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

her in the gut. She stared at her daughter, not sure what to say. The young woman looked so happy, and she didn’t want to have to crush her hopes, but it was looking more and more like the shopkeeper had killed her grandfather, or at least had something to do with his murder. How could she let her daughter do business with someone who might be dangerous? But did they have enough proof for her to tell Candice yet? She knew that she really should wait to talk about her and David’s little investigation until he had turned the information over to the police. She didn’t want to risk messing it up somehow, or having Alice get wind of it and flee before charges could be filed.
    “Oh, that’s… that’s great news, honey,” she said after a long moment, when Candice was starting to look at her in concern. “When does she want to meet?”
    “Tomorrow morning,” her daughter said. “We’re meeting for coffee part way between here and Lake Marion.”
    “Would it be all right if I tagged along?” she asked, her mind racing. She might not be able to tell her daughter everything yet, but she could still protect her.
    “Of course! I already made sure the guys would be able to take the morning shift. I want you there; I don’t have any experience with buying something this big.”
    “Do you mind if I tell David, too? He might have some good tips. I bought the building the deli is in from a real estate company; I don’t know quite how all of this works between two private parties either.”
    “Go ahead,” her daughter said. She had a dreamy expression in her eyes. She’s probably imagining her future candy store , Moira thought with a pang. She hoped that everything ended up working out for her daughter. “We’re meeting at eight. I’m so excited, Mom. I might actually be able to start the next part of my life soon.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN
    The coffee shop where Candice and Alice decided to meet happened to be the same one that Moira had met David at for the first time. She smiled to herself at the memory. Her good mood faded quickly, however, when she saw Alice sitting at a corner table. The shopkeeper looked drawn and tired. She had bags under her eyes, and looked like she was losing weight. Was the guilt of killing her grandfather weighing her down? But what possible motive could she have had? Moira wondered. The shopkeeper just looked sad. She didn’t seem at all triumphant, which she thought she might expect of someone who had just gotten away with a crime.
    She suddenly remembered something that she had overheard when the lawyer had been speaking to Alice. The shopkeeper had said that she had inherited everything that her grandfather had owned. From what she had seen, Henry had been relatively well-off. He may not have had a fortune, but he definitely had enough that Alice would be able to live comfortably with what she got from the will. And if her grandfather really had been planning to close the toy shop and retire, that might have given her the motive required to commit such a heinous crime; the thought of watching Henry spend all of his money in retirement might have been what pushed her over the edge, especially since closing the toy store would have meant Alice would no longer have had a job.
    “Hi, thanks so much for meeting me here,” Candice said as they approached the table. “Do you want a coffee? My treat.” Alice had only a water bottle on the table in front of her. She shook her head.
    “No, I’m fine with just water.” She sighed, glanced over at Moira without expression, then said, “Why don’t you have a seat, and we can get to business?”
    The two women sat down, Moira attempting to trade glances with her daughter. Didn’t Candice see that there was obviously something weighing on the shopkeeper? But her daughter was too focused on the prospect of finally getting the perfect storefront for her candy shop to notice her mother’s look.
    “Are you still interested in the place?” Alice