Chicken Pesto Murder: Book 5 in The Darling Deli Series Read Online Free PDF Page A

the bad feeling from the night before. Her temper brightened only slightly when she saw David’s familiar black car pull into the parking lot.
    “How are you doing?” he asked as he walked into the store.
    “I’ve been better,” Moira admitted. “I just can’t stop thinking about what happened last night.”
    “Neither can I.” He paused, examining the selection of cheeses in the display case. His face showed that he was having some sort of internal battle, as if deciding whether to tell her something. After a moment he sighed and walked over to the register. He glanced around to make sure that there was no one in the front room of the deli but them, and then said, “If I tell you something, can you promise not to get yourself involved in whatever is going on?”
    “What’s going on?” she asked, attempting to avoid promising anything that she might come to regret.
    “Promise,” he insisted.
    “I can’t promise anything until you tell me what it is.” She gazed up at him, hoping that he would understand. He sighed and shook his head.
    “Fine, but don’t make me regret this.” He took a deep breath. “Detective Fitzgerald didn’t commit suicide. He was murdered.”
    “Oh my goodness, how do you know?” She grabbed the counter as shock rushed through her. Someone had killed the detective on the day he was supposed to retire? Who could do such a thing?
    “I stopped in at the Maple Creek police station to get a background check on someone for the case I’m working on,” he told her. “And I overheard the younger detective, Jefferson, talking about it with an officer. He said that Fitzgerald didn’t even have any pills in his stomach, but his body showed signs of suffocation. I’m guessing that they rushed the autopsy on him.”
    Moira shuddered, not wanting to think about the gory details. Then she began to think about what the news meant; someone had murdered the detective who had served the town for nearly over forty years. Once this became public news, there would be turmoil. No officer would rest until the murderer was found, and there would likely be a flood of false tips called in to the police station. She understood why David had hesitated to tell her; the police wouldn’t be happy if this information got out before they were ready.
    “I won’t tell anyone,” she promised. “I wouldn’t want to do anything to mess up their investigation.”
    “That’s good, but it’s not what I asked,” he said. “I don’t want you involved, period.”
    “What do you think I’m going to do?” she asked, somewhat miffed. “It’s not like I go looking for trouble. I don’t like being chased by murderers, or stumbling across dead bodies.”
    “I know.” David sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “It’s just that trouble seems to have a way of finding you.”
    “Well, I don’t see how I would get dragged into this case,” she said. “It has nothing to do with me, or the deli, or any of my employees.”
    “Good,” he said. “I hope it stays that way.”
    He still looked worried, so Moira decided to change the subject. She understood that he didn’t want her to be in danger, but it hurt that he thought that she would go looking for trouble. She had been cherishing the peace of the last couple of months, and besides, she would do anything to keep herself and her daughter away from whoever had killed Detective Fitzgerald.
    “Do you want a bowl of soup and a sandwich?” she asked him. She gestured to the blackboard where the day’s special was written. “It’s a new combo, and it’s been quite the hit so far.”
    “Sure.” He gave her a tired smile. “If you join me, we can talk about one of my new cases.”
    “It’s a deal.” She flashed him a grin, then pushed through the door to the kitchen to get their food.
    * * *
    “So, tell me about this case,” she said, taking a bite of her sandwich. The strong flavors of basil, Romano cheese, and pine nuts burst in her