Read Online Grilled Rye Murder: Book 16 in The Darling Deli Series by Patti Benning - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Patti Benning
Tags: Fiction
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important.”
“Moira, you know I don’t want you getting involved—”
“I’m not getting involved, though. I’d just be asking a fellow mom some questions while her kid plays with Hazel and Flower. There’s nothing suspicious about that.”
The private investigator eyed her closely. “All right,” he said at last. “I suppose I wouldn’t be able to stop you anyway. Just… be careful about what you say, okay? If Danehill did kill Zander, we don’t want it getting back to him that we’re onto him.”
“I’ll be careful,” she promised. “The last thing I want is for this case to get even more complicated. My freedom’s on the line, after all.””
CHAPTER TWELVE
The day of the meeting with Adam, Hazel, and Flower started off strangely and only got weirder. Certain that she had scheduled herself to work at the deli that morning, she got up bright and early and got herself out the door with time to spare. Usually on the days that she worked mornings, she had the first thirty minutes to herself as she prepared the quiches and breakfast cookies, since whatever employee was working with her that day wouldn’t arrive until minutes before the deli actually opened. Today, however, she was surprised to see two cars already parked in front of the little shop.
Walking inside to find Allison and Cameron busily preparing for the day she said, “You two are here early. Cameron, I didn’t even think you were scheduled to work today. Don’t you and Jenny have that retirement party to cater tomorrow evening?”
“We’re on the schedule, Ms. D. See?” Allison said. She held out the paper, and Moira scrutinized it with a slight frown. Sure enough, Allison and Cameron’s names were down for this shift… but she could have sworn that she hadn’t scheduled them.
“Well… I guess you’re right.” Her frown deepened when she saw black smudges on the tips of Cameron’s fingers. “What happened? That looks almost like fingerprint ink.”
In fact, his fingers looked exactly like hers had after she had been fingerprinted during her arrest. The Maple Creek police station had yet to upgrade to electric fingerprinting equipment.
“Yeah, I got brought in last night,” he said, rubbing his fingers self-consciously. “I guess they thought I may have had some sort of connection with Zander. They brought Jenny in too, and asked her some questions. They must be getting pretty desperate. I hardly knew the guy.”
“What sorts of things did they ask her?”
He shrugged. “No idea. She left before they finished with me.”
Odder and odder , the deli owner thought. Why are the police questioning my employees now? Did they hit a dead end with Danehill?
“So I guess you have the day off, huh, Ms. D?” said Allison, jolting her out of her thoughts.
“I suppose so,” Moira said slowly. She looked back and forth between her employees, getting the nagging feeling that she was missing something, but both of them just smiled at her. “I guess I’ll get going, then. I’ll see you two later.”
She left the deli, walking slowly back to her car as she tried to puzzle out what had just happened. She was certain that she had been supposed to work today. Maybe I’m losing it she thought. Her wedding was, after all, in just over a week.
As soon as she slid into her car, her cell phone started ringing. She jumped slightly, then dug it out of her purse. The caller ID told her it was Karissa.
“Hey, something came up for me later today. Do you think we could get the dogs together sooner? Like, maybe in an hour or so? I already talked to Robyn and she said it was fine.”
“Yeah, I suppose so,” Moira said. “It’s weird, I thought I was supposed to go in to work this morning, but apparently I scheduled myself the entire day off.”
“That works out pretty well, then, doesn’t it? I’ll see ya soon! I think Hazel knows something different is about to happen—she seems excited.”
With that, her friend
“Moira, you know I don’t want you getting involved—”
“I’m not getting involved, though. I’d just be asking a fellow mom some questions while her kid plays with Hazel and Flower. There’s nothing suspicious about that.”
The private investigator eyed her closely. “All right,” he said at last. “I suppose I wouldn’t be able to stop you anyway. Just… be careful about what you say, okay? If Danehill did kill Zander, we don’t want it getting back to him that we’re onto him.”
“I’ll be careful,” she promised. “The last thing I want is for this case to get even more complicated. My freedom’s on the line, after all.””
CHAPTER TWELVE
The day of the meeting with Adam, Hazel, and Flower started off strangely and only got weirder. Certain that she had scheduled herself to work at the deli that morning, she got up bright and early and got herself out the door with time to spare. Usually on the days that she worked mornings, she had the first thirty minutes to herself as she prepared the quiches and breakfast cookies, since whatever employee was working with her that day wouldn’t arrive until minutes before the deli actually opened. Today, however, she was surprised to see two cars already parked in front of the little shop.
Walking inside to find Allison and Cameron busily preparing for the day she said, “You two are here early. Cameron, I didn’t even think you were scheduled to work today. Don’t you and Jenny have that retirement party to cater tomorrow evening?”
“We’re on the schedule, Ms. D. See?” Allison said. She held out the paper, and Moira scrutinized it with a slight frown. Sure enough, Allison and Cameron’s names were down for this shift… but she could have sworn that she hadn’t scheduled them.
“Well… I guess you’re right.” Her frown deepened when she saw black smudges on the tips of Cameron’s fingers. “What happened? That looks almost like fingerprint ink.”
In fact, his fingers looked exactly like hers had after she had been fingerprinted during her arrest. The Maple Creek police station had yet to upgrade to electric fingerprinting equipment.
“Yeah, I got brought in last night,” he said, rubbing his fingers self-consciously. “I guess they thought I may have had some sort of connection with Zander. They brought Jenny in too, and asked her some questions. They must be getting pretty desperate. I hardly knew the guy.”
“What sorts of things did they ask her?”
He shrugged. “No idea. She left before they finished with me.”
Odder and odder , the deli owner thought. Why are the police questioning my employees now? Did they hit a dead end with Danehill?
“So I guess you have the day off, huh, Ms. D?” said Allison, jolting her out of her thoughts.
“I suppose so,” Moira said slowly. She looked back and forth between her employees, getting the nagging feeling that she was missing something, but both of them just smiled at her. “I guess I’ll get going, then. I’ll see you two later.”
She left the deli, walking slowly back to her car as she tried to puzzle out what had just happened. She was certain that she had been supposed to work today. Maybe I’m losing it she thought. Her wedding was, after all, in just over a week.
As soon as she slid into her car, her cell phone started ringing. She jumped slightly, then dug it out of her purse. The caller ID told her it was Karissa.
“Hey, something came up for me later today. Do you think we could get the dogs together sooner? Like, maybe in an hour or so? I already talked to Robyn and she said it was fine.”
“Yeah, I suppose so,” Moira said. “It’s weird, I thought I was supposed to go in to work this morning, but apparently I scheduled myself the entire day off.”
“That works out pretty well, then, doesn’t it? I’ll see ya soon! I think Hazel knows something different is about to happen—she seems excited.”
With that, her friend
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