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

them, but he was still the best at it.
    “No, but he left a recipe. It was Meg’s idea to add the bleu cheese, though. We saw that there was only a little bit left from when we made the sandwiches on the Fourth of July, so we decided to use it up,” Candice said.
    “Great call,” Moira said, turning to Meg. She gave the girl an appraising look. With any luck, she would turn out to be a natural chef. “Let me know if you have any more ideas. I’m always happy to hear suggestions.”
    She finished the quiche, which wasn’t quite big enough to be filling, but at least put something in her stomach other than caffeine-rich coffee. She didn’t need to eat big meals three times a day anyway. Since the extended hours had started, she had put on a few extra pounds. With less time to cook at home, she found herself often eating multiple meals at the deli every day, and she usually ate dinner one night a week at the Redwood Grill with either David or Candice, and would share a quick dessert with Denise if her friend had time. The extra food, combined with less time to go on walks, wasn’t doing her any favors. I’ll just have a salad for lunch, she promised herself.
    If only I had more free time, I would exercise more… maybe even join a gym , she told herself. But as things are now, I’m just to exhausted by the end of the day to think about eating right or going on a jog. Poor Maverick is lucky if he gets to do more than just go around the block with me when I get home. At least she had tomorrow off. She made a mental note to use the time to stock up on healthy food and take the German shepherd to the park for a game of fetch.
    Today, though, she had work to do. With only an hour until they were supposed to start serving lunch, she was already behind. She had a special dish planned for today, and was eager to see how her customers liked it—but first, she had to cook it.
    She heated a dutch oven and swirled a small amount of coconut oil around in it. Once the oil was melted, she added sliced mushrooms, red bell pepper, minced fresh ginger, fresh garlic cloves, and stalks of lemongrass. Soon exotic scents were swirling around the kitchen, and she thought that she might have to go back on the promise that she had made herself earlier. Maybe she would have a small bowl of this spicy Thai coconut soup alongside that salad.
    Once the vegetables began to cook, she poured in the chicken broth and coconut milk, and added a spoonful of chili paste for some kick. As that slowly heated up to a simmer, she dug around in the pantry for one of her more rarely used sauces. She found the fish sauce in the very back, against the wall. She wasn’t usually a fan of the odd-smelling liquid, but it would go perfectly with the Asian-themed soup. A quick dash of the sauce, a sprinkle of sugar, and the soup was finished.
    Not giving in to the temptation of sneaking a taste, Moira got to work on preparing ingredients for the sandwiches. The chicken breasts that she had cooked the night before came out of the refrigerator, and she took her time carefully carving thin slices from each one. Next, she made sure that the bean sprouts were washed, and in an easily accessible bowl in the front of the fridge. The sauce was easy—a simple mixture of fish sauce and chili paste, with just a dash of sugar. Hands on hips, the deli owner surveyed the kitchen, running through a mental checklist as she double-checked that everything was in easy reach for her employees. All she needed to do was slice the milk bread, and then her part of the food preparation would be done—from the busy sounds coming from the front of the deli, just in time, too.
    When she slipped through the swinging door from the kitchen to the main part of the deli, she was surprised to see David sitting at a table in the corner near the window. He was gazing outside, with dark circles under his eyes.
    “I was just coming back to tell you,” Meg said, following her gaze towards the private