Mountains, Marriage and Murder (The Darling Deli Series Book 23) Read online

  “Fallen and broken his neck inside of a pantry?” The detective raised an eyebrow.

  Moira fell silent, the realization striking her suddenly and painfully. Everything had moved so quickly that morning that she hadn’t had time to consider what the detective had seen instantly. Someone had to have put Paul into the pantry. He hadn’t died in there. That meant that someone had moved the body… and someone had killed him.

  “I’m going to need to talk to everyone that was here last night, and I’ll need your contact information. How long will you be in town?”

  “Some of the people from the wedding are flying out this morning. The rest of us are leaving the day after tomorrow.”

  She gave him her phone number and rejoined the others out in the entrance room. One by one, the detective questioned the rest of them in the living room. By the time he was done, the body had been removed and the police had finished snapping pictures of the scene.

  The cleaning crew arrived and were turned away by the police. Moira and David watched in silence as the crime scene gradually developed.

  “Where are we going to stay?” she asked.

  “Maybe we can all get rooms at the hotel,” her husband said. Moira had another idea. Pulling out her cell phone, she walked a few steps away and dialed the number to the travel agency.

  “It was nice of Mr. Desmond to offer us another cabin,” Candice said. Their entire group was gathered around the rental cars, each of them loaded down with their suitcases and bags.

  “It will be a couple of hours until it’s ready to go,” Moira reminded her.

  “What are we going to do in the meantime?” Denise asked. Moira had never seen her friend look so disheveled. Everyone had been pulled from sleep directly into a murder scene – none of them were looking their best.

  “I don’t know,” she said. “I guess we might as well go into town for lunch as planned. We all still need to eat, and I doubt the police would appreciate us hanging around here.”

  Moira looked at the familiar faces around her. David, Candice, Eli, Reggie, Denise, the three bridesmaids, and the best man and his girlfriend. Was it possible that one of them had done it? The thought was chilling. She knew most of them well enough that it seemed impossible, but she knew that someone at the reception had to have done it. Even if it wasn’t one of the ones there that morning, that still meant it was someone that she knew.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  * * *

  After the wedding group finished their lunch, they all drove to the new cabin. It wasn’t far down the road from the original one and was basically the same inside. They separated with hardly a word to their separate rooms to unpack and recharge before their next activity. They had decided to stick with their plan since they were all stuck there until their flights, anyway. Moira was glad; she thought that being active would help to make them all feel better.

  After they got settled into the new cabin, they drove to the zip lining area that was a bit further up the mountain. Moira had been looking forward to this for a while – she remembered going zip-lining when she was younger, and she had enjoyed it, but now her thoughts were simply on the dead man. She couldn’t imagine any of them being the killer. She had watched them all closely during lunch, but no one had acted abnormally. She trusted David, Eli, and Candice, of course. She knew Allison would never kill someone. She didn’t know Brian, his girlfriend Victoria, Delia, or Audrey that well, but she couldn’t see what motive any of them could have had either. Chances were, the killer was already out of the state. She wondered if they would ever learn who it was.

  It wasn’t until she found herself next in line that she realized what she was actually about to do. She looked down the steep drop and felt butterflies in her stomach. This zip-line seemed a lot more intense than the one she had done when she was younger. It crossed a narrow valley, well above the treetops and huge rocks that waited below. Was she really supposed to put all of her trust in the cable and harness? What if something failed? What had she been thinking when she agreed to this? She was too old to do something like this. Reggie was sitting out — maybe she could go and join him.

  She turned to look behind her, contemplating getting out of line, and saw David watching her. “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “This is a bad idea,” she said. “I’m about to jump off a cliff with nothing but good faith in whoever set all of this up to keep me safe. What in the world was I thinking when I thought I could do this?”

  “Wasn’t zip-lining your idea?” he asked, looking amused.

  “Yes, but I was imagining the little, safe setup I was on when I was a teen. I don’t think I can do this, David.”

  “Of course you can. Trust me, you’ll enjoy it. It’s perfectly safe. They wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t. Do you want me to go first?”

  “No, if you go first, I may never do it.” She peered into the valley. If it ended up being her final resting spot, well, at least she would have a nice view.

  The attendant called for the next person, and Moira steeled herself and stepped forward, feeling dizzy as the woman strapped the harness to her. She didn’t think that her heart had pounded this hard for a long time. She seemed to have developed a fear of heights since the last time she had done something like this. She looked down the mountainside and gulped. Only her pride kept her from backing out. Denise, David, and most of the rest of the wedding group was still behind her in line. If she was the last one, she thought that she might have chickened out, but with everyone watching, she couldn’t. Maybe David was right. Maybe she would enjoy it, if she didn’t have a heart attack first.

  Moira heard the instructor say that she was ready. It was now or never. She leaned back in the harness, closed her eyes, and stepped off the edge.

  “That was amazing.” The deli owner couldn’t stop grinning. The adrenaline that was pulsing through her body felt good, and the memory of the air rushing past her was exhilarating. The ride had been over before she’d known it, and she had immediately wanted to go again.

  “Why do you sound so surprised?” her daughter asked. Candice had been the first one to go and hadn’t witnessed her mother’s doubts.

  “I almost chickened out when I got up to the edge,” Moira admitted. “I’m glad I didn’t, though. That was an amazing experience.”

  She, David, Candice, and Eli were driving back to the cabin together in one of the rented cars. The thrill of zip-lining had erased thoughts of the dead man from her mind for a while, but as they drew nearer to the cabin, they began to return. Who would want to kill the marriage officiant, and why? At any other time, she would have been more focused on finding the killer, but she wanted to enjoy this last day with her daughter before Candice left on her honeymoon. She kept telling herself that the killer was long gone. There’s no reason for me to worry, she thought. None of us are in danger, that I’m sure of. The police will track down the person responsible eventually, and everything will be just fine.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  * * *

  When they got back to the cabin, she joined David outside to look through the shed, which held some equipment for outdoor activities. She didn’t share her husband’s enthusiasm for the huge, multiroom tent. Why would she want to sleep outside on the hard ground in a tent, even a tent with more than one room, when they had a wonderfully comfortable bed in their room in the cabin?

  “How about the kayaks?” he asked. “The little mountain lake is supposed to be pretty nice. We would have plenty of time to go this evening.”

  “I don’t think we have any way to move them. The cars are too small to strap them on top.”

  “Hmm. Good point. Well, how about croquet? It’s been a while since I’ve played, and we should do something outside. It’s so nice out. It will be better to keep everyone busy, anyway.”

  “Sure. I’ll go and see who wants to play.”

  While he began setting the yard up for a game of croquet, Moira went inside to find her daughter. She had one foot on the s
tairs when she heard something from the kitchen that made her hesitate. A man’s voice, raised in argument. She hesitated, then decided that with everything that had happened, it would be remiss of her not to find out what was going on. She didn’t honestly think that any of them had hidden the marriage officiant’s body, but it was better to be safe than sorry, especially where her loved ones were concerned.

  She was feeling a little bit guilty with the knowledge that she was about to eavesdrop on someone close to her. There weren’t many possibilities for who was inside. David was setting up the croquet set in the yard, so that left either Eli, Brian, or Reggie to be talking with someone in the kitchen.

  She was only inches away from the door when it was pulled open and her son-in-law strode out, followed closely by his best man. She jumped back, trying not to look guilty. Eli halted suddenly so as not to run into her.

  “Sorry, I didn’t see you there Ms. D.,” he said.

  “I was just about to grab a bottle of water,” she lied. “You startled me. Is everything okay?”

  As she spoke, Brian pushed his way past and strode off, his face flushed with anger.

  “I don’t know,” Eli said, watching his friend walk away. “Brian’s just working through some stuff, I guess. I’m going to go find my grandfather. Have you seen him anywhere?”

  “Last I saw, he was talking to Denise in the living room. He’s enjoying the chance to get to know the owner of his favorite restaurant.” She hesitated. “Eli… this thing with Brian, does it have anything to do with Mr. Brown’s death?”

  Eli shrugged. “I don’t think so. If I did, I’d tell you, don’t worry.”

  “Okay. Have you seen Candice anywhere? We’re going to play a game of croquet outside, and I wanted to see if she was interested in joining us. You can grab Reggie and Denise if you want.”

  “She went upstairs to get changed.”

  “Thanks.”

  They parted ways, Eli going into the other room to locate his grandfather, and Moira trekking up the stairs to find her daughter. Candice and her three bridesmaids, along with Victoria, were all in one of the bedrooms. A pile of clothes was strewn out over the bed, and Candice was holding a dress up to herself in the mirror. Moira knocked on the doorframe.

  “Can I come in?” she asked.

  “Sure. I’m just trying to decide what I want to bring with me on my honeymoon. I don’t want to pack too many clothes in case I end up buying more while we’re gone. My suitcase barely closes as it is. Do you think you and David can bring back some of my stuff with you?”

  “Of course. Just leave whatever you don’t want to take with you on my bed and I’ll pack it for you. I was just coming to find you to let you know that we’re going to play croquet outside, if you want to join us. David wants to do something all together before we leave tomorrow.”

  “Sure, we’ll join you,” Candice said. She tossed the dress onto the bed.

  She followed her mother down the stairs. At the bottom, Moira paused. She looked around to make sure they were alone before she spoke.

  “I just ran into Eli and Brian having an argument,” she said. “Do you have any idea what that was about?”

  “Eli and Brian?” Candice asked, frowning. “I don’t know. I know Brian and Victoria had a fight, but I’m not sure why Eli would be drawn into it.”

  “Odd.” Moira frowned. “Do you know Victoria very well?”

  “Not really. We’ve gone on a couple of dates with them, but they live down in Traverse City, so it’s a bit far to see them often,” Candice said. “She seems pretty normal, I guess. Why?”

  “I just remember seeing her talking to Mr. Brown alone in the kitchen the night of the reception. I don’t know her or Brian at all, so I don’t want to make accusations, but do you think it’s possible that Brian might have gotten physical with the marriage officiant if he thought something had happened between him and Victoria?”

  “I don’t think he would have killed the guy over that,” her daughter said, frowning. “He’s been Eli’s friend for ages. He’s a good guy.”

  “That’s what Eli said.” She sighed. “It’s probably a reach, I know. Sorry for bringing it up. I just wanted everything to be perfect for you, and then this happens.”

  “It’s not your fault at all. I just feel bad for Mr. Brown. He seemed like a nice person.”

  “Me, too.” She shoved aside the memory of her annoyance with him. Now that he was dead, she felt terrible for her bad feelings towards him.

  They had just finished helping David set up the croquet set, which was easier said than done in the rocky ground, when a vehicle rumbled up the driveway. The three of them stood still, watching and waiting as the vehicle came into view. When Moira recognized it as a police car, she felt a twist of unease in her stomach.

  “Ms. Darling?” the detective asked as he got out of the vehicle. “I’m going to need to bring you in for questioning.”

  “Me? Why?” she asked, befuddled. David came forward to stand next to her. She had never been more grateful for his supportive presence.

  “We’ll explain everything down at the station, ma’am. Will you cooperate?”

  Confused and a little bit worried, she nodded. He allowed her to go back inside and grab her purse before getting into the back of the police car. David took a step forward, but halted when the officer held out a hand to stop him.

  “This is between your wife and us, sir. We’ll have her back as soon as possible. The rest of you, enjoy your vacation.”

  He slammed the car door shut, and Moira leaned forward to look at her husband and her wide-eyed daughter. She hoped that they wouldn’t be able to read the fear on her face as the vehicle pulled away. What could she possibly have done to become a suspect? Her mind raced, nearly as quickly as her heart. If she was certain of anyone’s innocence, it was her own. She knew that she hadn’t done anything. The only question was, would the police believe her?

  CHAPTER NINE

  * * *

  “Ms. Darling, do you know why you’re here?”

  “How would I?” she said, more shortly than she had meant to. Taking a deep breath, she said again, “Sorry, no. I’ve been asking that same question ever since you picked me up. Why am I here?”

  “We have a witness who claims that you expressed anger towards Mr. Brown’s presence at the wedding reception,” the detective said. “According to this witness, Mr. Brown was not invited to the reception, and you seemed upset when he arrived. Did you and Mr. Brown have any sort of confrontation that night?”

  “No,” Moira said. “I only talked to him for about two minutes out of the entire evening. I didn’t even see him again after that. I didn’t know he was still there when I went upstairs for the night. I was under the impression that he left earlier, along with the other guests that weren’t invited to stay at the cabin.”

  “According to our witness, you took issue with Mr. Brown being there. Is this true?”

  “Well… yes,” she began. “I was annoyed at first. I asked my daughter if she wanted me to tell him to leave, but she said that she didn’t mind. I decided that if she didn’t care, then I wouldn’t either, and I pretty much forgot about it as the night went on.”

  “We’re looking for any motive we can right now, Ms. Darling,” the man said. “Right now, you’re the only person who appeared to have a reason to be upset with him. We found plenty of alcohol in his system, and he has a history of getting into trouble when he’s drunk. I wouldn’t blame you for lashing out at him if he made a scene at your daughter’s reception. You’re the mother of the bride, it’s understandable that you were under a lot of stress.”

  “I’m telling the truth. I only spoke with him for a few minutes,” she said. “I didn’t hit him, and I certainly didn’t break his neck. How could I? I’m sure he was much stronger than I am.”

  “We believe that his broken neck was caused by a fall down the stairs. In that case, killing him wouldn’t have been a matter of strength. Anyo
ne could have pushed a man as drunk as he was down the stairs, even a small child.”

  Moira frowned. “What on earth would he have been doing on the stairs in the first place? I asked all of the guests to stay downstairs where the reception was. The only thing upstairs are the bedrooms.”

  “We’re still trying to figure that out. Look, Ms. Darling, I’m going to be straight with you. The simple truth is that while he was at your party, this man was hit in the face, fell down the stairs, and was stuffed into a pantry. Right now, you’re the only one who has any sort of reason to dislike him. This may not have been premeditated, but a man died, and I am going to get to the bottom of it. It’s my job to protect the people of this town, and it’s not something that I take lightly.”