VALENTINES AND MURDER (The Darling Deli Series Book 30)

by Patti Benning

  She embraced her daughter for a long moment before finally pulling back. Candice’s hair was shorter, and she had added a swoop of long bangs. Besides that, she looked the same as the last time Moira had seen her. It hasn’t been that long, she told herself. It’s only been since Christmas.

  “You look great,” she said aloud. “I love the hair.”

  “Thanks. There’s a hair salon right next to where I work, and they’re always bringing over coupons, so I decided to give it a try.”

  “Come the rest of the way in,” Moira said. “Go ahead and put your stuff in your room, then I’ve got dinner waiting on the table.”

  Candice joined her in the kitchen a few minutes later. Moira was taking the brownies out of the oven, glad that they had turned out perfectly.

  “So, where’s David?” her daughter asked, sitting down in one of the chairs. “The table’s only set for two.”

  “He had to go do a work thing,” Moira said. “But don’t worry, he’ll be back later tonight, and he’s got the entire day free tomorrow. The three of us will go and see Reggie together — I thought we could have lunch with him if you wanted.”

  “Sure. I want to stop by the house too, and see how things are going. I know Thelma said she wanted to start looking into buying a place this spring, so I’m going to talk with her about a month-to-month lease agreement.”

  “Sounds good,” Moira said. “Let’s eat now, before everything gets cold.”

  It was nice, eating dinner with her daughter, just the two of them like it had been for so many years. She was happy in her new life with David, but she’d be lying to herself if she said that she didn’t miss the years she had spent raising Candice. Everything had changed so quickly. She had gone from being focused on being a mother, working a part-time job, and living in the same house she had lived in since before Candice was born, to running a quickly expanding business, moving, and getting married, all within the space of a couple of years. Now that Candice lived in a different town altogether, the change was even more obvious. Her daughter had taken up such a huge part of her life, and she still hadn’t completely filled that hole. She doubted that she ever would — Candice was the most important thing in the world to her, after all.

  “That was great, Mom,” her daughter said when they were done with dinner. “I was expecting soup or something, not like a huge meal.”

  “I’ve been trying to branch out with my cooking lately. I realize that I’d gotten into this rut where all I do is cook soup and slice up deli meats for sandwiches, and I’d forgotten that I actually like cooking other things too. We’ve still got brownies. Do you have room? I bought ice cream too.”

  “How could I turn down brownies and ice cream? Here, I’ll start clearing the table while you get the ice cream out.”

  Moira had just begun to cut the brownies when her phone rang. It was late enough that she knew any incoming call must be important, so she excused herself and grabbed her phone. She was surprised to see David’s number. She hadn’t expected him to be done with work until much later.

  “Hey,” she said, already smiling. If he was on his way home, she would ask Candice to wait to eat the brownies until he got there.

  “Moira, I know you’re going to worry, so I’ll just start by saying I’m completely fine.”

  “David? What happened?”

  “There was another shooting tonight, at the bar I was supposed to meet Lenny at.”

  She inhaled sharply. “Oh, my goodness. Were you there when it happened? Did anyone get hurt?”

  “It happened right before I arrived. And yes, the victim passed away.”

  “Oh, no,” she said. “That’s terrible. I’m so sorry. Was it the person you were tailing?”

  “No,” David said.

  Moira felt a rush of relief. At least this time the murder wasn’t connected to her husband in any way. “Still, that’s horrible. Who was it?”

  “I didn’t catch his name, but it’s no one we know. Moira, there’s one more thing…” He hesitated. When he spoke again, his voice was lower. “Lenny was there. He had arrived before me, and was in the bar when the incident happened. I don’t know what happened exactly, but even though my gut is still telling me otherwise, you’re right. The coincidence is just too much. He must have something to do with all of this.”

  “I’m sorry,” Moira said. “I know you like him, and that you thought you’d found someone you could rely on.”

  “Trust me, I’m even more disappointed than you are.” He sighed. “Listen, I’ve got to go. I still have to talk to the police, I just thought that you should hear about all of this from me instead of from the news or from one of your friends. I wanted to tell you myself that I’m fine.”

  “Thank you,” she said. “I’m going to go tell Candice what happened. David, will you do me a favor? Don’t go anywhere alone with Lenny, all right?”

  “I won’t.” His tone hardened. “I’m going to tell the police everything that you and I talked about, then I’m going to come straight home.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  * * *

  Moira stayed up long after Candice went to bed that night. Even though she knew that David was uninjured, she couldn’t help but worry about him. It terrified her that this most recent murder had happened only minutes before he had arrived at the bar. If he had been even a couple of minutes early, he might have been the victim himself. She hadn’t felt safe since the first shooting had happened, and felt even more terrified now that three people had died.

  This person is a serial killer, she thought. He’s not going to stop at three people. There’s a very real chance that my husband could be next. With that chilling thought, she poured herself another cup of coffee, and settled down on the couch to wait for David to come home.

  She was jolted awake a while later by the dogs barking. Despite the caffeine, she had fallen asleep. She pulled back the curtain and looked out the living room window. Recognizing David’s headlights, she pushed the throw off of her lap and stood up. Moments later, David was at the door and she was hugging him, thankful that he was home at last.

  “I’m surprised you’re still up,” he said. “I thought you’d be in bed by now.”

  “I was too worried,” she said.

  “Why? I told you I was fine. I didn’t want you to be anxious about anything.”

  “I know,” she said, sighed. “It’s just, so much has been happening. I guess I needed to see you for myself. I’m so terrified that you’re going to be the killer’s next target, David.”

  “Hey, it will get solved. The police are going over the evidence from the bar. There are security cameras in the parking lot, so they’ll be able to identify everyone who went into the bar before the shooting. This is going to be over soon.”

  “Did they arrest Lenny?”

  To her disappointment, David shook his head. “I spoke with Detective Jefferson privately, but the fact remains that we have zero physical evidence, and zero motive. Without so much as a witness, there isn’t much that they can do besides ask him questions — which they’ve already done, of course.”

  “I don’t understand, how could someone have gotten shot in a bar full of people, and no one saw who did it?”

  “I don’t know,” he said. “It must have just happened too quickly. There were a lot of people there — it’s a Saturday night, after all. If the shooter was discreet, he might not have been noticed in the chaos that followed.”

  Moira shook her head. “I just can’t believe that. How could someone walk into a building that was full of people, shoot someone, and leave without getting caught?”

  “I don’t know,” David said. “But, I’m going to be working with the bar’s owner to find out. He gave me access to the security tapes too, just in case I can pick up on something that the police missed.”

  “Have you looked at them yet?”

  He shook his head. “I haven’t had a chance. I supposed I could take a look before bed. I’m too wired to
sleep right now anyway.”

  “Can I look at them with you?” she asked. “You know I like being involved in your cases, and this one feels so personal.”

  “Sure,” he said. “Are there leftovers? I’m going to go grab something to eat, then let’s meet on the couch.”

  A few minutes later, Moira was back on the couch with the throw over her legs and another cup of coffee in her hands while David was bent over an ancient VCR by the television. “You know, when you said security tapes, I didn’t think you actually meant… tapes.”

  “It’s an old security system,” he said. “Part of what took me so long was waiting for the copies to be made. I just hope this thing still works.” He smacked the top of the VCR, and all of a sudden it came to life. Moira waited while he found the right input channel on the television, then he pressed play and joined her on the couch.

  “All right,” he said. “Watch carefully for Lenny. You remember when I told you how to tell if someone is carrying a handgun?”

  “I do, though I doubt I’ll be very good at it.”

  She leaned against David, watching the security footage play out in front of her. She tried to stay focused, but watching cars and people come and go wasn’t the most enthralling thing, and soon she found her eyelids drooping.

  When her husband jolted to his feet, she sat up with a start. “What is it?”

  “I saw Lenny. Hold on, I’ve got to rewind this. I wish it had a remote control.”

  Back on the floor, he fiddled with the VCR, staring up at the television as he rewound the tape and paused it. Moira squinted at the image, but it was fuzzy. She certainly wouldn’t have recognized Lenny from that image alone.

  “Are you sure it’s him?”

  “I’m sure. He was wearing that coat when I saw him there this evening.”

  Moira frowned at the image. From above, Lenny’s balding head was even more evident. The tape had caught him mid-stride, and she could see that his pants were just a hair too short. He certainly didn’t look like someone who could kill three people in cold blood over the course of a week without getting caught.

  “Hold on,” she said suddenly. “Do you see that car, there?” She pointed at the screen. David frowned.

  “I think so. Why? What stands out about it to you?”

  “That decal on the back… can you zoom in?”

  Her husband turned to look at her, one eyebrow arched. “I’m working with a thirty-year-old VCR player without a remote control. We’re low tech tonight.”

  I’ve been spoiled by technology, she thought. With a sigh, she got off the couch and knelt on the floor in front of the television. “This car right here. I think that decal is the same one we saw on Wyatt’s car. Remember, the paw prints?”

  “I do.” He frowned.

  “Well, did you see him inside? He kind of stands out.”

  “Remember, the shooting had already happened by the time I got there. Everything was chaotic. I don’t remember seeing him, but that doesn’t mean anything.”

  “Poor guy. I hope he didn’t witness it. He seems so nice. I told you how well Maverick and Keeva did at doggy daycare, didn’t I?”

  David nodded, but she could tell that he wasn’t paying attention. He was still staring at the car.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  “When did Wyatt get to town?”

  “Um, last weekend, I think. That’s when they started moving everything in, at least. Why?”

  “The first murder happened Monday,” he said.

  “So?”

  “He drives a dark car. It’s dark green, but could easily be mistaken for black.”

  “You don’t think he did this, do you?”

  “I don’t know. Probably not. But I think I’m going to check him out. I don’t remember seeing the police interview him, and like you said, he stands out. In the chaos, it’s possible that the shooter left before the police got there.”

  “Well, fast forward the tape and see when the car leaves,” Moira suggested.

  He pressed a button on the VCR, and the two of them sat back on their heels to watch as the video raced forward. David pressed play when they saw a figure bend over the car’s door. The person’s face was in shadows, and Moira couldn’t tell who it was as they opened the car door and got in, but judging by the speed that they pulled out of the parking lot, whoever it was was in a hurry. David paused the video.

  “Look at the time stamp,” he said. “This is about two minutes after the shots were fired.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  * * *

  Moira was exhausted in the morning. Between watching the security footage with David and tossing and turning while she wondered who the killer was, she had gotten only a few hours of sleep at most. When she heard the sound of someone up and walking around downstairs in the morning, she knew that Candice was up, and gave up on getting back to sleep. She slipped out of bed, careful not to disturb David, and went downstairs with the dogs, who were thrilled to find that Candice was still there. After their happy greeting session, she let the dogs out back, and turned to face her daughter, who was holding a mug of freshly brewed coffee out to her.

  “You look tired. How late did David get home last night?”

  “Late,” Moira said. She sipped the bitter black coffee and winced, but could already feel it waking her up.

  “Did the police figure out who shot that man at the bar?”

  “No.” Realizing that she was giving her daughter one-word answers, she expanded. “David’s got a couple of suspects, though.”

  “Do you have any ideas about who the killer is?”

  Moira hesitated. She remembered the fuzzy image that she had seen on their television the night before. Even after seeing that, she still wasn’t convinced that Wyatt had been there. They didn’t even know for sure that it was his car. The decal was fuzzy; it could have been anyone who had a vehicle with a sticker in the same place. Somehow, it didn’t feel right to mention Lenny either. David had been so adamant that it wasn’t him. If he ended up being innocent, she didn’t want to be the one who had started spreading rumors about him.

  “I don’t know,” she said after a moment’s hesitation. “There’s a couple of people I have suspicions about, but nothing concrete.”

  “Well, I’m glad David got home okay and stuff. That was scary.”

  That was something that Moira could wholeheartedly agree with. The two of them continued to chat over breakfast, then David came downstairs, looking only marginally more rested than Moira felt.

  “Good morning,” he said. “Sorry for missing dinner last night, Candice. Did your drive go okay?”

  “It wasn’t too bad,” she said. “Are you still coming to visit Reggie with us today?”

  “I’m planning on joining you guys for lunch. I want to stop at the office first. I’ve got to look into a couple of things. Will you two be all right?”

  “We’ll be fine,” Moira assured him. “We can stop at the farmhouse first, if that works for you, Candice. Then you can get your arrangements with Thelma out of the way, and you’ll be able to relax for the rest of the day.”

  “Sounds good.”

  The drive out to the farmhouse was a familiar one. Candice had only lived there for a short time before disaster had befallen her and Eli, and the two of them had left the area while Eli recuperated from his injuries, but David had been running the microbrewery off of the property for much longer. Even though the house was currently being rented to Allison’s aunt, Moira couldn’t help but envision her future grandchildren playing on the porch as they pulled up. She knew that her persistent wish for Candice to move back to Maple Creek might never come true, but she still hoped that her vision would come true. She enjoyed having her family around her, and knew that she had taken it for granted far too often.

  “I miss this place,” her daughter said as Moira pulled onto the grass and shut off the engine. “I know it’s silly, and that we didn’t even live here for that long, but I r
eally do miss it. I can’t wait until they start rebuilding the candy shop this spring.”

  “You’re going to reopen it?” the deli owner asked, feeling her heart lift.

  “I mean, I plan to one day. I don’t know when though. It’s not just the physical rebuilding — I’ve got to pretty much come up with a whole new business plan, replace the stuff I lost, and try to figure out if it can really be successful long term. I kind of rushed through a lot of that when I opened it the first time.”

  “Let me know if you need any help,” Moira said. “You know that I’m more than happy to go over everything you need with you.”