Grilled Rye Murder: Book 16 in The Darling Deli Series Read Online Free

silent…”
    The deli owner went limp with disbelief as the detective turned her around, pulled her wrists together, and tightened a cold pair of handcuffs around them.
     

CHAPTER FOUR
    Moira sat on the corner of the thin mattress in the holding cell, staring blankly at one of the white walls. Everything in the cell was white, from the plastic-lined sheets on the mattress, to the painted iron bars, to the tile floor. Only the small sink and toilet in the opposite corner stood out; they were a gleaming, cold stainless steel.
    What am I doing here? she thought for the thousandth time that night. She had sat in stunned silence in the back of the police cruiser that drove her from Zander’s farm, certain that at any moment the officer would realize that her arrest had been nothing but a horrible mistake. Certainly she hadn’t expected to be processed and locked in a holding cell in Maple Creek’s tiny police station.
    At least they let me call David and Candice. Her only experience with jail up to this point had been what she’d seen on television crime shows. She had been surprised that she was allowed to make several calls, and even more surprised when an officer whom she didn’t recognize had brought her a bag of fast food a few hours later.
    She had been treated well enough, but that didn’t change the frustrating fact that no one had actually told her anything useful about when she might be able to get out. She hadn’t heard back from David, who had promised to get in touch with Detective Jefferson and explain the situation to him, and when Detective Wilson stopped by a few hours before, she had done nothing but ask Moira a few basic questions, like what she had done earlier that morning and if she had an alibi.
    “I can’t believe I’m going to spend the night in a jail cell,” she muttered, staring up at the small window set high into the wall of the cell. Her cell phone had been taken from her when she was processed, so she had no way to tell the time, but it was dark out. I must have been here for at least twelve hours already. Spending another twelve there was a sobering thought, but until she heard back from David, there was nothing she could do.
    The deli owner lay down on the bumpy mattress and pulled the scratchy blanket over herself. The lights in the cell were off, but the hall lights were on, and they were bright enough that it would be hard to sleep. Wide-awake and worried, Moira lay there for hours until she finally sank into a dreamless slumber.
    A loud clang awoke her a few hours later. The sun had risen, but her sleep had been poor, and she felt groggy. It took her a moment to remember where she was, then it all came back to her at once. Zander was dead… and Detective Wilson thought that she had killed him.
    Another clang made her jump, and she sat bolt upright in bed. The sound of people talking could be heard beyond the doors to the holding cell area. Someone was coming.
    Feeling a sudden surge of hope, Moira leapt off the bed. Was that David’s voice?
    Sure enough, moments later the private investigator walked in. He was followed closely by Detective Jefferson, Moira’s friend and the senior detective at the Maple Creek police station.
    “Oh my goodness,” she said, rushing up to the bars. “I’m so glad to see you two.”
    David came forward and took her hand as Detective Jefferson approached to unlock the cell door.
    “How are you holding up?” her fiancé asked her, his gaze searching her face. She knew he wasn’t asking just about her overnight stay in the holding cell, but about Zander’s death as well. He knew the two of them had been friends.
    “I still can’t believe it… none of this feels real to me,” she said. She glanced over at the police detective. “What’s going on? Am I being released?”
    “That’s… complicated,” David told her. “We’ll go over it somewhere more comfortable, though.” His face full of concern, he gave her hand a reassuring