Free Tomato Basil Murder: Book 7 in The Darling Deli Series by Patti Benning Page B

him.”
    “That’s true, his watch was gone. So was his phone,” her daughter said with a frown. “The police told me they never found it.”
    “This is sounding more and more like a robbery gone wrong,” Moira said. “Maybe we should be checking at pawn shops to see if we can recognize anything else of his. Do you know if anything else was missing?”
    “I’m not sure, his room was so messy when I found him it was impossible to tell if anything had been stolen. I got the feeling that whoever went through his stuff was angry at him.” Her daughter frowned at the lake, and Moira knew it was time to change the subject. She made an effort to keep the rest of their conversation positive and light, and by the time the two of them and the dog piled into the car to go home, Candice was smiling again.

CHAPTER ELEVEN
    Wednesday morning coffee with her friends was a fun routine that started a few months ago. Moira, Denise, and Martha each lived very different lives, but had enough similarities that they rarely ran out of things to talk about. Moira was curious to see how Beverly would fit in with the group, and hoped that she would get a chance to learn more about the other woman. From what she knew about Martha’s guest, the woman had her own share of man troubles, and she hoped that they would be able to help her at least a little.
    She was the last to arrive that morning, and rushed to order her coffee before going over to the other women. Beverly was already chatting with Denise, and seemed completely at home in the social situation.
    “Sorry I’m late,” Moira said.
    “Not a problem.” Martha gestured to the empty seat next to Denise. “Go ahead and sit down. We were just talking about the Redwood Grill. Beverly wants to eat there sometime before she heads back home. Are you free any evening this week?”
    “Maybe Thursday,” she replied. Turning to Beverly, Moira added, “I’m glad you could come.”
    “Me too. It’s wonderful to meet so many nice people. I’m going to have the best stories to tell when I get home.” Beverly beamed.
    “Be sure to tell all of your friends to come to Maple Creek next time they take a vacation,” Denise said. In a quieter voice, she added, “The Grill could use the extra business.”
    “I thought you guys were doing well,” Moira said, concerned. “You’re pretty busy whenever I stop by.”
    “We’d be doing fine if we got this sort of business year round, but when winter hits… I just don’t see how we’re going to stay afloat. I guess I didn’t realize just how dead this town was once snow starts falling,” her friend said. “When the weather gets bad, I’m going to have to cut back on hours significantly, and maybe even let some of my employees go until spring. Last winter, we were new and benefited from curious diners, but I don’t think we can count on the same crowds this winter.”
    “Wow, I didn’t know.” Moira was glad that the deli was relatively inexpensive to run, and that she and Candice could survive on the business she got from the locals during the winter. She wished there was something she could do to help her friend, but her mind was blank. The truth was, winter was hard on all of them.
    “I’m so glad we never get snow where I live.” Beverly shivered delicately. “Winter in Michigan sounds just terrible.”
    “Sometimes it’s not so bad,” Martha said. “Some years we hardly get any snow.”
    “And some years we get bucketloads,” Moira added with a chuckle. “But it’s not always bad. There’s nothing more gorgeous than a snowy forest, and the kids love snowmobiling and sledding.”
    “I think I’ll stick with my beaches,” the blonde woman said with a laugh.
    “My ex-husband lived in California,” Moira said. “He always liked the warmer weather too.”
    “Oh, really? What’s his name? I doubt I’ve heard of him—Cali is a big state—but you never know.” She set her coffee down and cocked her head, suddenly