Pastrami Murder: Book One in The Darling Deli Series by Patti Benning Page A
Authors: Patti Benning
Tags: Fiction
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just made an appearance on the local news, thanking the public for their support after her brother’s death. The only problem was, she had also explained that she was selling the franchise, as she had no interest in running a business. She would be donating all of the proceeds to his favorite charity.
Well , he thought, that takes away any motive she could have had to kill him . Her tears looked real, and the sadness in her voice was unmistakable. He had to accept that Mathilda Devou was no longer a realistic suspect in the murder case.
Maybe Moira was right, and it was the diner owner. He had never spoken to Arlo himself, but he knew the diner; it was impossible not to drive by it when he was passing through Maple Creek. But just because the old man had motive, it didn’t mean that he had done it. It seemed like half the town had a reason to want Henry Devou dead. The motive may be there., but the evidence just isn’t , he thought.
So, where does that leave Moira? he wondered. He had to admit to himself that with the Devou sister out of the picture, the evidence just kept pointing back to his client. He made a mental list: the bowl of poisoned soup from her deli, her declining business, her lack of alibi for Saturday—although Moira’s alibi for Friday was strong, David wished she’d gone out with friends on Saturday… it just didn’t look good She was in the deli almost every day, and wouldn’t have had to pay for the soup, which meant there would be no paper trail. And even though she and Henry Devou had been competitors, he would have known her well enough to answer the door if she knocked. From what he had seen of Moira, she was smart enough to trick the man into eating the soup somehow.
There were two things that didn’t make sense to him. If Moira had committed the crime, why had she left so much evidence behind? She must have known that the police would be able to track the to-go bowl back to her; it had her deli’s logo on it, after all. And if his client was guilty, then why had she hired him?
He knew that his little business had a good reputation; he wasn’t some hack investigator trying to make an easy buck. No, he was a professional, and his track record showed it. He also knew that his services didn’t come cheaply. Why would she pay to have someone prove that she was guilty?
Maybe he was overthinking things. His first mentor had always told him that the simplest explanation was usually the right one. Chances were, there wasn’t some big conspiracy to make Moira look guilty. If he were to think about this case logically, then the answer was obvious; the deli owner was the murderer. But for some reason, his gut still told him that she was innocent. If Moira didn’t poison the soup, then who did? Suddenly the answer was right in front of him, so obvious that he didn’t understand how he hadn’t seen it before. Someone at the deli had killed Henry Devou, but it wasn’t Moira. There was someone else that had a motive to kill Henry, someone that he had overlooked so far. Someone that Moira trusted and confided in… someone that had been doing their hardest to pin the crime on someone else. David grabbed his overcoat and keys and rushed out of his office.
CHAPTER 17
Moira carefully wrapped the deadly little plant back up in the bag and slipped it into her pocket. Her new soup could wait; right now she had to find a murderer and clear her name.
“Darrin, something came up. Can you handle the store on your own for a few hours?” she asked as she strode out of the kitchen.
“Sure, Ms. D. Not a problem, it’s not like we’re busy right now.” He looked at her with concern on his face. “Is everything alright?”
“Not yet, but it will be,” she said grimly. “You just hold tight. I’ll explain everything later.”
Moira got into her car before taking out her cell phone and dialing David Morris’s number. She tapped the steering wheel impatiently as it rang. When the call went
Well , he thought, that takes away any motive she could have had to kill him . Her tears looked real, and the sadness in her voice was unmistakable. He had to accept that Mathilda Devou was no longer a realistic suspect in the murder case.
Maybe Moira was right, and it was the diner owner. He had never spoken to Arlo himself, but he knew the diner; it was impossible not to drive by it when he was passing through Maple Creek. But just because the old man had motive, it didn’t mean that he had done it. It seemed like half the town had a reason to want Henry Devou dead. The motive may be there., but the evidence just isn’t , he thought.
So, where does that leave Moira? he wondered. He had to admit to himself that with the Devou sister out of the picture, the evidence just kept pointing back to his client. He made a mental list: the bowl of poisoned soup from her deli, her declining business, her lack of alibi for Saturday—although Moira’s alibi for Friday was strong, David wished she’d gone out with friends on Saturday… it just didn’t look good She was in the deli almost every day, and wouldn’t have had to pay for the soup, which meant there would be no paper trail. And even though she and Henry Devou had been competitors, he would have known her well enough to answer the door if she knocked. From what he had seen of Moira, she was smart enough to trick the man into eating the soup somehow.
There were two things that didn’t make sense to him. If Moira had committed the crime, why had she left so much evidence behind? She must have known that the police would be able to track the to-go bowl back to her; it had her deli’s logo on it, after all. And if his client was guilty, then why had she hired him?
He knew that his little business had a good reputation; he wasn’t some hack investigator trying to make an easy buck. No, he was a professional, and his track record showed it. He also knew that his services didn’t come cheaply. Why would she pay to have someone prove that she was guilty?
Maybe he was overthinking things. His first mentor had always told him that the simplest explanation was usually the right one. Chances were, there wasn’t some big conspiracy to make Moira look guilty. If he were to think about this case logically, then the answer was obvious; the deli owner was the murderer. But for some reason, his gut still told him that she was innocent. If Moira didn’t poison the soup, then who did? Suddenly the answer was right in front of him, so obvious that he didn’t understand how he hadn’t seen it before. Someone at the deli had killed Henry Devou, but it wasn’t Moira. There was someone else that had a motive to kill Henry, someone that he had overlooked so far. Someone that Moira trusted and confided in… someone that had been doing their hardest to pin the crime on someone else. David grabbed his overcoat and keys and rushed out of his office.
CHAPTER 17
Moira carefully wrapped the deadly little plant back up in the bag and slipped it into her pocket. Her new soup could wait; right now she had to find a murderer and clear her name.
“Darrin, something came up. Can you handle the store on your own for a few hours?” she asked as she strode out of the kitchen.
“Sure, Ms. D. Not a problem, it’s not like we’re busy right now.” He looked at her with concern on his face. “Is everything alright?”
“Not yet, but it will be,” she said grimly. “You just hold tight. I’ll explain everything later.”
Moira got into her car before taking out her cell phone and dialing David Morris’s number. She tapped the steering wheel impatiently as it rang. When the call went
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