A Vintage Murder (24 page)

“Okay, I’ll play Nancy Drew with you. I think I’m just about tipsy enough.” Simon retrieved a second bottle of wine. “There is a hole where Andy is concerned. Why would he tell the cops that his suit had been moved and set on a different peg and then change his story to say that he must have been mistaken?”

“Good question. Why exactly.” Nikki took the refilled glass from him. “Thanks. Last one for me. I’m feeling it.” She took a sip. “That is a really good question. Maybe it was to deflect attention away from himself as a killer.”

“Huh?”

“Think about it. He tells this story about his suit before he even realizes that the cops have basically dismissed the entire thing as an accident. Maybe he was covering his butt before he even needed to. Once he realized that the cops were not handling this as a possible murder case, he sang a different tune.” Nikki theorized.

“Maybe, but I think Andy is really on the up-and-up,” Simon said.

Nikki shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve also wondered if security guard Will might have been dazzled—and seduced—by Lucy and then have turned on her. He may also know how to handle a snake. He grew up around here. They all seem to have antivenom or know how to treat a bite. What if Lucy did something to upset him after the fact? I already know she was teasing him at the bar and he left because Hannah told him Lucy was only putting him on. Actually, Hannah’s another one I’ve had some serious suspicions about. There’s something off about Hannah Hahndorf.”

“What about her?”

“Hannah has been friends with Will since they were kids. They all had drinks together the night that Lucy died. Johnny said that they crashed Grace’s car after being run off the road by someone else, which no one really believes. Hannah is also into zoology. She’s buddy-buddy with Andy. I saw a book in the den where she’d been reading when I was there earlier—on poisonous snakes.”

“Where are you going with this?”

“Okay, so if Hannah and Will are pals, and Hannah is friends with Andy, and Hannah wrecked her mom’s car while partying with Lucy and Johnny, and Grace had a conniption. Then, Lucy treated her friend Will like he was a piece of you know what. And finally, Lucy had been demeaning toward Andy and his animals, both of which Hannah loves. What if Hannah did away with Lucy? She has the know-how and the motive. Andy Burrow could be thinking the same thing, or maybe he even knows for sure, since Hannah had been with him the night Lucy died, checking on the animals. Maybe that’s why she was crying on his shoulder at Sarah Fritz’s place. He could be covering for Hannah because he cares for her on more than a friend level, or simply because of his ties to her family. But what I
can
for sure tell you is that when Hannah found out Lucy was dead, her reaction was strange.”

“Too much
Law & Order
, that’s your problem,” Simon said, slurring his words.

“No. I don’t think so. I think I am on to something. I believe that Hannah Hahndorf may have killed Lucy Swanson. Now I have to prove it.”

The next morning before six, Liam showed up with food and coffee. Simon had agreed to Nikki’s request for some space when she said that Liam was coming by and that she needed to speak with him. He’d gone for a walk to try and burn off the calories from the night before, although he wasn’t happy about having to rise at such an early hour.

After they’d stayed up talking, with Simon telling her repeatedly that her theories were out in left field and she should really concentrate on her film, she’d done exactly that and picked up the articles about Elizabeth. She’d read about Elizabeth’s contributions to the world of wildlife and what her ethics had been. It was interesting, but didn’t give Nikki much insight as to who she was. She’d also watched one of the documentaries that Kane had given her, about sharks. Elizabeth, an attractive woman, had been kind to all animals. She also appeared shy, almost childlike, but she had a quiet strength about her. Nikki could see why Elizabeth would have appealed to so many people. She hadn’t gotten all the way through the documentary because she’d grown tired and finally shut it off, vowing to watch all three that Kane had given her soon.

Liam knocked on the door after she’d showered, and she was relieved to see he’d shown up. She was nervous, too, but so far she’d found Liam Hahndorf open and generous. Although she knew it was a sensitive subject, she figured the best tactic to take would be to get right to the point. After she buttered a croissant he’d brought and took a sip of coffee, she sat down across from him.

“You have questions about Elizabeth?” he asked—again, that sadness in his eyes shone through.

“I do. You loved her.”

“Yes. I did. Very much. Elizabeth Wells was a wonderful woman.”

“I can tell by what I’ve read about her and by the script you wrote. I want to portray her as best I can. Can you give me some insight?”

“I’ve seen some of the dailies, and I’ve been on the set a few times during shooting and to be truthful, your portrayal of Elizabeth is astounding.”

“I didn’t know that you had been on the set.” She needed to start paying more attention. Both Liam and Grace had been around and she hadn’t noticed.

“I have, a couple of times, but it has also been painful for me.”

“You want this movie made, don’t you?”

“Of course I do. It’s important to me.”

Nikki nodded. “I get the feeling it is not as important to Grace.”

Liam didn’t reply. He held his stomach for a moment. Nikki noticed the color drain from his face.

“Liam? Are you okay?”

“I’m feeling a bit ill. Sorry. Excuse me.” He stood and went into the bathroom.

Nikki sat there, baffled. She was sure she heard him vomiting. Poor man. He came out a few minutes later, pale and sweating. “Sit down, please. Should I go and get Grace?”

“No. Please don’t. It’ll upset her. No, don’t do that.”

“Can I get you anything?”

“No. Sit down. I have to tell you something. It’s important that I tell you now. I didn’t want anyone to know. But for you, for the part you are playing as Elizabeth, it is important that I explain everything. But first you must promise me, you can’t tell anyone. Only a few people know, including Derek.”

“What does Derek know? What are you talking about?”

Tears filled Liam’s eyes. “He knows that I’m dying.”

Nikki was shaken by Liam’s story. “Cancer?” She had to repeat herself. “You’re sure.”

He smiled. “I’ve known for about a year. It’s my second bout with it, but this time it appears it’s going to get me.”

“Oh no. I’m so sorry, Liam.”

He explained to her that seven years earlier he’d been diagnosed with stomach cancer, then it had gone into remission. It was back now, and had spread to his liver and his bones. “I wrote Elizabeth’s story years ago. Remember how I’d told you that I’d been writing for a bit? Her story—your story now—is one of my first scripts, only meant for me. But learning that my demise was imminent, I dusted off the script and sent it to Kane, who had been involved with us on a documentary years back. I also sent it to Andy because of who he is, and because he also knew Elizabeth. She is one of the reasons Andy started his zoo. It was her passion for the animals that drew Andy in and, bless him, he has done wonders for the animal kingdom.”

“This tribute to her is because of your illness?”

“Kane doesn’t know and neither does Nathan. You and Derek know now, and of course Grace. We have not told Hannah.”

“Does Hannah know about you and Elizabeth? I mean the past?”

“I am sure she’s heard the rumors, but Hannah is a good girl and we have done what we could to shelter her. Her mother and I both told her that Elizabeth had only been a friend of ours, and that was it. I hope she is convinced, but I had to do this. You see, Nikki, when you’re dying you start thinking about all the mistakes you’ve made, the people you’ve hurt, and you realize that if you had to do it all over again you would do everything in your power never to hurt anyone again. Never say a harsh word. Never tell a lie or connive. You’d avoid all of that, if you could do it over again. It’s terribly tragic really that we don’t come to these conclusions in our youth, when we are so apt to hurt others.”

“So you think about these things and you want to make amends. My problem is, I have made too many mistakes and have too many amends to make.” He laughed, but his laughter was edged with sadness. “It may sound crazy but I feel this need to make amends with Elizabeth even though she is gone, and I also need to make amends with my wife. I am still stuck between the two.”

“I can see that.” She wasn’t sure she understood, but she could feel the man’s pain.

“It’s a long story. But basically I fell in love with Elizabeth. Grace fell in love with me. Both Elizabeth and I made mistakes. I made a bigger one, or at least I thought so at the time when I had an affair with Grace. It was a mistake because I blame myself for Elizabeth taking off on the trip by herself. The trip where she was killed. What isn’t a mistake is my daughter and, I can tell you, I am convinced now that my marriage is not a mistake either. For a long time I thought it was. I married Grace because of the pregnancy. For years there has been turmoil between us. My plan was to leave when Hannah was old enough. Then I got sick the first time and Grace was my savior. For the first time in our lives we became friends. She was with me night and day, researching the best doctors, best treatment, all of it, and I fell in love with her. I did. I love her so very much and I know making this movie about Elizabeth is upsetting her, and the only way I know how to make it up to her is to make the deal that I did with Derek.”

“What do you mean?” Nikki asked.

“We have money, yes. But I want to be assured that Grace and Hannah—and in the future Hannah’s children—will be taken care of. The deal with Derek and Malveaux Winery assures me of that. Grace is not a businessperson, and Hannah does not want this winery. She wants to go into zoology and she should, although we would rather she didn’t because of the dangers. Her mother is against it, but I am trying to convince her to let Hannah follow the path she chooses. The friction between them is making the two of them miserable. With Derek overseeing the wines coming into the States, those sales will be the big profit maker and my family will never have a care in the world. It’s all I know to do.

“Grace sees this movie as a competition between her and Elizabeth. It’s not. Elizabeth is my past, and I want her to be honored for the woman she was. I am not honoring her because she was my lover. That is what my wife does not understand.

“I have so many regrets, but the biggest one is that I looked back so many times in my life at what I missed instead of looking at what I had. If only I could make Grace see that she is the love of my life now. Our marriage and our child were never a mistake.”

Nikki smiled. “I think I know how you can help convince her you feel that way.”

“You do?”

“Yes.”