Chicken Pesto Murder: Book 5 in The Darling Deli Series (11 page)

Moira was stunned. Her emotions were mixed; part of her was hurt that the detective had thought so little of her. It wasn’t like she sought out murderers and thieves. On the contrary, it seemed like she couldn’t avoid them. She was also touched that David would defend her, and speak up on her behalf even when she wasn’t around.

“Thank you,” she said at last. “For telling me, and for defending my honor.”

“You’re welcome.” He grinned at her. “One more thing before I let you rest. Do you still want to get a dog?”

“Yeah, I do,” she said. “I think it’s time to open up my heart to another pet, and I don’t think I’d be able to stand living completely alone when Candice leaves.”

“Wait here.” Moira gave a snort of unladylike laughter—as if she was going anywhere with her sprained ankle. A moment later, David came back. To her surprise, Maverick the German shepherd was trailing behind him on a leash. As he saw Moira, Maverick rushed forward and put his head on her lap.

“Couldn’t you find his family?” she asked, leaning forward and petting the dog.

“He wasn’t stolen. He belongs—belonged—to Mikey Strauss,” David explained. “Strauss relinquished him voluntarily when his friend began telling Jefferson about how Mikey treated the dog. He’s yours if you want him. Otherwise, he’ll probably find his way to a rescue group of some sort.” He gave the dog a fond look. “This guy saved your life, you know.”

“He did?” Moira asked. “How?”

“According to Strauss, he tripped over the dog when he started chasing you.” David smirked. “He fell into a puddle. He was more upset about ruining his cell phone than losing the dog.”

Moira remembered the sounds of the dog thief falling and the dog yelping. She stroked Maverick’s soft fur, and knew that she didn’t need any time to think about it.

“Of course I’ll keep him,” she said. “He’ll have a home here for the rest of his life.”