Free Salami Murder: Book 8 in The Darling Deli Series by Patti Benning

me.”
    “Can you tell me what’s going on here?”
    “I don’t know why that bag was in the freezer, but I didn’t steal any of that stuff, I swear.”
    “Are you the owner of this place?” He raised an eyebrow, likely surprised by her youth.
    “I am,” she said.
    “Do you have any employees?”
    “No… the store hasn’t even officially had its grand opening yet.”
    “Does anyone else have a key to this store?”
    “Um, my mom does.”
    The officer turned to look at Moira, who nodded.
    “Do you have any idea how this bag of jewelry came to be in your possession?” he asked Candice. “Keep in mind, things are going to go a lot easier for you if you tell the truth.”
    “I don’t know,” Candice said. “I swear. Bad things have been happening around here for weeks.”
    “I think someone’s trying to sabotage the candy shop,” Moira said, her eyes fixed on the officer, begging him to believe her. He frowned, looking from the bag to Candice and back again. He seemed reluctant to arrest her. She was sopping wet and shivering, leaning against Eli for support, her eyes wide with fear.
    “What’s going on?” David asked from the doorway. Moira felt a rush of relief at his voice. He always seemed to know how to handle situations like this.
    “David,” the officer said with a nod of greeting towards the private investigator. “Do you know these people?”
    “Yes, and I will vouch for them. I highly doubt Candice would have stolen anything; her mother raised her better than that. Can I see the bag?”
    The detective hesitated for a moment, then handed him the bag of jewelry that the plumber had found in the freezer. Without opening it, David examined the jewelry.
    “A lot of this belongs to the clients I’m working for right now,” he said at last. “And I think most of it was reported missing to the police station as well. I know for a fact that Candice wouldn’t have been able to steal most of these items; some were stolen while I was with her and her mother. My guess is someone is trying to frame her.”
    He handed the bag of jewelry back to the officer, who looked at it thoughtfully.
    “You’ve known me a long time, Brandon,” David said, raising an eyebrow. “Do you really think I would lie or impede an investigation?”
    “No,” the officer said with a final sigh. “If you say she couldn’t have stolen the jewelry, then I believe you. But it doesn’t mean that she doesn’t know who did. They could be working together.”
    “Considering everything else that has been going on around here, I think it’s much more likely that this was an attempt to frame her,” David said. Even though she was still hurt by the fact that he was seeing another woman, Moira couldn’t help but admire how calm he managed to keep his voice. He was staying reasonable and talking to the officer like an old friend.
    “I suppose you’re right,” the officer admitted. He glanced over at Candice. “I’m not going to take you in, but I want you to be available for questioning if we need you. Here’s my card. If there’s anything else you can remember, about any of this,” he looked around at the wet room, “then don’t hesitate to give me a call.”
    Candice nodded. “Thank you,” she said. “If I think of anything, I’ll let you know. I promise.”
    The officer said goodbye to David and took his leave, and the plumber followed close behind. He gave Candice a distrustful glare as he gathered up his tools, but said nothing except for a promise to mail them the bill. Soon it was just the four of them. Eli shifted uncomfortably on his feet.
    “I should probably get going,” he said into the silence. “I was on my way to the nursing home to see my grandfather before I got waylaid here.”
    Candice walked him out to say goodbye to him, leaving Moira and David alone in the kitchen together. He tried to meet her eyes, but she chose to walk over to the new pipe and make a show of examining it