Glazed Ham Murder (The Darling Deli Series Book 20)

by Patti Benning

  “I remember how much Candice used to love this.” She looked down at the little plastic egg in her hands, and realized it had been years since she had hidden a real egg for eager little hands to find. Would she ever have the chance to host an Easter egg hunt at her own house for her family again? Maybe she would have grandchildren one day. The thought made her smile, though she still felt too young in her late forties for anyone to start calling her Grandma.

  “How is she doing?” Martha asked, tossing yet another egg into a basket. “I heard about her car.”

  “She’s pretty upset, as you can imagine. At least it isn’t much of an interference, since she can walk most places she needs to go, and Eli is always happy to give her a ride.”

  “Tell her I’m sure the car will turn up eventually. Did I ever tell you I had my car stolen a couple of years ago? I was in Grand Rapids, and I left it running in the parking lot while I ran into a store to pick something up, and when I came out, it was gone. It was found a few blocks away in a parking lot, perfectly fine. I needed to buy a new set of keys, though. That was a pain.”

  The deli owner realized her friend didn’t know about the hit and run. She didn’t want to bring the subject up now, but she doubted that her daughter’s car would be found in any sort of good condition. And when it was found, if it ever was, there was no telling how long it would take the police to finish gathering all of the evidence from it. One way or another, she knew her daughter would have to wait quite a while to get behind the wheel of her pretty silver convertible again.

  CHAPTER NINE

  * * *

  The Easter egg hunt started at two in the afternoon, but people kept trailing in until almost three. Two hundred eggs had seemed like quite a lot to Moira when Martha told her the number, but seeing how many young children were there to look for them, she wondered if there were enough.

  Even with all of the eggs hidden, the volunteers weren’t off the hook. They had to walk around the park, supervising the egg hunt and making sure that none of the children wandered into the off-limits areas: down by the river, on the bridge, or near the roads. Moira and David walked along the path near the trees by the river, keeping an eye out for straying children.

  She was watching a pair of girls who looked to be around eight as they searched in the bushes near the trees when one of them tripped over something and fell to her knees. She hurried over to help the girl up.

  “Look at your tights, Ella, they’re all muddy,” the other girl said. The one who fell looked down and immediately started crying. Wincing, the deli owner tried to comfort her.

  “I’m sure they can be washed. The important thing is that you aren’t hurt. No scrapes or bruises?”

  The girl shook her head. “No, but I dropped my basket.”

  “Yeah, I saw. Your eggs all rolled down the hill,” the other girl said, grinning. The girls must have been sisters, Moira thought, because only a sister would find that funny. “I’m gonna win and I’m gonna go tell Mom you wrecked your tights.”

  “That’s not fair, I had more eggs than you,” the first girl whined.

  “Well we aren’t allowed to go down by the river, and plus Mom said we had to stay where she could see us.”

  “Give me some of your eggs, then,”

  “No way, it’s not my fault that you fell.”

  David spoke, cutting short what seemed about to become an all-out fight between the two girls. “Look, I’ll go see if I can find the eggs that rolled down the hill. Ms. Darling can take you back to your mom so you can get cleaned up, and I’ll meet you all over at the tables, okay?”

  This got nods all around. Moira led the two girls back toward the adults near the entrance of the park, pausing every so often so one of the girls could dash off to check a clump of grass for eggs. She was glad that David had volunteered to go into the trees and down the muddy hill to look for the missing eggs—she was wearing heels and a brightly colored dress of her own, and would probably have come back up the hill just as muddy as the girl beside her was.

  It only took a few minutes for David to find them. He returned the lost eggs to the girl, accepted thanks from her mother, and then pulled Moira to the side. She looked up at him and was about to ask him how it had gone when he spoke.

  “We need to call the police,” he said. “I found Candice’s car down by the river.”

  Detective Jefferson met them down by the river fifteen minutes later. He was wearing a suit. Moira realized that they must have called him away from his own Easter celebrations. She felt bad to think that they must have interrupted a church service, or maybe a family dinner.

  “Well, that’s it,” he said. He seemed surprised, as if he hadn’t actually expected to see the silver car there. “I’m surprised no one stumbled onto it before today.”

  The car wasn’t well hidden. It was just parked there, next to the river, with its top down. The right headlight was broken, and there was a smear of something dark on the grill that she didn’t want to look too closely at. Her daughter’s car, a murder weapon. The thought gave her shivers.

  “It doesn’t look like whoever stole it wanted to hide it,” David agreed.

  “It could have been moved, I suppose,” Jefferson mused.

  “Well, it must have been here since Friday, at least,” Moira said. Both men looked at her in surprise. “Well, the last time it rained was Friday, and the interior is wet. No one would have been driving it like that. So it must have been sitting out here for that long, at least.”

  “That’s observant of you,” Jefferson said. “I think you’re right.”

  “People may have seen it, but didn’t think to report it,” David said. “People do come down to the river to fish, but the fishing is better upstream a bit where there are fewer sticks and weeds in the water. There probably weren’t too many pedestrians down here in the past week.”

  “What now?” the deli owner asked.

  “We’ll get it towed to the police lot, and begin going over it,” Jefferson said. “Since it was used in a crime, it may be a while before your daughter gets it back. At least you’ll be able to tell her that we know where it is and it’s mostly in one piece, though I’m not sure how difficult it will be to fix the water damage. Have you touched anything?”

  “No,” David told him. “I walked around it to look for damage, but did not touch the vehicle.”

  “Good.” The police detective approached the car and peered inside. His lips pulled down in a frown. “Open alcohol containers,” he muttered. “Does your daughter drink beer, Ms. Darling?”

  “Maybe once in a while,” Moira said. “She’s of age, so I don’t see why it should matter. We already know she wasn’t driving the car during the hit and run incident. And she left the car at the bar after having a couple of drinks, for goodness’ sake. She’s not going to drink and drive.”

  He nodded slowly, continuing his walk around the vehicle. At last he looked up. “You two are free to leave. I’ll get a tow truck down here and my men will begin trying to figure out what happened here. I’m sure your daughter will be glad to hear that her car has been found.”

  Moira and David left the detective to his work. The deli owner wasn’t quite sure how she was feeling. Why had he asked that question about Candice? Didn’t the video footage prove that the woman who had stolen the vehicle couldn’t have been her daughter? Was it possible that Detective Jefferson still suspected that Candice had something to do with that hit and run?

  CHAPTER TEN

  * * *

  Moira dropped David off at their house before driving out to Lake Marion to talk to her daughter. She knew that the car having been found should be good news, but somehow, she couldn’t shake the bad feeling she had about the way Detective Jefferson had questioned her about her daughter. Why did she feel like their lives had just gotten so much more complicated?

  Her phone buzzed and she glanced at it. Her daughter was at the candy shop, though Moira was sure the young woman had told her tha
t Candice’s Candies would be closed for the day. Maybe she decided to open up for a few hours, she thought. I’m sure a candy shop would be a popular destination on Easter.

  When she got there, the shop was dark. Confused, she drove around back. The parking lot was empty, but since her daughter didn’t have a car at the moment, that was to be expected. She parked a few spots away from the rear entrance and knocked on the door. A second later, Candice opened it. She had a smudge of what looked like pink icing on her face.

  “Hey, Mom. Happy Easter. Come on in.”

  “Happy Easter, sweetie. What are you doing?” the deli owner asked, looking around the kitchen in curiosity. Ingredients were strewn about, and Caroline was carefully watching something that was bubbling away on the stove.

  “Caroline wanted to learn how to make some of the candy I sell,” Candice said. “We’re doing some Easter chocolates right now. They should still sell pretty well next week—that is if we don’t eat them all first.”

  “I’m sure that between Eli and the two of you, it’ll be close,” Moira said. “Where is he, anyway?”

  “Oh, he’s taking Reggie out to eat. We went to church together this morning, and he’ll be back in time for the movie tonight.”

  “I’m surprised you’re not eating with them. I know Reggie just adores you.”

  “Eli’s supposed to be talking to him about something,” Candice said. The mischievous look was back in her eyes. “I thought I should let them have some privacy.”

  “Hi, Ms. Darling,” Caroline called, looking up from the stove. “Candice, the thermometer is at the right temperature. What should I do?”

  “Turn off the burner and begin pouring the chocolate into the molds,” Candice said. “Do you need help this time?”

  “I think I’ve got it,” the other woman said.

  While the Caroline began preparing the silicone molds, Candice pulled open the fridge and offered her mother a drink. “We’ve got some lemonade, water, of course, milk—though I mostly use that for cooking—and I guess that’s it. I need to stock up again, I guess. It gets so warm in here. Logan and I go through a lot of cold drinks.”

  “I’ll have some of that lemonade,” Moira said. “It looks great. Thanks.”

  She took the bottle and leaned against the counter, watching as Caroline carefully filled each mold to just below the rim. She had always been impressed by the beautiful candies her daughter made. She was glad to see that her friend was taking an interest in it, too.

  “I’ve got good news,” she said to Candice. “We found your car.”

  “Really? Mom, that’s great! Why didn’t you say something sooner? Where was it?”

  “It was down by the river in the park in Maple Creek,” she said. “It looked like it had been there for a while. The top was left open, and there’s some water damage inside.”

  The young woman’s face fell, then brightened again. “Well, I guess it’s better than it could have been. I was afraid I was never going to see it again.”

  “You know, before you can get it back, the police are going to have to go over it for evidence regarding the man’s death. It might take a while.”

  “I know. I hope they find out who took it. Eli can keep giving me rides until they’re done with it.”

  “I’m all done with these molds,” Caroline said. “I’m going to put them in the fridge, then I’ll go up front and make space in one of the display cases for the chocolate.”

  “Thanks,” Candice said. “I’ll join you in a second, but I want to hear more about my car first.”

  Moira obliged, describing the condition of the vehicle as best as she could. She skipped over the part about the blood on the grill, feeling the urge to protect her daughter from the more gruesome details even after all these years.

  “Detective Jefferson said he found some open containers of alcohol in it,” she said. “I noticed some empty bottles of David’s beer when I walked by it on my way back up the hill.” She fell silent, not wanting her daughter to think that she was accusing her of anything, but also needing to hear from the young woman herself that she hadn’t been the one drinking those beers in the car.

  “Weird,” Candice said. She picked up the empty pan of melted chocolate and took it to the sink to rinse it out.

  “Candice, it looked like someone had been drinking them while they were driving.”

  “Maybe that’s why the person who stole my car hit that poor guy,” her daughter said. “It makes me so mad. I left my car at the bar so I wouldn’t chance accidentally hurting someone, and then someone else steals it and kills someone with it! It’s just not right.” She put the pan down in the sink hard enough that the clang made Moira’s ears ring. Still, she relaxed. Her daughter hadn’t been drinking in the car. It had been foolish of her to even suspect her for a moment. When would she learn to trust the people that she loved the most?

  “I’m sorry, sweetie,” she said. “Just remember, it wasn’t your fault.”

  The door to the kitchen opened and Caroline poked her head through. “Sorry to interrupt, but Candice, that girl is back. You’ve got to come and see this.”

  Candice traded a glance with her mother. The two women followed Caroline into the front room, where Moira saw a blonde girl that she recognized. It was the woman named Alexa, the one that she had thought might be the ex of Eli’s that her daughter and her friends had spoken of.

  “Sorry,” Caroline whispered. “She knocked on the door and I didn’t recognize her until I had already opened it. It felt too rude to ask her to leave by then.”

  Candice frowned but approached the woman anyway. “Hey, Alexa. What’re you doing here? We’re closed today.”

  “Sorry, I just saw someone through the window and thought you might have just forgotten to flip the sign over. By the way, you have something pink on your face.”

  Candice wiped at the smear of pink frosting in irritation. “Did you want something? Even though we aren’t open, I guess I could boot up the register.”

  “No, I just wanted to say hi.” The woman gave a bright smile. “You know, I expected to hate Eli’s new girlfriend, but you seem so nice.”

  “Fiancée,” Candice said. “I see you changed your hair.”

  “Yeah.” Alexa ran her fingers through her light blonde hair. “I thought a change from my boring brown might be nice.”

  Caroline made an odd sound. Moira glanced over to see that she was trying to keep from laughing.

  “Well, thanks for stopping by,” Candice said with icy politeness. “Maybe I’ll see you some other time.” Moira admired the skill with which Candice herded the other woman out the door, knowing she wouldn’t have been as graceful. Candice locked the door, turned around, and gave an exaggerated sigh.

  “What was all of that about?” Moira asked, looking between her daughter and her daughter’s friend.

  “That girl is still obsessed with Eli,” Caroline said, grinning. “It’s so weird. I’m pretty sure she got her hair bleached to look more like Candice. What’s next, blue contacts? It’s like she thinks if she looks more like Candice, Eli will take her back. Of course, we all know he’s crazy in love with this girl right here.” She put an arm around Candice’s shoulders.

  “I really do hope she doesn’t plan on being in town for long,” the other girl said. “I trust Eli, but I still don’t like the thought of his ex hanging around all the time.”

  The deli owner trailed after the other two women as they headed back toward the kitchen. She was deep in thought. A woman who looked strikingly like her daughter, with dyed blonde hair, and a grudge against Candice… was it possible that Alexa had stolen the car?

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  * * *

  Moira woke up with a headache the next morning. She rolled out of bed with a groan, and muttered darkly when she looked outside the bedroom window. The rain was pelting down so hard that she couldn’t even see the trees across the yard. Wind gusted, and the droplets fell sideways for a few moment
s. She glanced at her alarm clock, and was surprised to see the numbers still glowing solidly at her. It was surprising that they hadn’t yet lost power.

  She pulled on her bathrobe and went downstairs to find David already up and in the kitchen, sipping coffee and staring out the window. He looked around when he heard her come into the room.

  “Good morning,” he said. “Did I wake you?”

  “No.” She covered her mouth as she yawned. “I think the storm did. Why are you up so early?”

  “Maverick had to go out, and I guess he decided it was my turn to do it,” David said. “That cold nose on him is quite the weapon when he wants it to be.”

  She heard a whine and turned to see the German shepherd locked behind the gate that blocked off the mudroom. He was soaking wet. Keeva, on the other hand, was lying on the kitchen rug, her fur dry as a bone.

  “She didn’t want to go out?”

  “She refused to so much as set a paw out the door,” he said. He looked out the window again. “I can’t say I blame her.”

  “At least yesterday was nice,” Moira said as she poured herself a cup of coffee. “It’s been such a wet spring. I hope it doesn’t rain this much all summer.”

  “I’m sure it will calm down as the weeks go by,” he said. “Are you still going to open the deli this morning?”

  “I should,” she said reluctantly. “People are still going to stop by on their way to work and to school, and I would hate for them to go out of their way just to find that the deli is closed.”

  He nodded. “Just drive safely. I probably won’t go anywhere until it calms down. Thank goodness I don’t have to follow anyone around today.”

  She sat down across from him at the kitchen table. “Nothing from Jefferson yet, I take it?”

  “Not yet. It’s a shame that the car wasn’t found before the rain on Friday. I’m sure some evidence was destroyed. It would have been even worse after this, though.” He gestured toward the window.