Read Online Spicy Lasagna Murder: Book 13 in The Darling Deli Series by Patti Benning - Free Book Online

for no man. If I don’t swoop in and buy it, someone else will.”
    “It still seems kind of… gruesome,” she said.
    “I can see that. But old man Samwell was talking about renting it to me anyway, so I kind of figure it’s what he wanted, you know?”
    Moira nodded, trying not to let her suspicion show on her face. So Zander had known that Mr. Samwell was going to rent out the property? She didn’t know if that made him more or less likely to be the killer. She would have to talk to David about this new development as soon as possible. For now, it was probably best to change the subject. She needed to finish up what she had come here for and leave.
    “So, um, about the business deal you wanted to make?” she asked.
    “Oh, yes, of course. Here, let’s go sit down in my office. Can I get you a drink? Everything in my fridge is freshly brewed, of course.”
    She sat down at the seat he indicated in front of a big desk and shook her head, glad that she had a good excuse not to drink right now.
    “Thanks, but I can’t. I’m on painkillers, and I’m not supposed to mix them with alcohol.” She held up her broken arm, indicating the cast with a nod of her head.
    “My bad, I wasn’t thinking,” he said. “Here, I’ll get you a water.”
    Before she could decline he had ducked into another room and came back a moment later with a clear glass of water. The crazy thought that he had poisoned it flashed through her mind. Careful not to let anything show on her face, she raised the glass of water to her lips, but didn’t take a sip.
    “Business,” he said, sitting across from her and rubbing his hands together. “Where to start? Would you mind telling me your arrangement with Samwell? It may be easiest to just keep it up for now. After I buy the property—I know I’m not supposed to count my chickens before they’ve hatched, but I’m willing to pay well above market price for the place so it’s a pretty safe bet—after I buy it, I may make some changes to next year’s crops. I doubt I’ll do so much corn, for one thing, but I can’t imagine that would affect you much, would it? The deli doesn’t strike me as the sort of place that would buy a lot of corn.”
    “No, we don’t,” she told him. “Mostly it’s fresh fruits from the orchard, and beef and dairy products. He was one of the few cheesemakers I bought from that wasn’t Amish. He’s always been very open about the cheese-making process, and all the feed for his cattle is organic. Plus, I like the way he treats his cows. Like they’re living beings, not just money-making machines.”
    “Well, I don’t plan on making any changes to whoever he has hired to take care of the livestock, so you shouldn’t have to worry about that. How big were your monthly orders from him, usually?”
    She told him how much she usually ordered, and then the prices he had quoted her for each variety of produce. He seemed to accept what she said outright, but whether that was because all of this was for show and he wasn’t actually planning on selling her anything, or he truly believed that she was an honest person, she didn’t know. At last he smiled and reached across the desk to shake her hand.
    “I think we’ll work together just fine, Ms. Darling,” he said.
    “Me too,” she said. “Thank you for taking the time to meet with me, Mr. Marsh.”
    “Oh, call me Zander,” he said, laughing. “I like to be on a first name basis with everyone. Last names make me feel old.”
    Feeling like she would be rude if she didn’t return the sentiment, she said, “Well then, call me Moira, I insist.”
    “Well thank you , Moira, for being willing to give me a chance. I promise to uphold the same standards that Mr. Samwell had, and then some.”
    He walked her out to her car and stood outside his brewery, watching as she drove away. The deli owner kept him in sight of her rearview mirror until she turned out of the driveway. She couldn’t decide whether she