Garden Vegetable Murder: Book 12 of The Darling Deli Series

by Patti Benning

  “That’s great,” Martha said enthusiastically. “I bet you’re going to be glad to stop driving that boat of a food truck around.”

  “It’s not that bad… except when it comes to parking,” she admitted. “I’m not the best at parking to begin with.”

  As her friends picked up the thread of the conversation, she smiled and began to let her mind wander. She hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before, and of course had spent hours standing around while the police poked and prodded at her house, which had become a crime scene yet again. At least she would have a cruiser sitting guard in her driveway tonight, in case the gunman came back.

  Even worse than the broken window, she had been carrying around guilt that just increased whenever she thought of her poor pets. Maverick seemed to have shaken the incident off all right, though he had been jumpier than usual as she was preparing to go to work. Keeva and Felix, on the other hand, were both still terrified. She had ended up leaving Keeva in the mudroom with her bed and a soft pile of blankets, as the poor dog would begin to shake if Moira tried to bring her into the rest of the house. It had taken ages to coax the ginormous dog out from under the back porch in the first place, so she supposed that the mud room was progress.

  “Aren’t you going to eat, Moira?” Denise asked, interrupting the deli owner’s thoughts.

  She looked down at the salad in front of her, suddenly regretting making it. She really didn’t have an appetite at the moment, but knew that she should do her best to force something down. The only question was why she had thought a salad with candied pecans, rich blue cheese, and raspberry vinaigrette was the answer. Though usually one of her favorite healthy meals, the rich flavors were turning her stomach at the moment.

  “You really should,” added Martha, attempting to be helpful. “It’ll be good for you to eat something. The spike in your blood sugar will perk you up, at least for a bit. Thing won’t look nearly as grim with food in your stomach.”

  “I guess,” she said, halfheartedly stabbing a spinach leaf with her fork. “Sorry, guys. I’m terrible company right now. There’s just so much going on, it’s hard for me to concentrate on any one thing.”

  “Anything we can help with?” her friend asked.

  Moira considered the offer, then shook her head. It wouldn’t be fair to drag her friends into something like this. What she really wanted was to talk to David. Not that it was fair to drag him into her troubles either, but at least he had more experience with dangerous situations and might be able to offer up some advice. Why wasn’t he calling her back? Even a text or an email would do… she just wanted something to let her know that she wasn’t in this alone. His continuing silence was hurtful, much more than she liked to admit.

  “Thanks for the offer, though,” she said. “It means a lot that you guys came out here to have lunch with me.”

  She forced a smile onto her face and did her best to keep her mind on the conversation. It was good to be reminded that she did have people other than David that cared about her. Good friendships like these would last a lifetime.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  A few hours later, after her friends had gone, Darrin showed up to begin the afternoon shift. This enabled her to pop over to Edna’s and get her car. Sitting behind the familiar steering wheel was a relief. Having her car back, clean with four new tires, felt almost like a sign that things were going to start falling back into place.

  She pulled into the deli’s parking lot, parking her car as close to the big pane windows in front of the deli as possible in hopes that whoever ended up working the register today would keep an eye on it. She took one last, appraising look at her vehicle, then went inside, only to find that she had a surprise visitor waiting for her in the deli

  Silas greeted her with a warm smile, rising from his seat at a corner table when she came in. Moira shot a glance at Darrin, who just shrugged.

  “He was asking for you, so I told him you’d be back soon,” he said. “I hope that’s all right.”

  “Do you have the time for another coffee?” Silas asked. “Like I promised, I made sure the deli was actually open this time. I thought we could chat for a bit… if you have time.”

  Sure,” she said, laughing. “Just a second, I’ll go pour us a couple of cups.”

  Conscious of the fact that Darrin was watching them from the register, she joined Silas at the table in the corner that he had indicated a few moments later. She set down his mug of coffee, and was rewarded with a smile.

  “You made it just how I like it—amazing,” he said after sipping it.

  “What was it you wanted to talk about?” she asked him. “I should get back to work relatively soon. Darrin will need help at the register if we get busy.”

  “I just wanted to chat with you,” he said with a smile. “Word around town is you had quite the exciting night last night.”

  “Does everyone know?” Moira groaned. “The whole town already thinks I’m a troublemaker. I don’t need something like this added to the record.”

  “Rumors spread quickly,” he said with a small smile. “I bet this makes you rethink living all alone so far out of town.”

  Moira paused, her lips on her cup. How did Silas know where she lived? She was certain she hadn’t told him. Like he said, rumor spreads quickly, she thought. There’s plenty of people that could have told him I live alone a few miles outside of town. It’s not like it’s a secret.

  “I don’t really feel alone,” she told him, offering him the same answer that she gave to her friends whenever they voiced the same concern. “Not with the dogs there to keep me company. They’ve both given me reason to think they would protect me if someone did try to hurt me. I will admit that back when I lived in town I never really felt the need for protection, though.”

  “Yes, I imagine that having close neighbors afforded you a certain amount of protection,” he said. “I can’t say I blame you for preferring the privacy of living outside of town, though. I spend a fair amount of time away from civilization myself.”

  Though her little house in the woods was hardly far from civilization, Moira offered the man a smile.

  “Right, you’re one to talk. I can’t even imagine spending days on end out in the forest alone. I envy some people their jobs, but I just don’t think working as a wilderness guide would be a good fit for me. I like my creature comforts, like hot showers and a soft bed. Your job is definitely a conversation starter, though.”

  “You seem happy enough with running the deli,” he pointed out. “What other jobs could you possibly envy? You’ve already got everything you need here: good food, nice people, and the ability to make your own schedule, all while still enjoying your creature comforts.”

  “Well, my… friend… he’s a private investigator.” She didn’t know why she didn’t call David her boyfriend. Surely it was because of the nonchalant way he had been acting towards her lately, and had nothing to do with the attractive man sitting across the table from her, right? “I always used to think his job was neat. Now I’m not so sure.”

  “Oh? What happened to change your mind?”

  “Well, one of his clients was murdered recently, and I guess it just sort of struck home that a lot of what he does… well, it’s dangerous, you know?”

  He nodded. “I suppose it is. A lot of jobs are dangerous, though. I could get mauled by a bear or attacked by wolves while I’m out in the mountains, though it’s unlikely. You could spill a pot of boiling oil on yourself, or die from a gas leak. Danger is everywhere. You can’t live any sort of life if all you do is avoid it.”

  “Well, even when I try to avoid it, it still seems to find me,” she said.

  “It does seem that way. So, tell me more about your private investigator friend. Does he get much business in an area like this?”

  “A fair amount, I suppose,” she told him. “He seems too stay busy, anyway.”

  “What sort of cases does he work on? I can’t imagine it gets terribly exciting arou
nd here.”

  “Oh, little things for the most part. He does a lot of investigating into cheating spouses and missing pets. But sometimes a bigger case does come around; Maple Creek and Lake Marion can get more exciting than you might expect.”

  “Does he talk about his cases much?”

  “Some,” she said. “Though this most recent one—where his client got killed—he hasn’t shared much about it.”

  “I wonder why?” Silas leaned back in his chair, eyeing her consideringly.

  “Maybe it’s something personal to do with his client, and he doesn’t want to break confidentiality.” She shrugged. “He’s a good man like that; that’s definitely something he would do.”

  “I see.”

  “What brings you to Maple Creek, anyway?” she asked, eager to change the subject.

  “I’m just visiting an old friend,” he told her. “Someone I knew quite a few years back, in fact. I’m thankful to have the chance to catch up and see what he’s done with his life since the last time I saw him.”

  “That’s nice.” She gave him a soft smile, touched that he would take the time out of his trip to have coffee with her, a woman that he barely knew. “How much longer are you in town for?”

  “Oh, probably just a few more days. Then I’ll have to skedaddle back home. The bears will be missing me.”

  Grinning, she had to admit that she enjoyed his offbeat sense of humor. He was outgoing and friendly, and seemed intelligent. If she wasn’t with David, she would definitely be attracted to a man like Silas. As it was, she found herself enjoying his company maybe a bit more than she really should. There’s no harm in talking, she told herself. He’ll be gone soon enough. Goodness knows, I could use something to distract me from the mess that this week has become.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Moira watched as David’s sister scratched Keeva behind her ears. The giant Irish wolfhound seemed to have taken an immediate liking to the other woman. Maverick, who had already gotten his fair share of petting, looked mournfully on from Moira’s side. Chuckling, the deli owner patted his head.

  “Don’t be jealous, big guy,” she told him. “Keeva deserves some loving, too.”

  “Your dogs are simply amazing, Moira,” Karissa said as Keeva pressed against her. “They’re both so well behaved. How do you do it?”

  “I’m afraid I can’t really take much credit for it,” Moira told her. “They were both pretty well trained when I got them. I just do my best to make them remember their manners.”

  “Well whatever you do, it works,” the other woman said. “Maybe I’ll get a dog one day, once I’m settled in. I haven’t had once since I was a kid. Did David ever tell you about any of our family dogs? There was this yellow lab, or maybe it was a mix, I can’t remember, anyway, he loved that dog. It would even go down to the bus stop and wait for him when he was in middle school.”

  “He never mentioned the dog,” said Moira. “He doesn’t really talk about his childhood—or any of his past—too much. I wish he would. I feel like there’s so much that I still don’t know about him.”

  “He can be secretive, I suppose, but I think that comes with his work,” the other woman said. “From what he’s told me, he’s managed to make some pretty serious enemies in his time as a private eye. I guess he tries not to divulge too much unnecessary information while he’s on the job, and some of that just carries over to the rest of his life. He probably doesn’t even realize he’s doing it.”

  “I hadn’t thought of it like that,” the deli owner mused. “I suppose that’s a good point. With my job, I almost have to talk about myself. Bonding with my customers is important to me, and I absolutely love it when they ask for updates on how the dogs are doing, or how Candice’s Candies is doing. If I didn’t share personal information then I probably wouldn’t have so many loyal customers.”

  “See?” Karissa said with a smile as she shouldered her purse and straightened up. “It’s just different ways of looking at the world. I’m sure David would be happy to talk to you about whatever you want, if you just ask him.”

  “Thanks, Karissa,” she said. “It means a lot that you think he’ll open up to me. He’s lucky to have you as a sister.”

  “Don’t let him hear you say that,” the other woman said with a chuckle. “I’m pretty sure he still holds it against me that I stole his teddy bear when we were kids. We fought like alley cats back then—distance and time have definitely been good for our relationship.”

  “David with a teddy bear?” Moira asked, amused. “It’s hard to imagine that.”

  “Well, he was only five years old. I was a year younger, and a whirlwind of mischief. I stole his stuffed bear and hid it in the oven. Then our mom preheated the oven without checking it first.”

  “Oh my,” Moira said, chuckling. “You must have had quite the childhood.”

  “We did,” the other woman said with a smile. “We really did.”

  Moira and Karissa piled into the deli owner’s newly repaired car and drove into town. Karissa, new to the area, was eager to meet some of the local shopkeepers and learn of the best places to buy what she needed. The deli owner was glad for the chance to spend more time with her boyfriend’s sister; they seemed to have a lot to talk about, and she had the feeling that they were going to end up being close friends.

  Their first stop was at Candice’s Candies in Lake Marion. Moira wanted to check in on Logan anyway, and she was eager to show David’s sister Candice’s business. The little shop was merrily busy when they got there, with a small herd of children and what seemed like too few adults milling around inside. Logan seemed to be comfortable with the hustle and bustle, though. He moved effortlessly from ringing a customer up to reaching to a top shelf to bring down a box of candies for one of the children. He saw Moira and spared her a wave, but was too busy to come over and greet them.

  “It seems like a successful business already,” Karissa said when they left. “You must be so proud of your daughter.”

  “Oh, I am,” she said. “More than she knows.”

  They meandered through a few of the shops in town, but didn’t stop to buy anything. Karissa had already spent some time getting to know her new town, but seemed fascinated by how much Moira know about each of the shops and the people who owned them.

  “Candice’s boyfriend actually runs the ice cream parlor,” she told the other woman. “Do you want to stop in?”

  “Sure. It’s never a bad time for ice cream.”

  Moira smiled. This was definitely a woman after her own heart.

  “Hey, Ms. D,” Eli said when they walked into the clean, cool ice cream shop. “What can I get you?”

  “I’d like two scoops of the dark chocolate raspberry ice cream that I got last time,” she told him.

  “And I’ll have the peanut butter swirl,” said Karissa. “Although all these flavors look great.”

  “I can personally vouch that they all taste as good as they look,” he said with a grin. “Here are your ice creams… on the house.”

  He refused to listen when Moira tried to pay him, claiming that she had helped him so much already that the least he could do was give her free ice cream. He soon launched into the story of how she had saved his grandfather. Pleasantly embarrassed, she listened to the story, amused at how much more heroic she was in the story than she remembered being in real life.

  “Edna’s the one who fixed my car,” she told the other woman, pointing across the road at EZ Wheels as they strolled back through Maple Creek. Moira saw a few maintenance men working on the boxy air conditioning unit, and wondered if Edna was finally going to be able to enjoy some cool air, just in time for the end of summer.

  “Are you good friends with her, or do you just kind of know her?” Karissa asked. “It must be weird living in such a small town. I’m not used to being on first name terms with the people who fix my car.”

  “I’ve known Edna for years, but I don’t know her well,” the deli owner told her
. “She took over the business from her father, I know that. She’s good with cars—she just seems to have a way with them. It blows my mind, because all I see when I look at an engine is a jumble of pipes and wires.”

  “Kinda like you have a way with cooking?” ventured the other woman. “David says it’s amazing how you just know which ingredients to add without looking at a recipe or anything.”

  “Well, I’ve got a fair amount of recipes memorized,” Moira admitted with a chuckle. “Other than that, though, it’s just natural for me to know which spices go with which foods, and what tastes blend well together. I’ve definitely made my fair share of mistakes, however.”

  “I don’t believe it,” Karissa said with a smile. “Everything of yours that I’ve tasted has been wonderful.”

  “Thanks,” said Moira. “That means a lot.”

  The two women were past the auto shop by then, and had entered the grassy park where Moira used to take Maverick for walks when they still lived at her old house in town. She was telling Karissa about some of the yearly events held at the park when she saw the other woman tense and glance behind her.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  “I thought I saw this guy following us. He’s been behind us for a few blocks, but I just lost sight of him.”

  Moira frowned and looked over her own shoulder. She didn’t see anything out of place.

  “What was he wearing?” she asked.

  “A tee shirt, black pants, and a baseball cap pulled low,” David’s sister said.

  Moira kept shooting surreptitious glances over her shoulder as they walked, but it wasn’t until they were nearly through the park that she saw a man matching Karissa’s description. He was shadowing them a few hundred feet back, and was hiding in plain sight by sticking close to a larger group of people who were heading the same general direction as he was. His face never turned away from her and Karissa though, and for as long as she watched, he continued to stare at them.