Tomato Basil Murder: Book 7 in The Darling Deli Series Read Online Free PDF Page B

happened?” she managed at last.
    “This is just what I’ve managed to gather from your daughter and the cleaning woman at the hotel,” he began. “I don’t have the full story yet. Both of them were distraught, and in no place mentally for questioning.” Moira nodded to show that she understood.
    “About an hour ago, Candice showed up at the hotel, worried because her father had been out of contact all day. Since it was past time for him to check out of his room, a hotel maid agreed to open the room up for your daughter and see if Mike had already packed up and left.” He paused. “From what she told me, up until this point your daughter’s biggest concern was that her father had left without saying goodbye. She was quite upset at the idea.” He paused, and Moira couldn’t help but feel her heart ache for her daughter. What did it say about the sort of father Mike had been that his daughter’s first thought had been that he had left without saying goodbye, not that he was hurt or in some sort of trouble?
    “Go on,” she said when he seemed reluctant to continue. “What happened?”
    “Well, they opened up the room and found his personal items strewn all over the place; they eventually spotted Mike’s body.” He grimaced. “I can’t tell you more than that, since it’s an ongoing investigation, but I’m sure your daughter will later. It wasn’t a pretty sight, and I wish she hadn’t been the one to find him.”
    “Me too,” Moira whispered, stunned. She had been expecting to hear that Mike had been in some sort of accident, not… this. Was it really possible that her ex-husband had been murdered?
    “What do you need us to do now?” she asked. “Do I have to… identify the body or anything?”
    “Your daughter already did that for us,” he told her reluctantly. “I would never have asked her to, but she insisted.” He sighed and looked away from her gaze. “I will need to ask you some questions, Moira. Routine, since you are his ex-wife. I’m sure you understand.”
    She did, but she wasn’t happy about it. All she wanted to do was comfort her daughter and try to wrap her head around the idea that the man to whom she’d been married for years was dead.
    It took almost another hour for her and Candice to finish things up at the police station. Her daughter would be spending the night at Moira’s apartment.
    Once they got inside, she let Candice get settled in the bedroom while she boiled water for tea. She quickly made up a tray of tea, cookies, and chocolate and carried it into the bedroom to give to her daughter.
    “Thanks, Mom. Can you just put it on the table?” Candice asked. “I don’t feel very good right now. I just want to sleep.”
    “Of course, sweetheart. Come on, Maverick, let’s go,” Moira said to the dog curled up next to Candice on the bed. He gave Moira a mournful look and low whine when she spoke, but didn’t move.
    “He can stay,” Candice said, reaching over to stroke the dog’s soft head. “I think he knows how miserable I am right now, and he just wants to keep me company.”
    “Okay, just let me know if he gets annoying. I usually make him sleep on the floor, since he snores and makes the whole bed shake when he chases things in his dreams.”
    She let herself out of the room and shut the door behind her, hoping her daughter knew that Moira would be more than happy to get anything in the world for her. What now? she thought. She couldn’t imagine focusing on a book or television show, but was still too shocked by everything that had happened even to think about calling her friends. Except David, she thought. David needs to know. If Mike had been murdered, maybe David could even be of some help in tracking down the culprit.
    Disappointed when she got his voice mail, she left a quick message explaining what had happened. She told him that she would pick him up at the airport tomorrow as she had promised then hung up. What will he think when he hears