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

instead.
    “Thanks for coming,” she said at last. “You were a huge help. We owe you.”
    “No you don’t,” he said softly, coming up behind her. “You never owe me, you know that.”
    Moira bit her lip, part of her wanting to confront him right then and there; but before she could say anything, Candice came back.
    “Thanks so much,” she said to David. “I seriously thought I was going to go to jail.”
    “I doubt you would have ended up in jail, but he might have brought you down to the police station for questioning,” he said. “They likely wouldn’t have been able to hold you for long though. All they would have had was circumstantial evidence, and with the amount of strangers that have been coming and going from the shop to do renovations, anyone could have put the bag there.”
    “Why does someone keep doing all of these horrible things?” Candice wondered. “All I want to do is open the candy shop in peace.”
    David met Moira’s gaze over her daughter’s head. She saw a spark of steely determination in his eyes.
    “I don’t know,” he said. “But I promise you, I’ll find out.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN
    “I think that’s a great idea,” Meg said brightly. Moira smiled back at her, feeling exhausted by the young woman’s exuberance. It had been a long night, and she hadn’t gotten the sleep that she needed. With a seven-hour shift looming in front of her, it was about all she could do to stay on her feet.
    “Hopefully it will be fun. I don’t want anyone’s feelings to get hurt if they don’t win.” She knew firsthand how competitive people could be when it came to cooking.
    “I think it’ll be fine,” Meg said. “We’ll all have fun coming up with new soups and trying them out on one another. Who will the judges be?”
    “David and Candice,” Moira said. “I’d like to find a third person to help judge, so there’s no risk of a tie.”
    “Candice isn’t going to be competing?”
    “No. She’s officially off the payroll here, and she understands that I want this competition to be about giving you guys a chance to shine. Besides, she’ll be running her own table at the fair,” the deli owner explained.
    “Has anything else happened since the pipe incident?” Darrin asked, setting down the rag he had been using to wipe down the counter.
    “Thankfully, no,” Moira told him.
    “Did the kitchen dry all right? It was still pretty damp when I stopped in to help out.”
    “Leaving the fans on for forty-eight hours helped a lot, so thanks for that suggestion,” she said. “It’s dry now, and I don’t think there’s any permanent damage. Luckily she didn’t have anything on the floor that could be water damaged.”
    “I hope they find the person who did it soon,” Meg said with a shudder. “Whoever it is must really have it out for her.”
    “Or for the candy shop,” Moira said. “This all started the day of the grand opening, which she ended up canceling. It seems to me that someone’s afraid of the competition.” Her thoughts flashed again to Eli. Could he be responsible? He seemed smitten with Candice, but it might all be an act.
    “I hope she’s taking all the precautions she can,” Darrin said. “She could be in serious danger.”
    Moira nodded; her concern for her daughter was a constant worry. If only Candice would come and stay with her for a while, but she insisted on doing everything herself. At least she had the sling off now. Tomorrow they were going to pick up the shiny silver convertible that Candice had fallen in love with. She was eager to see the smile on her daughter’s face as she got behind the wheel for the first time.
    The deli’s front door jingled, and Meg started for the door to the main room to greet the customer. Moira put a hand out, stopping her.
    “You can get going if you want. I’ll watch the register.”
    The young woman nodded her thanks; her shift had officially ended half an hour ago, but she had stayed on a bit longer