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

lick her face. Diamond’s tail was wagging so hard that her entire body shook.
    “I’m pretty sure she did,” the deli owner said with a laugh. “She never greeted me like that.”
    “I know I already said it, but thanks so much for watching her. I hope she wasn’t too much trouble.”
    “Not at all,” Moira said. “She was great. I think Maverick really enjoyed having her around. How was the trip, anyway? What made you come back early?”
    “My vacation was simply amazing. It felt so nice to get out of town and just have some me time. It feels good to be back too, though. That’s why I’m home early—my plane got in this morning; originally I was going to stay tonight at a hotel in Traverse City to try to nip jet lag in the bud, but I decided to drive straight back. I figured I’ll sleep best in my own bed, and besides, I missed Diamond.” She gave the dog a final hug, then rose to her feet. “How have you been? How did the fair go? Did you win? I don’t want to just talk about myself.”
    Moira chuckled. “I have a lot to tell you. Do you want some coffee? This may take a while.”
    The deli owner let Maverick and Keeva out of the mudroom to greet the other woman, then poured them both warm cups of coffee before sitting down to talk. Martha was suitably stunned at the adventures that Moira had had while she was gone.
    “It’s so terrible that someone died,” she said, reaching down to scratch Keeva behind the ears. “But Moira, I don’t know how you do it. Your life is more interesting and action packed than anyone else I know. Sometimes I almost envy you. An exciting week for me is when a new season of one of my shows starts up.”
    “Trust me, I would trade with you in a heartbeat,” Moira told her friend. “Right now I’m worried about the killer, who I think may be trying to blame me for Reuben’s death. I’m also worried about the police, since they already think I’m guilty, even though I have no reason to hurt anybody. All this just because the killer happened to poison the gumbo that was entered under the deli’s name. I didn’t even make it!”
    “What if it wasn’t a coincidence?” the other woman asked, her eyes widening. “What if the killer has something personal against you and decided to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak—kill off Reuben Willis and get you arrested or put out of business?”
    “Who would want to do that, though?” the deli owner asked. “My only real competitor in town is Denise and the Redwood Grill, but I don’t think my sales are affecting hers much at all. Plus, she’s my friend.”
    “Well, didn’t you say that old guy who owns that diner, Arlo, was a judge? He would have had the perfect opportunity to slip something into Reuben’s soup, and everyone knows his diner isn’t doing well. No one wants to buy greasy, freezer-burned burgers when they can stop at your place and get a nice, freshly made sandwich with organic, grass-fed cold cuts.”
    Moira considered this. Her friend had a point. Arlo hadn’t been very friendly towards her for a while. She didn’t think the food that he served was that bad; the diner had been a frequent haunt of hers and Candice’s since her daughter was a little girl. It was true that his diner didn’t serve as high quality food as she did, but his prices were good and he had a very loyal customer base. The diner was nearly as old as she was; could it really be in danger of failing after being a fixture in town for so long?
    “I suppose that he would have motive to put me out of business,” she said after a moment. “But why would he want to kill Reuben?”
    Martha shrugged. “That’s for your private eye boyfriend to figure out.”
    “I don’t know. Somehow this just seems too sly for Arlo. He’s always been very vocal when he doesn’t like something. Besides, I can’t really see him spray painting the deli’s front windows. Doesn’t that seem like something someone younger would