Free Hearty Homestyle Murder: Book 9 in The Darling Deli Series by Patti Benning Page A

birthday party. But my sister-in-law lost her dog a few weeks ago when she was visiting. It was a big grey one that looked a lot like this. Hers was female. I think the dog’s name started with a ‘K’.”
    “Then it sounds like this might be her dog,” Moira said, trying to hide the rush of sadness that she felt at the thought of the big, friendly dog leaving her. “Her name is Keeva, and she’s a girl. I can’t imagine that there are too many dogs like her wandering around. Do you want to take her with you right now?” She wondered if she should ask the man for some sort of proof that it was his sister-in-law’s dog. To her relief he shook his head.
    “I’m extremely allergic to dogs,” he told her. “Which is why my brother and his wife weren’t staying with me in the first place. It looks like you’re taking good care of her; would it be all right if I just gave Chelsea your number, and you can work things out with her? It may mean watching the dog for a few more days until she can get back up here; she and Rick live down in Kentucky.”
    “That’s fine with me. She’s no trouble at all. Here, I’ll write down my number, and you can let your sister-in-law know that her dog is happy and comfortable in my house. She can come and get her whenever is most convenient.”
    By the time Martha arrived with her dog, Moira was subdued despite the pleasant weather. It looked like she would only have a few more days with Keeva. How had she let herself get so attached to the dog? She had always known that there was a strong possibility that Keeva’s owners would contact her one day.
    She told her friend what was wrong, then retold the story when Denise pulled up. The owner of the Redwood Grill looked tired, the lines around her eyes more defined than when Moira had seen her last. I bet the Grill still isn’t doing well, she thought. I should see if David wants to eat there again soon. I know we just went out the other night, but Denise could really use our support.
    “I guess it was meant to be,” she said at last. “How are the two of you doing? Sorry I couldn’t make it to our normal Wednesday coffee get-togethers for the past two weeks. I’ve been insanely busy, first with the fair, then with everything else.”
    “Well, the Grill is still struggling,” Denise said, confirming Moira’s earlier guess. “And my husband and I are officially separated. So I don’t really have anything positive to share. Oh, I did see one of your employees as I was heading out the door.”
    “Really? Which one?” As far as Moira knew, Dante and Meg were at the deli, Darrin should have already left for Wisconsin, and Denise had yet to meet Allison.
    “The guy that’s been working for you the longest,” her friend said. “Not the one that’s dating Meg. The other one.”
    “Darrin?” She frowned. “That’s odd. He told me he was going to help his father finish up getting a house ready to sell.”
    “He was with a girl,” Denise said. “Maybe he just wanted some time off to be with her.”
    The frown stayed on Moira’s face even after her friends changed the subject. Denise’s restaurant had many more employees than the deli did, and she knew her friend dealt with lying employees every day. But she had thought that the little family that they had built at the deli was different. Why would Darrin lie to her? Where was he really going this weekend?

CHAPTER THIRTEEN
    Maybe letting them play in the stream wasn’t the best idea , Moira thought ruefully as she considered the sopping wet dogs in front of her. It was another hot day, and they had looked so miserable with their thick fur, that she thought a swim would be a good way to cool them off. The burbling stream behind her house turned out not to be deep enough for either of them to do more than wade, but they seemed to have fun anyway, judging from the amount of water and mud that they had managed to splash onto each other and her.
    “Neither of you is