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

grateful.”
    “I’m just glad I can help. Are we still on for dinner tonight?”
    “Yep. I’m looking forward to it.”
    “Good. I’ll pick you up at eight.” He put his toolbox in the back seat, then turned back to her. He surveyed the deli and shook his head slowly. Moira could guess what he was thinking. How did trouble keep finding her like this? “Be careful,” he said at last. “I worry about you. If you need anything else, just tell me. I want you to be safe.”
    “With the lights and cameras, I do,” she assured him. “Really, I’m more angry than anything. I almost hope whoever vandalized the deli tries it again and gets caught on camera.”
    “Just as long as they don’t try it when you’re inside,” he said darkly. “Whoever did this must have been very angry. People like that can be dangerous.”
    Moira held back her sigh until he had gotten in his car and pulled away. She knew that he was just concerned for her safety, but all she had been hearing since Darrin had discovered the graffiti yesterday was “be careful,” and “the vandal might be dangerous.” Part of her knew they were right, but another part of her really wanted to dismiss their worries. Whoever did the graffiti won’t come back , she thought. Why would they, now that I have the motion-sensitive lights and extra security cameras? No matter how angry this person is, they’re bound to realize eventually that I didn’t have anything to do with Reuben’s death.
    The thing that she found most annoying about the whole situation was that she still couldn’t figure out how anyone else could possible know that it was the gumbo that had been poisoned. If the police hadn’t let something slip, then who had? She knew David wouldn’t spread sensitive information like that, and she doubted that Candice would tell anybody other than Eli. The only other person who would know was the killer.
    She paused, her breath catching. Was it possible that the vandal was the killer? The graffiti on the deli’s windows could be his way of trying to keep the focus of the investigation on her. If that was the case, then she might be in more trouble than she thought.
    ***
    It felt good to get back into the rhythm of running the deli on a normal day. No county fair, no graffiti, nothing urgent to deal with. Just herself and the customers. Sometimes she almost missed the earlier days of the deli when they were only open for half a day. Thinking back over the past year, Moira felt a pang as she realized how much had changed. Less than a year ago, she had still been living in her old house, the same house that she had moved into with Mike all those years ago, the same house that Candice had grown up in. Candice had lived with her up until just a few months ago, and she still missed her daughter’s daily presence. No matter how much she loved Maverick, a dog just wasn’t the same as having your child around.
    A lot has changed lately , she thought. But they really aren’t bad changes, for the most part. She lived in a different house now, but it was a beautiful house in the middle of five peaceful acres of woods. It might not be full of memories of her daughter’s childhood, but having a chance to make some new memories wasn’t a bad thing. The fact that Candice had her own place now was bittersweet. Although she missed her daughter, she was also unbelievably proud that the young woman had her own apartment and was running her own business. She was glad that Candice had found her path in life so early. It had taken decades for Moira to find her own path. She would never consider the years spent raising her daughter wasted, but she couldn’t deny that she had ignored a lot of chances to explore her own passions and hobbies.
    The deli door jingled open and Moira blinked and looked up, forcing her thoughts back to the present. The two people who were walking into her store looked familiar, but it took her a second to place them. The woman was the same