Thanksgiving Deli Murder

by Patti Benning

  She realized with the chill that if she had been the one to get hit by a stray bullet, then it would be the deli that would be dark and empty as her own employees mourned her passing.

  She saw David’s vehicle coming down the road toward her. He pulled into the parking lot, and she got out of her SUV. He pulled her into a hug when she got close enough.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “I wasn’t even there when it happened,” she said. “I’m fine. Everyone else is fine too. The side door is a little bit dented, but that’s it.”

  “When I find out who did it…”

  “I’ll press charges,” she said. “Whoever tried to break in terrified Allison and Jenny. I’m not going to let that slide.”

  “I know you won’t,” he said, giving her a kiss. “I love how protective you are of your employees. Come on, let’s go in. It’s cold out here.”

  They ordered their coffees and sat at a small table in the corner. Moira wrapped her hands around the warm cup. It was nice spending some time with David, even if they both had a lot on their minds.

  “How are you doing?” she asked. “After what happened yesterday, if there’s anything you want to talk about, you know I’m here for you.”

  “I know,” he said. “I’m sorry. I should have stuck around for longer this morning. I just didn’t feel like I was ready to discuss anything. I know what you’re going to say; that it’s not my fault, that I did everything I could to save him… and I know you’re right. But that doesn’t change how terrible I feel about it.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “You’re right, that is exactly what I would’ve said, and it’s true. But I also know how much of a disconnect there can be between what you know in your mind, and what you feel in your heart. It can be difficult to make your emotions line up with logic.”

  “I’ve seen a lot of terrible things in my job,” he said. “And I’ve lost friends, but somehow, this was worse.”

  “Did he say anything before he passed away?” she asked.

  “No, he didn’t. He just stared up at me, and I saw the look in his eyes. He thought I was going to help him. He thought I was going to save him, and I let him down. And now I just keep thinking about how he will never have Thanksgiving with his family again, or watch his grandchildren open their Christmas presents. He will never see spring come, or go fishing, or even sit down and drink a cup of coffee like we are now.”

  “They’ll find whoever shot him,” she said. “I know they will. There were only a few cars parked in the lot. They can trace the license plates, and bring every single person in for questioning. Someone must have seen something.”

  “Between that and what happened at the deli, I’m beginning to feel like I can’t keep anyone safe. I should’ve been there for you today. It makes me so angry that someone tried to break into your restaurant.”

  “I know,” Moira said with feeling. “Trust me, I feel the same. After this, I think I’m going to go home and call Detective Jefferson and see if he’s made any progress yet. Then, I’ll go over the security footage again. I also need to figure out what I’m going to do for security at the deli until the person who did this is caught. I can’t risk that person coming back and actually hurting one of my employees this time.”

  If that happened, she didn’t know if she would ever forgive herself. Keeping the people she cared about safe was more important than making money, and she would keep the deli closed until the culprit was caught if she had to.

  CHAPTER TEN

  * * *

  They finished their coffees together, then Moira remembered what David had said about needing to stop at his office. “What do you need to get at the office?” she asked.

  “I’ve got an interview scheduled with a client Friday morning,” her husband said. “I’ve seen him before, and I just want to pick up the files from the previous case so I can look them over.”

  “I’ll go with you,” Moira said. “I wanted to pick up Maverick’s dog bed and wash the cover.”

  She loved David’s office. It was comfortable and felt like home, almost as much as her own house did. The furniture was perfectly worn and more comfortable than her own couch at home. The decor was so perfectly David, that she could hardly imagine the building having ever belonged to anyone else.

  They walked in together, Moira putting her purse down and David tossing his keys onto his desk. “I hope things start to pick up again soon here,” she said. “It’s been so slow lately.”

  “People are just busy with the holidays,” he said. “There are usually a few more cases around Christmas. Something about the Christmas season makes some people go off the edge. Then, of course, around Valentine’s Day, I will be getting a slew of adultery cases.”

  Moira smiled. She knew that her husband always regarded the adultery cases with caution. Some of his worst clients had come from them, not to mention the clients that he had simply had to cut off. He always felt bad taking money from people he couldn’t help, and some people were just determined to be jealous even when nothing was going on. She was glad that she and David had a different sort of relationship. They trusted each other, and that was important.

  “I’m glad you kept this business open,” she said, relaxing in the comfortable chair behind his desk as he dug through the file cabinet. “I love this place. I know it takes up a lot of your time, but I’d be sad if you shut it down.”

  “I have considered closing the doors for good,” he admitted. “But the truth is, I’m always drawn back to this line of work. It’s a good excuse to get out and about, instead of sitting locked up in the brewery all day. I suppose that this job has become sort of a hobby that acts as a break from my other hobby, which has become my actual full-time job.”

  Moira chuckled at that. “It’s amazing how life changes, isn’t it? Some changes are all at once, and others are so gradual that you hardly realize they are happening.”

  She got off the chair and knelt on the floor, unzipping the dog bed’s cover so she could take it home. It certainly needed a good wash. She was beginning to pull it off the bed itself when someone knocked at the door. She and David exchanged a look.

  “Well, your car is parked out front,” she said. “I suppose someone thinks this place is open.”

  “I’ll see who it is,” David said. “You’re right, it has been pretty slow. I guess I should take cases where I can find them.”

  She continued pulling out the dog bed while David spoke to whoever was out front. She heard the front door shut, and two sets of footsteps coming back. She straightened up, making sure the place looked presentable. When she saw who was with her husband, she froze.

  It was Lance. The other man was wearing all black again, but this time without the hat. He seemed as shocked to see her as she was to see him.

  “I didn’t know you were with a client already,” he said.

  “This is my wife, Moira Darling,” David said. “She works with me sometimes. Come on in and sit down. Like I said, I was just stopping by to pick up some papers, but I’ve got time to talk to you about your case for a few minutes.”

  “David… can I talk to you?” Moira asked.

  Her husband raised his eyebrows. “Of course. I’m sorry, Mr. Vespers, you can take a seat. This will be just a second.”

  She and David walked into the hallway. Lowering her voice, she said, “That’s him. That is Lance, the guy I was telling you about. The one who was taking photos of the deli.”

  David frowned. “What do you want me to do? We should figure out why he’s here, at least.”

  “You’re right… I guess…” she hesitated. “I guess just treat him like a normal client. Maybe we’ll find out something about him when he tells us what he wants.”

  “Okay. Do you want to come back in, or do you think it’s best if I do this on my own?”

  “I want to hear everything he says.”

  Her husband hesitated, then nodded. “Okay.”

  They returne
d to the office. Lance was seated in a chair, but stood up as they came in. “If this isn’t a good time, I can come back later.”

  “No,” David said. “This is fine. It won’t take long. All I will do right now is figure out if I can help you. We can talk more later.”

  “All right,” he said. He glanced at Moira, then sat back down. “So, my problem is this. Someone I was about to enter into a business deal with was killed. I was just taken down to the police station for questioning. I know you’re not a lawyer, and that’s not what I’m looking for. I already have my own lawyer working on my case. My problem is that I am still planning on buying the restaurant, so if someone has an issue with the place, I want to know who it is. I want to know what I’m getting into before it’s too late.”

  “Are you still buying the restaurant even though the owner is dead?” Moira asked.

  “We had already signed everything,” Lance said. “All that was left was for me to pick up the keys. I’m sure there’ll be some sort of delay while everything is investigated, but yes, I’m still planning on buying it.” He hesitated, then said, “I’m sorry if I bothered you at the deli last week. I wasn’t trying to upset your employees. I just wanted to see how things worked, and to get a feel for what I was up against – not that I’m trying to steal your business. I’m new to all of this, and just wanted to take a look at a successful local business before jumping headfirst into my own.”

  Moira considered what he had said. She couldn’t tell if he was a good liar, or he was really telling the truth. Even though she was still undecided about him, she nodded and said “I understand. Next time, you can just call me and ask me for a tour. I’m happy to help people out. I know how stressful it can be to enter the restaurant industry as a newcomer.”

  “Thank you. I may take you up on that offer.”

  “So, you want me to look into the diner’s history, and find any people who might have had a problem with it or with the owner?” David said, bringing them back to the reason for Lance’s visit.

  “Yes. And, of course, if you happen to find something that can be admissible in a courtroom that would perhaps exonerate me, that would be a bonus.” He gave a dry chuckle. “I don’t know if I can go back on the sale now anyway, but if I’m about to enter into some major family drama or a lawsuit waiting to happen, I want to know about it beforehand.”

  David nodded. “That’s understandable, and it sounds like something we could help you with. I charge by the hour, with a fifty-percent retainer up front. We can discuss your budget, and I won’t go over it without talking to you.”

  “That sounds good to me. When do you think you might have something by?”

  “I don’t know. I’ll do what I can before Thanksgiving, but I am taking Thursday off to be with my family. I’m not sure how long it will take to turn something up, or if there is even anything to find in the first place. In the meantime, I’d suggest just keeping your eyes and ears peeled, and don’t meet with anyone alone until you have some answers.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  * * *

  On Thanksgiving morning, Moira woke up to the sound of gobbling turkeys. She sat bolt upright in bed, blinking in the morning light. Beside her, David chuckled and shut off his phone, on which the recording of turkeys had been playing.

  “You said not to let you sleep in too late,” he said, laughing as she threw a pillow at him.

  “I didn't mean for you to wake me up by giving me a heart attack.”

  “It was supposed to get you into the holiday spirit,” he said. “It's the big day.”

  “You're in a good mood,” she grumbled. She wasn't really angry, but she didn't want to encourage him. What would he do to wake her up on Christmas, go stomp around on the roof in boots?

  “I think taking Lance’s case was good for me. It's giving me a way to focus my energy, instead of dwelling on what happened.”

  “What if he's the killer? I don't like you meeting with him alone.”

  “I don't think he is. He seems genuinely concerned about his associate’s death, and is spending quite a bit of money to get it figured out.”

  “He could just be trying to make himself look innocent,” she said.

  “True, but he would have to be betting on me not finding out the truth. I know my focus hasn't been on the investigative business recently, but I still have a pretty good reputation.”

  She sighed, dropping the argument. They had had the same one every morning since he had taken the case on Sunday. She didn't like Lance, though she knew she was probably biased. She would just have to trust her husband’s judgment. It had been pretty good so far.

  “Shoot, I have to put the turkey in,” she said, glancing at the clock. “It's going to take hours to cook.”

  “Let me help you.”

  “I don't need help with the turkey, but could you do me a favor and make sure the outside of the house looks nice? I don’t want to risk Reggie slipping on any damp leaves, and besides, Thelma has never seen the place.”

  “Sure. What do you want to do about breakfast? Do you want me to make something while you work on the turkey?”

  She bit her lip. “No, let’s just eat cereal. I don't want to start off the day with a sink full of dirty dishes. Besides, we shouldn't eat too much now. I want everyone to be nice and hungry for the meal this afternoon.”

  Their tasks determined, she went downstairs and put the dogs out back before washing her hands and pulling the enormous turkey out of the refrigerator.

  Setting it on the counter, she pulled out the spices that she would mix together for her special dry rub. She had made it the same way since Candice was a young child, and was looking forward to eating it that afternoon. After the craziness of the past week, she couldn't think of anything more comforting than a good, old-fashioned roasted turkey.

  After rubbing the turkey, she put it in the oven. Every couple of hours she would check it, taking the temperature with a meat thermometer and basting it to keep it moist. She would stuff it after it came out, and before she presented it to the table.

  With the turkey in the oven, she had fulfilled her cooking duties for the moment, but there was still a lot to do. She let the dogs back inside, then went into the basement to find the extra leaf for their table. She also brought up one of the fancier tablecloths, which would replace their usual one with the flower pattern.

  Once the table was set, she began cleaning the rest of the house. With Reggie arriving soon, she wanted the bulk of the cleaning to be done ahead of time.

  An hour later, she returned to the kitchen, already feeling exhausted. She had worked like a whirlwind, and had managed to vacuum the living room, sweep the rest of the floors, and clean the windows. The dogs had been locked behind the gate to the mudroom. Despite their comfortable beds, toys, and full bowl of water, they were moping.

  “It's just until everyone's here and settled,” she said. “I don't want you to knock Reggie over when he comes in. Shoot. Actually, I should get going now to go get him.”

  She found David out front, finishing up sweeping the rest of the leaves off the porch.

  “Are you on your way out?” he asked.

  “Yep,” she said. “Can you do me a favor and check on the turkey in about an hour if I am not back? I don’t want it to dry out.”

  “Of course. Is there anything else you need me to do?”

  “I don’t think so. Just tidy up anything that you think needs it, and make sure the dogs are behind the gate. If you want to get some drinks ready for when Reggie gets here, you could do that.”

  “Okay.” He paused in his sweeping to give her a kiss. “I’ll see you soon. Drive safely.”

  She pulled out of the driveway and turned toward Lake Marion, hardly concentrating as she took the familiar roads. Oddly enough, she did feel better today. She was still worried about what had happened, but she decided to keep it out of her mind for the day. Today was about focusing on being with her friends and family, and everything tha
t they had to be thankful for, and if she was being honest with herself, she really did have a lot to be thankful for. She had the best husband in the world, and a wonderful daughter. Her daughter had a good husband of her own, and was pursuing a career in something that she enjoyed. She also had two pampered dogs, her best friends, and, of course, the deli.

  All in all, she was a lucky person. Bad things would always happen, no matter how hard she tried to prevent them. She knew that she should try to start focusing on the good things, like Candice had said, instead of those things that she had no control over.

  She pulled into the assisted living home’s parking lot. It was packed. Not wanting to make Reggie walk across the parking lot, she pulled up in front of the front doors. She hoped he would be ready to go, so she wouldn’t have to sit there long. It was technically an ambulance lane, but people often used it to pick up and drop off their loved ones.