“The new pump works well,” Ben said as he sat down, wiping his dirty hands on his shorts. Avery passed the beer over, reaching across with his own, banging the two necks together.
“Thanks, mate. I appreciate that you could come over on a Sunday afternoon,” Avery said.
Ben nodded as he took a sip of the beer. Beau was snoozing under the table, enjoying the little shade the table was providing. Ben reached to give Beau a pat, giving him a fright resulting in a sharp bark of displeasure, his lips curled back and baring a row of brilliant white teeth.
“Sorry, boy, I didn’t mean to startle you,” Ben said as Beau moved away to lie under a tree at a safe distance a few meters away, observing from afar.
“Beau, you behave yourself,” Avery said, feeling embarrassed. “Sorry about that.”
“No worries. It was my fault. I gave the old boy a fright.” Ben downed the rest of his beer.
“Would you like another?” Avery asked.
“No thanks, I’m fine, I might try to catch some waves at Tāwharanui before it gets too late.”
Avery walked him back to the van, both men skirting around the uncomfortable subject of arson. “At least things are working and back to normal,” Ben said as he loaded up his tools.
“Thanks. It’s great you could sort everything out so quickly.” Avery smiled. “Being without running water in a household full of women isn’t easy. Will you email the invoice?”
“Sure, I’ll get it out this week.” Ben said and jumped in the van.
The uneasy feeling from this morning almost gone, Avery felt better as he sat back into the chair. The beer had done the trick, and it felt almost like any other Sunday afternoon. Beau had returned to his usual spot under the table and rested his head on Avery’s foot, his intelligent brown eyes looking up, gently nudging Avery’s leg with his paw.
“I know, boy. It’s dinnertime.”
10
A white van was parked in front of the farm shop when Lexi and the girls arrived back home. A smartly dressed man in his late fifties stood in thigh-hugging navy trousers, matched with a light pink polo shirt, the short sleeves squeezing his bulging biceps.
“Hello, I was just wondering if the shop was open,” he said.
“Sorry, we’re closed today,” Lexi managed in her friendliest voice. “You’re welcome back another day if that suits.” Out of nowhere, Beau approached stiffly, his head and tail rigid, the hairs on the back of his neck bristling, his ears pricked forward, bailing the tourist up against his vehicle.
“Beau, behave yourself,” Lexi said, her voice stern.
Beau’s eyes were fixed on the man, a vibrating growl deep in his chest.
“Sorry, I don’t know what got into him. He’s normally such an easy-going dog.” After the man got into his van and drove away Beau turned around as though nothing had happened, wagging his tail.
From the kitchen window, Avery could see the Audi pulling up and the girls getting out. He met the girls halfway across the lawn, scooping Evie and Sam into his arms. Evie melted into his embrace; Sam played it cool. “Who was that?” he asked.
“Some tourist wanting to have a look in the farm shop,” Lexi said. “Beau didn’t like him, and I’m in no hurry to lay eyes on him again. He gave me the creeps.”
“Where’s Gabe?”
“With Zac in Warkworth, catching up with some friends. Zac will drop him home later tonight.” Lexi opened the boot to get the shopping.
“Ben just left,” Avery said. “He got hold of a new pump and everything’s back to normal and working. I suppose it was well overdue — the old pump was ancient, something your dad put in thirty or forty years ago.”
“Did you say the fan blade was bent in the old one, causing the engine to short circuit?”
“Yes, that’s why ESR took it, but in all honesty, we’re lucky that there wasn’t a fire.” Avery’s feeling of unease was returning.
Lexi glanced at her watch. “Goodness, is that the time! We’d better hurry to get dinner organised. Isaac will be here soon.”
“Crikey, I’d totally forgotten he was coming up this evening,” Avery said, a slight annoyance rearing its head. Isaac had been his best friend since university in Wellington. They might not see each other very often, but when they did, they just picked up where they left off. Isaac had sounded strange on the phone last night and had not alluded to why. It was a pity that James, their good mate from university, would not be joining them, although he lived only a stone’s throw away in the valley where he ran his own vineyard. The falling out between him and Avery had been two years ago. They were both at an industry event, someone blew things out of all proportion and it had got out of hand. They had attempted to mend the bridges, but as time passed the more difficult it became. Perhaps he ought to reach out, see if James wanted to catch up over a beer at the pub, meeting on neutral ground. He missed his friend and was sure Isaac felt the same.
Lexi had it all in hand in the kitchen, the glistening steaks evenly placed on the wooden cutting board. A green salad topped with flecks of ruby pomegranate and plump figs sat on the bench next to thick slices of crusty sourdough bread. She was plating up the antipasti on the lid of an aged French wine barrel, the subtle aromas of cinnamon, fruit and allspice mixing with the deeper layers of coffee and tobacco. Avery’s stomach growled and he realised he had eaten little today. He grabbed some bread with a hunk of cheese and a slice of salami. “I’ll pop down to the cellar and get a couple of bottles of wine,” he said between mouthfuls. Lexi nodded and moved on to the potatoes.
Avery switched the light on in the stairwell and descended the narrow stairs to the dugout part of the cellar. When Lexi’s father Bob had first grown grapes, he had added a wine cellar. It was a generous size, floor-to-ceiling shelves and air conditioning keeping the temperature and humidity to an optimum level. The old unit rattled. Avery thought that if he knew Bob right, it would have been second-hand and something he’d picked up as a bargain. Bob had an eye for a good deal, but being penny wise and pound foolish did not always work out, as Avery found out when they took over the house and had to change most of the old appliances.
The bulk of their own wine was stored in large commercial wine cellars in the winery building. They also had a large library stock of Matakana Valley Wine, with vintages spanning over the history of the winery. And they always had some of their own label within reach in the cellar under the house, for drinking and sharing with friends.
Avery’s other passion was collecting wines from all over the world. He was quietly fond of pinot noir. In his mind there was just nothing like the exuberance of a Central Otago pinot, cherry with a touch of spice, or on occasion the elegant balance of a French burgundy.
After perusing the racks along the wall, he decided on two different pinots, brushing the dust off the bottles and making his way up the stairs.
“Shall I pour us a glass?” he asked, holding up the bottle. “Yes, please.”
After all the drama and unpleasantness, Avery’s heart swelled with love for her and he realised how much he had missed their closeness. He reached over for a kiss, taking her by surprise. He was well aware that the last few years had put a tremendous strain on their relationship. The stress of the ever-expanding business, plus having hormonal teenage kids at home, had put them on the back burner as a couple.
Lexi’s cheeks glowed, and she regained her composure after the kiss. “It’s still nice outside. I’ll take the plates and the antipasti, you bring the wine. Let’s sit outside and relax for a moment.” She lit a citronella candle, sending the few buzzing mosquitos packing.
Avery put the Zalto wine glasses on the wooden table; hand-blown Austrian crystal, they were his favourites. He poured the wine and passed the fine-stemmed glass to Lexi, who pulled her cardigan close over her chest. Even though it was still a pleasant temperature, she could feel the evening damp slowly rising from the grass. In the far distance the cows were mooing, apart from that it was silent. Avery p
ut his arm around her shoulders, enjoying the warmth and closeness.
“What a weird day, don’t you think?” Avery said slowly.
“I’m not sure what to think. It’s strange and disturbing,” she said and took a sip of wine. “You’d think if someone was under our house last night that we’d have heard something, or at least Beau would have barked.”
Avery swirled the wine in his glass. “I suppose so, but don’t forget Beau is getting on. His hearing isn’t the best. He was probably sleeping soundly, possibly on his good ear, deaf as a post.”
The crackling howl of a V12 engine could be heard long before it got to the homestead, interrupting the peace. Moments later a silver Aston Martin pulled up.
“God damn,” Isaac boomed as he stepped out of his car. “I’d forgotten how dusty your driveway gets in summer.” As a corporate accountant, he normally wore something dark and conservative. Being the weekend, today he was casual in a pair of unfashionable jeans that must have sat in the back of his wardrobe for the last decade, and a short-sleeved blue-and-green gingham shirt. It amazed Lexi that Petra had allowed him to leave the house looking like that.
“Love your wheels, man,” Avery said. “ Very James Bond.”
“I picked it up last week,” Isaac said brimming with pride. “It’s got custom leather interior and is all built by hand.”
Avery sat in the driver’s seat and ran his hand over the leather finish. “There’s nothing like the smell of a new car!”
“Come on 007, you boys can drool some more over the car tomorrow. Let’s get the barbecue fired up. I’m starving.” Lexi pushed the two men towards the house. “The spare room is all made up for you.” Isaac was a partner at PWC in the city and Petra was a corporate lawyer, both were busy professionals and loved getting away to the stillness and calm of the country, and had stayed with Lexi and Avery many times.
Dinner cooked quickly, the smell of the grilled meat enticing the girls outside. “I can’t believe how much you girls have grown,” Isaac said. “I can remember when you were tiny babies — I could hold you in one hand. I can’t keep up.”
Avery was pouring another glass of wine for Isaac when Zac pulled up to drop Gabe off. Despite already having had dinner he was starving.
“There’s plenty of leftovers. Help yourself,” Lexi said. Gabe piled his plate high with steak and potatoes, completely ignoring the leafy green salad.
The candle had gone out and the temperature was dropping, and the night sky was putting on an impressive show while they enjoyed the last drops of wine.
“I can’t believe how beautiful the stars look up here. In the city you barely see anything for the light pollution. You are so lucky to have all this.” Isaac said, his voice cracking up.
“We sure are, mate,” Avery said, seemingly clueless about his friend’s emotional state. Lexi put her arm around him, giving him a squeeze. There was no need to speak.
“Shall we go inside for coffee? I don’t know about you guys, but I’m getting eaten alive by the bloody mozzies,” Avery said.
Once the dishwasher was chugging along and the coffee was ready, they went into the lounge on the other side of the hallway. Sinking into the weathered sofas, the soft leather sighing softly as they sat down. Updating the decor hadn’t been a priority, although they were thinking perhaps over the quieter winter months it would be good to address.
“How about some dessert?” Lexi put the overladen crystal dish on the coffee table.
The cold, luscious mascarpone layers smothering the coffee-soaked sponge fingers and sprinkled with dark chocolate Vahlrona balls looked heavenly.
“I can’t believe you remembered tiramisu is my favourite,” Isaac said, his eyes shining. “This is nice. I’m so glad to be here.” “We’re glad to have you here too,” she said.
Avery shook his head. “I’m glad you weren’t here this morning.”
“What happened?” Isaac’s jaw dropped as they told him about the macabre find under the house. “You are shitting me!”
“I wish we were. It feels surreal,” Lexi said.
“Well, that makes my news pale in comparison,” Isaac said, his normally confident voice wavering.
“Petra has left me.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that,” Lexi said and leant over, giving him a hug.
“The worse thing is, I don’t really know why, and she refuses to talk to me.” Isaac said, his voice tinged with sadness. “We’ve had our issues over the years, but doesn’t everybody? Last year was difficult for us. We gave IVF one last go. It was a hormonal rollercoaster and tougher than I realised on Petra. The truth is, I’m not sure if I was there for her enough.” He twisted his wedding band nervously round and round. It wasn’t easy for him to open up like this, Lexi knew.
“Then against all odds, we became pregnant. Unfortunately it wasn’t to be and we lost the baby.”
“I had no idea mate,” Avery said.
“Were you able to talk about your grief?” Lexi asked.
“No. Petra distanced herself from me, and point-blank refused to see a professional. In fact, we gave our marriage one last push with a trip to Fiji over Christmas. Things seemed to improve a little. I really thought we’d been through the worst of it. Then last week, out of the blue, she packed her bags and left a note for me when I came home from work. She said she couldn’t take any more and needed space.”
“Where is she now?” Lexi asked.
“With her sister. At least I know she’s safe and not on her own.” Isaac wiped his nose with the back of his hand.
“Oh Isaac, perhaps she just needs some time to heal. You’ve both been through a lot.”
“Well, getting you out of the big smoke and into the fresh air up here will do you a world of good.” Avery gave Isaac a friendly punch on the arm. “I hope you’ve brought some old clothes, because I’ll get you up nice and early tomorrow to give me a hand with the chores. Get you doing some real work for a change,” Avery said. Isaac smiled, it was apparent he couldn’t wait.
11
Bill was enjoying the early morning in the quiet house, and got up to let Maggie and Finn, the four-year-old standard poodles out for their morning toilet stop. Maggie, the alpha dog and more sensible one, meandered through the open door, sniffing the morning air, her curly chocolate coat making her look like a teddy bear. The jet-black Finn, who was much bigger than his sister, scampered past Bill, nearly knocking the cup of tea out of his hand. He was a handsome boy, but not the most intelligent.
It was still dark outside; summer was ending for sure, the damp from the ground rose with an early autumn freshness in the air. Bill liked it as it was the beginning of peace up here. His hand automatically went to check the teapot which was still hot and he poured himself another cup before he sat down and opened his iPad to browse the Herald online. They had stopped receiving the paper edition well over a year ago. He had to admit, he still missed not holding a paper in his hands when reading the news. It had been Annika’s idea; she was going through a serious recycling phase, saving the trees and all that comes with it. As a family they were environmentally friendly, recycling household waste, they had a worm farm and he had even installed solar panels on the roof. Although it was a pain putting in the extra work, he remembered with a smile, that’s why he fell in love with Annika. She was a passionate and caring woman who embraced many things in life, and he loved her quirky traits and whims.
Nothing particularly interesting had happened over the weekend, but soon enough journalists would get wind of the hand found in Matakana, and the phone would ring off the hook. The thought made him sigh out loud.
He cast an eye on the clock, it was nearly time for the children to wake up and the morning madness to begin. The Nespresso machine on the bench was Annika’s favourite appliance and took pride of place. He reached up into the cupboard for the caffeine-free capsules, inserted one and waited for it to do its magic. The toaster popped, and he smeared a generous amount of butter with jam
on top before walking upstairs and waking his wife with a gentle kiss.
“You are a darling,” she said as the aroma of coffee spread through the bedroom.
“I know,” he said.
“What’s the plan for today? I suppose there’s a bit to do with the recent investigation.”
“Yes, no doubt Orewa will issue directives, so I’d better get going.”
Annika savoured her coffee, momentarily thinking of the George Clooney ad. She was looking forward to a productive day. As soon as the children went off to school she would go out to the studio to start a fresh canvas. She often had two or more on the go, as she loved the freedom of going between pieces as they developed organically.
“Mamma, where are my school shoes?” Veronica shouted from downstairs, shattering the morning’s peace.
“Mamma, where is my PE bag? I can’t find it,” Anna yelled, competing in volume with her twin sister.
“I’ll be there in a minute,” Annika called. She took a last sip of coffee, got up, threw her old floral dressing gown on, and stuck her feet in the sheepskin slippers by the end of the bed. She headed downstairs towards the noise, carrying her half-eaten toast with her. The kitchen table was chaotic with cereal packets, yoghurt pots, fruit and Katie’s Spanish textbooks.
“I thought you said you’d finished all the homework over the weekend,” Annika said with a slight annoyance. “It’s too late doing it now, don’t you think?”
“I did most of it on Saturday, I just forgot about this one page of verbs,” Katie groaned. “I meant to get it finished yesterday, but then Sam and Evie came over and I forgot.”
“As long as you’re up to date with your work and don’t get into trouble with the teacher.”
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