The Magic of a Billionaire

by Marie Higgins

  Gingerly, she touched a cluster of grapes. The skins on the berries were so soft and smooth. Her mouth watered, remembering what the wine from the restaurant had tasted like.

  “Did you know,” Thomas began, “that wine-making in California has been going on since the 1700s?”

  She looked at him, shaking her head. “That long?”

  “Missionaries from Spain brought vines with them in order to start their own vineyards.”

  “That is incredible.”

  He nodded. “Vineyards were nearly destroyed during the prohibition between the years 1920-1933, but the owners came back with full force.”

  She chuckled. “You sound as though you’re giving me a tour and history lesson.”

  “I am.” His grin stretched. “We have tours here all the time, and this is the information we give them.” He continued his stroll, moving toward his large house. “But did you know that California produces more wine than any of the other U.S. states?”

  “What about Arizona?”

  He shook his head. “Not as much as California, but it’s close.”

  “When do you start harvesting the grapes?”

  “About mid-September. Each year varies due to the rainfall, but we usually are in full harvest by October.”

  His face brightened as he talked about the vineyard. It was good to see he enjoyed this so much. “Thomas, will you be honest with me if I ask you about your cousin?”

  He nodded. “What do you want to know?”

  “How resentful were you when Aaron decided not to take over his grandfather’s vineyard?”

  Thomas stopped, folded his arms and looked up into the night sky. “That’s hard to answer. You see, I was happy working beside my father. Because of Aaron’s circumstances growing up, I knew he was Gramps’ favorite. I was used to seeing Gramps giving Aaron anything he wanted. When Aaron started messing around with magic tricks, I had a feeling he wouldn’t take his responsibility with the vineyard seriously. Mentally, I prepared for the day my grandfather would have me take over the Arizona vineyard since we’d all been helping Aaron clean up his mistakes along the way.” He sighed and continued walking. “Of course, I never once thought my cousin’s death would be why I would take over the vineyard.”

  Doubts filled Elizabeth’s mind and she frowned. She didn’t like his tone of voice when he’d said that they all cleaned up Aaron’s mistakes... In fact, it made Thomas sound bitter, even though his expression didn’t show it at all.

  “If Aaron were alive today,” she asked, touching Thomas’ arm to make him look at her, “do you think he’d want any part of the vineyard?”

  Thomas shrugged. “That’s hard to say. We all thought that his magic show was just a whim. He was very good, but whims like this phase-out over time. I figured it would pass soon enough and he’d want to take on his responsibility with the vineyard.”

  “I guess we’ll never know.”

  “Unfortunately, we won’t.” He moved beside her and slid his arm around her waist. “Now it’s my turn to ask you a question.”

  “Okay, I’m ready.” She smiled, hoping it was something she could answer.

  “If Aaron was alive today, which one of us would you like better?”

  Her heart dropped. That was not a question she wanted to answer. He’d been hurt by ZoAnn before. And Elizabeth didn’t know how he’d react with her confession.

  She swallowed hard. “That is an unfair question.”

  “It is?”

  “It would all depend on when I met you and under what circumstances. If I’d met Aaron first when he was alive, would his charm and melting smile have swept me off my feet?” She shrugged. “From what I’ve heard, he was a real lady’s man when he was alive.”

  “We were both that way.”

  “So then maybe I wouldn’t have liked either of you.” She pulled away and continued walking toward the main house.

  He laughed. “I can tell you that you’re the kind of girl I would have charmed.”

  “Oh, really? Why is that?”

  “Not only are you beautiful, but you’re charming and you love to laugh.”

  “But who knows what the circumstances would have been if we’d met under different events.”

  “True.” He nodded.

  They walked a little bit farther in silence. She was having a really hard time trying to discourage his attention. She liked him, but she didn’t want to like him until she knew for sure who’d killed Aaron. And as long as Aaron was in her life, she would never choose Thomas.

  “Thomas, this tour has been fun, but I’m tired. Do you mind if we head back?”

  “Not at all. I’ll call and get the plane ready.” He stepped away from her as he got on his phone.

  Discouraged, she frowned. Thomas seemed like a nice guy. Then again, so did Nolan. She hated to make anyone dislike her but, for now, her main focus was on Aaron and finding his killer... and being with him as much as she could before he passed over.

  AARON TIGHTENED HIS fingers around the handle of the knife. He clenched his teeth, saying a silent prayer that he’d have the energy to get this man out of his house.

  The moment the man knocked against Aaron’s legs, his body stiffened and slowly he turned around. When the intruder noticed Aaron, he jumped and fell on his butt, looking up with wide, frightened eyes.

  “Wh – who are you?” the man asked with a shaky voice.

  “Actually, the question should be who are you and how did you get a key to this house?”

  “I... I...” The man scooted back, using his hands and feet to push him. “I was paid to get the props from the basement.”

  Aaron scowled, stepping forward to keep pace with the man’s backpedaling. “Someone paid you to steal from me?”

  The man’s head bobbed.

  “Why? To sell my special props?” Aaron demanded.

  “No... to use them.”

  Aaron growled and grasped the ski mask, pulling it off his head. The last time the intruder had been there, Aaron had wondered if he could’ve been Sam. This was definitely not Sam, but Aaron didn’t recognize him, either, which added to his frustration.

  Aaron threw the mask in the thief’s lap and leaned down close, looking him in the eyes. “Who paid you?”

  The intruder closed his eyes and shook his head. His body trembled. “Y-you’re not real. There is no such thing as a g-ghost.”

  Aaron set the knife on the counter. He’d had enough of this imbecile. Knowing this thief wouldn’t be a threat, Aaron grasped his shirt with both hands and jerked him up to a standing position. The action weakened Aaron a bit, but his resolve continued to drive him forward. This idiot must be thrown out.

  The man gasped and tugged on Aaron’s hand, trying to remove them from his shirt, but Aaron held strong. He had a point to make, and this time there would be no doubt that this was his house and his things, and the man had no business coming here.

  “I’m not real?” Aaron cackled evilly. “Are you sure about that?”

  “You’re n-n-not Aaron Powers. I watched you die.”

  Aaron arched an eyebrow. Considering he technically died in the hospital room, how could this stranger admit to watching him die? Had he been in the crowd at that fateful performance? “If you watched me die, why do you doubt my ghostly existence?”

  “Because I don’t believe in ghosts!”

  The man struggled against Aaron, but he continued to hold strong. “Tell me who paid you to do this.”

  “Please, let me go!” The intruder tried to pry Aaron’s fingers loose.

  “Not until you give me a name.”

  The man shoved Aaron aside, roughly, and he slipped out of Aaron’s grasp. With the contact broken between them, the man rushed out of the kitchen. Aaron hurried after him, fighting to keep his energy. Deep in his gut, he felt it slowly fading.

  The thief pushed planters, tables, and small statues in Aaron’s way, slowing him down. One statue fell over and broke. Anger fueled Aaron�
��s temper and he pursued faster.

  Making it to the front door, the man shoved another small table in Aaron’s way. The planter on top fell to the ground, spilling dirt all over the tiled floor. Aaron skidded, nearly losing his balance, and felt himself weakening. No! He couldn’t let the man get away.

  The intruder darted outside into the dark. Aaron kept after him, cursing under his breath. He needed more energy, but he had to make do with what little he had left.

  Using all the strength he could muster, he broke into a full sprint and launched himself through the air, tackling the thief to the ground. They both rolled for a moment and the man struggled, but Aaron managed to pin him down, clamping his fingers around the man’s wrists.

  “Give me a name,” Aaron growled in frustration. “I’ll release you if you just tell me who paid you to rob me.”

  The man closed his eyes and rolled his head back and forth on the grass. “No! You’re not real. This is just a-a-a bad dream... a figment of my imagination.”

  Aaron clenched his fist and punched the man in the nose. Blood poured down his face. “How’s that? Is that real? Does that feel like a dream to you?”

  The man’s frightened eyes met Aaron’s again. His body ceased struggling, but his breaths were faster and ragged.

  “All I want is a name,” Aaron tried to say more calmly. “Who paid you?”

  The man’s throat jumped, and he licked his lips. “She told me not to believe in ghosts...”

  “She?” Aaron’s brows creased.

  “ZoAnn.”

  TWENTY-FOUR

  AFTER THE QUEASINESS of the take-off settled, Elizabeth breathed a little better as she looked out the jet’s window and into the night sky. Flying above the clouds, she noticed how the light of the cities below cast an orange-like glow on the underside of the clouds. The sight was surreal.

  The seat-belt sign turned off and the captain announced that they’d reach Surprise, Arizona in an hour and a half. Thomas looked at the one stewardess and gave her a nod. Within minutes, she brought two glasses and a wine bottle.

  Elizabeth chuckled. “Really, Thomas? Wine again?”

  He shrugged. “What else do you expect from someone who owns two vineyards?”

  Elizabeth took her drink and sipped. It was very good wine. She could see why he made so much money.

  “Thomas, why don’t you tell me about growing up.”

  He relaxed back in his seat, facing her. “What do you want to know?”

  She shrugged. “Tell me about you and Aaron. I assume you were close to your cousin as young boys.”

  He looked at her from above the rim of his wine glass as he drank. She couldn’t read his expression but, from his hesitation, she wondered if he was tired of her asking questions about Aaron. Despite that, she couldn’t stop. She wanted to know everything about that wonderful man.

  Thomas lowered his glass and began telling her about their childhood. Apparently, each of Jethro’s sons was given a vineyard when they found a wife and married, which she knew, but they still visited each other every month.

  When Aaron’s parents died, Aaron had actually gone to live with Thomas’s family for a short time. Thomas mentioned that this was when he and his cousin had become close – like brothers. Not even a year later after Gramps had dealt with his grieving, he brought Aaron to live with him in Arizona. Thomas said he’d missed having a friend so close, but they’d grown distant as the years had passed.

  The Barbie-doll stewardess with blonde hair brought over a box of chocolates from a well-known, and high-priced, store in California. She went to Thomas first, and he shook his head, waving her away with his hand. The woman turned to Elizabeth and held the box of candy in front of her. She took her mind off Thomas’ story long enough to gaze at the chocolates. Oh, they were so very tempting. She’d always loved chocolate and turning it down would be like sinning during Sunday Mass in church.

  She smiled and took one. When the stewardess kept the box in front of Elizabeth, she took another one. She didn’t want to seem overly anxious. There’d only been one time in her life when she’d tasted this company’s chocolates. Her boss had purchased them for a team meeting one time, and Elizabeth had felt like an addicted druggy when she kept popping a piece of the smooth chocolates into her mouth.

  She glanced up at the stewardess and mouthed thank you. The stewardess turned again toward Thomas, but she didn’t offer the chocolates again. Instead, the full-busted blondie gave him a seducing smile. Thomas acknowledged the woman with a nod, but he didn’t stop his story.

  Elizabeth rolled her eyes as she bit into the first chocolate candy. She wondered sometimes if women were drawn to men because they were so incredibly good-looking or if it was because of their large bank account. She was first drawn to Aaron because of his tragic story, but then it was his eyes and his charming personality that melted her... and his passionate kiss that kept her thinking of him.

  The queasiness she’d felt as the plane had taken off returned. She glanced at the window, wondering if they had hit some turbulence. But Thomas didn’t act any differently. Then again, he was probably used to feeling these unsettling motions on his jet.

  She finished eating the second piece of candy as she continued to listen to his stories. She nodded during the appropriate times, and even laughed during the others.

  Her stomach churned again, and she casually rested her arm across her middle. Perhaps the jet ride was helping her stomach settle from eating so much at dinner. But that didn’t make sense because she hadn’t felt that way during the vineyard tour or driving to the airport.

  She brought her fisted hand up to her mouth and cleared her throat, hoping that would help her motion sickness. Unfortunately, it made it worse. She didn’t dare look, but now she wondered if these small jets had bathrooms. Of course, they did, she laughed to herself. But she didn’t want to embarrass herself anymore by asking to be excused...

  “Tell me, Elizabeth,” Thomas said, bending forward in his chair as his arms rested on his thighs, “I’ve been noticing something tonight and I’d like you to tell me if it’s true or not.”

  Elizabeth snapped her attention back to Thomas. “What’s that?”

  “Why are you so infatuated with my cousin?”

  Infatuated? She wanted to argue the point, but she realized that he was right. She was very much infatuated with the dead man.

  Her mind scrambled to think of a plausible excuse, and at the same time, keep her rumbling stomach under control. Heat began to fill her head, and her face felt flushed. Beads of sweat moistened her forehead, and her hands started feeling clammy.

  Something was definitely not right. Had it been her meal or was it the chocolates that were making her sick? Or was it the wine? Yet, Thomas didn’t look like he was feeling ill at all. It had to be the chocolates.

  He watched her through a hooded gaze. Had he asked her something? Oh yeah, he wanted to know about her infatuation with Aaron.

  She tried to laugh, even though it made her stomach feel worse. “There is something you don’t know about me, Thomas. I’m a writer. I love a good mystery and Aaron’s story compelled me to write about it.”

  He tapped a finger on his knee. “I don’t know. I think it’s more than that. Every time you say my cousin’s name, you have a faraway look in your eyes, and your voice gets deeper. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were in love with a dead man.”

  The room started spinning, and she knew putting off the trip to the bathroom was out of the question. “If you’ll excuse me,” she said standing up. She scanned the perimeter, looking for the bathroom. The jet suddenly looked different, as if it had expanded several dozen feet long.

  She took one step and swayed. Thomas jumped up from his chair and caught her before she fell. When she gazed into his eyes, his face was out of focus.

  “Thomas... Something... is wrong.”

  “Elizabeth? You’re mumbling. What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

  Mumbl
ing? She could hear herself just fine. It was her sight that was giving her issues... along with nausea in her stomach.

  “I don’t feel well,” she said, realizing it was hard to speak.

  The spinning in her head grew worse, and she closed her eyes to stop the dizzy feeling. Her body weakened, and gradually, the sounds faded into silence.

  AARON LAY ON HIS BED, staring up at the ceiling. The morning sun was still making its climb in the sky, announcing a lovely day, but Aaron was irritated beyond belief. Beth had been gone all night. She had a life other than him, but why hadn’t he heard from her yet? Since she was out with Thomas, Aaron worried because he knew how his cousin treated women – the womanizer.

  Unfortunately, Aaron’s mind was also on other things... like the intruder from last night. His memory continued to replay the way the other man had acted, the frightened expression on the man’s face, and especially when he blurted out the name – ZoAnn.

  Anger boiled inside of him. Why would ZoAnn pay someone to steal his props? However, he had heard that she worked for a different magician now. Maybe that person wasn’t as good as Aaron which was why ZoAnn wanted the props.

  Growling, Aaron raked his fingers through his hair before slamming his fists on the mattress. He should have had more patience during the moment the man had confessed. Once the thief had muttered the name ZoAnn, Aaron had been so surprised that the rest of his energy had left him and he’d literally frozen in shock. The man had been able to push past Aaron and escape. If only he’d followed him and wrote down his license plate number... If only he’d tied the thief to a chair and waited until Beth returned. If only...

  The one thing that surprised him more than anything was how much energy he’d used to hold the thief down and make him confess. This was the first time since his death that he hadn’t felt completely drained after doing something strenuous. Dare he believe things were starting to change for him?