Read Online Tomato Basil Murder: Book 7 in The Darling Deli Series by Patti Benning - Free Book Online

impressed. “I’ll page her.”
    While they waited for Allison to make her way down from the top floor, Moira leaned against the counter and tried to turn her thoughts away from the dire state of her life. She was soothed watching the hustle and bustle of busy people enjoying their vacations. She began to wonder about the tourists’ lives. What did they do for work? What color clothes did they wear at home? How far away had they traveled for their vacations to this small town in Michigan? As she watched, her drifting thoughts returned to her own situation. She felt almost envious watching them; they seemed so carefree and happy, while she had to investigate her ex-husband’s death to avoid arrest.
    “Hi… are you the people that wanted to talk to me?”
    Moira turned to see a young woman with light blonde hair and pale blue eyes standing nervously by the counter. She had been expecting someone older, not a girl who looked to be the same age as her daughter. She traded a glance with David.
    “Are you the one who let Candice into her father’s room?” she asked. The girl nodded.
    “I didn’t know what was… what was inside,” she said, biting her lip. “I would never have done it if I had known what she would find.”
    “Do you mind if we ask you some questions privately?” David asked.
    “Sure…” She looked over at the young man who was in charge of the reception desk, who nodded. “We can go into the break room if you want.”
    Hoping that they would soon get some answers, Moira followed her with David trailing behind. Maybe, just maybe, this young woman who reminded her so much of her daughter would be able to tell them something helpful. At this point, Moira would be glad of anything that would point them in the right direction.
    Her thoughts flashed back to the man who had come into the deli wearing a watch identical to Mike’s. When she had told David about him, he had reminded her about the security camera above the register. Disappointingly, the man had never once looked up at the camera, and the watch had been nothing more than a flash of gold as he paid Meg for the soup. With no face and no name, Moira knew even David wouldn’t be able to track him down. She would just have to wait and hope that she saw him again; after all, Maple Creek was a small town. Even a murderer couldn’t hide forever.
    “In here,” Allison said a few moments later when they reached a door at the end of a hallway. “We’re right by the laundry room, so it might be a little loud, but it will at least be private.”
    The break room was small, but comfortable, with a couple of plush couches, a flat screen TV, and the rich scent of brewing coffee coming from a coffee maker that was still gurgling. Allison took a seat on one of the couches and gestured for David and Moira to take the other.
    “What do you want to know?” she asked resignedly.
    “Could you start at the beginning?” David asked. “I’m very sorry to make you go through this again, but even the smallest detail might help.”
    “All right.” The young woman sighed. “Well, Sunday evening is usually one of our busier times, since we have so many guests checking out to go back home for work on Monday. The guest in room two-oh-nine—that girl’s father—was late for check-out, but we didn’t have enough people to send someone to go check on him right away. It wasn’t until his daughter showed up and asked if he was still here that anyone went to his room.”
    “Didn’t he have housekeeping service earlier that day?” David asked.
    “We don’t usually do housekeeping on the same day someone is due to check out. Normal check-out is at eleven, and late check-out is at three, so it doesn’t really make sense to clean a room only to have to go back a few hours later to do it again,” she explained.
    “That makes sense,” he said. “Go ahead. What happened when Candice got here?”
    “Well, when she ran into me in the hallway, she told me that