Salami Murder: Book 8 in The Darling Deli Series

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Authors: Patti Benning
Tags: Fiction
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upset the plumber appeared to be getting.
    “Someone obviously put it there,” she said, trying to defuse the situation. “Someone has been trying to sabotage Candice since we found her murdered employee. My daughter wouldn’t steal anything, and I’d appreciate it if you don’t accuse her of something that she didn’t do.”
    “Of course you’re going to defend her. She’s your girl, after all.” The plumber shook his head, his eyes blazing with anger. “I’m calling the police. You better stay right where you are, missy. I want this sorted out.”

CHAPTER TWELVE
    Candice stared at her mother with wide, frightened eyes as the plumber spoke angrily to the police on his cell phone. Moira wanted to comfort her, but didn’t know what to say. She was unbelievably angry at the plumber—hadn’t her daughter already been through enough already? To have the police called on her also… it just seemed too unfair.
    “They’re on their way,” the plumber said in a grim voice as he hung up the phone.
    “I didn’t do it,” Candice said, her voice catching. “Please, you have to believe me.”
    “All I know is my grandmother’s ring—and a lot of other stolen stuff—was in your freezer. How do you explain that?” He held up a hand when she opened her mouth to reply. “Just save it for the cops.”
    “I believe you,” Eli said to her softly. Candice leaned into him, shaking.
    Moira glared at the plumber, so angry that she felt like her gaze should be boring holes into him. Pressing her lips together in an effort to keep her mouth shut—she knew she was likely to make things worse if she said what was on her mind—she slipped out the door and hurriedly dialed David’s number. It was time to put her hurt feelings aside. Candice needed all of the help that she could get.
    When she saw the Lake Marion police cars pull up to the building, she said a quick goodbye to the private investigator and hung up the phone. He had promised to be there as soon as he could be, and she believed him. Whatever he was doing with that woman, she refused to believe that everything she knew about him was wrong. David was a good man, and wouldn’t leave her and Candice high and dry at a time like this. Well, maybe “high and dry” isn’t the best phrase to use at a time like this , she thought wryly, looking down at her wet clothes and sandals, which had begun squelching unpleasantly when she walked.
    She headed back into the building before the officers parked; she wanted to be there for Candice, no matter what happened. If only we were in Maple Creek , she thought. Detective Jefferson wouldn’t bend the law for her and Candice, but he would at least listen fairly to what they said. She didn’t know anything about the police in Lake Marion, and they didn’t know her and Candice. This evening could end up very badly, maybe even with Candice in jail, and Moira had the growing feeling that there was nothing she could do about it.
    She had positioned herself next to her daughter by the time the police made their way inside. The plumber greeted one of the officers by name and handed him the bag of jewelry that he had found in the candy shop’s freezer. Moira felt a creeping sensation of dread in her stomach. If the plumber was friends with the officers, how likely were they to give Candice a fair chance to explain herself?
    “That’s my grandmother’s ring,” she heard him tell the officer. “It’s worth over two thousand dollars; I got it evaluated just a few months ago. Money was short and, well, we were planning on selling it. But things started looking up, so we didn’t. And it went missing a week ago. My mom filed a police report; it was stolen right from the jeweler’s store.”
    “Candice Thomson?” one of the officers asked, glancing around the wet room with mild curiosity before focusing on the terrified young woman. Moira was relieved to see his gaze soften.
    “Yes,” Candice said. “That’s

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