Murder Uncorked (15 page)

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Authors: Michele Scott

BOOK: Murder Uncorked
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“That’s okay, Tara. I’ll be doing that later on this evening. Have you met Nikki Sands?”
The woman stuck out her hand. “Nice to meet you, darling. I’m Tara Beckenroe,
Winemaker Magazine
. And what did you say you do?”
“I didn’t.” Her name clicked in Nikki’s mind as she recalled the picture Derek had shown her the evening before.
This was one of the women Gabriel had been seeing
. No wonder he’d rid himself of this one. And now it looked as though Tara was gunning for Derek.
“Of course, darling. Would you be a dear and grab me one of the Merlot? It’s absolutely divine.” She ran her tongue across her lips and took Derek’s hand, and held it tightly in hers. He turned bright red.
“Certainly,” Nikki replied.
Derek grabbed her by the arm as she stood up. “No, you don’t have to do that. I can go, or one of the servers should be out in a minute.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Nikki touched his shoulder and caught Tara’s gaze. “I need to visit the rest room anyway.”
“Thanks. You’re such a dear.”
She overheard Tara comment as she walked away, “My, she’s a cutie pie.” Nikki winced.
She did have to go to the rest room, that wasn’t a lie, but she also needed some fresh air. She didn’t think the vulture was going to remove her talons and fly away anytime soon.
Nikki stepped into the house. Most of the guests had migrated outside and were enjoying the band and the festivities. She grabbed a glass of water to clear her mind a bit, and headed up the spiral staircase after looking around to make sure no one was watching.
The upstairs was in as much need of a good decorator as the downstairs. She peeked inside one of the bedrooms. Ooh, scary. She shut the door. The burgundy and hunter green colors had migrated their way upstairs as well, and in this room, they came in the form of puff valance window treatments.
She moved down a long hallway, lit by candlelight, which gave it the feeling of a haunted house. Nikki wanted to get a good picture of this loony bin, if she was going to be spending her nights here. The classical music, piped through the house, mixed with the muffled band music and voices through the open French doors.
Nikki couldn’t help reflecting upon everything that Minnie Lark had told her earlier. She and Gabriel had been lovers? That being the case, why did she mention Tara or Meredith? Current girlfriends usually didn’t like to freely bring up past bedmates of their boyfriends. And why tell Nikki about them, especially Meredith? If they truly had been left in the past, which Nikki doubted from all accounts she’d heard in regard to Gabriel and his passion for women.
Minnie was sweet but different. Maybe she was simply trusting and needed a shoulder to cry on. After all, love was a funny emotion, and women have put up with worse things than a philandering lover. Nikki could kind of understand Minnie telling her about Andrés. He did fit in the suspect category as far as she was concerned, and even though he and Minnie were friends, Nikki was pretty sure that Minnie felt the same way. Nikki had gotten the feeling that was something the woman really did want to get off her chest. Maybe Minnie did feel a certain comfort level with her, and that was why she’d divulged as much as she had. Or maybe she suspected one of the other women who’d been in Gabriel’s life at one time or another, and that’s why she’d let all their names come rolling so easily off her tongue.
What if the whole thing about Meredith and Gabriel
were
true, and she couldn’t blame Derek for believing that it wasn’t. Gabriel
had
been his best friend, but there were those best friends who back stabbed by sleeping with their pal’s spouse. Now, if Minnie were also sleeping with Gabriel, maybe she got a little jealous. Maybe Meredith and Gabriel had not been through playing house. Was it possible that Minnie could’ve murdered her lover?
This was getting out of control. The list of suspects was growing, and so were their motives.
Nikki wished she could pick up a phone and call Aunt Cara. Maybe she could. She did have a cell phone in her handbag. If Aunt Cara were somewhere in range, she knew she’d answer. But it was the middle of the night in Spain. The heck with it. Nikki had to take the chance. Cara would advise her, help her put this puzzle together. She also would probably tell her to get the hell out of there.
She walked all the way down the hall to the last door. The sound of a door closing from the other end of the hall caught her attention. She turned to see who it was, but there was no one there. A draft filled the hall. Just the wind.
Uneasily, Nikki decided to open the door to the room. It was unlocked. She stepped inside. The room hadn’t been used in years. It was enormous, dust-filled, and hadn’t been updated since disco was hot. The bed was a white wrought-iron queen-size, with a canopy covered in pink ruffles everywhere. It almost looked like a little girl’s room. A dark wood vanity table was over in the corner, with powders and silver brushes on top. Nikki moved toward it, hoping to find a phone there.
As she walked around the side of the bed to the vanity, a sickening surge struck her in the stomach, seeing that someone else had also wanted to use the phone in this room. Nikki quickly realized that Minnie Lark was not going to get that vacation she’d longed for in Tuscany, and she doubted she’d murdered Gabriel. Because there, on the floor by the side of the bed, lay Minnie with a spilled glass of red wine next to her and the phone cord wrapped around her neck.
Goat Cheese and Apple-Smoked Bacon Tart
The goat cheese and red onion tart with apple-smoked bacon is a good starter dish. Luckily, Nikki and Derek were able to finish theirs before they were so rudely interrupted by another kind of tart—that Tara Beckenroe—and just when things were starting to warm up between them. A nice wine to pair with the tart is Grgich Hills Chardonnay. The enticing aroma of this wine displays a subtle combination of varietal fruit and oak, followed by a cornucopia of delicate tropical fruit flavors such as pineapple, mango, and lemon. This recipe was so graciously passed on from Bob Hurley, owner of Hurley’s in Yountville.
TART DOUGH: 9-INCH TART PAN
1 cup all-purpose flour
1
⁄2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons cold sweet butter cut into small pieces
1
1
⁄2 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening
2
1
⁄2 to 3 tablespoons ice water
 
In a bowl combine flour, salt, butter, and shortening. Quickly work ingredients together with fingers until evenly mixed. Add 2
1
⁄2 tablespoons of water and gently work into the dough until it comes together. Form into a ball and let rest, covered in plastic wrap, in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a circle about
1
⁄8 inch thick. Place into tart pan, trim the edges leaving a 1 inch margin so that you can fold it under, and crimp edges.
Bake at 425°, using buttered foil and beans or pie weights to keep the crust from rising. Bake 8-10 minutes until the edges are set and slightly brown.
FILLING:
1 teaspoon cooking oil
5 ounces diced apple-smoked bacon
3 cups sliced red onions
1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme
1 whole egg
1 yolk
6 ounces Chevre-style goat cheese
1 pinch nutmeg
1 pinch salt
1 cup half-and-half
 
Cook bacon in 1 teaspoon oil until most of the fat has rendered. Pour off excess fat and add onions. Cook slowly until soft and translucent, add thyme.
Mix eggs with goat cheese, nutmeg, and salt until it has a smooth consistency. Add half-and-half slowly so as to prevent lumps, until it is all incorporated.
Spread bacon and onion mixture evenly throughout tart. Pour on the goat-cheese mixture and bake in at 350° until custard is set, about 35-40 minutes. Let cool to room temperature before serving.
Broiled Oysters with Jalapeño Pesto
There is a theory that oysters are an aphrodisiac. It really was too bad neither Nikki nor Derek got the chance to find out if the theory holds true.
However, if you want to give it a try, open a bottle of Napa Valley’s Cakebread Cellars Vin de Porche and see if Aphrodite’s charms go to work on you and your loved one. This wine has an inviting floral fragrance. On the palate, the overall impression is one of a smooth refreshing dryness with flavors that resemble a mix of fresh strawberries and cherries. This recipe serves 10, so you may want to invite some friends over. Don’t be surprised if they leave early. And, don’t be even more surprised if eight months later you’re asked for your oyster recipe to make for a baby shower or two.
 
1
⁄2 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves
1
⁄2 cup cilantro leaves chopped and pucked
2-3 jalapeño peppers
1
⁄4 cup plain dry bread crumbs
1
⁄4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1
⁄4 cup water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1
⁄2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
30 fresh oysters, shucked, shells reserved
 
Combine basil, cilantro, jalapeños, breadcrumbs, cheese,
1
⁄4 cup water, lemon juice, and garlic in processor. Blend until mixture is finely chopped. Add butter and process until smooth paste forms. Season pesto to taste with salt and pepper.
Preheat broiler. Arrange oysters in half shells on 2 large baking sheets. Top each oyster with 1
1
⁄2 teaspoons pesto. Working in batches, broil until pesto begins to brown, about 1
1
⁄2 minutes. Place 3 oysters on each plate and serve. Serves 10.
Chapter 10
What seemed like forever was really only a matter of a few minutes or so, from the time Nikki spotted Minnie’s body, to letting out a bloodcurdling scream that sent a few people dashing into the room. The next thing she knew her eyes were meeting Derek’s, whose jaw dropped open at the sight of Minnie. He looked at Nikki, and her hands began to shake. She could see it in Derek’s eyes, and knew he had the same thought in his mind that everyone else did who had come into the room—what the hell was she doing in there? Right now, she couldn’t find words to answer anyone. They weren’t asking it out loud—yet. But she knew that they would be.
The one person standing off in the corner actually looking rather smug was Tara. She gave Nikki a smarmy smile, or at least Nikki thought she did. In all the confusion, on top of the three glasses of wine she’d had, she knew she wasn’t thinking straight.
“Oh, my God, how did this happen?” Patrice yelled at no one in particular, her arms raised above her head and flailing around.
Before anyone could answer her, Chief Horn was herding people out of the room. Jeanine Wiley showed up after a few more minutes and followed the chief’s lead.
Derek grabbed Nikki by the arm. “Come on, they’ll definitely want to talk to you, but I’d like to speak with you first.”
Nikki didn’t care for the tone of his voice. He’d never sounded harsh before. He led her outside, where he passed by Simon, asking him to please let everyone else know that the party would be rescheduled, and to thank the guests for their contributions.
“Why me?” Simon asked. “Aren’t you the big man around here? Isn’t this your gig?”
Marco sidled up to Simon. “I am thinking it would be a good idea to listen to your brother,” he said sweetly.
Nikki couldn’t help wondering, by the look the two of them exchanged, what they had up their sleeves. She didn’t have time to think about it, since Derek tugged on her arm again. They walked out past the gazebo, into the rose garden, where they sat down on a bench away from the crowd and the chaos. Car headlights bounced off the nearby hill-sides, with people pulling out of the estate and down the road leading through the vineyard and back to the main highway.
Derek sat slumped over, his head in the palms of his hands, shaking his head. “I can’t believe this. I really can’t. Who is doing this, and why?”
She could hear the gravity in his voice and the distinct tone of sadness.
“What were you doing in that part of the house? I thought you were going to the rest room. Did you know that room had been my mother’s when she got sick?”

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