Honey BBQ Murder: Book 10 in the Darling Deli Series Read online

  “All right, all right, I know,” the young woman said with a laugh. She eyed the shrouded form in the corner, obviously curious about what it was.

  When she tugged the sheet off to reveal a three-tier cat tree, complete with a tunnel and dangling toys, her smile widened. She plucked Felix up from his snooze on Eli’s lap and put him in the carpeted tunnel.

  “Look what Mom got you, Felix,” she said. “Now you’ve got something to play on besides the couch.”

  The kitten stretched, then began playing with one of the dangling feathers. Moira smiled at her daughter’s thrilled expression. It looked like her gift was a success.

  “So, have you made any plans for your trip yet?” David asked while Candice and Eli played with Felix on the cat tree.

  “I haven’t. I still want to wait and make sure Darrin’s got this whole managing thing down pat before I make plans to leave for more than a day or two,” she told him.

  For the past few weeks, she had been reading up on cruises and vacation destinations that she could go to this coming winter. She hoped to leave in early January and be gone for one to two weeks. When she came back she would be tan, happy, and ready to face the rest of the freezing Michigan winter head on. Any potential trip was still months in the future, of course, but it had been years since she had gone on any sort of vacation by herself and she was enjoying thinking about it almost as much as she would enjoy actually going.

  “I think between the four of them, they’ve got it handled,” he told her. “You did a great job training your employees. And you know I’m more than happy to watch Maverick while you’re gone, so you won’t have to worry about finding a kennel or a pet sitter.”

  “I know. Thanks again for volunteering.” She sighed. “I guess I’m just worried that once I make a commitment to take a specific cruise, something will pop up to prevent me from going. That seems to be how my luck has gone lately, and I’d hate to lose a deposit of a few hundred dollars if I had to back out.”

  “Don’t think like that or you’ll never get anything done.” He smiled at her and laid his hand over hers. “Go ahead and schedule whatever cruise you want to take. You’ve got the support of me, your daughter, and everyone at the deli. Between the six of us, we’ll make sure everything is fine while you’re gone.”

  “You’re right. I should put some trust in you guys,” she said. “Besides, things can’t keep going wrong forever.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  “We’re going to need two barbecue chicken paninis and a cup of the smoked corn chowder,” Moira called back to Meg. “To go.”

  “Coming right up,” her employee said. The young woman thrived on this sort of fast-paced work, and Moira was glad that she was scheduled today. The lunch rush at the deli was unusually busy thanks to a school bus full of college students on a field trip to Lake Michigan to study lakeshore biology. The deli’s cookout-themed special seemed to be popular with the hungry young men and women, and Meg could barely keep up with their orders.

  “Whew, that was crazy,” the young employee said as she came out of the kitchen after the bus had driven away at last.

  “You did a great job of staying on top of everything,” the deli owner told her with a smile. “We didn’t make anyone wait too long. How are we doing on the chowder back there?”

  “We’ve still got about half of the pot left. The paninis seem to be more popular today. Or maybe it’s just that they’re easier to eat on a bus. They are pretty tasty though. I think they’ve been one of the more successful sandwiches this month.”

  Moira wasn’t surprised. The barbecue chicken paninis were made with shredded chicken, locally made honey barbecue sauce, grilled onions, and provolone cheese on the customer’s choice of bread. The entire concoction was then grilled in a sandwich maker, which melted the cheese and crisped the sandwich. It was a hard meal to resist, especially on such a nice late summer day when half the town seemed to be outside grilling.

  “I think your phone is ringing,” Meg said a few minutes later, popping her head back through the kitchen door. She had a dishrag in one hand and a plate in the other; evidently she had been in the middle of washing the dishes.

  “Oh, thanks. If you want to watch the register for a minute, I’ll go see who it is.” She changed places with her employee and grabbed her purse off the counter in the kitchen. Her phone was vibrating away. The number looked vaguely familiar, but had an out-of-town area code that she didn’t recognize.

  “Hello?” she inquired, bringing the phone to her ear.

  “Am I speaking with Moira Darling?” came a male voice. “This is Rick Coleman. My wife… well, she owned the dog that you found. I’m not sure if you remember.”

  “I definitely do,” Moira said with a smile. “You’ve got the right person. How’s Keeva doing, anyway? I bet Chelsea is so happy to have her back.”

  “The dog’s good.” Rick paused, and when he spoke again his voice was strained with grief. “But that’s not why I called. My wife has been murdered, Ms. Darling. Chelsea is dead.”

  “Oh.” She felt as if all of the air had been let out of her lungs. The poor man—and poor Chelsea! She had been such a nice, caring woman when she’d driven up from Kentucky to get Keeva a few months ago. “I am so sorry, Mr. Coleman. I can’t imagine what you’re going through right now.”

  “It’s rough,” he admitted. “I don’t know if you’ve ever lost someone close to you. The worst part is when you wake up in the morning and for a few seconds you forget that—” She heard him taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, then he cleared his throat.

  “I’m sorry,” he said at last. “I should get back to why I called. From what Chelsea said when she got back, you were taking good care of Keeva and you seemed to care about her a lot. I was wondering… well, do you want her?”

  “Do I want Keeva?” She blinked, confused. Part of her mind was still trying to believe that the vibrant woman she had met a few weeks ago had been killed. “You don’t want to keep her?”

  “Don’t get me wrong, she was Chelsea’s baby and I love her too, but every time I see her, she just reminds me of my wife. It’s not fair to the dog. Plus, she’s just been lying around for the past few days. She won’t even eat. I think Chelsea said you have another dog that Keeva really liked—seeing him again might cheer her up.”

  “I don’t know…” Moira said. Was Rick making this decision out of grief? She didn’t want to bring Keeva back and fall in love with her all over again just to have him want to take her back in a few months when he realized how much he missed her.

  “I think Chelsea really would have wanted this,” Rick said. “I work all day, and I was never really a dog person before I met my wife. I know that she used to do a lot with Keeva, but with just me here the most she’ll get is a walk around the block a couple of times a week. I don’t think Chelsea would have wanted that.”

  “I’m happy to take her, Mr. Coleman,” she told him. He sounded earnest. She would just have to risk him changing his mind later on.

  “Thank you,” he said, relief evident in his voice. “Is there any way you can come and get her? I know Kentucky is quite a drive for you. I’m happy to pay for gas. With the funeral arrangements and everything I just won’t have time to make the trip.”

  “I can come and get her this weekend if you’d like,” she told him, double-checking the wall schedule to be sure she wasn’t committed to working those days. “Would Saturday work?”

  “That’s fine,” he said. “I’ll make sure she’s ready to go. Thank you so much, Ms. Darling. You’re a godsend.”

  “Call me Moira,” she said. “And once again, I’m very sorry about your wife. No one deserves something like that.”

  Once they had said their goodbyes, Moira put her phone back in her purse and closed her eyes. She was feeling a very strange mixture of grief and joy. It was terrible that Chelsea had been murdered. There was so much violence in the world—why did it seem that the innocent ones alw
ays got hurt? But she couldn’t help feeling happy and excited at the thought of Keeva coming back. The big grey wolfhound had been a joy to have around, and had added a lot to both her and Maverick’s lives while she stayed with them. Keeva had lost one owner, but she had just gained another that would love her just as much. Now all she had to do was share the news with David and Candice. Both of them had liked the giant dog they were sure to be glad to hear that she would be coming back.

  ***

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea,” David said that evening when she told him. They were eating a pizza together in his office while he finished up a case. Maverick was lounging in front of the big wooden desk, and he occasionally gave a dramatic sigh, unhappy that he wasn’t getting any tidbits of food from either of his people.

  “Why on earth not?” Moira asked, shocked. David liked having Keeva around, didn’t he? Besides, now that she had more free time, she would be able to do even more for the dogs than she had done before. They could go to the beach while it was still warm out, and after it started getting cold the dogs could release their energy by running around in the woods behind her house.

  “You’re still recovering from being shot. Do you really want to get involved in yet another murder?” he said.

  “I’m just taking the dog. It’s not like I’m going to stay down there to solve it or anything,” she pointed out. “And my bullet wound is pretty much healed up. It barely grazed me.” That was true. The new scar tissue pulled occasionally if she stretched her arm out the wrong way, but other than that she was fully recovered and no worse for the wear. The concussion had really been worse—she still got bad headaches occasionally, and according to the doctor she might continue to do so for months or even a year or more.

  “You’re a magnet for trouble. What if the killer comes back to finish off the job and kill the husband, and you walk right into it?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” she said huffily. “Keeva needs a new home, and I’m more than happy to give one to her. You’re starting to sound superstitious. It’s not like I’m cursed. I’ve just… had some bad luck lately.”

  David searched her face, then gave up with a sigh. “I can tell nothing is going to stop you from driving down to Kentucky and getting that dog,” he said. “I just worry about you, you know that. Hmm…” His expression turned considering, and he swiveled his chair towards his computer. She watched while he typed.

  “What?” she finally asked after a long silence.

  “What if I went with you?” he asked, turning back to face her with a smile. “I just checked my schedule, and I don’t have anything scheduled for this weekend that can’t be moved. Then I wouldn’t have to worry about you walking into a crime scene alone, and you’d have someone to split the drive with.”

  “I like that idea,” she told him. She grinned, thinking of spending the weekend driving down to Kentucky with the private investigator. They had never spent so much time together in one go, and it was bound to be a fun experience. “I like that idea a lot.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  The next few days passed quickly as she prepared for her trip out of state with the hunky investigator. They would only be gone for one night, but she would be unable to rush back and help if something went wrong at the deli in that time. Figuring out what to do with Maverick was the hardest part. She didn’t think he’d enjoy the trip much—it was eleven hours each way, which meant that on the way back both he and Keeva would have to be stuffed in the back seat together for almost half a day. Normally she would ask Candice to watch him, but with the new kitten she didn’t know how well that would work. In the end, she decided to ask Martha for help. Her friend was more than happy to oblige, so Friday morning Moira packed up some dog food, Maverick’s favorite blanket and a few toys, and drove him over to Martha’s.

  “Thanks for watching him, sorry I didn’t give you more notice,” she told her friend once Maverick was happily wrestling with Diamond on the floor.

  “You don’t have to thank me, Moira,” the other woman said. “It’s been amazing to be able to count on you to watch Diamond when I go away for work. This is just me returning the favor. I’m glad that you get to have Keeva back, though it’s horribly sad what happened to her owner.”

  “I know. I feel terrible for her husband, Rick. He seemed really upset on the phone. I can’t imagine losing someone you really love like that. Mike dying ten years after our divorce was bad enough. I’d like to know what happened—like, did they catch the killer yet?—but I don’t want to bring it up and upset him even further.”

  “There might be something in the local newspapers or online,” Martha suggested. “I’m sure David could dig something up if you asked him. I bet he loves to show off his investigating skills.”

  “I think he’s worried that I’m going to bite off more than I can chew one of these days. Maybe I’ll try to just enjoy the trip… without thinking about murder, crime, or killers.”

  Once Maverick was settled with her friend and seemed distracted enough that he wasn’t likely to notice her leaving, she drove back to her house where David would be meeting her. They had decided to take Moira’s car since Keeva had been in it before and would hopefully find the familiar scents comforting. She had no idea what to expect when they got there. Would the dog be glad to see them? Would she be depressed from her owner’s death? Would she be anxious when they drove away from her old home, confused about where she was going? It was a relief to know that David would be along; she knew he would be able to help her with whatever came up.

  “Do you think you packed enough food?” he asked, amused when he pulled up to see two coolers and a bag with bread, chips, and other snacks waiting by the front door.

  “Well, this way we won’t have to try to stop at any restaurants with Keeva in the car,” she said. “But I suppose I might have overdone it a little.” One of the coolers was dedicated to soda and water bottles, and the other held various types of cheeses, cold cuts, and sandwich condiments. Owning a deli meant that she was never short on sandwich ingredients, and she took advantage of that whenever she could. Despite the food, she knew they were still likely to give in and get fast food at least once, but she would prefer to be able to eat healthy food for at least some of the trip.

  David nodded his agreement. “That’s a good point, actually. We’re going to be a lot more constrained on the way back. It’s going to be way too hot to leave her in the car, so when we stop for gas and bathroom breaks, one of us will have to stay in the car with her. At least she’s a pretty calm dog, and good in the car—with any luck, she’ll sleep most of the way back to Michigan,” he said.

  “I can’t imagine trying to do an eleven-hour road trip with a carsick or anxious dog,” Moira said. She looked down at her small suitcase and the coolers, doing a quick mental inventory. “Well… I think I have everything. Was there anything else you wanted to bring?”

  “I don’t think so. I packed pretty light. We’re only going to be gone for one night, after all. I think we’re ready to load everything up and be on our way.”

  The trip down to Kentucky was uneventful. They took turns driving, switching every few hours so that the other person could doze or take in the sights. It was dark by the time they crossed the Ohio-Kentucky border.

  “Just a few more hours until we reach the hotel,” David told her.

  “Good,” she said. “I’m exhausted. I can’t believe we’ve been driving for almost half a day.”

  The hotel was a small, cozy place just half an hour from where they would be picking up Keeva in the morning. Moira had called a few days ago to reserve two rooms across the hall from each other on the second floor. While she checked in, David parked the car and brought in the coolers, her suitcase, and his duffel bag.

  “We made it,” he said as he took his room key from her. “It feels good just to be standing after that drive. Too bad we don’t have much time for sightseeing. I’ve never been to Kentucky before.”

 
; “Me either,” she told him. “At least it will be light out when we head back home tomorrow; we’ll be able to look around while we’re driving. Maybe we can find a state park or something to stop with Keeva.”

  He helped her carry her things upstairs. They paused outside of her door. She gave him a tired smile.

  “Meet you at the breakfast bar in the morning?” she asked.

  “Sounds like a plan,” he said, leaning in for a kiss goodnight before handing off her suitcase and letting himself in to his own room.

  Moira unlocked her door and dragged her suitcase and the coolers inside. She quickly put the meat and cheeses into the small fridge and put the ice packs in the freezer compartment, then threw herself onto the room’s clean-smelling bed. There had always been something that she had loved about hotels, and this one was no exception. The room was pleasantly cool, and outside she could hear the rush of traffic. The thought of going to bed right there and then was tempting, but she knew that come morning she would regret not taking a shower tonight; she would be eager to leave as early as possible and travel the rest of the short distance between her and Keeva.

  It was all she could do not to rush David through breakfast the next morning. She felt anxious to get on the road again—what if Rick changed his mind about giving her Keeva before she got there? Now that she was so close to seeing the furry giant again, she couldn’t deny how much she was looking forward to having Keeva as a permanent part of her family.

  At last the private investigator finished his Belgian waffle and pushed his plate aside. Moira quit picking at her fruit and eggs and looked up eagerly. He chuckled.

  “I take it you’re ready to go?” he asked. “Have you already packed everything up?”