Read Online Hearty Homestyle Murder: Book 9 in The Darling Deli Series by Patti Benning - Free Book Online

one who had been volunteering at the soup contest—what was her name? Sandy?—and the man was Gordon Smith, Maple Creek’s previous mayor. She had voted for him in the last election and was glad that although he was no longer mayor, he retained a seat on the city council. He was a friendly man with a good sense of humor, and she had always enjoyed his speeches during election season.
    “I come to this place for coffee sometimes,” the woman was explaining to him. “But I haven’t gotten lunch here yet. I’ve heard from the ladies at the salon that they have great food.”
    “I’m happy to try whatever you want, darling,” Gordon said. “Wasn’t this deli one of the contestants at the soup contest?” This last was directed towards Moira.
    “Yes,” she told him. “Darling’s DELIcious Delights entered a vegetarian gumbo into the contest.” She winced the second the words were out of her mouth. Would he have recognized that as the dish that Reuben had died while eating? She shouldn’t have been so specific. Luckily neither of them seemed to make the connection.
    “What all comes with the special?” Sandy asked, eyeing the blackboard.
    “The special includes a bowl of beef and barley soup and a sandwich. The sandwich of the day is swiss cheese, caramelized onion, corned beef, and baby spinach leaves on toasted whole grain bread, or I can make you a custom sandwich. Depending what you want on it, it might cost extra. The special also comes with a drink. Anything on the middle two shelves of that fridge over there or I can make you a fresh juice mix for a dollar-fifty extra. We juice the fruits and vegetables ourselves when you order the drink, so it doesn’t get much fresher than that.”
    “I’ll take a special. Gordon, what do you want?”
    As Moira took down their orders she debated whether she should bring up Reuben’s death. In the end she decided not to; they had come to the deli for a pleasant lunch, not to be reminded of the terrible tragedy that had taken place during the fair.
    She handed them their trays with a smile, then ducked into the kitchen to wash dishes, knowing that the couple would probably appreciate some privacy while they ate. It was a quiet day, and she thought that if she sat behind the register while they dined, they might feel uncomfortable. The two were obviously in love and deserved to enjoy the good food and each other’s company in peace while they ate.

CHAPTER ELEVEN
    “Hi, Moira. I just wanted to let you know that I got back a little bit early. I hope it’s all right if I stop by and get Diamond today instead of tomorrow. Give me a call and let me know what a good time for you it. I hope she’s been good for you. Thanks again for watching her. Talk to you soon. Bye.”
    Moira deleted the message, then made a quick call back to Martha, letting her know that she would be around until eight that evening and she could stop by and get Diamond any time.
    “It looks like you’ll be going home a day early,” she said to the little black-and-white dog once she had hung up the phone. “Did you have a good time here?” She thought that Diamond likely had; she, Maverick, and Keeva had enjoyed several pleasant evenings of play in the backyard, and Moira had let her snuggle up next to her on the couch when she watched television in the evenings. She would be sad to see the dog go, but was certain that Diamond would be ecstatic to see her owner again.
    Once she’d set Diamond’s crate, her dog bed, and what was left of her food by the door, Moira had nothing else to do but wait for Martha. She realized that her friend probably didn’t know anything about the events of the last two weeks. They hadn’t spoken since she had dropped her dog off right before leaving for the trip. I hope she has the time to stay for a cup of coffee, Moira thought. We have a lot to catch up on.
    “Oh, hi baby. How are you? Did you miss me?” Martha knelt down so the wriggly little dog could