Sugar Coated Murder Read online

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Sugar Coated Murder

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Epilogue

  Sugar Coated

  Murder

  Book Thirty-Two in

  The Darling Deli Series

  By

  Patti Benning

  Copyright 2018 Summer Prescott Books

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication nor any of the information herein may be quoted from, nor reproduced, in any form, including but not limited to: printing, scanning, photocopying or any other printed, digital, or audio formats, without prior express written consent of the copyright holder.

  **This book is a work of fiction. Any similarities to persons, living or dead, places of business, or situations past or present, is completely unintentional.

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  Sugar Coated

  Murder

  Book Thirty-Two in

  The Darling Deli Series

  Chapter One

  * * *

  Moira Darling propped open the door and stood at the entrance for a moment, feeling the welcome breeze float across her face. Of course, the air-conditioning would break today, she thought. It was the hottest day of the year so far; a preview of what summer would be like. While most of the town was outdoors enjoying the heat and the sunlight, she and her employees were stuck indoors working in a sweltering kitchen and serving food in the dining room that was only slightly less hot.

  They won't be able to send anyone out until Monday, she thought morosely. With luck, it would be cooler out the next day. If it wasn't, she might have to invest in some countertop fans for the kitchen.

  Still enjoying the breeze, she gazed out the open door. Main Street in Maple Creek was busy, with pedestrians lining the sidewalks. A couple of other shops had their doors open as well, and she saw a handful of children walking with melting ice cream cones in their hands.

  It was hard to believe that it was only May, and that just a few short weeks ago, the town had been suffering through an unusually long and cold winter. She knew that they weren't out of the woods yet. They would probably have another chilly week or two before summer truly arrived, but she wasn't complaining about this perfect day… Well, she wouldn't be, not if Darling’s DELIcious Delights had working air-conditioning.

  With a sigh, Moira turned her back on the door and walked across the dining area, pausing by the cash register to greet one of her regular customers before going back into the kitchen. Unfortunately, they couldn't open the door in the kitchen. As much as she would have liked to open the delivery entrance, it wouldn’t be sanitary to risk insects or bits of leaves getting in. There was a healthy breeze outside, and there was no telling what might blow in.

  Her short break over, she returned to the chicken tortilla soup that was bubbling on the stove. The smell of it made her stomach growl, but she forced herself to wait. She had a shorter shift than usual that day, and in just over an hour would be heading home to meet her daughter.

  She was more excited than she wanted to admit about the prospect of spending nearly an entire week with Candice. Her daughter had moved away when her new husband had gotten injured in a terrible accident, so that she could be near him while he went to physical therapy at one of the best facilities in the state. Now, with Eli almost completely recovered and the new year already almost halfway over, Candice was finally beginning to think about moving back to Maple Creek; the town where she had been born and raised.

  Moira was trying not to get her hopes up too high. She knew that Candice had always been planning on returning eventually, but when, exactly, she and Eli would be coming back, had always been vague. She knew that the two of them still had a lot to consider, such as the repairs that the candy shop needed, and the fact that their home was currently being occupied by an older woman who Moira thought would be more than happy to stay there for her entire life. In fact, Thelma had mentioned more than once the possibility of her buying the farmhouse from Candice.

  Still, the fact that her daughter was coming to stay with her for a few days made Moira's heart feel light and happy. The fact that the visit coincided with Mother’s Day just made it even better.

  “Hey, Ms. D.,” Darrin said, poking his head into the kitchen door. Darrin was the deli's manager, and her most trusted employee. “David's out here. I just thought I'd let you know.”

  “Thanks,” she said, putting down the spoon that she had been using to stir the soup. “I'll pop out and say hi. I bet he's here to take stock of his beer.”

  David Morris, the man that Moira had married nearly two years ago, had recently put his private investigating business on the back burner to focus on his new passion of running a microbrewery and supplying locally made craft beer to restaurants and stores all over Michigan.

  At first, she had assumed that the interest was nothing more than a hobby, but the microbrewery that he ran with his sister, Karissa, had quickly taken off. Now, it seemed to have a life of its own, and took up a lot of his time. She didn't mind; she was glad that he had found something that he was passionate about, and it was just lucky that coincided with her own interests so well. She was proud to be able to sell her husband's craft beers in the deli, even though getting the license to do so had been a pain.

  She left the soup on the stove and went into the deli's main area to greet her husband. David pulled her into a hug, then pulled back to cover up a yawn.

  “Sorry, it's been a long day,” he said. “I just stopped in to say hi and let you know that I probably won't be back in time for dinner. I know Candice is coming over, and I feel bad about not being there, but Karissa got sick unexpectedly, and we have that inspection today…”

  “It's fine,” she promised him. “She'll understand. It will be nice to spend some time with just her, anyway. We'll have a chance to chat about girl stuff.”

  “I'll bring something home for breakfast. That way when we wake up, we'll have pastries waiting for us.”

  “That will be lovely,” she said. She gave him a quick kiss, then glanced at the clock. “Do you have time for a cup of soup? I know the inspection is supposed to start at three.”

  “I should have just about enough time,” he said. “What is it today?”

  “Chicken tortilla soup,” she said. “We have this wonderfu
l new bread as well, freshly made this morning and delivered by a local baker. You'll love it. Go ahead and sit down, and I'll bring you out a bowl and some bread. Do you want anything to drink?”

  “Just water,” he said. “Will you join me?”

  “I shouldn't,” she said. “I'm going to eat with Candice pretty soon.”

  “Do you want to sit down anyway? It's been a while since we've sat down for lunch together here.”

  “That I can do,” she said, smiling. With the door propped open and the gentle spring breeze finding its way inside, the dining area was much more pleasant than the kitchen was, and her husband was much better company than a bubbling pot of soup. There was a comforting, low murmur of conversation from the table beside them, where a young woman with dark, spiky hair sat talking to her friend.

  Still, even as she sat with him and they chatted while he ate, she couldn't help but glance at the clock every couple of minutes. It wouldn't be long now until it was time to meet Candice, and she could hardly wait.

  Chapter Two

  * * *

  It felt odd to be pulling up the driveway when it was still light outside. She usually worked the evening shift at the deli, and all winter she had been getting home after the sun had set. Now, it was only a quarter past three in the afternoon, and she had the rest of the day stretched out in front of her, as well as the handful of days that she had taken off in order to spend time with her daughter.

  She pulled the SUV to a stop and shut the engine off, grabbing her purse and her keys before letting herself out of the car. In the back of the SUV, the two dogs were squirming around, both of them eager to get out and run.

  Ever since the doggie daycare had opened up next door to the deli, she had been able to take her dogs along with her to work a couple of days every week. While she worked, they spent the day playing with other dogs, and were usually tired out by the time they got home. Today, they had spent less time than usual at the daycare and were still filled with energy.

  She loved being able to bring her dogs with her to work, and spend her shift knowing that they were happily playing next door. She had always felt bad about leaving them home alone so much, and this was an improvement to all of their lives.

  “Go on in,” she said as she opened the back door. Maverick, the large, dark German Shepherd was the first one out. Keeva, the tall, gray Irish wolfhound followed him, and the two of them raced around the front yard as she opened the passenger side door and removed the large paper bag that was filled with soup and bread.

  She walked up the somewhat overgrown path from the driveway to the front porch and balanced the bag on her hip as she fiddled with the keys. Maverick leapt onto the porch and skidded across the wood, nearly knocking her over. She shooed him away fondly and unlocked the door, opening it and stepping to the side to let the two energetic dogs go first.

  She followed behind them, pulling the door shut behind her and making a beeline for the kitchen, where she put down the bag of food and set her purse and keys on the counter. It was good to be home. She adored the little stone house and couldn't have imagined a better home for herself and David. It wasn't large, but it was big enough for the two of them, with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a basement. The property was what really made it shine. Five acres that included woods, a stream, and a fenced in area outside the back door that was perfect for the dogs.

  She pushed open the kitchen window to let the breeze in, then busied herself with refilling the dogs’ water bowl. As far as she was concerned, it was the perfect day. Even though it was still early May, it felt almost like summer, and the budding leaves on the trees made dappled shadows on the countertop.

  She had just finished giving the dogs water when the two of them began to bark. Candice must be here, she thought. Not wanting the dogs to knock her daughter over in their enthusiasm, she called them back and locked them in the mudroom, which had a gate at the door and was where she put the dogs when she needed them out of the way. Once they were contained, she hurried back down the hall to the front door, which she opened just as her daughter was walking up the steps to the porch.

  “Hi, Mom,” Candice said, grinning when she saw her.

  “Hey, sweetie,” Moira said. She reached forward and pulled her daughter into a hug. Every time she saw the young woman, she was surprised more and more by how adult her daughter was looking. She constantly had to remind herself that her daughter was married now and had her own life, and she was no longer the little ten-year-old girl that would crawl into Moira's bed whenever she had a nightmare. “How was the drive?” she asked as they pulled apart.

  “It was pretty nice,” Candice said. “I stopped at a neat little country store along the way and picked up some beef jerky for the trip. I saw David's beer in there. I guess he's doing well?”

  “He is,” Moira said. “He will tell you all about it, I'm sure, when he gets here this evening.”

  “Oh, he won't be here for dinner, then?”

  “Unfortunately, he won't be. The health inspector is visiting the microbrewery today, and the inspection will take a couple of hours. He promised to pick up some pastries at the bakery on his way home, though. He wants us to have a nice breakfast together as a family.”

  “Perfect,” Candice said. “They should have started construction on the candy shop today, and I wanted to get up early tomorrow to go and check everything out. Do you want to come with me?”

  “I'd love to,” Moira said. “I took tomorrow and Friday off so that we could spend some time together. I know you want to visit Allison as well, of course, plus all of your other friends and Reggie, so I’ll try not to take up too much of your time, but it would be nice if we could do some mother-daughter stuff together.”

  “I was actually wondering if you wanted to get together with Allison and Thelma and have a barbecue on Mother's Day,” Candice said. “It's supposed to be nice out, and it would be nice to see the farmhouse again. Allison invited us both, but if you would rather do something just us, that's okay too.”

  “I'd love to,” Moira said, standing back so her daughter could come into the house. “That will be a lovely way to spend our Sunday. Now, go and put your stuff down in the guest room. I've got soup in the kitchen, and the dogs are eager to say hello.”

  Chapter Three

  * * *

  The next morning, they were greeted with a cloudy sky and humidity that made Moira's hair frizz. The forecast didn't predict rain until late that evening, so Candice and Moira decided to take their chance with a walk around Lake Marion while David cleared up a few things at work. After their family breakfast, which had been supplied by David the night before in the form of pastries and bagels, he said goodbye to them and promised to meet up with them for lunch, while Candice and Moira took their time getting ready for the day. It was warm enough out that Moira could enjoy her second cup of coffee while sitting out on the back porch watching the dogs run around the yard, and she found herself reminiscing about years past when summer meant that her daughter would be home from school and would be free to help at the deli during the day. Even though she loved the way her life was now, she couldn't help but miss those days. Back then, they had lived in a big house in town, and her life had revolved around her daughter and her job. In some ways, everything had been simpler. Now, she had so much more to focus her attention on. She still worried about her daughter, except now her daughter lived hours away from her in a big city that Moira herself had only visited a couple of times. David had his two businesses, Moira had the deli, which continued to grow, and she also had complicated relationships with her friends.

  Even though it had been months, she still hadn't repaired the relationship between her and Denise. The tall redhead who owned the Redwood Grill, one of the nicest restaurants in the area, had been Moira's best friend for years. Now, that friendship had been tarnished. Denise had lied to her, and even though Moira understood why she had done it, it wasn't something that she felt she
could forget so easily.

  “Mom? Are you ready to go?”

  Moira looked up to see her daughter standing at the screen door and smiled. She could worry about her friendship with Denise later. Right now, she wanted to join her daughter for a morning out on the town.

  Lake Marion was only a fifteen-minute drive from her home, ten if she really pushed it. The little town was almost identical to Maple Creek, besides the fact that is set on a lake; the lake for which it was named. It was the perfect tourist haven, and already, she saw the telltale signs that some businesses had opened their doors after a long winter hiatus. Soon, the streets would be filled with people visiting from all over the country. Northern Michigan was beautiful all year long, but in Moira's opinion, summer was where it really shone. There was the perfect mixture of nature and the creature comforts of civilization, and there was any activity anyone could dream of doing, from fishing, to horseback riding, to boating on one of the Great Lakes.

  It was in Lake Marion that Candice had opened her candy shop a couple of years ago. The candy shop had taken off in popularity, not only with the locals, but all around the country. Candice offered custom-made chocolates and other candies in any shape imaginable. She had delivered chocolates to businesses on the other side of the country, as well as selling handfuls of candy to local school kids after classes let out.