Spicy Lasagna Murder: Book 13 in The Darling Deli Series Read Online Free Page B

she said. “I think, not sure, but I think that Franks was one of his main competitors.” She gasped and cried a little in pain. “Detective, I thought I saw two men fighting right ’fore I ran into the barn. Do you think Franks could have attacked Samwell, and they knocked over something while— struggling?”
    “It’s a possibility,” he told her. “We will definitely be looking into all possible causes for the fire. Now, you sleep. I have a feeling you’re going to need the rest.”
    The detective left, and David came back in to sit by Moira, who was beginning to feel tired. I wonder, she thought as her eyelids grew heavy, who the third person was?
     

CHAPTER FIVE
    Safely back at home the next day, Moira was miserable. The happy, floaty feeling she’d had with the anesthesia and pain meds had gone. Her throat ached, her voice was hoarse, her arm was throbbing with pain inside the cast—already itchy and uncomfortable—and the skin of her face felt tight and raw, as if she had a bad sunburn. Her bruised shoulder didn’t help matters either, and no matter how many times she washed her hair—a real hassle due to the cast—she couldn’t get the acrid scent of smoke out of it.
    On doctor’s orders, she was to spend at least a few days recovering before she went back to work. She had objected, horrified at the thought of sitting around her house alone and in pain all day, but even she had to admit she was in no state to be working around food. She was still getting used to the painkillers she’d been prescribed, which eased her sharp headache and the lessened pain in her arm, but made her feel drowsy and lightheaded.
    She was able to stay awake about twenty minutes of every hour, and she couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened in the barn. Those poor men. How had they gotten caught in the blaze? Why hadn’t they gotten out as soon as they’d seen the fire get out of control? And what had happened to the third person? Had he somehow escaped the blaze? If so, was he another victim, or had he had a darker purpose in that building?
    She knew that Detective Jefferson likely hadn’t had any evidence pointing either way when they spoke yesterday, but she thought that his questions implied that the fire was more likely arson than a simple accident. Why else would he have wanted such a complete story? The thought of arson made her angry—she knew firsthand what it was like to lose everything in a fire. How could anyone do that to another human being? At least when her house had burned down, she and Candice had both been elsewhere and Maverick had gotten out safely.
    The deli owner coughed, the pain in her throat bringing tears to her eyes. She knew from what the doctor had said that the heat and smoke had caused fluid to build up in her lungs, and coughing was her body’s way of trying to get it out. Knowing that didn’t make the process any more comfortable, though.
    At least the dogs seemed to understand that she was hurt. They were unusually subdued today, possibly uncomfortable around her because of the sharp smell of smoke that had followed her home. She was beyond grateful to Candice for stopping by last night to feed them and let them outside while she was in the hospital. Her daughter had stayed to visit her afterward, and Moira was finally able to express the guilt that she felt at the thought of the two dead men.
    Now she was home alone, in pain, and, well, bored. She had tried her hand at cooking, but it was just too difficult to do anything more than put a frozen dinner in the oven when she could only use her left hand. Plus, she didn’t have anything in her freezer that looked like it might be worth eating. Getting dressed this morning had been enough of an adventure; she certainly wasn’t confident enough to try to use a knife yet. At least she had the solace of knowing that David was coming over soon, and he had promised to bring her some of her favorite Chinese takeout.
    “Come on,