat, I can’t sleep. I just can’t believe he’s gone. I keep thinking I’m going to wake up and this will all have been a nightmare. Did he mention the last fight we had at all?”

  “No,” Moira said, intrigued but unsurprised. She had suspected that something had happened between the two of them.

  “It was so stupid,” Jade said, her voice wavering. “I’m sure you know we were getting serious. Well, my mom gave him my grandmother’s engagement ring, because he told her and my father he was planning on proposing, but then the ring vanished. He swore up and down that he had kept it somewhere safe, but I accused him of losing it on purpose, because I knew he always wanted to pick one out himself. I was so horrible about it, and we didn’t speak for days, and the next thing I knew he was d-dead.”

  She broke down, crying, and Moira didn’t know what to do. Thankfully Vickie took over, grabbing a wad of napkins from the dispenser on the counter and shoving them in Jade’s hands while patting her on the back.

  “It’s okay,” she said. “I’m sure he would have forgiven you.”

  She shot Moira a look that said she had done this a hundred times already, and the deli owner gave her a sympathetic smile.

  “Jade, dear, would you like to come into the kitchen and sit down? I can get you something warm to drink and a nice bowl of soup.”

  “N-no,” she sniffled. “I just wanted to stop in and see if he left anything here. I just miss him so much.”

  For a moment, the image of the scribbled-out photo in the newspaper flashed across Moira’s mind. She thought about mentioning to Jade, but quickly decided against it. The poor woman didn’t seem in any condition to handle something like that, and besides, she wasn’t sure if she should be talking about something that was part of an active police investigation.

  “I’m sorry, I already packed everything up and sent it to his parents,” she said. “If it helps, there wasn’t much.”

  “It’s okay. He loved this place so much,” she said, dabbing at her eyes. “Even though that Geary guy offered him nearly twice what he makes here to go work for him, he turned it down.”

  Moira blinked. Cole Geary had offered Darrin a job? He hadn’t even mentioned it to her. She frowned, but before she could say anything, Jade continued speaking.

  “Thanks for taking care of that. I’m sorry for breaking down like this.”

  “Don’t you feel bad for one second,” Moira said. “Are you sure you don’t want to sit down for a bit?”

  “No, I should go. I’d rather be at home. I h-hate crying in public.”

  She turned to leave, Vickie at her side, when Moira realized she had forgotten something important. “Wait,” she said. “I almost forgot to tell you. We’re going to be hosting a wake for Darrin here at the deli. It will take place Sunday night. We’re going to be accepting donations to send to his parents for his funeral expenses. It’s open to the entire town, so bring anyone you’d like to.”

  “Thanks,” Jade said, managing to give her a weak smile. “I’ll be there for sure.”

  She turned to leave again and this time the deli owner didn’t stop her. She watched her go, feeling worse with every second. Darrin had had his whole life ahead of him, and whoever had taken that from him needed to face justice.

  Chapter Ten

  There had been few occasions in her life when Moira had wanted to know something badly enough to utilize her husband’s skills as a private detective, but she decided that learning more about Cole Geary just couldn’t wait. He had popped right back up to the top of her mental list of suspects the instant Jade mentioned that he had offered Darrin a job.

  He had disarmed her by coming into
the deli and offering up an explanation to why he was taking the pictures, and along with his friendly demeanor and open expression, it had made her chide herself for ever thinking he might have had something to do with Darrin’s death. Now, having learned that he had attempted to poach one of her employees — one who was now dead — she knew she had been foolish.

  While David ran a search on the man’s history, she took it upon herself to drive out to the building that would soon be the new Souper Sandwich restaurant. The parking lot was empty, and the lights were off inside, but Moira peeked through the windows nonetheless. What she saw inside made her bite her cheek in anger.

  Cole Geary had lied to her when he promised that he hadn’t been attempting to copy the deli. The interior of his restaurant was almost exactly a mirror image of the deli, with only a few minor differences. Where the display cabinet was in the deli was a long buffet counter, and the color of the walls was a few shades darker. Other than that, it was like looking at the deli’s long-lost twin.

  She thought he must have only recently finished the interior decorating, because drip sheets splattered with paint still lay on the floor and she could see bubble wrap still protecting some of the chair legs.

  Raising her phone to the window, she took a couple of photos of her own, wondering if this blatant copying might be something she could sue him over. Even if he hadn’t killed Darrin, she already had a strong feeling of dislike for the man. Not only was he trying to copy her restaurant, but he had lied to her about it, which was almost worse. If she had been thinking clearly, she might have seen the red flags when he started denying something she hadn’t even accused him of in the first place.

  The next few days passed in a blur of nerves and anger. With the holidays nearing and the deli busier than ever, she didn’t have much time to think about anything but work while the deli was open, but she spent her evenings pacing around the house, which was emptier than usual since David was spending much of his time at his microbrewery, packaging his newest craft beer, called Gingerbread Creek, and getting it shipped out just in time for Christmas.

  By the time Sunday arrived, she was on edge, with her nerves frayed and tense to the breaking point. Her optimism about the holidays seemed farfetched by now, and all she wanted was for the holiday to arrive, so she could have a few days off from work to rest and recuperate.

  She was beyond grateful for the fact that Candice and Allison had taken charge of preparing everything for the parade, but she didn’t know quite how much work they had put into it until she walked into the parking lot after closing and saw what was waiting there. The old float had been dismantled and rebuilt, now a memorial to Darrin with photos from both his time at the deli and from his personal life, donated by friends and family. They had designed a large banner to go in front, with the words In Memory of Darrin outlined by glowing Christmas lights.

  “It’s beautiful,” she said, feeling her throat close up. This was it. It was finally starting to sink in. Darrin was gone.

  “We tried to make it perfect for him,” Allison said.

  “You succeeded,” Moira said. “I never imagined anything like this.”

  The parade wasn’t for a couple of hours, but it took them nearly that long to prepare. Both Jade and Vickie joined them and helped. They had contacted the city council and had arranged it, so they would go last. Before the parade began, the three of them sold white candles to anyone who wanted to join them in their slow march down Main Street. The proceeds from the candles, plus any extra donations, would all go to Darrin’s parents. She saw Geary purchase one from Allison and bit her lip, turning her face away. Now wasn’t the time to make a scene. She could confront him after the parade.

  Moira had never been prouder of her daughter. Seeing what she had managed to put together for Darrin on such short notice made her realize for the first time that Candice would be fine. Even if she didn’t have her mother standing behind her, supporting her every step of the way, she would still be able to handle anything the world threw at her.

  David joined them just as the parade began to move. The two of them joined everyone else, holding their candles aloft. Christmas music filled the air, but a shroud of silence seemed to surround the memorial float.

  “Sorry I’m late,” her husband whispered. “Lenny called just as I was leaving. He had the results of the background check.”

  “What did he come up with?” she whispered back.

  “Nothing,” David said.

  “Well, I guess that was a waste of time,” she said with a sigh.

  “You don’t understand. It came up with nothing. Cole Geary doesn’t exist.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Moira stared at her husband in shock. Someone bumped into her from behind, and she realized that she had stopped moving. She started walking slowly, trying to make sense of it all.

  “What do you mean, he doesn’t exist?”

  “Nothing came up when we searched for him. Well, there was one Cole Geary, but according to his birth certificate, he’d be in his eighties by now.”

  “That’s definitely not him,” she said. “What does this mean?”

  “He could have stolen someone’s identity,” David said. “It’s more common than you’d think. Or he may be trying to keep his real identity a secret for some reason. Did you ever see his ID or any legal documents with his name on them?”

  “No,” Moira said. “Just the newspaper article about his restaurant. Wouldn’t they know if the name he gave them was a fake?”

  “Not necessarily,” said her husband with a shrug. “It was just a small local piece about a new restaurant, wasn’t it? I doubt the journalist felt the need to do any digging. It’s possible that he doesn’t want his real name to be used publicly like that. There are a lot of reasons someone might be in hiding that wouldn’t make them a criminal.”

  “You don’t think it’s at all suspicious?”

  “Of course it is, but I don’t think it automatically means that he’s the killer.”

  “He tried to poach Darrin from the deli,” Moira said. “And he copied my dining area almost exactly. Plus, he’s a liar. He seems to make a pretty good suspect to me. What more should we wait for? What if he decides he wants the deli completely out of the way and goes for one of us next?”

  “We can bring what we found to Detective Jefferson, but we shouldn’t get involved other than that.”

  Moira frowned at her husband, but didn’t push the matter. She fell silent instead and focused her gaze ahead, remembering where she was and why she was there. This wasn’t the time or place to get into an argument. It was a solemn occasion, a time for mourning.

  By the time the parade reached the end of Main Street, it seemed like half the town had joined the vigil. The amount of support the town was giving touched her. Her argument with David wasn’t forgotten, but she had pushed it aside for the time being as the parade ended and she doused her candle.

  “That was beautiful,” said a woman, coming up to shake Moira’s hand.

  “Those two young women did all of the hard work,” the deli owner said, gesturing to Candice and Allison. She was proud to be able to tell people that her daughter had organized the vigil.

  As the woman walked away to talk to them, David nudged her arm. He was holding his cell phone, with an annoyed look on his face.

  “The heat stopped working at the office again,” he said. “Lenny has no idea how to fix it, and the company won’t be open until tomorrow. It’s supposed to get down below zero tonight, so I’d better go take a look and see if I can do anything. Will you be okay here?”

  She nodded. “I’ll be fine. Go take care of it.”

  He gave her a quick kiss, then pushed through the crowd and vanished. Moira glanced toward the spot where Candice and Allison had been standing, but neither of them were visible any longer. She didn’t want to leave the float alone, but she wanted to go find Cole Geary and get the truth out of him.

  When her eyes landed on a
familiar face, she lit up. “Vickie,” she called out. “Could you do me a favor? I need someone to drive the float to the deli and make sure it’s secure. I don’t want anyone stealing anything off of it.”

  “Sure,” Vickie said. She took the keys. “Thanks for letting me and Jade help. He might have been my sister’s boyfriend, but Darrin was important to both of us.”

  She watched as Vickie climbed onto the float and slowly drove it toward the deli, then bit her lip, stuffed the candle in her purse and pushed through the crowd, scanning the faces for one person in particular.

  Twice, she thought she spotted him, and twice she was wrong. It seemed that Cole Geary was adept at disappearing. She knew for a fact that he had bought a candle, but she realized that she really didn’t know whether or not he had actually walked in the vigil. She wished that she had confronted him then and there. She still had no proof that he had killed Darrin, but she had enough evidence that he was hiding from something that she thought she might be able to get some answers from him.