Honey BBQ Murder: Book 10 in the Darling Deli Series

by Patti Benning

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  HONEY BBQ MURDER

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Honey BBQ Murder

  Book Ten in the Darling Deli Series

  By

  Patti Benning

  Copyright 2016 Summer Prescott Books

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication nor any of the information herein may be quoted from, nor reproduced, in any form, including but not limited to: printing, scanning, photocopying or any other printed, digital, or audio formats, without prior express written consent of the copyright holder.

  **This book is a work of fiction. Any similarities to persons, living or dead, places of business, or situations past or present, is completely unintentional.

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  HONEY BBQ

  MURDER

  Book Ten in the Darling Deli Series

  CHAPTER ONE

  Moira Darling handed the little black-and-white dog’s leash to her friend Martha Washburn, and leaned over to pick up the bed and the bag of dog food. With the dog bed tucked under one arm, she told Maverick, her big, friendly German shepherd, to stay put, then followed her friend out the door.

  “How was she?” Martha asked as they walked towards her car.

  “Oh, wonderful as usual,” the deli owner replied. “Diamond is always a joy to have around. I can’t believe we didn’t think of this before; Mav loves to play with her all weekend, and it saves you a lot of money since you don’t have to send her to a kennel when you take your trips down to Traverse City.”

  “I think she’s a lot happier here than she would be at a kennel, too,” her friend said, watching her little dog as she ran back and forth at the end of the leash, excited to be walking towards the car. “I just don’t want it to be any trouble for you. I know how busy you are with the deli.”

  Darling’s DELIcious Delights, the deli that Moira had opened nearly three years ago, was her pride and joy, and her greatest accomplishment in life besides the raising of her daughter Candice. What had started out as a hobby had quickly grown into a thriving business. Though thrilled that her deli had become such a popular destination for tourists and locals alike, the long days and numerous responsibilities had begun to wear her down recently, not to mention the toll taken by the bullet wound and her recent concussion.

  “Ever since I promoted Darrin to manager, I’ve been able to keep my schedule much lighter,” she said. “I usually only work long shifts three or four days a week now, though I still stop in to see how things are going nearly every day.”

  “That sounds like quite the improvement,” Martha said, impressed. She opened the passenger door to her car and patted the seat. After Diamond jumped up, she took the dog bed and bag of food from Moira. “You used to spend eight or nine hours a day there, didn’t you?”

  “I did.” The deli owner chuckled. “I really didn’t have to, though. It turns out that most of the time, my employees can run things just fine on their own. All I had to do was take a step back and quit being such a mother hen.”

  “It sounds like the deli’s growing up, just like Candice,” the other woman said with a smile. “Have you been enjoying the extra free time, or are you managing to drive yourself insane with boredom?”

  “I’m definitely enjoying it. Although I wouldn’t exactly call it free time. The previous owners of this house never finished clearing their stuff out of the basement, so I’ve got to do that, and there’s still a lot that needs to be done around the house and the yard, especially with Ben off to college now.”

  Benjamin Hall was the young man who had been taking care of her yard for the past few months. She hadn’t realized just how much he had done until she began taking up the yard care herself. There’s a lot more to it than just mowing, she thought. It’s a good thing David showed me how to use the electric hedge trimmer and the weed whacker. The garden at her old house had never consisted of more than a few perennial flowers and—if she got ambitious at the beginning of the season—a few cucumber or tomato plants. She’d recently bought the gorgeous stone house on five wooded acres and hadn’t considered the hours of work needed to maintain the lush garden, the hardy bushes, and the small apple tree, not to mention a large front yard that needed mowing. Luckily Ben had done a lot of work over the summer, so she just had to maintain what he had already done.

  “At least you don’t have to go away every other weekend,” her friend said with a grimace. “So, do you have any plans for the rest of the day?”

  “Well, I’m going to head over to Candice’s in a few minutes. She told me she has something to show me, and I’ve got no idea what to expect,” Moira said. “I’m guessing it’s something good, since she was trying not to giggle when she was on the phone with me. I love my daughter to death, but she’s terrible at keeping secrets.”

  Candice had followed in her mother’s footsteps, opening her very own store, Candice’s Candies, earlier in the year. The candy shop had done well so far, but both of them knew that the true test would come over Michigan’s cold, snowy winter when there were few pedestrians and even fewer tourists looking to buy a sweet treat.

  “That should be interesting,” Martha said with a chuckle. “I’ll let you get going. Remember, you and your daughter are welcome over at my place for dinner any time you want. Bring Maverick, too; Diamond loves having her doggy friends over.”

  “I’m sure we’ll take you up on that soon,” the deli owner said. “I’ll see you for coffee on Wednesday. Don’t forget, we’re meeting an hour earlier this time.”

  She waved as her friend drove away, then walked back to her house where Maverick was waiting for her at the door. He gave a sad whine when he didn’t see Diamond with her.

  “Don’t worry, boy,” she told him. “You’ll see her again before you know it.”

  Candice lived in Lake Marion, a small town not too far from Maple Creek. Her apartment was right above the candy shop, a setup that Moira occasion
ally found herself envying. How nice it must be to be able to pop home for lunch in the middle of the work day. Her own house wasn’t far from the deli, but one trip there and back again would eat up at least a solid half hour.

  “I wonder what she wants,” she muttered with some apprehension. Her daughter was a bright, energetic young woman, but had occasionally proven herself to be too optimistic in the past. What had she gotten herself into now?

  The candy shop was closed, so Moira went up the narrow staircase that led to her daughter’s apartment and knocked on the door. It swung open to reveal a smiling Candice with her finger pressed to her lips.

  “Be quiet,” she whispered as she ushered her mother inside. “He’s sleeping.”

  He? She raised her eyebrows but followed her daughter through the kitchen without comment. When she saw what waited in the living room, her heart melted.

  A tiny calico kitten was curled up on the couch cushion. He was so small that the deli owner thought he would be able to fit in the palm of her hand.

  “Oh my goodness,” she breathed. “Where did you get him?”

  “One of my friends knew I was thinking of getting a cat. When she found out that her neighbor’s cat had had kittens, she told me right away and I went over to look at them. Well, how could I not take him home? I got him last night, and I took him to the vet this morning for his first shots. It turns out he’s really rare. Only one in three thousand calico cats is a male, or at least that’s what the vet told me.”

  Their whispered conversation must not have been quiet enough. As Moira watched, one of the kitten’s eyes opened a slit, revealing a golden iris. Apparently deciding that she wasn’t a threat, the kitten yawned and turned over on its back, stretching luxuriously before beginning to purr. How can something so tiny even be real? she wondered. I think I’m actually jealous of my own daughter. She gets to cuddle this little guy every day.

  “What’s his name?” she asked her daughter, unable to take her eyes off of the little bundle of fur. How could anything be so tiny?

  “He doesn’t have one yet,” Candice admitted. “I haven’t been able to think of the perfect one yet. Do you have any ideas?”

  Moira crouched down next to the couch. The kitten, who had been watching them from its reclined position, stood up and walked to the edge of the cushion. When she reached over to pet him, he bumped his tiny head against her hand and purred even louder.

  “I can’t think of anything right now,” she said. “He’s just too adorable. How old is he?”

  “He just turned ten weeks,” her daughter said. “He’s just a baby, but he already knows how to use the litter box. He also knows where his food bowl is, and goes running to it when he hears me open a can of food.”

  “He sounds like a pretty smart little guy.” Moira picked the kitten up and cradled him to her chest, where he immediately started swiping at a stray strand of her hair. “Do you have everything you need for him?”

  “Well, I have all of the basics,” the young woman said. “Food, bowls, litter… but I still want to get him a bed and a cat tower. They’re pretty expensive, though, so it may have to wait for now.”

  Moira smiled down at the kitten. Candice’s birthday was in just a few days, and she had been struggling with what to get her. Now she knew the perfect present. She handed the tiny cat over to her daughter after giving him a good cuddle.

  “Just wait until David sees him,” she said. “He’s such a softy for animals. He’d never admit it, but I know he misses Keeva.”

  “Do you think it would be all right if I brought him over during my birthday dinner?” her daughter asked. “I want him to get used to Maverick while he’s still young.”

  “Of course,” Moira said with a smile. “This little kitten is family now, and family is always welcome at my house.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  Moira put her hands on her hips and observed her handiwork. Above the table was a banner that read Happy 21st Birthday Candice! and tied to the chairs were pastel pink, blue, and green balloons, the same colors that her daughter had chosen to paint her store. The cake that was the centerpiece of the table was from the bakery in town—Moira wasn’t particularly skilled at baking herself—and towered three layers high, each layer frosted with one of the same colors. If the bakery had followed her instructions correctly, then each layer of cake had also been dyed a different pastel color. It wasn’t every day her baby girl would be turning twenty-one, and the deli owner wanted it to be an evening to remember.

  Maverick, whom she had bathed just that morning, was watching her from the kitchen. Ever since she had put the pot roast in the oven, he had been waiting patiently nearby, and she couldn’t blame him; the roast smelled delicious.

  “I’m not sure if I should give you any, buddy,” she told him, walking over to scratch behind his ears. His tail thumped on the ground as he leaned his head against her hand, his eyes closed in bliss. “We wouldn’t want a repeat of that time you got into the leftover potato salad.” Her floors had gotten a thorough cleaning after that, and the dog had been banished to the backyard until his stomach had settled down.

  The German shepherd gave a soft woof and got up, leaving her and the cooking pot roast behind as he headed towards the front door. Someone must be here, she thought. It looks like I finished decorating just in time. She followed the dog, peered through the peephole, and, smiling, opened the door.

  “Hey, you,” said David Morris, the private investigator who had helped solve numerous cases in the past year, and had on occasion helped keep her out of jail. He was also her boyfriend, and right now he was crouched down on the ground greeting Maverick, who was climbing all over him in his enthusiasm.

  “I see how it is,” she joked. “You’re just here for the dog.”

  “And the food,” he said, grinning as he rose to his feet. “Good cooking and a big dog—what else could a man ask for?”

  “Well if that’s all…” she made as if to turn and go back inside. He grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him for a kiss.

  “Don’t worry,” he said. “I’d come and see you even if your cooking was terrible.”

  “You’d better,” she said with a smile. “Did you manage to get it?”

  The change in topic didn’t throw him in the slightest. “Yep. I had to borrow Gerry’s truck. That thing is huge.”

  For the first time she noticed that a big grey pickup truck was pulled off to the side of her driveway instead of the undistinguished black car that he normally drove. His normal car was good for stakeouts, but not so good for transporting larger cargo. She had no idea who Gerry was, but was glad that David had been able to borrow the pickup from him. Otherwise they would have had no way to transport her daughter’s present.

  “Let’s bring it in,” she said. “She and Eli will be here in just a few minutes.”

  The worked together to carry the present indoors. Once it was in the dining room, Moira draped a sheet over it and attached a bow.

  “Looks good,” David said. “Too bad we’re going to have to load it up again in just a few hours. That thing’s a pain to move.”

  “With Eli helping, it shouldn’t be too hard. Hopefully he’ll stick around long enough to help us get it up the stairs to her apartment. That’s going to be the biggest challenge.”

  “Hopefully she has enough room for it.” He chuckled at the spread. “You really went all out this time.”

  Candice and Eli arrived shortly thereafter. It made Moira smile to see the young couple together. Eli, who managed the ice cream parlor in Lake Marion for his elderly grandfather, seemed to be absolutely smitten with her daughter, and it was evident that she returned the feeling. The deli owner couldn’t help but compare him to her daughter’s last boyfriend; he’d been a really bad apple, so there was no real comparison. Eli was smart, caring, and thoughtful, and Moira was glad that her daughter had finally found someone to rely on.

  “Aw, you brought him,” she said when she saw the little kit
ten clutched to Candice’s chest. “Did you think of a name for him yet?”

  “Felix,” the young woman replied. She glanced down at the kitten, who was staring at the world with wide gold eyes. “Eli came up with it.”

  “I think it’s fitting,” David said, coming closer to pet the newest addition to Moira’s family.

  “Let’s see how he does with Maverick,” she said. The dog was too busy sniffing at Eli’s shoes and hadn’t noticed the kitten yet. She called him over, then got a firm grip on his collar as Candice bent down with the kitten in her arms so he could sniff it. After poking and prodding the little cat with his nose for a few moments, the German shepherd eventually licked Felix’s face and walked away, apparently having decided that since the cat wasn’t edible, it wasn’t interesting.

  “Good boy,” the deli owner said to her dog, who wagged his tail at the words. “And little Felix did well too. He didn’t seem scared at all.”

  “The lady I got him from had dogs, so he’s probably used to them,” Candice said. “He’s the perfect little cat.”

  “I almost want to get one myself,” Moira said with a wistful sigh. “Well, come on in, you two. The pot roast is almost done, and we’ve got a birthday to celebrate.”

  She was impressed when Eli offered to help her with the food in the kitchen, though she declined his offer since she guessed he would much rather be in the other room with Candice and the little kitten. It was nice for her daughter to have such a helpful, good-natured boyfriend, and Moira found herself hoping he would stick around.

  “Happy birthday to you!” The last strains of the song trailed off and Candice, grinning, blew out the candles on her cake. Moira turned on the dining room lights once each of the twenty-one candles was out. She sat back down at the table, picked up a knife, and pulled the cake towards herself to cut pieces for everybody.

  “You’ve got to open your present before you eat the cake,” she reminded her daughter as she slid the piece towards her. Their family tradition was that the birthday person had to finish up opening their presents before they had the first bite of cake, and Moira had no plans to break it now even though Candice was no longer a little girl.