Smoldering Flames and Secrets

by Anne R. Tan

  Thirty minutes later, they were outside the aging caves. Raina leaned against the door, trying to catch her breath and wiping the sweat off her brow.

  Po Po gave her a sideways glance. “Maybe you should join my aerobics class when we get home. You still have a few months to get in shape for your wedding.”

  “No, thanks,” Raina said. She wasn’t fooled. Her grandma only wanted Raina to join the exercise class so she could bring in baked goods. And she wasn’t out of shape. She was just tired.

  Uh-huh, said a small voice in her head.

  Raina ignored the voice. So she’d gained ten pounds since her engagement. It was called happy fat for a reason. She turned and studied the interior of the cave.

  During the initial visit to scout possible wedding venues a few months ago, the owner had shown them the aging caves. Once the wines were put into the barrels, they were stored for two years before further bottling. Sometimes a cave might be sealed for months until it was time to add more barrels or removed the aged ones.

  Wall sconces dimly lit the interior. A fire suppression system was installed on the ceiling. Rows and rows of metal racks lined the aging cave. Each shelf held several wine barrels. The air smelled of earth, moisture, and wood. The room reminded Raina of underground catacombs once used to house the dead. She shivered at the chill rolling out of the doorway.

  “There is no cell phone reception inside. If we’re locked in, we may not get out until the next time they do maintenance,” Raina said, swallowing uneasily.

  “I’ll stand guard out here, and you can go inside,” Po Po said, making a shooing motion with her hands. “I don’t like dark and dingy places. It gives me the heebee-jeebees like the entire mountain is about to fall in on top of me.”

  Raina grimaced. Now that was an image she wanted to have before going inside. “Don’t come in after me. I don’t want both of us to be locked in there. Go for help if I scream.”

  She tiptoed into the cave. A dozen steps in and the temperature dropped by ten degrees. Goosebumps peppered her skin, and she tucked her hands in her armpits. She was not wearing the correct clothing for this adventure. It was worse than the frozen food aisle at the supermarket.

  Raina didn’t know much about wines, but the barrels on the racks looked impressive to her. There was probably enough wine in here to pay off a mortgage or two. Her eyes scanned the interior, but she didn’t see anyone, though someone had to be in here.

  “Hello? Bridget, are you in here?” Raina called out. “Hal?”

  Hal Rossi, the winery owner, must be with the wedding planner because she wouldn’t be able to get in here without the key. Surprisingly, Raina’s voice didn’t echo in the cavernous space. Maybe the low ceiling and the rows of wine barrels dampened sounds.

  Raina took a few more steps and squinted in the dim light. Was that a flash of purple? She hurried after it. As she turned the corner, she could hear two people whispering. She used to debate the moral dilemma of eavesdropping on other people’s conversations, but it had saved her on more than one occasion. Now, she was all ears.

  “Do you know how much business I’ve referred to you in the last two years? I can’t believe you couldn’t do this small favor for me,” Bridget said, her voice tight with anger. “You can tell the Wongs that the police hasn’t released your event center for business yet. This would give them plenty of time to find a new venue.”

  “A few days are not enough time to find a venue of this size. The Wongs would have to cancel the wedding. Doing this favor for you is bad for business,” Hal said.

  “Jung-yee wouldn’t cancel the wedding. They have plenty of money to make it happen. Just not here.”

  “Their restaurants order enough wine to make up ten percent of my sales. I can’t afford to anger them. Your referrals, while wonderful, don’t not make up for losing their business. I’m sorry, Bridget. But I can’t help you,” Hal said.

  Raina leaned forward until she could see a corner of Hal’s shirt and arm. She ducked back before either of them saw her. They must be discussing the restaurant chains owned by her cousin’s parents.

  “I see,” the wedding planner said. She sniffled, sounding like a child on the verge of a meltdown.

  “Just go and have a good weekend. Forget about the Wongs. They’re still paying you for the work you’ve already done. Why do you care if they go ahead and have this wedding or not?” Hal said.

  “I don’t care about the Wongs. I care about my business. Jung-yee has posted horrible reviews about my business all over social media. This could ruin my livelihood. I’m a single mom with an eight-year-old son. I can’t lose my only source of income.”

  Raina cringed and shook her head. Her cousin wasn’t a vindictive person. She knew how false reviews at a popular site could destroy a small family business. Bridget must have angered someone else.

  “I don’t see how I can help,” Hal said, sounding apologetic.

  “We’re in the same boat. What happened to me could happen to you. We have to help each other.”

  Hal didn’t comment.

  “You have a dead body in your vineyard. If this wedding doesn’t go through without a hitch, you’ll be next. She will ruin your business like she did mine,” Bridget said. “How would you fare when she gets other restaurants to stop serving your wine?”

  Hal sighed. “Have you tried asking Jung-yee to remove these negative reviews?”

  “She’s ignoring my calls. I don’t know what to do anymore. Now I’m getting calls from my other clients asking about my cancellation policy.”

  “Have you had a cancellation from anyone else yet?”

  “Not yet. But when I do, I’ll blame it squarely on that spoil rich bi—”

  “Let’s not say anything you might regret. When I see Jung-yee, I’ll ask her about the reviews. But I’m not telling the Wongs that the event center isn’t available this weekend,” Hal said.

  “Thank you,” Bridget muttered grudgingly.

  Raina shifted from foot to foot. She should announce her presence. It would be embarrassing if—

  Heels clicked, and Bridget appeared from around the corner. Her green eyes registered surprised, and her hands flew to her chest. “Yaaa.”

  5

  In Plain Sight

  Raina jumped back, smashing one shoulder against a wine barrel on the rack.

  Bridget Harker towered over Raina at about five foot eight inches in heels. Her brown hair with golden streaks highlighted the high cheekbones on her triangular face. She was a former trophy wife who now had to make her way in the world in her mid-forties. It must have been a tough transition.

  “I guess you heard everything,” Bridget spat. “I hope you’re happy when the bank forecloses on my home, and I become homeless with my son.”

  “No,” Raina said automatically. “That would be horrible. I don’t think my cousin has anything to do with these negative reviews.”

  Bridget raised her eyebrow. “Really? Your cousin is such a sweet angel?”

  “Jung-yee is no angel, but she isn’t someone that would ruin a family business out of malice.”

  Bridget snorted. “Uh-huh. It’s a dog eat dog world, child. Your cousin’s family got to where they’re at by knocking a few people off the ledge. They wouldn’t care what happens to me.”

  Raina opened her mouth, but the wedding planner didn’t wait for her response. She marched past with a ramrod straight back. There was no point in calling after her.

  Well, at least Raina could cross Bridget off the suspect list. If it weren’t for the dead body, she might still be the premier wedding planner in the Chinese community. Now Bridget was a has-been with a chip on her shoulder. If she were out for murder, it would be after her cousin.

  Raina watched Bridget exit the aging cave and turned back to see Hal Rossi standing next to her.

  The winery owner was in his early fifties with ash gray hair, whiskey brown eyes, and crooked teeth. He was short, maybe only three inches taller than Rai
na, and seventy-five pounds heavier.

  Hal nodded in greeting. “Been here long?”

  There was no point in pretending she wasn’t listening in on his conversation with Bridget. “Long enough to know you lost a friend,” Raina said.

  “It’s unfortunate, but I can’t cancel a booking without a good reason. It doesn’t make good business sense to do things willy-nilly.”

  Raina tried to hide her smile. So he was a by-the-books person. This was good to know. “Jung-yee asked me to take over as the wedding planner.” This technically wasn’t a lie. “Do you have any news on how the homicide investigation is going? Will we still have a wedding on Saturday?”

  The owner studied her for a moment as if gathering his thoughts. “I don’t know. Why don’t we ask CJ? She was at the crime scene a few minutes ago.” He marched toward the entrance of the cave.

  Raina trotted next to him, feeling like a little puppy following the leader. “Who is CJ?”

  “She’s the detective assigned to the case. I’ve known her since she went to high school with my son,” Hal said.

  Raina blinked. Did the detective just graduate from the police academy? “How did Arianna Cobb end up on your property? Did you know her?”

  “I have no idea. She wasn’t there the day before. If we weren’t trimming back the plants, we might not have found her for days.”

  “She’s semi-famous. Child star and supposedly an Angel that backs a lot of small businesses in the area.”

  While Hal closed and locked the aging cave, Raina looked around for Po Po. She frowned. Some lookout. Her grandma was supposed to make sure Raina didn’t accidentally get locked inside the aging cave. Instead, Po Po was probably off playing Miss Marple and skulking after the wedding planner.

  Hal gestured for Raina to follow him. “Let’s take a walk.” He strolled toward the vineyard without a backward glance, fully expecting her to follow.

  Raina threw another look over her shoulder and quickened her step to catch up with the owner. “Are we heading toward the crime scene?”

  “Yep. CJ would be able to tell us what’s going on.”

  Raina gave him a sideways glance. Law enforcement rarely shared information with civilians even if they were old family friends. But she didn’t want to bust Hal’s optimism, and it wouldn’t hurt to get introduced to the lead detective on the case. Besides, with Hal vouching for her, she might get an answer or two.

  From the aging cave to the vineyards, it was a leisurely fifteen-minute stroll. Hal didn’t bother with small talk. Even from a distance, Raina could see the yellow crime scene tape. As they drew closer, she saw a woman studying the ground and talking to a man in a lab coat. She poked at the field with the eraser end of a pencil.

  The detective was about five feet four inches—a good two inches taller than Raina—with blonde hair and pale green eyes. When she heard their approaching footsteps, she glanced up. Her piercing eyes scanned Raina from head to toe and dismissed her. She said something to the man next to her and stepped forward to wait for them in front of the crime scene tape.

  “We’re almost done here, Hal. Just another hour,” the woman said.

  “Raina Sun, I would like you to meet Detective Carol Jean Wise,” Hal said, gesturing at the woman.

  Detective Wise shifted her attention to Raina. “Are you a witness?”

  “No, I’m the new wedding planner. I was at the event center with my family when the body was discovered,” Raina said, hoping to establish her cover story for her curiosity.

  Detective Wise nodded. “And we have your statement, correct? Did you see or hear anything unusual on the days leading up to the homicide?”

  Raina frowned. Why would the detective ask about the days before… “So the victim wasn’t killed here,” she said slowly, gathering her thoughts. “She was dumped here after her death.”

  Detective Wise’s eyes widened, and she averted her gaze to hide her expression. “How do you know this information?” There was a slight edge to her tone.

  “I’m guessing,” Raina said. “If she died here, then you wouldn’t care about any goings-on before the body’s discovery. And I read on the news that the victim had been missing for several days.”

  Hal frowned at Raina. “Please don’t tell me you like murder mysteries. My wife loves them and watches all the crime shows. She likes to think she is smarter than the police.”

  Detective Wise raised an eyebrow. Even though she might be the same age as Raina, the badge clipped to her blazer gave the detective an air of authority. “Is that right?” She drawled out the words.

  “No, I don’t read murder mysteries. I’m an ex-engineer,” Raina said. The last thing she needed was to come across as a know-it-all and somehow get on the wrong side of the detective. People who felt they lacked experience often covered it up by lashing out.

  “Rainy is real good with connecting the dots,” Po Po said from behind them. “You might want to bounce ideas off of her. My girl is right smart.” There was a hint of pride in her voice.

  Raina cringed inwardly and turned to see her grandma approaching them. Why couldn’t a time warp open and swallow them? She wouldn’t mind re-doing the last few minutes.

  Po Po joined the group and propped both hands on her hips, glancing at each of them. “Did I miss anything exciting? Did you find the gun?”

  “Who are you?” Detective Wise asked, her voice no longer friendly.

  Po Po stuck out her hand. “Bonnie Wong, but everyone calls me Po Po. That means maternal grandma in Chinese. And aren’t you a pretty little thing.” She looked around. “Where’s the lead detective for the homicide? I think I might have solved his murder.”

  Raina gaped at her grandma. Heat rose from her neck and engulfed her face. Could the police charge them for wasting her time? “This is Detective Wise. She is the lead detective.”

  Detective Wise glanced at the offered hand and hooked her hands on the loops of her jeans. Po Po pretended to wipe her hand on the thigh of her elastic-waist pants.

  Hal burst out laughing. “I wouldn’t go there if I were you. CJ has a temper. And she doesn’t like to be called pretty.”

  “But I’m old and senile,” Po Po said. She did the eye blink-blink for good measure.

  Raina pretended to cough to cover up her laughter. This was prime.

  Detective Wise ignored her grandma’s comment. “We didn’t release the information about the body to the press.” She glanced pointedly at Raina and Hal. “Not a word to anyone.”

  Hal and Raina nodded.

  Po Po saluted. “Aye, aye, Detective.”

  Detective Wise scowled at Po Po and turned back to the crime scene.

  Po Po leaned toward Hal and whispered, “She’s tight lipped. Maybe you can spike her drink to get her talking. Don’t you have barrels of wine here?”

  Hal edged away from her. “I better get back to the house. I got to work on the books. The two of you know your way out?”

  “Wait! Before you go, does Bridget still have the key to the conference room assigned to our party at the event center?” Raina asked. “The door was opened earlier. I don’t want the decorations for the wedding to walk off before Saturday.”

  “Sorry, I didn’t think to ask for the key back,” Hal said. “I only found out she got fired before you got here. I'll call her to ask for it back.” He jogged toward his house. It was more of a lumbering lurch than a jog, but he got an A+ for effort.

  Po Po glanced at Detective Wise. “I don’t think we’ll find out anything else from her.”

  Raina’s slung an arm around Po Po’s shoulders and guided them toward the parking lot. “So what happened to being my lookout? Someone could have locked me inside the cave.”

  “I wouldn’t let that happen. I would have come back to get you out,” Po Po said.

  “Where did you wander off to?”

  “I was following Bridget.”

  “And?”

  “I saw her talking to one of the field hands.
She handed him a padded envelope. I think it’s money. Maybe to pay off the hit on Arianna Cobb.”

  Raina raised an eyebrow. Her grandma’s imagination was running away from her. “Who is the field hand? Were you able to get a name or talk to him?”

  “I waited until Bridget was out of the picture, and then I called out to the field hand. But he took off running. The guy was quick.”

  “If you see him again, would you be able to recognize him?”

  Po Po pulled out her cell phone from her purse. “I can do better than that. I videotaped them.”

  They stopped on the lawn, and Po Po played the video. There was a clear shot of Bridget and the man underneath the oak tree. However, his large brimmed straw hat covered half his face, revealing only his nose and lips. Bridget handed him a padded envelope and walked toward the parking lot.

  “We need to show this to the police,” Raina said.

  “And tell them what?” Po Po asked. “For all we know, she could be paying him for moving something for her.”

  Raina sighed. Her grandma was right as usual. “We need to talk to him.”

  “It would be much easier to put the squeeze on Bridget. We can call her and say your cousin wants to hire her back but is too embarrassed to do so. We’ll get a meeting with Bridget at the very least.”

  “But Jung-yee would be upset if she knew I was bantering her name around.”

  Po Po shrugged. “Then let me call Bridget. Jung-yee can’t stay mad at her old and senile grandma for long.”

  Raina chuckled. “If you keep playing the ‘old and senile’ card, the rest of the family will catch on soon.”

  Her grandma’s plan had merit. It seemed ridiculous for Bridget to dump Arianna’s body at the vineyard, but at the time, she didn’t know Jung-yee would fire her, and horrible reviews would show up about her business. Maybe she thought it was worth the risk of hiding the crime in plain sight. After all, what sane person would risk her livelihood? Unless it was someone whose business was already in trouble?