Cold Cut Murder: Book Three in The Darling Deli Series Read Online Free PDF Page A

with.
    “I’m sorry,” he said. “Did you know him well?”
    “No, I’d only met him once before, actually.” She choked out a short laugh. “He was a food critic, and gave my deli a bad review last year. I’m sure once the police find that out, they’ll be all over me.”
    “Do you know how he died?” It was David’s nature to seek answers even to difficult questions, which was one of the reasons that he had been able to make a living as a private investigator. It wasn’t so bad to work all the time if you loved your job.
    “Not really. But there was a bloodstain on the front of his shirt. I think he might have been stabbed,” she told him. A quick glance around reassured her that Candice wasn’t back yet, so she continued. “He was just sitting in the chair, kind of slouched down, like someone had propped him up.” She imitated the corpse’s positioning. “I just can’t get over the fact that someone was in the deli, someone who killed a guy, and he could come back at any time.”
    “You really need security cameras. Or at least some sort of alarm system,” he pointed out. He paused, considering his next words carefully. He didn’t want to scare her, but he did want to let her know just how serious the situation was. “You should have something that will alert you if the doors are opened during the night. Right now, someone could break in when the deli is closed and hide out in the kitchen, and you wouldn’t know until it was too late.”
    “Don’t say that.” She shivered. “I already feel like I’ll never be comfortable again.”
    “Sorry,” he said. “I just don’t want to see you get hurt… or worse.”
    Candice returned at that moment, and conversation turned to her plans for the future. Before the two women left, he promised to stop by within the next few days to help her install some sort of security. He hated the thought of her involved with yet another crime, but he knew that there wasn’t anything he could do the keep her out of trouble; she had a nose for it.
    Moira got the all clear from Detective Jefferson on her drive back to Maple Creek, so the next morning she arrived at the deli even earlier than usual to clean up. She had been unable to get David’s words out of her head the entire night before, so she did a quick but thorough search of the kitchen to reassure herself that no one was hiding and ready to jump out at her.
    To her relief, there was no sign that a dead man had been sitting in the chair a day before, though the floor was a mess from all of the salt and snow that had been tracked in and melted. It took her nearly two hours to clean up, but when she was done, the deli was sparkling.
    Once the deli was back to normal, she breathed a sigh of relief and began pulling out the pots and pans that she would need to make the soups. She didn’t know how many customers she should be expecting today; last time someone’s death had been connected to the store, business had suffered terribly until she had cleared her name. Hopefully it wouldn’t be the same this time. She really needed the money to help Candice put down a deposit on a place for her candy shop and an apartment later in the year.
    She began by melting a stick of butter in a large Dutch oven, then she added sliced leeks, celery, and carrots. While the vegetables softened in the butter on low heat, she got started on the minestrone. Soon enough, the scents of garlic browning in olive oil and sizzling butter filled the kitchen. Deciding to make the most of her early morning, she turned on the radio and soon found herself humming along as she worked. The deli was hers and she refused to be scared while she was there. The front door was locked, and she had checked every nook and cranny of the kitchen; there was nothing to worry about.
    A blast of cold air made her spin around, and a jolt of adrenaline shot through her when she saw the side door that they used for deliveries open, and a tall man with a dark