Blood On Vines

by Madeleine Eskedahl

  Bill took a well-thumbed notebook from his pocket. “Who else has had access to the office since then?”

  “We rarely lock the door,” Avery said. “The harvest is just around the corner and my workers are coming in next week for the final clean of the vats and the equipment.”

  “We’ll get a few photographs,” Bill said, “but could you stay here? It would be good to see what’s missing.”

  Avery felt as if someone had punched him in the stomach. This is far from over. “Sorry to have to bail on you, Isaac.”

  “No problem. This is important. Perhaps I could go back up the hill and finish the repair job in the meantime?”.

  “Thanks, mate.” He shot his friend a smile. “I just wish you’d have come up last week instead, and not in the middle of this bloody mess.”

  “I’m glad to be here,” Isaac said and walked back to the quad bike. Adrenalin coursed through his body as he sped up on the uneven ground, his hair flopping in the wind as he went through the vines and up the top paddock. For the first time in a long while he felt useful and needed and a little of his self-worth was returning.

  It didn’t take long to finish the job. Isaac leant back and admired his handiwork. The electric fence was still turned off. Turning the switch, Isaac felt a tremendous jolt cursing through his body. The last things he saw before landing head first in the tall grass were the blue flames licking his fingers and up his hand where the electric current entered his body.

  Lexi went back inside. There wasn’t much she could do until they’d finished in the office. Standing at the large double sash window, she pushed the ceramic pot with the red flowering geranium aside, making enough space for her to perch. She could see the farm shop and the winery from there. This late in the season, there weren’t many customers anyway.

  Finding it impossible to just sit there and wait, she dashed across to the winery. They’d made little progress by the looks of the state of the office. “I can’t see anything that’s missing,” Avery was saying as Lexi walked in.

  “What about the framed photo that used to hang on the wall behind your desk?” she said. “Have you found that?”

  “What’s it of?” Niko asked.

  “It’s an old photo,” Avery said. “Crikey, we’re going back to my university days. It was the summer we all graduated. Peter Evans, my friend from Martinborough got us all jobs at one of the local vineyards over the holidays. Peter, James and I had just got our viticulture degrees, but had very little experience, so this job was perfect. We would assist the resident winemaker, a grumpy old sod. But it wasn’t all that we thought it would be.”

  “What do you mean?” Bill asked.

  Avery laughed. “Well, we didn’t get to do as much as we thought we’d be doing, and the pay was piss poor. We still had an outstanding summer, though. The world was our oyster.”

  “Who was in the photo?” Bill said, scribbling some notes.

  “There was Peter who got us the jobs, James Smith, who lives here in Matakana now, Isaac Miller and myself.”

  Bill looked up from his notebook. “Isaac was there too, but he isn’t in the wine industry, is he?” “No, he’s an accountant. He got a job as a caretaker, so he could hang out with us guys.”

  “Who took the photo?”

  “I think I did,” Lexi said, piping up from behind.

  “Do you still have the negative?”, Bill asked.

  Niko tried and failed to stifle a laugh.

  Bill glared at his younger colleague. “It’s not like now with everything being digital, and accessible immediately.”

  “Sorry Sarge,” Niko said, still grinning.

  “We may still have a copy in one of the photo albums in the attic,” Lexi said. “Is it important?”

  “It might be of significance. If you can locate it, that would be good.”

  14

  Isaac lay flat on his back in the grass, his jaw clenched shut as he tried to open his eyes. A burnt-flesh smell mixed with the scent of fresh dung wafted over him. He could not decide which was worse, the searing pain piercing his brain every time he looked up or the bashed-up feeling from top to toe. Where was he? What had happened?

  He willed his body to move, the nerve endings screaming with every attempt. He had no idea how long he’d been unconscious. His scrambled thoughts whirled around his head until he remembered where he was. Matakana, on the farm. The cows came in closer, gathering around his battered body, large inquisitive eyes staring at him from above. Thick warm breath laced with notes of fresh-cut grass washed over him. A strong sandpapery tongue licked the length of his face and snapped him out of his daze, making him shout out, and the herd dispersed. He could see the blue sky again.

  Bit by bit he could move his fingers and then slowly his arms, all while angry pain impulses radiated through his body. He sat up, and his head felt as if it would explode. The weird sensation in his body remained, a tenderness from the inside out; surely wild horses or mad cows had kicked the crap out of him. A heavy smell of flesh and rancid fat hung in the air. He realised it came from the raw burn etched on the inside of his hand just below his right thumb.

  He stood up and hobbled over to the quad bike to have something to lean on. His backside was on fire and his chest ached with every breath. Heart racing, he tried to catch his breath. He fumbled his mobile out of his back pocket to call for help and realised why his rear end was sore — a $2 coin in his pocket had melted onto the back of the phone, causing the screen to crack. It was completely fried. He started the bike and carefully rode down the hill.

  “What the fuck happened to you?” Avery said.

  Isaac attempted a smile. “That pissing electric fence gave me a real kick. Jolted me good.”

  “That’s impossible. There’s no way it would kick like that.”

  “Unless someone’s tampered with it?” Bill said.

  “The current went through my hand.” Isaac held it up to show the wound. “And exited through my bloody arse.” He turned around, lost his balance and toppled over.

  Avery and Bill went over to help him up and propped him against the bike. “We can take you down to the doctor to have a look at those wounds,” Bill said.

  “Why the hell didn’t you call us?” Avery said, irritated and embarrassed Isaac had got hurt while helping him.

  Isaac held up the damaged phone. “This copped the brunt force of the current. It’s good for fuck all now.”

  “I’m sorry mate, I didn’t mean for you to get mixed up in this mess,” Avery said shaking his head.

  “I’m fine,” Isaac said, trying for a smile. “Just feel a little bashed up.”

  “Let’s call it a day. Lexi will plaster you up while I hop on the quad to check the fence. Can’t leave it like this while we’ve got livestock in the paddock.”

  “If you’re sure you’re okay, we’ll get going,” Bill said, still concerned.

  Isaac shook his head. “Really, I’m fine.” He grinned. “It’d take a lot more than that to kill me.”

  Lexi had returned with the first-aid box. “Let me have a look at those burns and bandage them up for you,” she said, taking him by the arm and pushing him towards the house. “Let’s take care of the hand first.”

  Isaac held his right hand out, the wound looking angry and red. “I think I must have leaned against the metal post with one hand and accidentally come into contact with my right hand with the fence. Not sure how else I can explain it.”

  “You were lucky. It looks like it’s gone through two layers of skin, with a slightly deeper burn in the padded part of your hand. We may have to take you to the doctor tomorrow, depending on how it looks,” Lexi said, cleaning it gently.

  Isaac flinched, but said, “I’m sure it will be fine.” Lexi added a soft gauze dressing and wrapped it up with an outer layer to keep it sterile.

  “Let’s have a look at your bum,” she said. Isaac turned around and pulled his shorts down enough for the top of the buttock to be exposed. An angry
outline of the iPhone was seared onto his skin. Thankfully this wasn’t as severe, but it was still a large, red and partially blistered area. As the skin wasn’t broken she applied burn ointment to soothe it before bandaging him up.

  “At least I can still sit on it,” Isaac joked.

  When Avery arrived at the top paddock the cows seemed content and everything looked like it usually did. Walking along the fence line, he inspected the solar-energy box which seemed fine too, the power was on and at the correct level. How on earth could Isaac have got such a jolt? Then he spotted a power cable along the top end of the paddock leading into the milking shed. There he found it was plugged into the mains.

  “What the hell?” he burst out. How could this be? It sure wasn’t here when they were up before lunch. Someone had been here and beefed up the voltage.

  Anger had turned to fear by the time Avery arrived back home. “Did you see the extension lead hooked into the mains when you straightened up the fence posts?” he asked Isaac.

  “No, but I saw you turn the fence off before you left, so assumed it was off when I did the repairs. Are you telling me the electric fence was going through the mains?”

  Avery nodded. “I’ve let Bill know. There’s not much we can do now. How about a remedial beer for the patient?”

  Isaac accepted without hesitation and leaned back in his chair, savouring the first mouthful. “Shit, that hits the spot,” he said.

  Both men quietly contemplated the day’s events. “Strange though, don’t you think?” Avery said, fiddling with the beer label.

  Isaac nodded. “Was anything missing from the office?”

  “The funny thing is, all I could see that was missing is that framed photo of us, Peter and James from that vineyard in Martinborough,” Avery said, still picking at the label on the bottle.

  “That was the best summer. We had the time of our lives,” Isaac said. “I can’t believe I got the caretaker’s role — I’m the least handy person I know. Are you sure it’s not just lost in the mess? Why would someone steal a framed photo, for christ sake.”

  “Yeah, strange, but who knows?” Avery finished the last mouthful of his beer. “Another?”

  Isaac smiled. “Go on, then you silver-tongued bastard.”

  Just then Lexi said as she walked into the kitchen, “I have to go into Warkworth to pick up groceries. Can you ask Sam to mind the shop when she gets off the bus? I shouldn’t be long.”

  After she’d gone Isaac asked Avery what had been on his mind since he arrived. “Are you guys okay?”

  15

  Back at the station, Bill typed up the report on the burglary at Matakana Valley Wines. They were still none the wiser, he thought. Who had planted the hand under the house, and what was the connection with the ransacked office? Niko had uploaded the photos from today and printed them out, adding them to the wall of information from the day before. Staring at the photos, Bill pondered for a moment and decided he needed some fresh air to get his brain engaged. He stepped through the front door and the heavy humid air instantly made his long polyester-blend trousers stick to his legs like glue. He wished he was wearing shorts instead. Wearing a stab-proof vest on top of the regulation shirt in the height of summer was like being in your own portable sauna.

  On the way down to the Black Dog Café he saw Ben Wilson crossing the road heading the same way. Ben had already ordered his coffee when Bill walked in. Apart from the two of them, the café was nearing closing time and empty. The comforting sound of the spluttering old La San Marco coffee machine overrode the buzzing noise from the row of fridges, a rich aroma tickled his nostrils and a calm set in.

  Ben nodded, leaning against a table. “I hear there’s been some trouble at Matakana Valley Wines. I was there yesterday helping Avery out. Terrible story.”

  “Yep, strange goings on. How’s work going otherwise?” Bill said, unsure how much Ben knew and keen to change the subject.

  “I’m doing a job at the cinema. The film festival starts tomorrow and they’re in a bit of a panic.”

  Bill felt his insides squeezing, the festival was Annika’s project this year. “Will you have it all sorted in time?”

  “Course.” Ben grinned, picked up his coffee from the counter and left.

  Poor Annika, Bill thought. Issues like this were the last thing she needed before the festival started. He tried to call her mobile, but it went straight to voicemail. He grabbed his takeaway flat white. It was hot and strong, just the way he liked it. He ambled back to the station, stopping in the shade and leaning against the brick wall, the cool rugged surface scratching through his clothing. The hot coffee had an immediate effect — he could feel the caffeine coursing through his veins, invigorating his brain. His thoughts went to the events over the last days. What did it all mean? He had a terrible feeling that this was only the beginning, and there was lots more to come before they could make sense of it all.

  When he arrived back at the station, Niko said without looking up, “They called from Orewa while you were out. The initial findings were that someone had cut the hand off post mortem, but get this — indications are that it’s been frozen, or at least kept on ice for a period.”

  Bill shook his head in disbelief. “Well, that doesn’t make things easier if there’s no way of saying when it happened. But where’s the rest of the body?”

  “I’ve done an extensive search in the database. Nothing comes up for any corpse with a missing hand in the last five years.”

  Bill rubbed his jaw. “We could be dealing with a murder predating that.”

  16

  Lexi drove into the underground carpark of the Warkworth Countdown off Neville Street. She cast a wary eye around before stepping out of the car. People were walking past and she almost collided with an old man struggling with his shopping trolley. She apologised and his warm smile in return made her feel a little better. The supermarket wasn’t very busy and she hurried around as quickly as she could, picking up ingredients for lunch-box fillers and the next couple of meals. Almost at the checkout, Trevor the nosy neighbour appeared in stealth mode from behind. Lexi let out a squeal when he tapped her on the arm.

  “Sorry, Lexi, I didn’t mean to scare you. Though with all the goings-on at your house it’s no wonder you’re jumpy.” Judging by his smirk, she thought, that was precisely what he intended. “I suppose it’s been upsetting with the chopped-off hand found under the house and all.”

  Lexi held onto the shopping trolley, her knuckles turning white. “How do you know about that?”

  “Heard it at the pub last night. People are talking about it.” He watched for her reaction.

  “Are they now?” she said. She could feel the anger rising in her face. She blurted out she’d forgotten something in the frozen section and took off at a light jog. It really didn’t matter how much she had tried to excuse the old bugger, he seemed to take great delight in upsetting everyone and sticking his beak where it didn’t belong.

  Lexi hid out at the other end of the shop until she was sure Trevor had paid for his groceries. Her body was still shaking with anger and annoyance. Her first instincts had been to leave the laden trolley and run. She was relieved that she hadn’t, as it would have further fuelled the fire. The older woman at the checkout chatted away, making her relax a little. Focusing on slowing her breathing down seemed to help. In a small community, if the word was out already, the rumour mill would start and the story would spread like wild fire.

  While she drove home, her thoughts swirled. Her family was at risk and she was at a loss at what to do. As she pulled into the dusty driveway, a blue Nissan Skyline turned off the main road. She didn’t recognise the car, it wasn’t one of their regular customers. She parked close to the gravel path to the house as she had a lot to carry, but before she’d even swung her legs out, the passenger in the Skyline threw himself out of the car and hurried over to where she was. The driver turned the ignition off with a thud and joined his friend. Lexi thought they were cust
omers and gave them a warm smile, but then a recording device was thrust in her face. The passenger, a gangly middle-aged man with slicked-back hair, fired questions at her with machine-gun speed. “I hear there was a severed limb found on the property,” he said. “Who made the find? Where was the rest of the body found? Do the police have any suspects?”

  Lexi’s head was spinning. Only when the driver pointed a camera in her face did she snap out of her stunned state, slamming the boot and pushing the man aside as she hastily carried the grocery bags up the garden path.

  “Hey, careful, lady,” the passenger said. “We’re only doing our job.”

  “I think you should do your job somewhere else,” Lexi said, running the last few metres up the cracked stone steps to the house and safety. She dropped the grocery bags in a heap on the kitchen floor and sat with her back against the wall, trying to catch her breath. Waves of anger rolled over her as the pair kept shouting through the closed door to get her to come back out.

  They gave up after a few minutes. Lexi got up and peered out of the window. Her blood boiled when she saw the photographer taking dozens of photos of the house. How dare they come and accost her in this way? She marched to the front door, swung it open and strode across the lawn towards the pair, who were now skulking around the outbuildings and the winery. The last few days of pent-up emotions erupted and she let them have it. “You two, piss off!” she yelled.

  “We just want to ask a few questions,” the reporter tried.

  “Then you should have thought of your manners before ambushing me as I arrived home. Shame on you!” She was seething with anger.