Deadly Offer (11 page)

“Christophe Barton.” He said it beautifully, and Darby nearly smiled. She had always loved the sound of the French language, so musical and lilting. It reminded her of her mother’s pronunciation of the various Julia Child recipes she’d prepared for the family when Darby was a child.
Potage Velouté aux Champignons. L’Omelette Brouillée. Pommes Normande en Belle Vue.
The list went on and on.

She relaxed her grip on the key.

“You’re the winemaker for this vineyard, right?”

“Estate manager,” he corrected. “I am also a winemaker, but here among the Contento family my duties are, shall we say, more varied.” He looked toward the driveway, noticing something that caused him to swear under his breath. “
Alors
. I must go.
Soyez prudent
, Darby Farr.” He whirled and walked rapidly away from Darby, back toward the production building.

She shrugged and turned to her car.
Soyez prudent.
Darby knew enough French to recall that the phrase meant “Be careful.” She climbed into the roadster. As a farewell, it was an odd thing to say
.

A huge tour bus rumbled by her car as she began easing out of Contento Vineyards. A figure along the roadside waved, motioning for her to stop.

“Hello, Darby,” Andrea Conteno panted. “I was going to call you. I’m just back from my walk, so forgive me if I huff and puff. Everything go okay with Margo?”

Darby nodded. “She seems to have thought of everything.”

Andrea chuckled. “Margo’s a master organizer, that’s for sure. Even when she was small, she would boss Tim around, telling him what games they could play, that sort of thing.” She gave a fond smile. “She was an adorable little girl. Very protective of her brother.”

“You’ve known the Contento family for quite some time, haven’t you?”

She nodded. “Whew! I’m still catching my breath.” She inhaled and exhaled. “That’s better. I came to work here right after I finished college. Guess I was, what, twenty-two at the time? The kids were eleven or twelve. I took care of them for a summer, and then my whole world changed.”

“How so?”

“I fell head-over-heels in love with Michael.” She looked wistfully at the hills and back at Darby. “I fell for him, and his whole life.” She spread her hands. “This place, the kids, the whole shebang. We married the next year, and I became Tim and Margo’s stepmother.”

“You were young to take on so much responsibility,” Darby commented.

“You think so? It was what I wanted, and I’ve never regretted a day of it.” She gave Darby a frank look. “I’ll be straight with you; I like to get what I want.”

“Does that include Carson Creek?”

She brushed her hair back from her eyes. “Yes, it does. I love that property, and I’ve always imagined it a part of all this. I begged Michael to purchase it years ago, when it was first for sale, before Selena came on the scene. But Michael can be stubborn, and it doesn’t help that he can’t stand Harrison. At any rate, he said no, and Selena showed up and bought it. Lo and behold, she and I became friends.”

Her eyes met Darby’s. “The day before she died, Selena called and told me she’d made a decision. She said she would sell Carson Creek to us for nine and half million dollars. She said she’d initially decided on another buyer, but that deal was off. Her terms were simple. All she wanted was for us to keep the Carson Creek label intact, and let Dan have free rein.” Andrea wore a wistful look. “I was overjoyed. I told her that she could continue to live at Carson Creek and asked our lawyer to look into setting up a life estate. It would have been ideal. Selena would stay in the farmhouse and she and Dan could keep on making wine as if nothing had changed.”

“Was Selena interested in that idea?”

“Oh yes. She recognized that it would have worked out perfectly for her.” Andrea sighed. “Michael and I can’t believe that she’s gone, and I miss her tremendously. But now it’s my duty to convince her brothers to carry out her wishes. She wanted us to have the property. Meanwhile, I will do what I can to help celebrate Selena’s shining but all-too-brief life.”

She wiped quickly at her eyes. “Excuse me, Darby. I’m going to go see how things look in the chapel. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She paused and offered a small smile. “Cool car.”

Darby thanked her and began the drive back to Carson Creek.

———

Carlos was outside smoking a cigarette when Darby drove up the drive to Carson Creek. He saw her and quickly stubbed it out, his face sheepish.

“Damn things. I quit for five years, and now they are all I can think about.” He swore under his breath, apologized, and then lowered his voice. “Rico’s a mess. He’s all nervous about those caves at the Contento place.”

“I know. It’s all straightened out—the reception will be in the tasting room instead. Shall I tell him?”

“That would be great. Think I’ll drive into town and get some of those nicotine patches, see if I can take my drugs that way.” His eyes darted back and forth. “Darby, I don’t think I can stay here much longer. I’m going crazy. I’m planning to rent a car and drive back to the city following Selena’s funeral.”

Darby nodded. “I understand. Perhaps we can sit down tonight and have one more talk about the sale of Carson Creek.”

“What’s there to say? I vote we sell it to Vivian. She’s the one my sister wanted.”

“Andrea Contento says Selena called her the day before she died and said she’d chosen Contento Vineyards as the buyer.”

He snorted. “Ha! She’s just saying that because she wants it.”

“Couldn’t Vivian be doing the same thing?”

He colored. “Not likely.” Once more his eyes darted back and forth. “I’ll tell you one thing: Vivian has got serious money behind her. I’m talking seriously
big
money.”

Darby raised her eyebrows. “How so?”

“She has a close family member who wants in on the vineyard, and this person is loaded.” He gave a smile of satisfaction. “As in mega-rich.”

“Why does that make her a better buyer than the Contentos?”

“It’s not just the money, it’s her story. She had cancer, you know?”

Darby told herself to stop asking questions of Carlos, who was obviously an emotional wreck, but she could not help herself. “Carlos, is something in it for you?”

His face darkened. “What the hell? Why in the world would you ask me that?”

“I’ve been at this business long enough to recognize when someone is hiding something.” She looked him in the eye. “What did Vivian promise you?”

Carlos balled his hands into fists. “You should stay out of this,” he glowered. “Maybe you should go back to Mission Beach and leave us alone.”

Darby felt her heart race as she watched Carlos jump into Selena’s truck and careen down the driveway.

“Where’s Carlos going?” ET asked, emerging from the farmhouse to the front stoop. The sound of squealing tires reverberated for several seconds.

“Into town,” Darby said, still pondering Carlos’ reaction. Why had he become so upset, so quickly? “I’m afraid he’s angry at me.” She turned to ET. “Are you sure you want me to help you with this sale? There are plenty of brokers here who could do a fine job. I’m happy to interview them.”

ET’s handsome face was troubled. “I trust you. Tell me, what happened?”

“We were discussing Vivian Allen. I think I may have crossed the line, but I feel like there is some reason why he’s determined that she should be the buyer.”

ET exhaled. “I share your sentiments, and I know my brother. There is something he is not telling us.”

The two entered the kitchen, both pondering Carlos’ strange actions. In the hallway, a door slammed and Dan Stewart strode into the kitchen. “Sorry to interrupt, but I thought you’d like to know that I was just with the local cops. They came by to take a look at the damage to the lines.”

“What did they say?” asked ET.

“They called it vandalism,” Dan explained “They said it was probably a couple of kids.”

“Vandalism? Did you tell them about the prior damage?”

“I did,” said Dan. “Of course, they said I should have reported those incidents at the time.” He shrugged. “Maybe I am making too much of it.”

Darby shook her head. “I don’t think so. But at least it’s on record now, in the event something else happens.”

ET shuddered. “What more could they do? They nearly ruined the entire grape harvest.”

Dan’s face was dark. “Believe me, if someone is trying to destroy Carson Creek, there are plenty more pranks they could pull.” He sucked in a breath. “Sorry for the doom and gloom. The good news is, the police will keep this quiet.”

“Good. What about the spray system? Will it function tonight?” Darby noticed the dark circles under Dan’s eyes. The poor man was working around the clock to single-handedly run the vineyard.

Dan nodded. “Yes. It should be fine. The day after tomorrow we’ll begin harvesting. The crews will arrive following Selena’s funeral and we’ll get started.” His eyes met ET’s. “I believe Selena’s spirit will be with us in the fields.”

ET nodded and left the kitchen, his face numb with grief.

Nine

Sophie Stewart flipped the
channels on the television, but nothing was catching her eye. Sunday afternoon, and she was bored. Very bored. A pile of homework was staring her in the face, but she wasn’t ready to tackle history, math, or vocabulary. She’d taken a walk down the road and back, hoping her father’s jeep would come around the bend, but she knew he was grocery shopping on his way home from Carson Creek, and would probably be awhile longer. She turned off the television.

She closed her eyes and pictured the tray of orange-capped pills she’d found in Selena Thompson’s bathroom. Why was it that Selena’s death would not leave her mind? Something about the way her father had found the body, and the way he had also found her mother, ten years earlier—something about the two tragedies had captured her imagination in what even she admitted was a macabre way. How horrible, to discover two bodies! Most people probably went their entire lives without seeing even one dead person, never mind stumbling across two.

She thought back to what she knew of her mother’s death. Very little, really. Her mom had some sort of illness and had died when she was four. The only memory she could recall was of a trip they had taken to an apple orchard. She remembered her mother hoisting her up high so she could pick a perfect red apple, then laughing and smiling as she took a greedy bite.

That must have been before she got sick,
Sophie thought.

She realized she had no idea how her mother had died. She couldn’t ask her father, not now, when he was dealing with so much. With sudden conviction she grabbed her cell phone. Grammy Kinney would know, and she wouldn’t mince words.

———

ET was alone in the kitchen when Darby reentered the house.

“Dr. Yang just phoned,” he said slowly.

Darby shivered involuntarily.
Now what?

“She did a routine check of my sister’s blood.” He swallowed. “I’m not sure what this means, but Selena had an elevated amount of one of her drugs in her system. Beta blockers.”

Darby’s heart seemed to skip a beat. Beta blockers were given to lower high blood pressure. Would ingesting too many have made sitting in the hot tub deadly? “Did Dr. Yang know why Selena had this elevated level?”

“No.” He turned an exhausted face toward her. “Do you think this could have contributed to her death?”

“I’m not a doctor, ET, but I do know that beta blockers and hot tubs are a dangerous combination. Both lower blood pressure to the point where a person can become unconscious.” She made her voice gentle. “Something caused your sister to slip underwater and drown. This could be the explanation.”

“But why would she have taken more than her prescribed dosage?” His voice was full of uncomprehending pain.

Darby gave him a hug. “I don’t know.” Her mind flashed to an unthinkable question that she could not quite bring herself to voice:
Had Selena Thompson been so ill that she’d taken an overdose of beta blockers deliberately?
Or,
she thought, as a darker, more insidious question formed in her brain,
had someone else given Selena the increased dose?

———

“Tell me again how you are related to Selena?” Detective Nardone, a petite woman with jet black hair streaked with gray and worn shoulder-length, sounded skeptical and bored. She raised her eyebrows and waited for Darby’s explanation.

“I’m no relation. One of her brothers is my friend, and I drove him up from San Diego.” She paused. “I know it sounds odd, but I’m wondering if perhaps Selena Thompson’s death was not an accident.”

The detective’s eyes narrowed. She picked up a pen. “Go on.”

“Her physician, Jenna Yang, said that there were elevated levels of a beta-blocking drug in Selena’s bloodstream. Now, Selena took beta blockers for her hypertension, and I did a little research. An elevated level could have caused her to become unconscious. I can’t help but wonder whether this overdose was accidental or deliberate, and if it was deliberate, could someone besides Selena herself have caused it.”

“You’re talking murder.” She tapped the pen on the desk. “But how?”

Darby held up a plastic bag with the Pinot Noir wine bottle. “It was Selena’s habit to have a glass of wine while she soaked in the hot tub.”

“Yes. A glass was found in the water alongside her body.”

“This was the only open bottle in Selena’s kitchen.” She handed the bag to Detective Nardone. “There’s something wrong with the taste.”

“How do you know?”

“Well, I’m no expert, but I put a small amount on my finger and tried it, as did Dan Stewart, the vineyard’s winemaker.”

“And you both thought it tasted odd?”

Darby nodded. She felt sure the detective would dismiss her musings as ridiculous, but to her surprise the petite black-haired officer considered her words, scrutinizing the bottle through the plastic bag. “I’ll have the liquid analyzed today. Fingerprints are probably out of the question, but if need be, we can try that, too.” She tapped the pen against her lips. “Are you aware that we were at Carson Creek just a few hours ago?” She glanced at a notebook on the corner of her desk. “Vandalism of the vineyard’s spray system.”

“Yes. I believe Dan Stewart told you there were other incidences?”

“Correct.” Detective Nardone’s eyes flashed. “So we may have a poisoned wine ingested by the victim while in the hot tub. Have I got it right?”

Darby nodded. Did Detective Nardone actually believe her suspicions, or was she merely being tactful?

The detective rose from her desk. “Thank you for coming in. We may have something here.”

Darby tried to conceal her surprise but the detective was too quick.

“No need to look surprised, Ms. Farr.” Her eyebrows were arched, her face bemused. “I’m a homicide detective, have been for nearly twenty years.” She held up the plastic bag and cocked her head. “This is the kind of stuff I live for.”

———

On the way back to Carson Creek, Darby stopped at a little clothing boutique in Wyattville. Other than the black slacks she was wearing, she had nothing suitable for Selena’s funeral the following day. She flipped through the racks of skirts and dresses, finally finding a simple black linen shirtdress. It was more casual than Darby preferred, but under the circumstances, it would have to do.

Moments later, she paid for the dress, a few pairs of underwear, and some stockings. As she exited the boutique, she caught a glimpse of dark-haired Christophe Barton disappearing into the adjacent hardware store.

———

Back at Carson Creek, Darby had barely emerged from her Karmann Ghia when ET burst through the farmhouse door. “A detective is coming over,” he panted. “I’ve called Carlos and he’s on his way.”

The sound of tires crunching on the pebbled drive signaled his brother’s arrival in Selena’s Subaru truck. “What is it? Has the family arrived?”

“They called and are nearly here,” ET explained. “This is something else. A detective from the police station is on the way to speak with us.”

Carlos looked from ET to Darby. “About the cut sprinkler lines?”

ET shrugged. “I do not know.”

“I just came from the station,” Darby said. “I told the detective about the elevated levels of beta blockers in your sister’s system. I thought it was important that the police know that.”

“But why?” Carlos frowned. “I hate dealing with police. They are always so obnoxious, throwing their weight around and trying to intimidate.” He scowled as an unmarked police car rounded the bend and parked. “You watch, the guy will get out with his sunglasses on. It’s all about the power trip.”

Detective Nardone emerged from the car, her trim form in tailored lightweight wool pants and a short jacket. She walked toward them and shook hands with ET and Carlos.

“I’m Detective Nancy Nardone,” she said. “Sorry to trouble you on a Sunday. May I go inside?”

“Wait a minute, wait a minute.” Carlos ran a hand through his bushy dark hair. “We’ve got our sister’s funeral, our family coming into town …” ET gave him a sharp look, but Carlos continued. “We don’t have time to talk about the sprinkler lines …”

She raised a hand, cutting him off midsentence. “This isn’t about the sprinkler lines, sir. I’m here to talk about your sister’s death.”

“What do you mean?” ET’s voice had a dangerous edge to it.

“The bottle of wine your sister was drinking the day she died,” began Detective Nardone, looking into his face, and then shifting her gaze back toward Carlos. “I just ran some tests on the contents of that bottle and found high amounts of metoprolol.”

ET raised his hands in disbelief. “Metoprolol?”

“It’s a common beta blocker, possibly the same one your sister was taking as prescribed by her physician.” She pursed her lips. “This chemical was finely ground and added to the wine in the bottle, and I’m betting that happened without Selena’s knowledge.”

“Detective, what are you saying?” Carlos looked like he was on the verge of tears.

Her voice was hard. “I’m saying that your sister may have been murdered.”

———

After showing Detective Nardone where the bottle had been located, ET and Carlos announced they were leaving to meet various relatives and have dinner with them in Wyattville.

“Don’t bring anyone back here,” Nancy Nardone warned. “This house is now a potential crime scene.”

They nodded numbly. Minutes later Darby heard them start the truck’s engine and drive away.

“Tell me again about the bottle,” Detective Nardone ordered. “Where exactly did you first see it?”

Darby pointed to a spot on the counter.

“Do you remember anyone touching it the night Selena died? When you were gathered in here?”

Darby shook her head. “I remember noticing it there because it was empty. I thought it was odd that an empty bottle with a stopper in it was sitting on the counter.”

“Did you notice that it was empty before or after people came?”

“I noticed it as soon as I came into the kitchen.”

“Who was here at that time?”

“Dan Stewart, and his daughter, Sophie.” She realized the detective was trying to determine if anyone else had compromised the bottle or its contents in the time between Selena’s pouring the fatal glass and Sophie’s removal of the bottle from the kitchen.

“I’ll need to speak with Dan and Sophie,” said Detective Nar
done. She glanced at a chunky watch with a black band on her forearm. “I think I’ll head to their house right now. I’m also sending up an evidence guy. We’re several days too late, but who knows.”

Darby followed the detective to the front door. “Tomorrow is Selena’s funeral. It’s too bad this all came out now.”

Detective Nardone’s voice was brisk. “That’s not the way I look at it. I wish you’d tasted the damn wine the minute you walked in the door.”

She said goodnight and Darby watched her drive down the road.

———

Sophie Stewart opened the door and allowed Detective Nancy Nardone to enter. “I’ll get my dad,” she offered, wondering if a gun was concealed beneath the woman’s fitted jacket.

Dan Stewart heard their voices and came out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on a dish towel. He shook hands with the detective and motioned for her to sit down. Sophie took a seat as well. She was waiting for a friend’s mom to pick her up for the movies, but this little interview with a real live detective would give her a great story to tell the other kids.

“I’m sorry to bother you at this hour of the night,” Detective Nardone began. She was perched on the edge of a faded, slip covered chair, her posture incredibly straight. “I’m here because some evidence has come to light that impacts Selena Thompson’s death, and I need to ask you both a few questions.”

Dan nodded. “Sure. How can we help?”

Detective Nardone turned her attention to him. “You were the one who found Selena Thompson’s body. I want you to think back to that morning. Was there anything out of the ordinary at Carson Creek?”

Dan ran through the sequence of events in his mind. The realization that there was no coffee, followed by the awareness of Selena’s absence. The annoying behavior of the cat, along with the discovery of his “accident” in Selena’s bedroom …

“Jasper,” he said. “I realized that Jasper had been closed up in the house.”

“Jasper?”

“He’s Selena’s cat,” Sophie interjected. “And he’s an outdoor cat. He comes in to visit, but he likes to live outside.”

Dan nodded. “The cat had been closed inside and was anxious to get fed and go out.” He grimaced. “I cleaned up a little accident he’d had in Selena’s bedroom.”

The detective thought a moment. “Okay, what else?”

Dan recalled his dash to the office, his search of the pool, and then the spotting of the striped towel. He shuddered.

“What is it?” Nancy Nardone was watching him intently.

“I was remembering seeing her body,” he whispered. “The tip of her braid was floating up at the surface.”

“Did you see anything else?”

He shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

She nodded. “Now let’s talk about that night, when people were coming over to pay their respects, and Selena’s brothers arrived. Sophie, you were helping your dad in the farmhouse, right?”

She nodded. “I set out the drinks and sandwich stuff in the dining room.”

“Good. Now, when you were in the kitchen, did you see a bottle of wine on the counter?”

“I saw an empty one.”

“Tell me about it.”

“It was on the counter with nothing except just maybe a tiny, tiny, bit of wine inside. It had a green glass ball on the top, attached to a cork.”

“Excellent. Now that was the same bottle you took to the barn?”

She nodded, looking sheepish. “I didn’t know it would turn out to be important.”

“I know.” The detective gave a little smile. “When did you take it?”

“While people were talking. I brought it into the barn and hid it in a corner.”

“How did you know it was the bottle of wine Selena had been drinking?”

“It was the only bottle in her whole kitchen.”

Dan cleared his throat. “Selena only drank a glass of wine a day. She always had a bottle on the counter with a decorative stopper stuck inside. She just didn’t drink that much.”