Garden Vegetable Murder: Book 12 of The Darling Deli Series

by Patti Benning

  “Creepy,” muttered Karissa.

  “Very,” Moira said, her heart clenching. Could this be the man that had slashed her tires and shot up her house? She had the gut feeling that it was. She toyed with the idea of calling the police, but when she looked back a few minutes later, he was gone and didn’t reappear for the rest of their walk.

  Even though the man was gone, the deli owner wasn’t able to get him out of her head. Karissa seemed to have forgotten about the encounter already, but Moira knew she didn’t have the luxury, not with someone clearly out to get her. She was so focused on her thoughts of the mysterious man as they drove back to her house that she didn’t even notice the strange car parked by her house until she and Karissa had pulled almost all the way up the driveway.

  “What the…” she muttered. She grabbed her phone in her hand tightly as Karissa pulled the car to a stop. She was about to suggest that the other woman stay in the car, when she laid eyes on the intruder. It was Kent, the man that wanted to buy her deli.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  “I’m sorry, sir, but you need to leave,” Moira said firmly once she had regained her composure. “I don’t remember giving you my address—how did you find out where I live, anyway?”

  Besides the fact that he had shown up at her house uninvited, she was annoyed that he kept putting so much pressure on her to sell the deli. Yes, he was offering a lot of money, but the deli was more than just a source of income to her. If she did decide to sell it, it would only be after a lot of consideration on her part.

  “One of your employees gave me your address,” he said, flashing her another one of his wide smiles. “I’d love to talk with you more in depth about my plans for the deli. I thought maybe meeting in a more relaxed setting might be helpful—of course you wouldn’t want to be distracted while you were at work.”

  “Who is this guy?” Karissa asked skeptically. She looked torn between amusement and annoyance. Moira could understand why; everything about Kent, from his bleached white smile to his rehearsed speech, seemed fake.

  “He’s interested in buying the deli,” she told the other woman.

  “Are you going to sell it?” she asked with wide eyes.

  “No. Maybe. I don’t know.” She bit back a sigh. Why was Kent trying to rush her? All she wanted was some time to think about it in peace, without a million other things all clamoring for her attention at once.

  “I know you’re a busy woman, but this won’t take much of your time…” he began again.

  “Look, you need to leave,” Moira said, more forcefully this time. She felt bad about being to direct with him, but he really had no right invade on her private life—even coming on her property without permission—just to pester her about the deli.

  “It will really just take—”

  A booming bark from inside signaled that one of the dogs had become aware of his presence on the property. A second later, the other dog started barking, and Moira saw the curtains in the living room pushed aside as two furry faces peered through the window at them. Kent, whose back was to the house, jumped and spun around almost comically. He swore once, then shot a quick glance over at the two women and apologized.

  “I don’t like dogs,” he explained. “Maybe I should get going, after all. We’ll put this conversation on hold, all right?”

  Moira just glared at him, exasperated. After he finally got into his car and drove away, she and Karissa exchanged a glance. Both of them burst out laughing.

  “Are you seriously considering selling the deli to that guy?” the other woman asked.

  “I really don’t know,” Moira said. “What do you think I should do?”

  “Whatever makes you happy,” Karissa said with a shrug. “But if you do sell it, I hope you can find someone less creepy. He must be stalking you or something to show up like this. It’s weird.”

  “Yeah. He’s been really pushy, and I wish he would just let me think about it.”

  “What does David think?”

  “I haven’t told him yet,” Moira admitted. “I just… haven’t had the chance.”

  “I think you should,” the other woman said. “He’d want to know, at least.”

  Letting herself inside after Karissa left, the deli owner decided that the other woman was right. This was something that she should tell David. At least she would get another opinion, though she doubted anything he would say would make the choice easier. David knew her better than anyone other than Candice, but he wouldn’t want his thoughts on the matter to get in the way of her own decision. I should talk to Candice, too, she thought. But I’ll wait for that until she’s back.

  She greeted the dogs and put them outside, then sat at the kitchen table with Felix on her lap and her phone in her hand, trying to guess what David’s reaction would be. If he was in her shoes, would he sell his business, or keep it? She supposed that it depended on how much money was offered. Any offer that meant they’d never have to work again was bound to be tempting to most people.

  She called him, and he picked up on the fourth ring.

  “Do you have a minute to talk?” she asked.

  He hesitated for just a split second. “Yeah.”

  She bit her lip, then decided to start from the beginning and tell him everything about Kent and the offer he had made for the deli.

  “Wow,” he said when she was done. “Are you sure that this isn’t some sort of a scam?”

  “Well, he gave me his business card and it had a website on it. I checked it out and also searched for his name online, and he seems legitimate. I guess he buys restaurants and mom-and-pop shops that are popular locally, and markets them nationally, making them into chains.”

  “So the deli would become a chain store?” he asked. “Would you retain any control?”

  “No, he just wants to buy it. I don’t think he’s interested in co-ownership or a partnership or anything like that.”

  “What are you thinking you’re going to do?”

  “I don’t know,” she admitted. “On the one hand, that much money would be really nice to have. On the other hand, the deli is a huge part of my life, and I don’t like the thought of selling something I’m so passionate about. I was hoping to get your opinion.”

  “I think—” he paused. “I think you should sell it. Take the money and move to Florida or somewhere warm. Retire early.”

  Shocked, she took a moment to gather her thoughts and respond.

  “Really?” she asked. “I thought you would want me to keep it. And why would I move? I love it here. There are too many bugs in Florida, I wouldn’t want to live there all year round. An alligator might eat one of the dogs.”

  “Okay, no Florida,” he said. “But really, you should take the money he’s offering you and go somewhere nice, even if it’s just for a vacation.”

  His voice was serious, and Moira frowned. Something else must be going on, but what?

  “Is everything all right?” she asked him.

  “Everything’s fine,” he said. “I’d just like to see you spend time somewhere a bit… safer. This town hasn’t been particularly good for your health lately.”

  That sounded a lot like what his mother had said when she had called Moira a troublemaker. Why was everyone acting as if she kept getting herself into trouble? It’s not like she went looking for it—trouble found her. She doubted that a change of scenery would do much to help with that problem, and if she did find herself in hot water again, the last thing she’d want would be to be farther away from her family and friends.

  “I’ll think about it,” she said at last. “When can I see you again? I’ve seen your family more than I’ve seen you this week. I miss you.”

  “I’ll check my schedule,” he said.

  And just like that, he hung up.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  The day that Candice was due to return, Moira woke up feeling optimistic, with a smile on her face. The last week certainly hadn’t gone exactly as planned, but with her daug
hter back in town, surely things would start looking up. She had missed her daughter a lot more than she would admit to anyone other than herself, and would be glad to be able to share everything that had been going on lately with the young woman. Knowing that any news of what was going on back home would distract Candice from her vacation, Moira hadn’t told her much about the recent events. There was no sense in wrecking the young woman’s vacation, not when everyone at home was perfectly fine.

  As she was getting dressed, her phone buzzed with a text.

  Still meeting at the deli? her daughter asked.

  She replied with an affirmative and double-checked that Felix was safely locked in the mudroom with all of his stuff. Candice would be stopping at her house on her way from the deli to her apartment to get the cat, and Moira didn’t want her to have to search high and low for him. The young cat had a habit of finding the most inconvenient places to crawl into. He certainly was a troublemaker, but he had been fun to have around.

  Since none of her employees were supposed to come in for a few more hours, Moira had the rare chance to open the deli alone and prepare the breakfast menu herself. With only an hour until the little shop opened, she had to whip together the ingredients for the mini quiches that had become so beloved by the customers, prepare the fresh fruits for the juicer, and get both decaf and normal coffee brewing. As soon as the quiches were in the oven, she would get the soup of the day simmering, prepare the sandwich ingredients, and then would finally be able to take a breather. It seemed like a lot of work for one person to accomplish so early in the day, but she knew every inch of the kitchen so well, and was so familiar with the patterns and rhythms of cooking that she would have been able to do nearly everything blindfolded if she had to.

  She began by preheating the oven and pouring water into the twin coffee machines. The coffee, at least, was simple to make. She was glad she hadn’t gotten one of those cappuccino machines—though they produced tasty drinks, she doubted it would have been worth the expense and trouble. Her customers all seemed happy enough with regular coffee to give them a boost in the morning, anyway.

  Making coffee reminded her of Silas, and she smiled. She hoped he would come back to the deli at least once more before he left town. She wondered if she should feel guilty for liking him as much as she did, then wiped that thought from her mind. There was nothing wrong with making new friends, of either gender.

  The coffee machine gurgling away at last, the deli owner turned her attention to the quiches. Thankfully, Dante had left a roll of the dough for the crusts in the fridge, and it was simple enough to sprinkle some flour down, roll it out, and cut the crusts out with a small round cookie cutter. She floured the cupcake pan as well, then pressed the small circles neatly in the molds. Next came the hard part; figuring out what ingredients to put in the quiches for today’s breakfast.

  A quick glance in the deli’s big vegetable fridge inspired her. She whipped up the egg mixture, then began chopping vegetables and grating cheese. Zucchini, tomatoes, onion, and garlic went into the big mixing bowl and got stirred in with the eggs. Next, she added a cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, stirred the mixture yet again, and measured it into the individual crusts in the cupcake pan. She planned to add sliced zucchini and Parmesan on top once the quiches were cooked, for what would hopefully turn out to be a tasty, summer-garden-style breakfast food for her customers.

  Her stomach already growling as she put the quiches in the oven, Moira turned her attention to the soup next. The dish she was planning on making would be best after a long, slow simmer, so the sooner she started, the better. Taking the top off of a pan on the stove, she peered in at the great northern beans that she had soaked overnight. Satisfied that all was good, she drained the water and added fresh, making sure it covered the beans completely. She put the pan on a burner to simmer, then turned her attention to the other vegetables.

  In what seemed like no time, the hearty soup was bubbling away on the stove. She had made the recipe, which usually used pork, into a vegetarian dish, and had even special ordered large, thick egg noodles from the Amish woman who made most of the deli’s bread. The soup already smelled delicious, and she knew that in just a few hours the smell would begin luring customers in for lunch. Now, however, it was time to fix her focus back on breakfast.

  She took the quiches out of the oven and placed the pans on a cooling rack, double-checked the coffee, made sure the bottles of hot sauce were at the front of the fridge—eggs in nearly any form went well with the stuff, after all—and finally pulled out the big serving platter that Dante used for the quiches. In just a few minutes the delicious looking morsels would be cool enough to move from the pan to the platter… and just in time, too. Breakfast at the deli had officially begun.

  Darrin and Dante showed up at half past ten to help her prepare for the lunch rush. In just a few short hours, nearly all of the quiches had been eaten—most were bought by customers, but a few had made their way into her stomach—the coffee was gone, and the refrigerated shelves out front had become disorganized. While Moira loved her customers, she would never understand why they couldn’t put things back in the right place when they decided not to buy them. Brie looked nothing like cheddar, yet a package of it was resting right in the middle of the cheddar shelf. And what on earth was that package of turkey breast doing by the Monterey Jack?

  Too used to it to be annoyed, she simply shook her head in amusement and put everything back in its proper place. Once the shelves were reorganized, she moved on to sweeping up the floor while her employees tackled the dishes from breakfast. The three of them finished up just in time—Moira had barely put down her mop when she saw her daughter and Allison pull into the parking lot.

  “Welcome back, sweetheart,” she said as her daughter came inside. “I missed you so much. How was your trip?”

  “It was just amazing, thanks Mom,” Candice said, squeezing her in a quick hug before turning to greet Darrin and Dante.

  “How’d everything here go, Ms. D?” Allison asked. She, like Candice, was significantly more tan than she had been when she left.

  “Things went… well, it’s a long story. I’m just glad the two of you are home now.”

  “Me too,” Candice said. “I mean, I enjoyed the trip for sure, but there’s something so nice about finally being home. I can’t wait to get Felix and go settle in at the apartment.”

  “He’ll be happy to see you,” Moira told her daughter. “He’s had an eventful week.”

  “What happened? Did he cause trouble?”

  “Oh, no, he was pretty much perfect. There’s some stuff I need to fill you in on. Later, though. It looks like we’ve got a customer.”

  The deli owner gestured out the front window, where an expensive looking car was pulling into the lot. Moira’s smile slipped off her face when she saw the driver. It was Kent, and he was probably here to get a final answer from her. The only problem was, with everything else that had been happening, she had yet to make up her mind about whether she would sell the deli or not.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  “Good afternoon, Ms. Darling,” Kent said smoothly as he walked into the deli. “I hope your day has been pleasant.”

  “It has been, thank you,” she said. She glanced at her employees, none of whom knew about the offer yet. Would he blurt it out in front of them? She certainly hoped not. What would she say if he pressured her to make a decision right then? She was still upset with him for pestering her at her house, but knew that it would be foolish to base such an important decision on whether or not she liked the guy.

  Well, actually I should take that into consideration, she thought. I don’t want someone I hate to run the deli. This little shop means a lot to me. I wouldn’t be able to bear it if he ran it out of business or got a bad reputation with my customers.

  “I take it you know what I’m here for?” he asked. “Have you made a decision?”

  Moira saw Candice frown, confusion flickering across
her face. She suddenly wished that she hadn’t waited so long to tell her daughter about the offer on the deli.

  “I haven’t,” she told him. “Can I have more time? Things have been hectic around here, and—”

  “Come on, lady,” he snapped, smiles and bonhomie gone instantly. “It should be an easy choice. On one side is more money than you’ll ever see in your life, and on the other is a busy deli that attracts trouble like honey attracts flies. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out which one to choose.”

  “Don’t you dare talk to my mother like that,” Candice snapped, stepping forward. “You’ve got no right to come in here and treat her like this.”

  Moira, Allison, and the rest of the crew at the deli all stared at Candice in amazement. None of them had expected her outburst. Even she looked surprised at herself. Kent was frowning, his gaze flicking between the deli owner and her daughter.

  “I’ll make you one last offer, Ms. Darling,” he said at last, forcibly calming himself down. “I’ll pay you fifteen percent more than my original price, and will keep all of your current employees on for at least six months, provided they don’t give me any reason to fire them.”

  She breathed in sharply, doing the math in her head quickly. That was a lot more money. She also wouldn’t have to worry about leaving her loyal employees high and dry with the change of management—at least they would have ample time to find new jobs if need be. Her eyes met her daughter’s, and she saw that Candice looked both confused and concerned. She wished that she had had a chance to talk more with her daughter about the offer on the deli. If she agreed to sell it, would the young woman be happy for the extra money, or upset at the loss of the little store that meant so much to both of them?

  Her gaze flicked to her employees next. Allison, Meg, Darrin, and Dante. The four of them had become almost like family to her. The thought of leaving them made her heart ache. Working alongside them every day was a joy, pure and simple. Was any amount of money worth losing the business and people that made her happy?