Thai Coconut Murder: Book 6 in The Darling Deli Series Read Online Free PDF Page A

haven’t heard,” he said. “Another buddy of mine thinks that Henry must have fallen through the ice during ice fishing season, but I just don’t think he would make a mistake like that. He was always careful, and took his time to do things thoroughly.” He sighed. “The coroner must have ruled it an accident, though, since they’re releasing the body for burial.”
    “I’m sure that the coroner knows what he’s doing,” she replied, trying to be reassuring. “Sometimes things just happen, and it’s not anyone’s fault.” Does David think his friend’s death might not have been an accident? she wondered. Who on earth could kill a defenseless old man?
    “ I hope you’re right.” He frowned down at his soup, and Moira knew that he didn’t quite believe her. “Thanks for hearing me out. Sorry I’m so down today. You’d think, with my job, I’d be used to it, but it’s harder when it’s someone you know.”
    “Of course it is,” she agreed. She had never told David about her parents, and now probably wasn’t the best time, but she did know what it felt like to lose someone close to you suddenly. “I think I’m going to stop by the toy store in a day or two to see if his granddaughter needs anything. I should tell Candice, too—she lives right above the toy store, and I’m sure she’ll hear about it eventually.”
    “I feel bad about that too,” he admitted. “I’m the one that showed her the toy store, and now it looks like it’s going to be a while before she can rent it, and that’s if the granddaughter does end up deciding to sell it.”
    “I’m sure she’ll understand.” Even though she would never say it, she couldn’t help feeling a pang at how unfair it was to her daughter. The hard-working young woman had everything prepared to dive into the world of small business, other than one small roadblock—she had yet to find a suitable building to buy or rent for the candy shop. The toy store would have been just perfect for her.
    David was subdued for the rest of their lunch, though Moira did eventually get him talking about happier subjects. When she told him about some of Maverick’s recent antics, he even started to smile. He liked the dog almost as much as she did, and she often wondered if David would have adopted him if she hadn’t wanted to.
    The spicy Thai coconut soup was delicious even though it had cooled off to near room temperature by the time they started eating it. The creamy, flavorful soup warmed her mouth as she ate it. It would almost have been too spicy, but the slightly sweet Asian milk bread and fresh, juicy sprouts helped to cool her mouth down. Cooking with new spices was always a learning opportunity for her, and she was pleasantly surprised by how well the fish sauce mixed with the other flavors. If I were to do anything differently , she thought , I would add just a little bit of soy sauce to the soup.
    She and David said their goodbyes once both of their bowls were scraped clean, and Moira made her way to the back with the dishes, where her daughter was on dishwashing duty at the expansive stainless steel sink. She wasn’t looking forward to telling the young woman the bad news, but it had to be done.
    “Wow, I feel so bad for his granddaughter,” Candice said when her mother was finished delivering the news of Henry’s death. “I bump into her a few times a week, and usually ask if she’s heard from her grandfather yet. I feel terrible now.”
    “Don’t worry, you couldn’t have known,” Moira said. “I just wanted to let you know what happened to him before you heard it from someone else. I know this will probably set your plans for the candy shop back quite a bit.”
    “I don’t want to even think about that right now,” her daughter admitted. “Is it all right if I leave a bit early today? I want to pick up some flowers for Alice and drop by to say I’m sorry about her grandfather, and then give Adrian a call and let him know what’s