Vail 02 - Crush (40 page)

Robby eyed her. “For someone who’s missed out on a vacation of wine tasting, you seem to have the lingo down.”

“I squeezed in some tasting here and there with Roxxann. While we were out investigating, of course.”

Robby grinned. “Of course.”

Their server, accompanied by an assistant, slid their dinner plates in front of them. “Is there anything else we can get for you?”

“We’re fine,” Robby said. “Thanks.” After the servers turned and left, Robby cut into his
côte de porc
—pork chop with caramelized onion sauce. “So, this case. Seems to me you’re still missing some information. Maybe you need to dig a little more. Maybe one of the victims that doesn’t seem to be connected to the AVA board is, in fact, connected somehow. A silent partner, someone pulling the strings behind
the scenes.” He dabbed at his mouth with the napkin. “Bottom line is, don’t press. You may not be as far from the answers as you think. When you find the missing information, things will quickly fall into place.”

Vail looked down at her wild mushroom pasta. “That’s always the case, though, isn’t it?” She shook her head. “This just feels different. I can’t put a finger on it.” Vail stuck her fork into the pasta and twirled it. “I’d better figure it out soon. Gifford’s sending me home tomorrow night.”

Robby sat back in mid-chew. “When were you going to tell me?”

“I—I guess I forgot. I’ve been kind of busy.”

“What are you going to do?”

Vail shrugged. “Haven’t thought that far. But just because he says I have to leave doesn’t mean I have to. We still have some vacation left.”

“Karen, be honest with yourself. If you’re still here, do you really think you can divorce yourself from this investigation and go driving around wine tasting and sightseeing with me?”

Vail chewed her food and swallowed before answering. In a low voice, she said, “No.”

Robby winked at her, then cut another slice of meat.

THE WAITRESS BROUGHT dessert menus and set them on the table. Robby caught her before she left. “I think we’re going to get something to go.”

“We are?” Vail said.

Robby nodded. “Yes, we are.” To the waitress, he said, “We’ll have the Montbriac. And the check.”

Vail looked at the menu for an explanation:
Creamy bleu cheese from the Auvergne region, served with a sundried fruit compote.

Robby handed the waitress his credit card. “Okay?” he asked Vail as the waitress collected the menus.

“Yeah, sure.”

Robby leaned forward and took her hand. “Do you trust me?”

Vail’s body tingled at the warmth of his touch. “Always.”

R
obby stopped at the door to their room. Key in hand, he turned and said, “Wait here.”

“Wait? For what?”

“You said you trusted me.”

“I do.”

Robby tilted his head. “Then wait here.” He slid the key into the lock, slipped into the room, and shut the door.

Vail stood there, hands on hips.
What the hell is he up to?
She grabbed the knob, then withdrew her hand. In the next instant, the door pulled open. A dozen candles flickered around the room’s periphery. They shimmered at the swoosh of air as Robby swung the door closed.

“What’s this?” Vail asked.

“I think it’s our room. Or did I take the wrong key?”

She gave him a mock punch in the shoulder. “I mean—”

“I know what you mean.” He opened the bag containing the dessert and set it out on the table. “You’ve been working hard and haven’t really had any time to just relax, clear your mind.”

“The massage and mud bath—”

“Shhh,” he said, then placed his fingers over her mouth. He removed her jacket and tossed it on the floor. Then he removed her blouse and carried her over to the bed.

The low-level, flickering yellow light from the candles provided barely enough illumination for her to see. He joined her on the bed, took the plastic spoon, and dipped it into the creamy cheese. Slathered
it on her stomach . . . followed by the fruit compote, which he drizzled on top.

She giggled.

“You don’t mind if I eat first, do you?”

She closed her eyes and relaxed . . . for the first time in days. “No, I don’t mind. I don’t mind at all.”

T
he morning came and Robby was lying on top of her—or, just about. They had fallen asleep, the candles had burnt out hours ago, and they hadn’t moved all night.

The room’s clock radio was on—probably set by the prior guest—and it was a good thing. She had not been in the state of mind to fiddle with it when she got into bed last night.

Vail gently rolled Robby over, slid off the bed, and shut the alarm. She would let him sleep in. She showered and dressed, gave Robby a kiss, and he stirred.

“I’ve gotta go. Roxxann is picking me up.”

“See you tonight.”

She winked. “Yes, you will.”

VAIL CLIMBED INTO DIXON’S CAR. Dixon shoved her key into the ignition and turned over the engine. “You know,” Dixon said, “it’s been kind of fun working with you on this case. That sounds bizarrely morose, but when this case is over, I’m going to miss partnering with you.”

“I feel the same way. But there’s something I forgot to tell you. My boss, he wanted me to come home tonight.”

Dixon, who had started backing out of her garage, stepped on the brake. “You—”

“Doesn’t matter. I’m not going. I’ve got the time. I’m still on vacation. I just won’t officially work the case. If push comes to shove, I’ll just be an observer following you around. Okay?”

“Works for me.” Dixon continued backing out, then headed toward 29. “So your boss. You gonna catch heat for this?”

“No doubt about it,” Vail said. “But I’ve had hotter.”

“You’ve . . . what? That doesn’t make sense.”

A few seconds passed. Vail giggled.

Dixon looked over at her. “You okay?”

“I’ve had hotter,” she repeated. “Last night, with Robby. Oh, my god. You wouldn’t believe—”

“You trying to make me jealous?”

“Sorry.” Vail tried to wipe the grin from her face—but Dixon started to laugh, and then they both lost it. Five days of pent-up stress tumbled out in a tsunami of laughter.

Vail rested her forehead on the dashboard as her body convulsed—and then she began coughing. As she fought for breath, Dixon’s phone began ringing.

Dixon cleared her throat to steady her voice, motioned to Vail to be quiet, then pressed the Bluetooth speaker to answer the call. “Dixon.”

“Investigator Dixon, this is Ian Wirth. You told me to call if I thought of something else.”

Vail and Dixon glanced at one another. Vail had to look away to avoid another laughing—and coughing—spasm.

“Absolutely.”

“Can I meet you somewhere? I’d rather talk in person.”

“How about at the sheriff’s department? Do you know where that is?”

“I do. I can be there in fifteen.”

VAIL AND DIXON ARRIVED a few minutes after Wirth, who was already inside, at the second floor rotunda, in front of the glass reception counter.

“Follow us,” Dixon said. She swiped her prox card, then pulled open the thick wood door. Dixon led the way to the break room, where Agbayani and Lugo were seated at a round table sipping cups of coffee.

Dixon nodded at them, then made introductions. “These detectives are on the task force, Ian. They can hear anything you have to say.”

He scanned their faces. “Are you sure?”

Dixon placed a hand on Wirth’s shoulder. “You’re comfortable with law enforcement. I trust these guys with my life.”

Wirth thought a moment, then took a seat. Dixon and Vail followed, filling out all the chairs at the table.

“Thanks for coming down, for calling us,” Vail said.

Wirth glanced again at Lugo and Agbayani, then said, in a low voice, “Isaac Jenkins was talking with an attorney. I don’t know if that’s relevant or not, but I just thought you should know.”

Vail and Dixon both leaned forward. “Isaac Jenkins?” Vail asked.

“Isaac Jenkins,” Lugo said. “He was the male vic—” He stopped himself and looked at Dixon.

“
Was
?” Wirth looked from Lugo to Dixon to Vail. “Is he dead? Another
stroke
?”

Vail ignored the question. “How do you know Isaac?”

“Isaac’s with Todd Nicholson. His partner.”

“His partner. In business?”

“Isaac and Todd are a . . . couple. But yes, they’re partners in business, too.”

Vail felt perspiration sprout across her forehead. They were onto something.
Just like Robby said last night . . . a connection we weren’t aware of.

“What business?” Dixon asked.

“Isaac’s the main investor in Georges Valley Reserve Select Wines. Todd’s very . . . agreeable. Isaac’s really the driving force behind Todd.”

Vail rubbed her forehead. “Okay, I’m not clear on a few things. Todd was against Superior getting the contract, right?”

“It was more that Isaac was against it. Todd voted the way Isaac wanted.”

“Why—wasn’t it Todd’s winery, too?”

“Todd loves the process, the challenge of growing quality grapes and turning them into reasonably priced, well-respected wine. That’s why he’s such a good winemaker. But he doesn’t know anything about
running a business. Isaac didn’t really care about wine. I mean, he likes it, but he’d just as soon buy it than grow it. But it was Todd’s dream, so Isaac, who’s independently wealthy, bankrolled it. And he couldn’t let Todd run the business, he’d drive it into the ground. So that was their arrangement. Todd knew how to make great wine. Isaac knew how to run a great business.”

“Would you excuse us for a minute?” Dixon asked Wirth.

He nodded and Agbayani, Lugo, Vail, and Dixon walked into the hallway.

“This info’s a game changer,” Agbayani said. “We now have three people on this winery board who were against Superior getting this contract renewal. Two of the three end up dead. Although it doesn’t explain the fact that our male vic, Isaac Jenkins, wasn’t on the board.”

Dixon shook her head. “Even though Todd Nicholson was the board member, it might as well have been Isaac Jenkins, because the person who was really calling the shots was Jenkins. So the killer knew this somehow and got rid of Jenkins to clear the way for Superior to get the contract.”

“Whoa,” Vail said, holding up a hand. “You’re jumping to conclusions. We don’t know that.”

“It does look kind of obvious,” Dixon said.

Vail rubbed a hand across her mouth. “No. I mean, yes, it looks obvious. But something’s not right. Something isn’t adding up.”

“What’s the huddle about?”

It was Brix, walking down the hall.

Dixon angled away from the doorway. In a low voice, she said, “We’re discussing some new info we got from a witness.” She canted her head, indicating Wirth sitting in the break room.