Salami Murder: Book 8 in The Darling Deli Series by Patti Benning Page B

and was on the phone with the police that Moira began to realize that the ordeal was over. Her daughter was alive, and miraculously uninjured.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
    Life returned to normal for Moira quickly after her daughter was home. Candice, who continued to surprise her mother with her resilience and positive attitude, seemed determined not to let the kidnapping affect her journey towards independence. Moira was glad that her daughter hadn’t been too traumatized, but she found herself wishing that the young woman would reconsider living alone, at least for the time being. Moira encouraged her to at consider a roommate, if she wouldn’t move back in with her mother. She was disappointed but not surprised when her daughter refused. Candice had a stubborn streak a mile wide, not unlike her own.
    Ironically, Moira seemed more affected by the kidnapping than Candice had been. She was plagued by nightmares to the point where she let Maverick sleep on the bed with her, bad habits be darned. She believed that she had come close to losing her daughter for good, and moving on easily just wasn’t possible.
    “Detective Jefferson says Adrian is safely locked up, where he can’t hurt himself or anyone else,” David said, perching on the edge of his desk. It was another beautiful day in Lake Marion, but Moira was so sleep deprived that she hardly noticed it. Despite Maverick’s comforting furry presence, she couldn’t rest when her dreams were full of her daughter getting kidnapped over and over.
    “That’s good,” Moira said dully. “I really don’t think he meant to kill Matt.”
    “I don’t either, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t dangerous.”
    “Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad he’s in jail,” she told him. “He kidnapped my daughter. Not only that, but he cut her brake lines, which could have killed her and did injure her.”
    “But you still saved his life,” he said.
    “It was reflex,” she said. “I just saw him with the knife and tried to stop him.” She closed her eyes, trying to forget the hours of panic when her daughter had been missing. “I’m just glad all of this is over. Hopefully the candy shop can open successfully now. Plus, your clients are getting back all of the stuff he stole.”
    “Yeah, though I don’t know if I can accept any payment from them. After all, I’m not really the one who solved the case; you are.”
    “Accidentally. I didn’t know Adrian was responsible for the missing items or the bad luck that had been following Candice around. I thought he was just upset that she broke up with him.”
    “Well, luckily for both of you, he turned out to be a criminal with a conscience.” David shook his head. “You shouldn’t have confronted him alone. That could have ended very badly for everyone involved.”
    “I was wrong about Eli,” she said with a sigh. “I didn’t think the police would believe me crying wolf again. Besides, I figured if I was wrong, I wouldn’t be wasting their time. I didn’t want to do anything to distract them from finding Candice.”
    “I suppose it all worked out in the end.” He gave a wry laugh. “You should have seen the looks on the officer’s faces when they got the call from Candice and she told them that her mother had disarmed her kidnapper and rescued her.”
    “I was impressed by how well she held up,” Moira admitted. “She thought quickly and kept her mind clear the entire time.”
    “From what I’ve seen these past few months, those are good traits for someone who wants to survive in the food business.” He chuckled and stood up. “It’s time to get going. After all of this, I doubt you want to miss the grand opening.”
    The banner was up again, and bunches of pastel pink, blue, and green balloons were bobbing merrily in the slight breeze. Moira and David admired the sight, then walked around back where they found Candice waiting for them. Even though it had only been a few days since her ordeal, she looked bright