Shamrocks and Murder
Page 7
She would give it some time, she decided, before confronting Denise about any of it. It would be best to let the other woman process everything that had happened and get settled back into her life before she brought up their friendship. She was glad, regardless of everything else, that Denise was getting released, and that Logan and Julian were free to return to their homes.
It had been an exhausting week, and she was still shaky from her confrontation with Miriam. All she wanted right now was to go home and curl up in bed, and not do anything at all until Monday.
Detective Jefferson was called away to speak to one of the police officers, and Moira made her way back toward the house. She had a lot of cleaning up to do before she could leave. The party had been cut short, so there was plenty of extra food for her and Thelma to divvy up, and she still had to get everything packed into the refrigerated truck and drive it back to the deli.
On her way to the kitchen, she ran into Zach and Darrin. Both were carrying platters, so she stepped aside to let them by.
“It was a crazy first day,” she heard Darrin say. “Are you sure you still want to work for us?”
“As long as that sort of thing doesn’t happen often,” the young man replied, giving a weak chuckle. “I don’t think I could handle this every day. Remember, I wanted a less stressful work environment. Not a more stressful one.”
Moira smiled as they walked by. She was glad that she hadn’t gone deeper into her concerns about Zach with Darrin. It turned out that they had been completely unfounded. Zach really was the best person to work at the deli out of everyone who had applied, and she was looking forward to getting to know him now that she knew that he wasn’t a killer. With luck, he would fit in well with the team and would bring a lot to the plate, so to speak.
She found Thelma in the kitchen. The other woman was picking apart a breakfast cookie, leaving the crumbs on a plate in front of her.
“How are you doing?” Moira asked.
“I’m still in shock,” Thelma admitted. “Miriam… well, I’ve known her for years. I would never have dreamed that she could do something like that.”
“I don’t think we are ever really sure of what others are capable of until they do it,” Moira said.
“She was such a good friend, though. I feel guilty for saying it. I feel guilty for being friends with her for so long without realizing who she really was.”
“Don’t,” the deli owner replied. “You couldn’t have known that she would do something like that. I don’t think she even knew that she would do something like that, until she did it. Most of the time that you knew her, she wasn’t a killer. She might not always have been the person that she is now. People do change over time.”
“Thank you,” Thelma said. “I’m sorry for dragging you into this. I’m glad you’re here. If it wasn’t for you, she might never have been caught. Thanks to you, the world is a safer place.”
“Thanks to you, I’m still alive to enjoy it,” Moira said. She grabbed the tray of leftover mini quiches and set it on the counter between them. “Food makes everything seem better. Let’s pack everything up and call it a day. I’m beat, and I’m sure you are too.”