Thai Coconut Murder: Book 6 in The Darling Deli Series (9 page)

“Sure, I’ll take a couple,” Moira said, finally giving a real smile at the thought of being served in her own restaurant.

“Me too,” Candice said. “What’s in them?”

“Garlic, onions, sage, and finely chopped bell peppers,” Dante told them as he brought them each a plate with two quiches on them. Meg carried over the container of hot sauce, and a small bowl of shredded cheese.

“Here you go,” she said. “I’m sure Darrin will want to hear what you think of the hot sauce. He took some convincing to make it, but I think it’s even better than the store bought stuff.”

Moira drizzled some of the red sauce over one of the quiches and took a bite. Her eyes widened. The hot sauce was perfect—not too spicy, but full of flavor. It complemented the quiche perfectly, and turned an average breakfast into something extraordinary. She found herself amazed once again at how creative her employees were. Maybe she should give them free rein more often. She hadn’t been disappointed yet.

“Wow,” she said. “I’ll have to tell him that it’s amazing. I wonder if he’d be willing to make it to sell in the store?”

“I’m sure he would,” Meg said with a laugh. “Pretty much everyone has had that same reaction.”

“Delicious,” Candice agreed, wiping her mouth with a napkin as she finished up the last bite. “I’ve got some exciting news too, guys. Alice agreed to sell me the store.”

“No way,” Meg said, rushing over to hug the young woman. “That’s great. I guess this means you won’t be working at the deli for much longer?”

“Probably not,” she admitted. “I’ll need to focus on my own store, of course. But I promise I’ll come back and visit all the time.”

“Congratulations,” Dante said, stepping forward to give her a quick hug too. “Meg and I will buy candy from you every day. I’m sure our dentists will be thrilled.”

Moira watched as her daughter laughed with her friends, feeling an odd mixture of joy and dread. If she weren’t thinking about everything that could go wrong if Alice was guilty, then this would be one of the happiest days of her life. Her daughter was finally getting a chance to follow her dreams. She wondered if she should have told her daughter about her and David’s investigation, but even if she wanted to, now wasn’t the time. A buzzing in her pocket distracted her from her thoughts, and she took her phone out to see that, as if summoned by her thinking his name, David was calling her. She raised her phone to her ear, smiled at her daughter, and slipped out the side door for some privacy, careful to slide a block of wood between the door and the frame so it couldn’t shut all the way and lock her out.

“Hey,” she said to David. “We just got back from the meeting with Alice. She seemed like she’s in quite the hurry to sell the toy store.”

“She might want the money, if she’s planning on running. Do you think she suspects that we’re onto her?” he asked.

“No. She seemed to be on the lookout for someone else, though. I think that friend of Henry’s, the short burly guy that was at the funeral, might have his own suspicions about her. He’s been hanging around town for a while.”

“I hope he doesn’t do anything to make her nervous. I just stopped by the police station and told them everything we know. They’re in contact with the police up in North Lake, who are going to question a few people and see if everything we told them adds up.” He sighed. “Hopefully by this time next week, all of this will be over and Henry will be able to rest in peace since his murderer is in prison.”

She hung up and went back in, careful to keep her face neutral. The atmosphere in the kitchen was so relaxed and happy that she felt her good mood returning quickly. It was soon time to start preparing for lunch. Once she began chopping and slicing the necessary ingredients for the loaded baked potato soup that would be the special for the day, she felt the last of her worries slide away.

Moira woke to a persistent ringing. She groaned and sat up, reaching over towards her desk for her cell phone. It was early morning, earlier than she usually woke up. Who would be calling her this early? A thrill of fear went through her as she thought of Candice—she was back in her apartment now, and dangerously close to Alice. She answered the phone without looking at the caller ID, and was relieved to hear David’s voice on the other end.

“What’s going on?” she asked, still feeling a bit groggy from her abrupt awakening.

“I’ve got news.” He didn’t sound upset so Moira let herself relax. If something was wrong, she would be able to hear it in his voice.

“What is it?”

“Alice Atkins was just taken into custody by the Lake Marion police.” There was a grim sort of satisfaction in his voice.

“So she did do it, then?” Moira asked, leaning back against the pillows. “They found more evidence?”

“I don’t know the details, unfortunately. They questioned her yesterday though, and whatever she said must not have added up with what they found during their investigation.”

“Oh no,” she said, sitting back up suddenly. “It’s Thursday. Candice was supposed to meet with her to go over the paperwork for the store today. I have to tell her what happened.”

“I’m sorry, Moira,” he said, truly sounding upset now. “I know it isn’t fair to her. I wish I could have waited to go to the police, but I would never have forgiven myself if she got away.”

“I understand,” she assured him, already going through her clothing drawers with one hand as they spoke. “It’s not your fault. I need to go though, I’ve got to drive to Lake Marion and meet Candice. Do you want to meet for brunch somewhere after I tell her?”

He agreed to brunch with her and possibly Candice, if the young woman was feeling up to it. Moira said her goodbyes and hung up, dressing swiftly before heading downstairs to let Maverick out and feed him a hurried breakfast. She knew Candice would be upset that her plans for the store were put on hold once again, and she wanted to be there to comfort her daughter if she needed it.

***

“Just a second, I…” Candice broke off mid-sentence when she opened the door to find her mother standing there. “Oh, sorry, I thought you were Alice. She said her car broke down, so we were going to drive together to the closing agent’s office to go over the paperwork.”

“I’m so sorry, Candice,” Moira said. “But Alice isn’t coming.”

She sat with her daughter over a fresh cup of coffee and explained what had happened. She even told Candice about the real reason for the trip up north, and what they had found.

“So, Alice was lying the whole time she kept telling us that Henry was up north?” her daughter asked, shocked. “Why would she do that?”

“I don’t know, but David and I both think she must have had something to do with his death. Otherwise, why wouldn’t she report her grandfather missing?”

“Do you think she actually killed him?” Candice shuddered. “I can’t believe I’ve been living above her store for all these weeks. It’s like something you would see on TV, on one of those shows where the person you live next to ends up being a serial killer or something.”

“I don’t know for sure if she killed him herself or not, but the police will find all of that out. Thankfully, it’s out of my hands now.” She sighed and patted her daughter’s hand. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about this sooner, but David and I didn’t want to risk her getting wind of us being suspicious of her. She may have tried to flee the state, or even have used you to make us stop digging for the truth.”

“I understand, I guess,” the young woman replied. She gazed down at the table, obviously disappointed. “It just seems like every time I think I’m finally going to get a chance to start my business, something happens. I feel selfish for being upset, though. Of course I’m glad that she’s getting what she deserves, and it’s horrible that she might have killed her own grandfather.”

“You’re not selfish, sweetie,” Moira said gently. “You’re one of the most caring, kind people I know. I’m sure all of this will work out for you in the end.” Her daughter didn’t say anything, she just sighed and began fiddling with a spoon, so her mother added, “I’m meeting David for brunch in town. Do you want to come? My treat, and you can ask him what will happen if Alice ends up going to prison, but is still willing to sell the toy store. I’m not sure how all of that works, but he probably at least has an idea.”

“All right,” Candice said. “Let me just grab my shoes, and find something more comfortable to wear, and I’ll meet you outside.”

Moira headed down the narrow stairs that led up to Candice’s apartment, her heart aching for her daughter. Letting herself out through the door at the bottom of the stairway, she was surprised to find herself face to face with the burly man from the funeral, the same one that Maverick had barked at only a few days before.

“Sorry,” she began. “I…” she trailed off, slowly realizing that something wasn’t quite right about the picture in front of her. Two men were huddled by the back door of the toy store. One was jiggling the handle back and forth, and the other had his face pressed to the frosted window, attempting to look inside. The burly man was standing only a few feet away, staring at her in evident shock.

“Sorry,” she said again. “Um, pardon me? I have to get to my car.”

“Do you live up there?” he asked with a jerk of his chin towards the stairs, ignoring her request for him to get out of her way.

“No, I was just visiting… someone,” she said. For some reason, she didn’t feel comfortable telling him her daughter was upstairs.

“You were at the funeral, weren’t you?” he asked, gazing at her even more intently. “And you had that dog that barked at me the other day. Didn’t I see you in the toy store before, too? You wouldn’t happen to know Alice, would you?”

“I don’t know her well,” Moira told him. “Why?”

“She was supposed to meet us here, but it seems that the store isn’t open today. You wouldn’t happen to know where she is, would you?” His tone had changed, from suspicious to almost sickeningly sweet.

“Where who is?” Candice asked from behind Moira, startling her so badly that she jumped.

“They’re looking for Alice,” she told her daughter reluctantly. The man was watching them with interest.

“Oh, you haven’t heard,” the young woman said, turning her attention to the burly short man in the bowler hat. “She was taken into police custody earlier this morning.”

“For what?” the man asked, going pale.

“They think she might have had something to do with her grandfather’s death,” Candice told him. She paused, then added, “But I don’t think they’ve determined anything for sure yet, and I wouldn’t want to hurt business for her, so do you think you could keep it to yourselves for now?”

“Mum’s the word,” the short man replied, his face amused, but his eyes still steely. “If you happen to see her before we do, could you tell her that she missed her appointment with us, and we are only gonna be able to reschedule once more before giving up on her?”

“Sure. Who should I tell her this message is from?”

“Tell her it’s from Vincent,” he said. “Thanks, doll.”

He gave a sharp whistle, and the other two men left their post at the door and followed him. Moira watched as they piled into a gray SUV and drove away. She turned to Candice.

“Did that seem at all weird to you?” she asked her daughter.

“Maybe a little, I guess, but those guys are around a lot. Alice told me they were Henry’s friends and are concerned about her.” Candice shrugged. “Come on, let’s get going. I want to talk to David.”

David was waiting for them, both of their favorite drinks already ordered and at the table. Candice and Moira slid into the booth across from him.

“Thanks,” the deli owner said, taking a sip of her lemonade. The ice-cold, slightly sour drink was perfect for the hot day. “Any more news on Alice?”

“No,” he said. “I’m not sure when we’ll know more. It’s up to the police now.” He turned to Candice. “I’m sorry all of this is interfering with you getting your store set up. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“No.” Candice sighed. “I know you and Mom are just trying to do right by Henry. I guess I’ll just sit tight until we know what’s going to happen to Alice.”

“Well, Henry had a good lawyer, and I’m sure Alice knows how to contact him. She’ll be in good hands. If she’s even charged with anything, she might be able to make bail,” David said. “And who knows, she might want to sell the toy store even more now. Lawyer fees can add up.”

“Is it bad of me to say I hope so?” Candice asked with a guilty look. “I feel bad for her, but I also really want to start preparing to open the candy shop. If she really did kill her grandfather, then she deserves to pay all of her lawyer’s fees.”

“If she killed Henry, then she deserves more than that; she deserves a lifetime spent in prison,” David said grimly.

The next few days passed in a haze, a blur of weekend tourists, and short walks after dark with the dog. Weekends were always busy at the deli in the summer and this one was no exception. Moira didn’t get a chance to catch up with her daughter at all; they were working different shifts and were both so exhausted by the time they were done that they went straight home.

She had to keep reminding herself that booming business was a good thing; all of the long days and aching feet would pay off as word spread about the deli. They were far busier than they had been the summer before, which was great, but it also showed Moira that Darling’s DELIcious Delights simply couldn’t handle much more traffic. The small deli hadn’t been designed for crowds of people, but it didn’t make much sense for Moira to expand when the busy season only lasted about three months; once the tourist season was over, the crowds would shrink back to manageable sizes again.

It wasn’t until Monday afternoon that Moira, her shift over and the competent Darrin in charge of the deli’s evening hours, got a chance to call her daughter and ask her how she was doing.

“Can’t talk for long, Mom. Can I come over in a couple of hours?”

“Of course, sweetie. I’ll have dinner ready.”

Moira blinked at the phone, surprised by the short conversation, and wondering what her daughter was doing now. Candice rarely blew her off without explanation. Chiding herself for being so impatient—surely her daughter would tell her what was going on when she came over for dinner—she decided to just hurry home and start cooking. There were a pair of marinating steaks in the fridge that needed some tending before she lit up the barbecue.