Free Thai Coconut Murder: Book 6 in The Darling Deli Series by Patti Benning Page A

confused, yet eager to please expression, she approached the window. “Hi, can I have a chocolate cone and a small bowl of vanilla for my dog?”
    “Sure thing, it will be just a second.” The girl, who looked young enough to still be in high school, smiled at her and leaned over to pet Maverick after counting out Moira’s change. “You’re such a handsome boy,” she told him.
    Moira thanked her once she got their ice cream, and led the dog over to a picnic table that was set up in the grass between the ice cream shop and the road. While Maverick gulped his down, she ate hers slowly, taking her time to enjoy the chocolatey flavor and to consider everything that had happened over the last few days. The trip up north with David had been pleasant—most of it was even fun. She just wished that they had been able to go as a vacation, not to try to solve the murder of his friend. She hated that nearly everything they did was haunted by death and crime. I guess that’s what comes from dating a private investigator , she thought. His life rarely seemed boring. While she sometimes enjoyed thinking back on their adventures, the worry and fear was never fun while it was happening.
    Maverick suddenly exploded in frantic barking, startling Moira so badly that she almost fell off the bench. Dropping what was left of her cone, she grabbed onto his leash with both hands and looked up wide eyed, wondering what on earth could have set him off. He had never so much as growled at someone before. Her gaze landed on the short man from the toy shop, who had walked around the building to throw away a fast food bag in the ice cream shop’s garbage can. He was staring at her, and she couldn’t tell if he recognized her from the toy shop and the funeral, or if he was annoyed at the ruckus Maverick was making.
    “Sorry,” she gasped out. “He never does this.”
    The man just gave her a nasty look, shoved the paper bag into the trash can, and walked away. The moment he rounded the corner and was out of sight, Maverick calmed down. He looked back at her, panting and obviously proud of himself for driving the man away. Moira just stared at him, shocked and unsettled, until he began to lap up her fallen ice cream.
    Candice’s car was in her driveway by the time she and Maverick got back within sight of their house. She checked her watch and saw that it was later than she had thought. The deli was closed, and her daughter must be wondering where she was.
    The young woman opened the front door as Moira and the dog neared the house. The deli owner unclipped the leash from the German shepherd’s collar and let him run the last few feet to the house. He greeted Candice with just as much enthusiasm as he had greeted Moira earlier, then ran inside to slurp up the water from his dish.
    “Hi, Mom. How was your trip?”
    “It was nice. I enjoyed the drive, and David showed me this amazing little diner in Point Baker.” She paused inside the door to take her shoes off, then led the way into the kitchen, which Maverick had managed to flood with water from his enthusiastic drinking.
    “It’s been way too long since we took a trip up there,” her daughter said, following her. “Maybe Adrian and I will go later this summer.”
    “How was everything down here? Did everything go smoothly at the deli?”
    “Oh, yeah. Business was great, and a few people even asked where you were. We didn’t have any problems. Meg is doing really well. I think she’ll be able to close on her own soon.”
    “That’s great news,” Moira said, glad that her employees had done such a good job while she was away. Maybe she could start taking vacations more often. “You said on the phone that you had exciting news of your own. What’s going on? I’ve been dying to know.”
    “You’ll never believe it,” Candice said with a huge grin. “Alice called and said she wants to meet and discuss my offer for buying the toy shop.”
    Moira felt like someone had punched