Honey BBQ Murder: Book 10 in the Darling Deli Series

by Patti Benning

  “Cool. Thanks, Mom.”

  They hung up and Moira breathed a sigh of relief. At least she wouldn’t have to worry about the dogs today. It would be nice to have one less thing to think about while she and Darrin were busy catering the church event. It would most likely be a very fast-paced, busy day, and the thought of being responsible for feeding almost three hundred people was overwhelming.

  At least they’ll be making their own sandwiches, she thought. I just have to keep everyone happy, make sure no one eats something they’re allergic to, and try to get through the day without anything catastrophic happening. I’ll be surprised if I manage that last part.

  She had never had anything really horrible happen while she was catering, but she had heard horror stories from others in the profession. The worst was when someone with severe peanut allergies had died due to a mislabeled cake. Those sorts of stories always made her feel wary about something happening during one of her events, but so far she had been lucky. Hopefully that lasted.

  Well, things have been going pretty well lately. At first the issue with the food truck seemed like it would mess things up, but it actually turned out to be good, she thought. Now I have a refrigerated truck of my own. And even though Keeva needed surgery, she pulled through phenomenally well, which was amazing. So maybe I just need to look at these things more positively. My luck really has been pretty good lately. Chances are, that will last… right?

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  “The roast beef is from organically raised, grass-fed cows,” she told the young couple in front of her. “And every food item is from a farmer or family in Michigan. About one third of it is from local farmers within a two-hundred-mile radius.”

  “Wow,” the young woman said. “That’s impressive. Do you have a business card? Sam and I are planning on having an outdoor wedding here at the church next summer, and we’d love to find a caterer that supports the local farms. I think your deli would be perfect for us. We aren’t looking for anything fancy, just good, affordable food.”

  “Here you go. Darrin—that young man over there—is my manager, so chances are you’ll speak to him when you call. Feel free to come in and take a look around at the other food that we offer. We also serve homemade soup, fresh juices, and some breakfast foods.”

  “Great! I will next time I’m in town. Thanks!”

  Moira smiled as the couple walked away. Catering was such good publicity for the deli. It was also a lot of work, but it was worth it.

  “Thank you so much for doing all of this,” said Mrs. Young, the woman who had hired them. “Everything looks amazing, Moira.”

  “I’m glad you like it, Mrs. Young,” she said. “It’s been my pleasure.”

  “Oh, you’ve known me for ages. Just call me Rebecca,” said the other woman. “I’m not your daughter’s teacher any more—now I’m just a silly old woman way too involved with her church.”

  “Hey, don’t go calling yourself old,” the deli owner said with a smile. “You’re only a few years older than I am, and I’m definitely not ready to be old yet.”

  “More than a few,” Rebeca said with a chuckle. “Try two decades. But that’s nice of you to say. How’s Candice doing these days? I still remember having her in class. She was such a bright girl, and very outspoken.”

  “She hasn’t changed much. Still very bright, and very eager to speak her mind. She opened her own candy shop recently.”

  “So I’ve heard. She’s following in her mother’s footsteps. You must be proud of her.”

  “Oh, I am. But sometimes I wish she had chosen something else to do. Running a business is no guarantee of success, and you put in a lot of long hours that you don’t get paid for. She’s in for a long road, but I know she can do it with a bit of luck.”

  “She’s definitely determined.” The older woman chuckled again and then turned to Darrin. “How are you doing, young man? You were very helpful when I came in to pick out what I wanted for this luncheon. Moira must have taught you well.”

  “Yeah, she’s a great boss. I always do my best not to let her down. I do hope you’re happy with everything that you chose.”

  “I certainly am. It all looks amazing.”

  “Have you tried any of it yet, Rebecca?” Moira asked.

  “No, no not yet. I’ve been too busy selling raffle tickets and saying hi to all of my friends.”

  “Go ahead and make yourself a sandwich, and grab a bowl of salad while you’re at it. We busy women have to make sure we make time to refuel.”

  “Well, I suppose I could sit down for a minute or two…”

  Moira smiled as she watched the other woman build herself a tasty-looking sandwich, grab a bowl of salad, and find a seat between two of her friends. It was reassuring to see the older woman still going strong. Rebecca Young reminded her of herself in some ways, and she could only hope to be so spry in twenty years.

  She found herself enjoying talking to the people who came up to the table. Most of them inquired about the food and asked her for advice on making a good sandwich, but a few were regulars at her deli and wanted to know how each of her employees were doing. She was amazed that some people even knew each of her employees by name. She really had hired some amazing people. I bet a lot of these people wouldn’t go to the deli as much if the service wasn’t so good, she thought. It just goes to show how there are so many things that go into having a successful restaurant. It’s not just about the food. Having good employees matters just as much, if not more.

  This line of thinking made her wonder about Candice and her candy shop’s future. Her daughter hadn’t needed to hire any employees yet, but when she did, Moira wondered how she would choose them. She had never really thought about it before, but Candice’s young age might make that aspect of running her own business harder. Would an adult be willing to work for a twenty-one-year-old woman? If Candice hired younger people, would they respect her enough to listen to her, or would they just take advantage of her good nature? Biting her lip, Moira struggled to push the thoughts from her mind. She had her own job to concentrate on now, and besides, at some point, she needed to start trusting her daughter’s judgment. For better or for worse, Candice was an adult now. Moira would always be there if the young woman needed help, but first her daughter would have to reach out.

  The church event passed in a blur of smiling faces, shouting children, and the occasional squealing microphone as winning raffle ticket numbers were read off. The mountain of food that she and Darrin had set up slowly shrunk, but there was still enough of it left when the event finally ended that Mrs. Young needed help getting it all into her car.

  “This will all go to the food bank in Lake Marion,” she said happily as she surveyed their handiwork. “And the raffle more than covered the cost of the catering. Thanks again, Moira. I think this was a very successful day. I’ll definitely be calling you again the next time the church needs a caterer.”

  “It was my pleasure, Rebecca. You have a nice evening.”

  “You too. Get some rest! You deserve it.”

  The deli owner smiled and waved as the older woman drove away, then turned to help Darrin load the tablecloth, platters, and left over plates and napkins into the back of the refrigerated truck. It was nice not to have to bring any food back with them, and she realized she didn’t need to return the truck. I may not even unpack it tonight, she thought as she drove back towards the deli. There’s nothing in here that will be hurt by sitting in the truck all night. It’s not like paper plates are going to go bad. She was tired after the long, busy day, and was looking forward to relaxing at home with the dogs. Maybe Candice would even still be there and the two of them could chat for a while before her daughter left for her own home.

  She parked the truck by the deli’s side door and walked around front to her own car. As she slid into the driver’s seat, she checked her phone and was surprised to see a missed call from Candice from half an hour ago. She must have been busy saying her goodbyes to Reb
ecca Young and hadn’t noticed her phone buzzing in her pocket.

  Raising the phone to her ear she played the voice mail. What she heard made her blood turn to ice in her veins.

  “Mom, there’s someone in the house. I don’t know what to do. I’m scared. The police—” The message cut off in a hiss of static, as if her daughter’s phone had lost reception.

  Moira let the phone slip through her fingers. Her other hand was already turning the key to start her car. As she raced through the dark streets, she wondered if she had somehow fallen asleep, because surely this couldn’t be anything other than a nightmare.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  She raced up her driveway and pulled to a stop just a few feet away from a police cruiser. The cruiser was one of many whose red and blue lights lit up the clearing around her house. It looked like her daughter had managed to call the police, which sent a wave of relief through Moira. Her eyes immediately found the young woman talking to Detective Jefferson near the front door. Candice looked all right, but she could tell even from this distance that her daughter was shaking. At least she was alive and apparently unharmed. Maverick was at her side, and the young woman’s fingers stroked his head anxiously.

  “Oh my goodness, Mom, you made it,” the young woman said as she rushed forward. Moira wrapped her arms around her daughter, wishing that she would never let go.

  “What happened?” she asked when they pulled apart at last. She looked between her daughter and the detective. “Was it the same person that broke in before?”

  “Most likely,” Jefferson said. “A team of some of my best officers are combing the woods now, and another team is combing the local streets on the lookout for suspicious activity.”

  “You mean you still haven’t caught this guy?” Moira asked sharply. “This person has been terrorizing me, and even worse, my daughter.”

  “We’re doing our best, Ms. Darling,” the detective said with a sigh. “I don’t like it any more than you do. It’s my job to catch the bad guy. I hate that he keeps slipping through my fingers.”

  She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She knew that the detective was doing his best, but the thought of someone breaking into her house while her daughter was there made her hysterical. Still, it wasn’t fair of her to take it out on him.

  “What happened?” she asked again. “Why didn’t the alarm work?” The detective looked over at Candice, who cleared her throat and began talking. She still looked shaken, but Moira could tell that she was starting to feel better now that she wasn’t alone with the police.

  “Well, everything was fine when I got here,” the young woman began. “I let the dogs out then watched a movie for a few hours in the living room. After that they seemed bored and I was tired of sitting, so we went out for a walk on the forest trail. I didn’t lock the front door, which was stupid of me, I guess. Even stupider, I forgot to set the alarm. Anyway, when the dogs and I got back, Keeva started acting all weird. The second we got inside, her hackles went up and she started growling. It creeped me out. She’s usually so sweet—I’ve never seen her act like that before.”

  “Where is Keeva?” Moira asked. She had been so worried about her daughter that she hadn’t even realized that the big grey dog wasn’t there. Maverick was sitting patiently by Candice’s side, but the wolfhound wasn’t anywhere to be seen.

  “I’ll get to that,” her daughter said with a grimace. “I think she either ran away or was taken by the intruder.”

  The deli owner’s stomach dropped at the news, but she urged her daughter to continue with her story.

  “Well, I didn’t know what to do,” the young woman continued. “I thought that maybe something was hurting her from her surgical site, so I checked her belly but she seemed to be fine. I decided that I should probably call you, so I took their leashes off and headed into the living room where my phone was charging. Then I heard the footsteps upstairs.”

  Moira found herself enthralled by the story. It was like something from a horror movie. She couldn’t believe that her daughter had actually gone through all of this. She had been freaked out enough when she had gotten home to find the front door bashed open before, but she couldn’t imagine actually being in the house with someone who wasn’t supposed to be there. Just the thought made the hairs on the back of her neck prickle.

  “Of course I was super freaked out. At first I tried to convince myself that you had gotten back from catering early, but when I looked outside and realized your car wasn’t there, I knew I was in trouble. I was afraid to try calling the police from in the living room in case whoever was upstairs heard me, and I thought if I went outside they might see me and try to catch me or something. Then I heard footsteps coming down the stairs and I ended up just running for the basement. Maverick came with me, but Keeva refused to budge from in front of the stairway and I couldn’t really call to her or go get her in case whoever was coming downstairs saw me.”

  “Of course, honey. That was the right thing to do,” Moira said. “What happened then?”

  “Well, I got into the basement and locked the door from the inside. That was actually really creepy too. I didn’t dare turn on the light, so Maverick and I were down there in the pitch black with nothing to see by but the light from my cellphone, and with an intruder upstairs.” She shuddered. “Keeva started to bark and someone shouted, and that’s when I knew for sure that whoever it was wasn’t supposed to be there and I called the police. After I told them what was happening, I called you, but I lost service halfway through the message. The police showed up a few minutes later. I think whoever it was actually left before they heard the sirens. And I haven’t seen Keeva since.”

  “You’re safe, Candice, and that’s the most important thing.” She turned to the detective. “What now?” she asked him.

  “Now we do the same thing that we did last time,” he said. “We take some photos of the crime scene, you do a walk-through of the house to see if anything is missing, then you and your daughter go somewhere safe for the rest of the night. I’m going to post an officer out front to keep an eye on things again, but I strongly recommend that you find somewhere else to stay until this blows over. The fact that there was a second break-in just confirms that there is something personal about this crime—this is far from random, and I don’t want to take the chance of this person coming back while either of you are here.”

  The walk-through once again revealed that nothing of value had been taken.

  “I don’t think anything’s missing at all,” she said. “But I’ll look more tomorrow. I’m sorry, detective, but I’m tired and I want to get Candice over to her apartment. We both need rest.”

  “I understand. You two be careful, all right? I may want to ask one or both of you a few more questions tomorrow—we really need to catch this guy before he hurts someone.”

  “That’s fine.” Moira nodded farewell to the detective, then guided her daughter towards the car, Maverick trotting along behind them. She paused before getting into the driver’s seat to shout Keeva’s name into the dark forest, and listened intently for a long moment in hopes of hearing the jingle of her collar. Nothing. Her heart ached for the dog, but she knew that she wouldn’t be able to do anything tonight. It would be useless to go wandering through the woods at night, and the dog might not even be there. The burglar might have stolen her, or worse. No, right now her responsibility was to her daughter, who had had a long and terrible day. It was high time they got themselves to Candice’s apartment and get some well-deserved rest. They could figure the rest of this mess out in the morning. Until then, she would just hope that Keeva had found somewhere safe and warm to wait out the night.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  “It feels like a dream,” Candice said the next morning. “I almost can’t believe that it really happened.”

  Moira knew what she meant. It felt almost unreal that someone had broken into her house and trapped her daughter in the basement. What if Candice hadn’t hidden hersel
f quickly and the person who broke in had found her?

  “I’m thankful that you were so quick thinking,” she told her daughter,

  “I just wish I had remembered to lock the front door and set the alarm when I went on that walk with the dogs. Maybe if I hadn’t made it so easy for them, they would have left. I didn’t even think about it, really. I feel so bad about Keeva.”

  “Don’t you feel bad for a second, sweetie. You did the best that you could under the circumstances. I’ve forgotten the alarm a few times, too. I’m going to go look for Keeva pretty soon. Chances are, she’s just wandering around in the woods somewhere,” Moira said.

  “Can I come with you? I should help look too,” the young woman said.

  “I was actually going to ask you to stay here and watch Maverick. I’m going to have to stop at the police station when I go into town—I want to talk to Detective Jefferson more—and I’ll probably stop at the deli and maybe the grocery store to pick up something for lunch for us. I don’t know how long I’ll be out there looking for Keeva, or where I’ll end up going. I can’t make Maverick wait in the car, and I definitely don’t want to leave him in the house alone.”

  Not wanting to have to worry about what to do with Maverick was only part of the reason she wanted her daughter to stay behind. Mostly she wanted to keep Candice somewhere safe, where she could relax and do her best to forget about the terrible day that she had just had.

  “I guess…” Her daughter sighed and sat down on the couch, where Felix, the calico kitten, jumped on her lap and began to purr loudly. She skritched him absently. “I’m going to worry about her all day though.”

  “I promise to call you as soon as I find her,” Moira said. Not if, but when, she thought, determined to stay positive. That poor dog had been through so much these last few weeks. “David will be helping me look. Actually, he’s supposed to meet me at the house an hour. I should get going soon.”