Thanksgiving Deli Murder (The Darling Deli Series Book 28)

by Patti Benning

  “It's time for me to get going anyway,” he said. “Have a nice day.”

  She watched as he left the restaurant, the back of her neck prickling. Something was certainly off about him, but hopefully now that she had pointed out the security cameras and had spoken with him directly, he would be smart enough not to try anything. She might not have his name, but she knew his face and would make a mental note to save the security footage from that morning. If he did come back later in an attempt to do something illegal, she would make life very difficult for him indeed.

  CHAPTER THREE

  * * *

  She mentioned the strange man to her other employees, and thankfully none of them spotted him again over the next few days. She still wasn't sure why he had been there, or what his plan had been, and something told her that they hadn't seen the last of him.

  When Saturday dawned, she woke up feeling much more cheerful than she had the past couple of days. David had a rare day off, and she was looking forward to spending it with him.

  She looked over at her husband, who was still sleeping, and decided to let him enjoy the chance to get some extra time to snooze. It would give her time to get started on the coffee and let the dogs out before the day really started.

  The coffee maker had just stopped gurgling when David came downstairs, his hair sticking up in all directions.

  “Good morning,” Moira said cheerfully.

  “Good morning,” he replied, yawning. “The coffee smells good.”

  “I'll pour you a mug. What do you want to do for breakfast? We could make something here, or go out to eat.”

  “Which would you prefer?”

  She shrugged. “I'm happy with anything. I was thinking we could take the dogs to the county park today. They have all of those nice trails, and it's going to be winter soon. I'd like to go before it gets too wet and cold.”

  “It's hunting season, isn't it? If we go out, we’ll have to wear orange. Do you still have the vests we got for the dogs last year?”

  “I think they're in the closet,” she said. “I'll go check.”

  “Okay. Before we go on the walk, we should go out for food. I don’t think I’m in the mood for breakfast, though. How about burgers? The diner opens at eleven.”

  They decided to wait until after lunch to take a walk. David was right, it had been a while since they had simply had a good burger and fries. Now that he had mentioned the food, Moira couldn't stop thinking of biting in to a juicy Lakeside Burgers patty.

  Healthy eating, she knew, had never been their forte. David had the metabolism of a cheetah, but she didn't. Ever since Candice had been born, she had watched her weight fluctuate up to ten pounds as she gained weight, then dieted to lose it.

  It may not have been the perfect way to live, but it worked for her. Food was such a big part of her life that it didn't make sense to take the enjoyment out of it if she didn't have to. She got inspiration everywhere for dishes for the deli, which meant that she had to remain open to trying new things. Or so she told herself. The truth was, she just liked food a little too much.

  At the diner, a waitress told them to seat themselves. They took a worn-out booth near the window, and she approached a few minutes later to take their drink orders.

  “What do you think you're going to get?” David asked as they opened their menus.

  “I think the mushroom and Swiss burger looks good,” Moira said. “I remember getting it before, and I think I liked it.”

  “I think I'm just going to get a classic bacon burger. And I'll try to save room for dessert. Their lava cakes are amazing.”

  Moira agreed, though she was already wondering if they would have any energy left for a walk after the meal.

  “Are the two of you ready to order, or do you need more time?” the waitress asked on her return to the table.

  “I think we're ready, Jeanie,” Moira said, squinting at her name tag. They placed their orders, then relaxed into conversation again while they waited for their food.

  “This is nice,” David said. “We should go out together more often. We used to go on dates a couple of times a week.”

  “I know,” Moira said. “I miss it. I know that we've both been busy on and off for the past few months, but we should make time for each other.”

  “I’ll try to be gone less,” he promised, reaching across the table to squeeze her hand. “It's easy to get so drawn in to work that I forget what's really important.”

  “Trust me when I say I know,” Moira said. “I hardly had time for anything when I was first building the deli. In a way, it's good that Candice was gone for college, because I was hardly home at all anyway.”

  They talked a little bit more about their plans for Thanksgiving, and then their food came. They both fell silent as they took the first few bites. Moira had been starving, and biting into the perfect burger was heavenly.

  “How is everything?” the waitress asked, coming back to the table to check on them. “I’m about to clock out for the day. Anne will be your new server, if you need anything.”

  “It's great, thank you,” Moira said. “I love this place. Your burgers are the best.”

  “I'm glad to hear it,” the other woman said. “I've worked here for thirty years, and I'm here almost every day. In fact, I live right next door.” She chuckled. “If that's not dedication to a job, I don't know what is. Anyway, I'll pass your compliments along to the owner. He'll be glad to hear a good word from a fellow restaurant owner.”

  Moira raised her eyebrows in surprise, but the waitress walked away before she could say anything. She still wasn't used to people recognizing her from the deli, though by now she supposed she should be.

  “That'll be you in thirty years,” her husband said with a smile. “Still working at the deli.”

  “I hope not,” Moira said, laughing. “At least not every day. I'll be in my seventies in thirty years. I hope I'll be able to retire by then, and only stop in at the deli when I get bored.”

  “Do you think you'll sell it?” he asked.

  “I don't know,” Moira admitted. “I guess when I opened it, I always thought Candice would take it over. Now, of course, she has her own dream to follow. Maybe Darrin will want it. And what about your microbrewery?”

  “I haven't thought about that at all. I suppose if it keeps growing, I'll either sell it, or give my half to my sister and let her deal with it. If it stays small, we may just close it.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  * * *

  After Moira and David returned home, they got the two dogs loaded up into the SUV and headed toward town. The park they wanted to go to was on the opposite side of Maple Creek, and encompassed a small lake as well as a huge forest with multiple biking and walking trails. She had been there before, but it had been a while. She wanted to see it again with David by her side.

  It was a chilly day, and overcast, but the weather channel had promised that the chance of rain was low. It was late enough in the year that most of the trees were bare, with their leaves now forming a multicolored carpet on the forest floor.

  She parked the car in the parking area at the park’s entrance and walked around to the back, where she let Keeva and Maverick out. She passed Keeva’s leash to David, then shut the hatch and pressed the button on her keys to lock the vehicle.

  “Ready to go?” she asked.

  “Yep. You lead the way.”

  She walked toward the trailhead, pausing to look at the map. She wasn't sure how long they would want to be out, and decided to go with the shortest loop the trails offered in case they got cold.

  There had been a few vehicles in the parking lot, but they didn't see any sign of other people when they got into the woods. The forest was quiet, other than the occasional squirrel making a mad dash across the dry leaves.

  “This is nice,” David said. “It's good to get outside. I can't believe it's so late in the year already.”

  “Me either. It seems like it was just summer. In less
than two months, it will be a new year.”

  “And hopefully a less busy one,” he said. “With building the microbrewery, and everything that has happened with Candice, I feel like we've barely had time to catch our breaths.”

  “It's been a weird year,” she agreed. “The deli is doing well, though, which I'm grateful for.”

  “Has that man come back?”

  She shook her head. “No one has seen him. He was probably just some out of town visitor or something.”

  “You seemed pretty concerned when you mentioned him.”

  “I was, but worrying about who he might be won't do anything to help. As long as he doesn't come poking around again, I'm happy to forget about the entire issue.”

  “I still think that you should have told Detective Jefferson about him. You’ve had enough issues at the deli over the past few years that it’s worth giving the police a heads up when something like this happens.”

  “While I do think that he was probably up to no good while he was there, I don’t think that he will come back, and I don’t want to bother Jefferson with something like that. As soon as I pointed out the cameras, he left. We have him on video – I saved the footage – and I would be able to identify him in a lineup.”

  “But you don’t have his name,” her husband said. “You can’t find someone just by their face, not easily anyway.”

  “It’s a bit late to go to the police,” she said. “Even if I wanted to, they wouldn’t be able to do anything about it now. If he comes back again and gives me any reason to worry, I promise I will talk to Detective Jefferson.”

  “Okay, I suppose that will have to be good enough for me.” Her husband tightened his grip on the leash as Keeva tugged to sniff at something in the leaves. Both dogs were wearing bright orange vests. She and David were wearing orange hats, and brightly colored jackets. Hunting season in Michigan was always a big deal, and she knew that the woods would be full of hunters on the lookout for deer. However, the park was still open to hikers, and she wasn’t going to sit at home all deer season when she could be out enjoying the last of the nice weather. Winter this far north in the mitten was bound to be rough, and she knew once the snow came, she would be hard-pressed to leave the house for more than a few minutes at a time.

  “I know you’re worried,” she said to her husband after a moment. “And I can see why. I would be, too, if I were in your position. I guess I’m less worried about the deli suffering a potential theft than I am about Allison, who seemed very shaken up by the whole thing. Although to be fair, she has seemed very shaken up ever since she found out about Mike.”

  “How is she doing with all of that?”

  “I think she’s getting a little bit better,” Moira said. “I just wish that she would talk to someone. I know it was hard enough on her just finding the body. Now, two years after the fact, she found out that it was her own father. That’s not something that anyone is prepared to deal with. She’s been avoiding her aunt, and only says what she needs to at work. I know she has spoken to Candice a few times, but I don’t want to pry too much into their conversations. After all, they are sisters.”

  “Half-sisters,” David said automatically. “At least Candice seems glad about her new relative. I’m sure she will be able to help Allison through all of this. I know you feel a connection to the girl now that you know she is related to your daughter, but I think it’s important to let her real family handle it.”

  “You are probably right… this whole thing is just so confusing, for all of us. I feel terrible for her, and…”

  She broke off as a gunshot rang through the woods. The sound made Maverick jump, and Keeva perked her ears up. Moira frowned. It had sounded close. She knew there were hunters out there, but she thought that they would stay in the area of the park that didn’t have well groomed trails. Hunting shouldn’t be allowed so close to where people were walking, and besides, hikers would scare away all of the animals.

  Then the screaming started. She didn’t know if it was a man or an animal. It was a terrible sound. She looked over at David.

  “Is… is that a deer?”

  His face had gone pale. “I don’t think so,” he said. “That sounds like a human.”

  They exchanged a glance, then hurried forward toward the sound of the screams. The dogs slowed them down as their leashes got tangled in the undergrowth. As they got nearer, she could make out the man’s shouts for help. He sounded close, but she couldn’t see him.

  “I think he’s over that hill,” David said. “Here, you take Keeva’s leash. I’ll go ahead.”

  “I’ll be right behind you,” Moira said. She wasn’t about to let her husband go alone.

  She followed him, making sure to keep a firm grip on the dogs’ leashes. They were both straining forward, whining anxiously. She fumbled to pull her phone out of her pocket. By the sound of it, someone was hurt badly enough to need an ambulance. She had one bar of service. Hopefully, it would be enough for an emergency call.

  She saw David reach the top of the hill and freeze. Panting, she hurried up beside him. Looking down, she could see what had made him stop. The man was there, but he had fallen silent. He was slouched against a log, wearing hunter’s orange on his head and a camouflage jacket. There was a rifle by his unmoving hand, and Moira could see the glow of a cell phone’s screen in the leaves.

  “Is he dead?”

  David shook his head. “I don’t know. I’m going to go down and see if I can help him. You call the police. If he is still alive, he needs an ambulance as soon as possible.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  * * *

  With shaking fingers, she dialed 911 as David hurried down the steep hill. Just as he reached the man, an operator answered her call.

  “I need an ambulance,” she said. “Someone’s been shot.” She did her best to tell them exactly where they were, but was unable to tell him whether or not the man was still alive. She hesitated, then put the phone down and tied the dogs’ leashes to a small tree. Picking the phone back up, she made her way down the hill toward David.

  “Is he breathing?” she asked.

  “Just barely,” David said. “Take off your jacket. I need something to stop the blood.”

  She shrugged off her jacket and handed it over to David, then related the information to the emergency line’s operator. She watched, horrified and helpless, as her husband tried to stop the bleeding from the man’s chest. She didn’t know how long they had been sitting there, but at last she realized that there was a voice coming from her phone. The operator was still on the line, and was asking her to meet the paramedics on the trail so she could guide them to where the injured man was. Telling David that she would be right back with help, she walked back up the hill, grabbed the dogs, and found her way back to the trail. Minutes later, she met with the paramedics, and hurried to return to the site of the gunshot victim.

  She could tell as soon as she crested the hill that the news wasn’t good. David was sitting back with blood on his hands and a shocked look on his face. The man he had been trying to help was gazing blankly at the sky.

  She hung back, unable to do anything but stare as the paramedics rushed down the hill with the stretcher and did what they could to bring the man back to life. David answered the questions that he could, but she could tell that he was in shock.

  They met the police in the parking lot. Detective Jefferson, the head detective at the Maple Creek Police Station, made a beeline for them after speaking with the paramedics.

  “Why wasn’t I surprised to hear your name mentioned in all of this?” he asked. “I was on my way out of the office, but I figured that I should take this. What happened? The paramedics told me that you found a man shot in the woods. Do you know anything else?”

  “We heard the shot,” Moira said. “It sounded close by. I remember being surprised because I thought that the hunters could only hunt in the other part of the park. The screaming started a second later. We hurried forward and
found the man. He was already unresponsive when we got there. David tried to stop the bleeding, but…” she trailed off. He knew what had happened after that. She looked over at her husband.

  “David?” Detective Jefferson asked gently. “Do you have anything you’d like to add?”

  Her husband shook his head. “I did everything I could,” he said. “But it wasn’t enough.”

  “I’m going to ask David to ride to the station with me,” Jefferson said. “Not because he’s in trouble, but because he’s covered in blood and you probably don’t want to get that all over your vehicle. Do you want to drop the dogs off at home, then meet us there?”