Shamrocks and Murder Read online

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  SHAMROCKS AND 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

  EPILOGUE

  Shamrocks

  and

  Murder

  Book Thirty-One

  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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  SHAMROCKS AND

  MURDER

  Book Thirty-One in The Darling Deli Series

  CHAPTER ONE

  * * *

  Moira Darling looked out the large glass windows at the front of the deli toward the cold, gray drizzle outside. Spring had come early to the town of Maple Creek, and so far, it had been wet and miserable.

  Darling’s DELIcious Delights was more somber than usual, with the handful of eat-in customers sitting huddled under their damp clothing while they ate their lunches. Moira kept telling herself that warm, sunny days weren’t far off, but it was beginning to be difficult to imagine anything besides mud and rain.

  Behind her, a door opened, and she turned to see one of her employees coming through from the kitchen. Allison was flushed and made a beeline for Moira.

  “Do you mind if I take a break from working in the kitchen?” she asked. “It’s so hot back there. It feels wonderful out here.”

  “Of course,” Moira said. “I’ll finish up the rest of my shift in the kitchen. Jenny should arrive soon; when she does, tell her to come on back once she clocks in. The two of you can figure out who works where once I leave.”

  “Okay. I just needed a little break and some air. I should be good to go back in soon.”

  Moira slipped into the kitchen and could tell immediately why Allison had wanted a break from cooking. It was like stepping into a sauna. The building only had one thermostat, and it was in the dining area. With the constant opening and closing of the door, the dining area stayed relatively cool, but the kitchen heated up quickly between the central heat and the gas burners.

  She checked the most recent order and began pulling deli meat out of the fridge. She could have made a club sandwich in her sleep, so her mind began to wander as she worked.

  It’s hard to believe that it’s almost St. Patrick’s Day, she thought. Just a few days after that, it will officially be spring. I’m glad we won’t be seeing any more snow, but I hope the rain clears up soon. Between the snowmelt and the ceaseless drizzle, many of the lower areas in Maple Creek were flooded. A dry spell would do the town a world of good.

  Spring meant more than just a change in weather; with spring would come a flurry of new business for the deli. Things were always relatively slow at Darling’s DELIcious Delights during the winter, but spring and summer more than made up for it with the influx of tourists and increased pedestrian traffic. She had been playing around with the idea of hiring an additional employee for the coming year but had yet to make the leap. She made a mental note to talk to Darrin, the deli’s manager, about it. He was experienced enough that he would be able to write the ad, and she wanted him to sit in for the next round of interviews as well. It was good to have someone that she could delegate these things to. While she loved being involved with the deli, she didn’t want to have to micromanage every aspect of running the business for the rest of her life.

  Moira had gotten to deli at six that morning, and was ready for her shift to be over, so she perked up when the door to the kitchen opened, expecting to see Jenny walk through. She was surprised to see Allison instead.

  “My Aunt Thelma is here. She says she wants to see you. Is now a good time?”

  “Sure. Switch with me again, why don’t you? I’ll go and say hi.”

  She washed her hands and took off her apron before going out to see Thelma. Jenny would be arriving any minute now, and she wanted to leave as soon as the young woman got there. She still had to pick up the dogs from the daycare next door before she could go home and get off her feet for the first time in hours.

  “Hi, Moira!” Thelma exclaimed when she saw the deli owner. “I’m sorry to bother you. I know you’re working, but I’ve got something to ask you. First, let me introduce my friend Miriam. We’ve been friends for decades, and I think the two of you will like each other.”

  Miriam was about Thelma’s age – maybe ten years older than Moira – with graying brown hair and an easy smile. “I’ve heard so much about you,” she said. “It sounds like your family has helped Thelma out quite a bit.”

  “We were happy to. It’s nice to meet you,” she said. Over their shoulders, she could see Jenny getting out of her car in the parking lot. “I don’t want to rush you, but I was just about to head home. I’ve been up since just after five, and I got here at six, so I’m beat. What can I help you with?”

  “Well, I know that catering is part of what you do here at the deli. St. Patrick’s Day is my birthday, as Allison may have told you, and it’s also Miriam’s thirtieth anniversary with her husband. We were thinking about doing a joint party together at the farmhouse, and I wanted to know if you would be willing to cater for us? I know it’s kind of short notice. I’m not really sure how these things are supposed to go.”

  “I think we can figure something out,” Moira said. “We don’t have anything planned for that weekend, I know that much. Let’s meet later and go over the menu. Congratulations on your anniversary, Miriam. Thirty years is quite a milestone.”

  “Thank you,” Miriam said. “We’ve had our problems, but we’re working on them. It hasn’t been easy getting there, but it’s been worth it. Are you married?”

  “I am, but we’re still a very long way from our thirty-year mark,” the deli owner replied with a smile. She had a dinner date with her husband, David Morris, that evening. Eating at the Redwood Grill once a week was a tradition that stretched back to the beginning of their relationship. She wondered if they would still be doing it in thirty years’ time.

  “Thank you so much for agreeing to help out, Moira,” Thelma said. “Do you have a pamph
let or something that has prices on it? I want to know how much I should be budgeting for this.”

  “We will work something out,” Moira said. “Since you’re a friend – and almost family – I’ll only charge you for the food.”

  That meant that she would be paying for her employees’ time out of pocket, but it wouldn’t be too bad. She didn’t want to hit Thelma with a big bill that she had only a week to prepare for. Catering could get expensive very quickly.

  “Oh, no. I want to pay you for your troubles. It wouldn’t be fair…”

  “I’m serious, Thelma. I’m happy to help. I wasn’t going to do anything on St. Patrick’s Day anyway, so it won’t conflict with my schedule at all. Anyway, we can talk later. I’ll give you a call, and we can figure out what sort of food you want. It looks like my backup is here, so I’m free to go. Thanks for stopping in. It’s always nice to see you.”

  She poked her head into the kitchen to say a quick goodbye to Allison, and after making sure that Jenny was clocked in and Thelma and Miriam were getting their family and friends discount for the lunch they were ordering, she grabbed a box of mini quiches that was left over from breakfast and left.

  Hunching her shoulders against the drizzle, she walked across the grass divider to the building next door. Perfect Paws was the newest business in Maple Creek. It was a doggie daycare that also offered grooming and sold some basic pet supplies. Unfortunately, their planned grand opening had been delayed after an issue with one of the employees. The doggy daycare had officially opened only a week ago, but it was already doing well.

  The proprietor, Wyatt, had offered to let her board her two dogs there while she worked, for a discounted price. In exchange, she often brought leftover food for him and his employees to snack on. Today, she left the box of mini quiches with Penny. The young woman was perpetually cheerful and always seemed to have more energy than she knew what to do with.

  “Oh, they look wonderful,” she said, peeking into the box. “This is perfect. I didn’t pack much of a lunch today, so these will hit the spot. I’ll go get your dogs. They were great today. They always are, though. I think they really like coming here.”

  “I like bringing them,” Moira said. “This way, they’re tired out by the time I get home. It’s much nicer to get back to the house after a long day with two tired dogs, than to be dead on my feet and have both of them ready and raring to go on a long walk.”

  “I’ll bet.” Penny grinned at her. “I’ll be right back.”

  A moment later, she returned to the front room with Keeva and Maverick on their leashes. Keeva was a large, gray Irish wolfhound with a sweet temperament who loved every person and dog that she met. Maverick, the German shepherd, was loyal, but tended to be a bit more reserved with strangers. He always seemed to sense when someone was acting suspiciously. Both dogs were thrilled to see their owner and almost knocked her over with their enthusiasm.

  “Did you have fun playing, you two?” she said. “I bet you’ll want to take a nice nap when we get home. I know I do.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  * * *

  “This was wonderful,” Moira said to her husband later that evening. The two of them were sitting across from each other at a small table in Maple Creek’s nicest restaurant. The Redwood Grill was owned by one of her best friends, Denise Donovan, who had visited with them when they first got there.

  “Yes, it was,” David said. “Even better than usual, I think.”

  Their waiter appeared at their table as if sensing that they had finished eating. “Can I get you a box to go?” he asked Moira, who still had some uneaten pasta on her plate.

  “Yes, thank you,” she said. “And give our compliments to the chef.”

  The waiter was back a minute later, with the chef in tow. Moira smiled to see Hector, who had been at the Grill almost since it had opened but had left the year before to pursue a better job offer. He looked older than the last time she had seen him, with more of his hair greying.

  “Zach here tells me that a couple said they really appreciated my cooking tonight,” he said. “When I heard it was you two, I thought I’d come out and say hi.”

  “It’s nice to see you,” Moira said. “What are you doing back?”

  “My sister lives in town, and she’s going through a rough pregnancy alone so I decided to move back for the year. It’s been nice to see so many familiar faces.”

  “It’s wonderful that you’re working here again. How long have you been back?”

  “A few months. I usually work during lunch, but Julian asked me to cover for him tonight. He’s out doing something for Ms. Donovan,” Hector said. “Don’t tell him, since I made a big show of complaining about it, but I’m glad I got to come in tonight. It’s been one of those days where everything goes just perfectly. I don’t think I’d change a single thing about any dish I made tonight.”

  “Well, I know ours was certainly perfect. Thanks for coming out to say hi, Hector. It’s always nice to put a face to the person cooking our meals.”

  When they got home, Moira put her food away in the fridge. It was late, so she was surprised when she saw her husband digging in the closet for a warmer coat.

  “Are you going out again?” she asked.

  “I have to,” he said apologetically. “Lenny needs some help with something at the office, and it really can’t wait until tomorrow.”

  “I thought you’d be working less now,” she said. “Wasn’t that the whole purpose of hiring him in the first place?”

  “It’s going to take some time,” he said. “Part of it is my fault – you know that I’ve never been the most organized person in the world, and it’s hard for him to find what he needs in the chaos of my office sometimes. As he works on setting up his own system for the cases he takes, things will go a lot more smoothly. I won’t be gone for too long, okay? It should be an hour, an hour and a half tops.”

  “Okay,” she said. “I’ll wait up for you. Call me if you’re going to be later, though.”

  “I will,” he promised, giving her a quick kiss before heading out the door.

  Moira let the dogs outside, then spent a few minutes puttering around the kitchen, wiping down the counters and sweeping the floor. She hated to admit it, but she was feeling a bit abandoned. David ran two businesses, and more often than not he was dealing with something urgent for one of them. She missed having him home with her all of the time.

  Deciding that it was time to quit feeling bad for herself, she let the dogs in, grabbed her cell phone, and sat down at the kitchen table with a mug of hot tea. She dialed one of the few numbers that she knew by heart, and a few moments later, her daughter answered.

  “Hey, Mom,” Candice said. “What’s up? It’s pretty late for you, isn’t it?”

  “I’ll be going to bed soon,” Moira said. “I just wanted to see how you’re doing. It’s been a while since we’ve really talked, you know? I miss seeing you all the time.”

  “I know, I miss you too. How are the dogs? How’s David?”

  “We’re all doing wonderfully,” Moira said. “David’s been busy helping his new business partner settle in at the office. The dogs are enjoying their visits to the daycare. I’m so glad that place opened up. It’s much better for them to be spending time there every day instead of being home alone.”

  “I’m sure they love it,” her daughter said. “I’m thinking I might come up next weekend with Eli. I need to meet with a couple of people about the candy shop anyway.”

  “Oh?” Moira said. “Are you planning on beginning construction on it soon?”

  “They need me to let them in, so they can give me a price quote,” her daughter said. “It will be another month or two before they’re ready to start actually doing anything. I hope to have it fixed by the end of summer. It would be nice to be able to reopen Candice’s Candies by next spring.”

  Moira smiled. She couldn’t wait until her daughter moved back to Maple Creek. Candice was the brightest point in
her life. Her daughter had been her whole world for so long, and now even though they had their own, separate lives, she remained the most important thing in Moira’s world.

  “I hope everything goes smoothly,” she said. “I’ll let you get going now. I just wanted to hear your voice.”

  “Okay. I’ll let you know when I know for sure when we’re going to visit. I love you, Mom. Tell the dogs and David that I say hi.”

  Moira said her goodbyes and hung up. She felt better after speaking with her daughter. It was a reminder that life would get back to normal eventually. David would quit working so much, Candice would come home, and everything would be nearly the same as it had been last year.

  She grabbed a book from the counter and made her way into the living room where she laid on the couch and pulled a blanket up over her legs. Nestling her head into the pillow, she flipped the book to the first page and began to read.

  Her escape from reality didn’t last long. Someone knocked on the front door, sending the two dogs into a barking fit as they raced toward the hallway. Moira set her book down and got up, frowning. Who would visit her this late? David wouldn’t knock; he would just come in. She didn’t know anyone else who would stop by without calling her first. On her way to the door, she checked her cell phone just in case she had missed a call or a text from someone, but she had no notifications.