Beef Brisket Murder: Book 11 in The Darling Deli Series Read online

  “That’s true.” He looked over at the two pooches, who had given up begging and were lying in the hallway. “It’s good to know that you’re in good hands—well, paws—when I’m not around.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  The next few days were taken up by work. While the deli had done a few catering jobs over the past couple of years, they had never really advertised for it. Now, with the refrigerated truck out front and the word of mouth from the big church event they had catered a few weeks ago, they were getting more calls than ever.

  “It will be really nice when we get an email system set up through our new website,” Darrin said after fielding yet another call about catering. “I think it will make it a lot easier to keep everything straight.”

  “We should also put something up on the home page reminding people that we need at least two weeks’ notice for most catering engagements,” Moira said. “Someone called yesterday asking if we could cater her daughter’s sweet sixteen today. I felt bad having to tell her no, but we really can’t get everything together on such short notice.”

  “I think we’ve really hit a new market,” her manager said. “There isn’t really anyone else around that does catering, not with this sort of food anyway. We have good prices, and a really good reputation thanks to Mrs. Young.”

  “It’s been really good for the deli,” Moira agreed. “Though I haven’t really had as much free time as I’d been hoping. Well, there’s always time for that later.”

  The meeting with the web designer went better than Moira had expected it to. Paul Phillips was a polite, professional young man who really seemed to know what he was doing. Just as importantly, he was skilled at explaining the technical aspects to people who weren’t as computer savvy as he was. Which was good, because the deli owner had trouble keeping up as it was.

  “And here’s the selection of widgets you can choose from,” he said, pulling a page up on his sleek, expensive looking laptop. “You get to choose three, any three that you want, which will be included in the price I quoted you earlier. If you want more, there will be a minimal extra charge.”

  “I don’t even know what widgets are,” Moira admitted. “What do they do?”

  “Widgets are things like social media buttons so people can easily share your webpage; chat boxes so your customers can talk to each other—and you!—quickly and easily online; programs that show the weather or local news… you get the gist. They’re basically extra things that you put on your webpage for visitors to the page to interact with,” he explained.

  “Which ones would you recommend for the deli’s website?” she asked.

  “Well, you can never go wrong with links to social media sites. The more people share your page, the more views you’ll get, and the better advertising you’ll have. If you have a social media site, you can also link it to the page for quick updates. I would also suggest a contact form, which makes it easier for people to email you. They look like this…” He scrolled down the page and clicked on something that brought up a sample contact box. “The customer just fills out their name, their email address and phone number, and writes you a short message. Then the system emails you that message, and you’re free to email them back or call them to answer their question.”

  “It sounds complicated, but I’ll trust your judgment,” Moira felt she was way over her head, and was glad Darrin was there to lend his opinion. “What do you think?” she asked, turning to him.

  “It looks good so far, Ms. D. I like the color scheme a lot.”

  The website had an olive green and white color scheme, with space set aside for photos of the deli, their produce, and hopefully one of Moira and her employees. The more the website came together, the more excited she was to see the finished product. She thought that her daughter would like the design as well, and was hoping Candice would hire Paul to get a website for the candy shop up and running.

  “All right, it sounds like we’ll go with this design,” she said to the webpage designer. “When do you think it will be done?”

  “Well, it’s not too complicated, so I think we’ll be looking at sometime early next week. Does that sound good?”

  “That’s perfect,” she told him. “Thanks so much for meeting with us. I think this new website is going to be huge for the deli.”

  “No problem, Ms. Darling. It was my pleasure. I’ll get to work on it this evening. Feel free to get in touch with me if there’s something you change your mind about. Once it’s complete, we can set up another time to get together so I can show you how to edit and update the site.”

  “I’ve got to warn you: no matter how well you go over everything, I’m sure I’ll still get lost when it comes time to actually do it myself. I can handle the basics when it comes to the computers, but anything else is beyond me.”

  “Not to worry,” he said. “You’re free to call or email me if you run into any difficulties.”

  He left shortly after that, promising to send her an update in a few days. Moira was happy with how the meeting had gone, and she told Darrin as much as she was packing her things up to go to Candice’s.

  “Your friend really knows his stuff,” she said.

  “Yeah, he’s awesome with computers. I’m sure the website will be awesome once he’s finished with it.”

  That was exactly what she was hoping for. It might mean being busier, but watching the deli grow and thrive was one of the most satisfying things she had ever done.

  ***

  Her daughter was waiting for her on the front steps outside of her apartment. The candy store didn’t open for a few more hours, but the young woman was still working hard. Her arms were laden with stacked trays of hard sweets, and she gave her mother a grateful look as she approached.

  “You got here just in time,” she said. “My keys are in my pocket, but I don’t have a hand free. Can you unlock the door?”

  Moira sorted through her keys until she found her own copy of the key to Candice’s apartment and unlocked the door, which she then held for her daughter as she made her way inside and up the stairs. Once they got into the apartment and the young woman set the trays down on the counter in the kitchen, the deli owner took a closer look at the candies. They were an unappetizing brown color, and smelled oddly spicy.

  “A failed batch?” she asked her daughter.

  Candice chuckled, “no, though I know they don’t look very good. Those are actually ginger and ginseng candies for the old folks at the assisted-living home where Eli’s grandfather lives. A lot of them have stomach problems, and the ginger is a natural way to help soothe upset digestive systems. The ginseng is a good all-around immune system booster and has been shown to help lower cholesterol. I make a batch every couple of weeks and take them over when we go have dinner with his grandfather.”

  “That’s so nice of you, sweetie,” Moira said. She was both proud and amazed that she had somehow managed to raise such a thoughtful, caring young woman.

  “I just hope it helps,” she replied. “Oh, that reminds me, are you still planning on having dinner with us Sunday? I should call the kitchen a head of time so they know Reginald is having an extra guest.”

  “Reginald is Eli’s grandfather? Yes, go ahead and call,” the deli owner said with a smile. “I’ll be there; I look forward to meeting him. He raised Eli on his own, right?”

  “Yeah. Well, from when Eli was pretty young. I meant to ask you, has there been any update about the body that you found?” Candice asked. “Do they know who she was yet?”

  “If they know, then they aren’t telling me,” Moira said. “David said that even his friends at the police station are being very quiet about the case. The detectives want to keep the whole thing discreet until they have solid evidence to move on. They don’t want to chance the killer catching wind of it and escaping before they find out who he is. I guess if they come to a dead end, then they’ll start releasing information in the hopes that the killer will turn himself in out of guilt.”

&n
bsp; “Does that really happen?”

  “According to Detective Jefferson, it does. Though I can’t imagine someone who has gotten away with a twenty-year-old murder would just walk into a police station and surrender.”

  “Me either,” Candice said. “But however it happens, I really hope they end up finding the killer.”

  “So do I,” Moira said. She hadn’t had much time to dwell on the poor dead girl she had discovered in the basement crawlspace, but the case had been nagging at her subconscious all week. She wanted to at least find out who the girl was, and hopefully somehow put a living, smiling face to the gruesome skull that had grinned up at her from the shadows. Maybe it was time to do a little digging of her own. Just finding out the identity of the dead girl couldn’t hurt, could it?

  CHAPTER SIX

  Misty Pines Assisted Living was situated only a few miles outside of Lake Marion. Surrounded by tall pine trees, the entire area felt peaceful. The air smelled fresh and clean, and Moira thought that when the time came, she wouldn’t mind living there.

  She met Candice and Eli on Sunday evening by the front entranceway, which had two sets of doors. The first set swung open automatically when they approached, but the second set required a key code. Eli punched in a set of numbers, the number pad chirped in response, and as a green light flickered on, he swung one of the doors open and held it for them.

  The interior of the assisted-living home was cool and smelled of lemon disinfectant and beef stew. Inside the front doors was a common area, in which a few of the elderly residents were seated in comfortable overstuffed armchairs, watching a news program with closed captioning. In the corner was a fish tank in which brightly colored fish darted to and fro. As Moira walked in, a chubby little cocker spaniel trotted up to her and sniffed her pants, while a grey and white tabby cat watched with mild interest from a resident’s lap.

  “When I get old, send me here,” the deli owner whispered to her daughter. “This place is nothing like I imagined. It looks like people are actually happy here.”

  “It’s definitely a nice place,” Candice whispered back. “But I think it costs a lot. Everyone here is pretty well off from what I can tell.”

  “I bet. Care like this is expensive.”

  Dinner was held at five o’clock—early by Moira’s standards, since she usually didn’t eat her evening meal until after the deli closed for the night. A cheerful young woman in a blue smock seated them at a round table in the dining room, where an elderly man with thin white hair was already waiting for them.

  “Ms. Darling, this is my grandfather, Reginald,” said Eli by way of introduction. Moira was delighted to see his pride in introducing his relative. “Grandpa, this is Ms. Darling, Candice’s mom. She’s the one that owns the deli that you like so much.”

  “Very nice to meet you,” said the elderly man, extending a hand. As she shook it, he added, “You can call me Reggie. All my friends do. Reginald is quite the mouthful for some.”

  “And you can call me Moira,” said Moira. “It’s nice to finally put a face to the name. Candice speaks very highly of you.”

  “That’s kind of you to say. She’s a very bright and kind girl. You must be proud.”

  “I sure am,” she said with a smile as she sat down.

  The food turned out to be bland but satisfying. Homemade beef and veggie stew, mashed potatoes, and salad was always a good combination, but the lack of salt in the stew took some getting used to. Moira realized that many of the residents likely had restrictions on what they could eat, and low-sodium food was probably a necessity. Still, when the young woman who was serving them offered her a salt packet, she took it gladly.

  “So, tell me about your ice cream shop,” she said to Reggie as they ate. “It seems like such a wonderful little place. How long ago did you first open it?”

  “It was actually my brother that opened it,” he said. “After he got back from serving in the army, he wanted to start something different. He started out by making his own ice cream and selling it from a truck, which gradually grew until he had his own business. Cancer ended up getting him way too early, which is when I took the shop over. Now Eli is running it, and he does me proud. I’m glad we were able to keep it in the family.”

  “I’m sorry about your brother. It sounds like he was a very hard-working, determined person. I’m sure he’d be happy to see his ice cream shop in Eli’s capable hands.”

  “Indeed he would. I wish he’d had a chance to meet Eli—I think the two of them would have gotten on very well.” The old man coughed and cleared his throat. “How is your candy store doing, dear?” This was directed towards Candice.

  “It’s going very well, thanks for asking. In fact…” Here she paused and looked at her mother with a smile. “I haven’t actually told any of you this yet, but starting tomorrow I’ll be holding interviews and looking for my first employee.”

  “That’s huge news. I’m so proud of you, sweetie,” said Moira.

  “Congrats,” said Eli, giving his girlfriend a big grin. “That’s going to be exciting. Do you have any idea what sort of person you’re looking for?”

  “Well, I think I want someone young. Like someone who just turned eighteen so they’re younger than me.” She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t think I’m confident enough to hire someone older just yet. It would be so weird to tell someone Mom’s age what to do.”

  “I think that’s a good idea,” the deli owner said. “I’m sure you already know all of this, but you definitely need to do a background check and call references before you make a decision. I wouldn’t want anybody to take advantage of you.”

  “Don’t worry, Mom, I know all of that. I’ve been thinking about this a lot. Do you think David would help with the background checks?”

  “I’m sure he would, honey. I’ll talk to him about it this evening.”

  “Thanks. I trust him more than some service online.”

  “You probably don’t want advice from an old man,” said Reggie. “But I do have some experience with hiring employees, and I think the most important thing is to go with your gut. Sometimes you’ll get someone who looks perfect on paper, but when you meet them it just doesn’t feel right. Listen to that feeling. Your gut knows.”

  “Okay, I’ll try to keep that in mind,” she said. “I’m hoping that I have some sort of natural skill when it comes to this. Mom’s really good at choosing employees.”

  “I just got lucky,” Moira said with a chuckle. “I’ve made bad choices too, remember. I think you’ll do fine, though, sweetie.”

  “Thanks, Mom.” She and her daughter traded a smile, then Candice changed the subject. “So, have you heard anything more about that poor girl you found in the basement?”

  “No,” the deli owner said. “And I’m not really supposed to talk about it…”

  But Reggie had already perked up.

  “This sounds like an interesting story,” he said, ignoring his stew and leaning forward to hear her better. “I’m ready when you are. Most of us are pretty into mysteries here.”

  “I guess,” she said.

  “Hey, Clint,” the old man called out, turning in his seat to look at the table next to theirs. “Come and listen. Ms. Darling here has a story that sounds like it’s right up your alley.”

  Moira bit back a groan as an elderly man rose from his seat at the next table and shuffled over to sit next to Reggie. His glasses were smudged, but he didn’t seem to notice or care as he peered at Moira over the tops of them.

  Things are getting out of hand, she thought. Was she going to have to tell her story to the entire nursing home? Detective Jefferson had asked her to keep quiet about the corpse in her basement, but surely it couldn’t hurt to tell this charismatic old man and his friend what had happened? He might remember hearing about a young woman going missing all those years ago—he had lived in the area for decades, after all. Besides, she could tell from Eli’s expression that Candice had already told him all about it. Resig
ned, she cleared her throat, put down her spoon, and proceeded to tell Reginald and his friend all about finding the decades-dead young woman in her basement crawlspace.

  Reggie’s eyes were positively sparkling by the time she finished. Moira noticed that a few of the people at a neighboring table had been listening too, but there was no help for it. You’d think in an old folks’ home, there wouldn’t be as many people who have such good hearing, she thought grumpily to herself. She knew she shouldn’t have told her story, but it had been hard to deny the old man when he had looked so interested.

  “I’ll have to do some checking, but I can think of a few kids that went missing a while back,” Reggie said.

  “Just please don’t tell anyone else,” she begged him. “The detectives who are working on the case are worried that the killer might run if he knows they’re investigating the woman’s death.”

  “That’s a good point,” said Clint, who had been interested in the story too. “After all this time, I doubt he would want to go to prison.”

  “My lips are sealed,” Reginald promised. “I can keep secrets with the best of them. Do you want me to have Eli call you if I can remember anything?”

  Moira hesitated for only a moment before nodding. She really did want to know who the dead girl was, and at worst looking into it would give Reggie something to do. He seemed very alert for someone of his age, and she imagined that he must get bored here. Misty Pines was one of the nicer assisted-living homes she had seen, but she knew there was no way it could compare to real life.

  “Ready to take me back to my room, Eli?” he asked at last. “I’m getting a bit tired, and I want to spend a few hours going through my old newspapers before they put me to bed. With any luck, I’ll be able to help Moira find out who that young woman was.”

  “Sure, Grandpa,” said Eli. “You should take it easy, though. Remember, the police are investigating too. I doubt Ms. Darling wants to get too involved. She would probably rather forget the whole thing.”