by Cat Chandler
Since it seemed logical to her, Nicki inched around until she was facing the desk. She quickly thumbed through a pile of papers on one corner. It resembled a hodge-podge of reading material, with each page ranked by a giant letter across the top. Setting those aside, she picked up the paper on top of another stack and began to read.
She looked up ten minutes later. “There’s all kinds of notes here about sports games and someone or something named ‘Benzo’.”
Jenna turned her head and frowned. “Anything else?”
“A lot of unpaid bills, with quite a few of them badly overdue.” Nicki continued to sift through the piles. “Now here’s something interesting.”
Jenna leaned over and removed the thumb drive and put it into her jacket pocket. “What’s interesting?”
“It’s a note that says ‘Get 25% stake from JB’.”
“A twenty-five percent stake in what, and who’s JB?” Jenna asked.
“JB could be Jeremy Brennan, but I don’t know what the twenty-five percent is referring to.” But she’d certainly ask Jeremy when she talked to him. Nicki folded the note over and tucked it into her small purse.
“If you’re ready, Sherlock, I think we have everything we’re going to get from this guy.” Jenna rose from her chair and wiggled her way around Nicki toward the door.
“I’m right behind you,” Nicki said. She’d spent as much time as she could stand in George Lancer’s very cramped, hide-y hole.
Chapter Fourteen
Nicki smiled at her handsome date when he opened the car door for her in front of Antonio’s restaurant.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Rob said, taking her hand and helping her step out, then drawing it through the crook of his arm. “You look stunning, Nicki. But then you always take my breath away. I wish I didn’t have to go back to the city tonight.”
“You’re pretty stunning yourself, Rob.” Nicki glossed over his comment about having to drive back to San Francisco. “I hope I won’t have to fight too many other women off.”
Rob grinned. “Don’t worry, babe. As the song goes, I only have eyes for you.”
Since the man loved being the center of attention, Nicki doubted that, but she made a small humming sound of agreement as they went through the glass doors into the restaurant.
“Hello, Lisa.” She smiled at the young woman who was the part-time hostess at Antonio’s. “How are you doing tonight? Is it busy?”
“Just the usual mid-week crowd, Ms. Connors.” Barely out of high school, Lisa always treated Nicki like a member of her mother’s generation.
One of the realities since I’ve turned thirty last year, Nicki thought. She hadn’t decided yet if she liked it or not. It seemed her only choice with the generation a whole decade or two behind her was to either be part of the high school crowd or relegated to the senior set. They didn’t seem to recognize anything in between those two.
“Hi!” Lisa beamed at Nicki’s boyfriend.
Unless, of course, you’re Rob, Nicki amended.
Lisa grabbed two menus and asked Rob to follow her, leaving Nicki to trail behind them. Once they were seated, the hostess dragged her feet as she left the couple, but had a bright blush and big smile on her face when Rob gave her a grin and a wink.
More amused than annoyed, Nicki hoped Lisa found a Rob of her own someday soon. Danny Findley, Soldoff’s young deputy, instantly popped into her mind. Two more candidates for Maxie’s matchmaking list. She smiled at the thought.
“Happy, babe?”
“Um. Of course. Why wouldn’t I be? I’m out to dinner with the best-looking man in town.”
Rob glanced around the restaurant before turning his blue-eyed gaze back to her. “Doesn’t seem to be much of a contest.”
“How did your trip go?” Nicki asked, pointedly changing the subject. Of all Rob’s personality traits, his obsession with his appearance was not one of her favorites.
Rob shrugged. “Not bad. Had a deal wrapped up when Mario stepped in and took credit for it. Again. The guy is only out for himself.”
Having met “the guy” on several occasions, Nicki wasn’t sure she agreed with that assessment, but kept it to herself. Rob looked frustrated as he frowned and drummed his fingers on the table. There was nothing wrong with venting a little about your boss, and if that’s what he needed to do, Nicki was willing to listen.
But after a long moment, he shook his head and turned his mega-watt smile back on her. “I do have news for you.”
“Oh?” Nicki gave him an expectant look.
“I talked to the owner of the Catalan House restaurant in Santa Rosa, and he’d be happy to donate the catering for your charity dinner.”
Nicki gasped and clapped her hands together when he nodded. “The Literacy for Kids fundraiser? Rob, that’s wonderful!”
She reached across the table and laid her hand over his. “Thank you. Maxie will be so pleased.”
Rob laughed. “That’s what I told the manager at the restaurant to get him to say ‘yes’. Pleasing your landlady seems to be a requirement around here.”
“She’s very well-liked,” Nicki agreed. “And should be. Maxie’s a wonderful person.”
“You’re gaining pretty good popularity yourself with that blog of yours,” Rob said. “I had another idea for the fundraiser. You should give a gourmet cooking class, or even a small series of them. With all the profits donated, of course. I’m sure it would fill up in no time. Maybe get one of these restaurants to donate the use of their kitchen during the hours they aren’t open? I’ll bet Maxie could swing that pretty easily.”
Nicki’s forehead wrinkled in thought as she considered it. Chole Johnson had suggested the same thing, but without the practical idea of using the kitchen in a local restaurant. It wasn’t a bad idea. She could probably wrangle a few ladies from the Ladies in Writing Society to help with the prep and cleanup. Something to run by Maxie.
“Thanks, Rob. That’s a wonderful idea.” Giving his hand a last squeeze, she leaned back and picked up her menu, very pleased he’d just reminded her why she enjoyed spending time with him. Beneath that it’s-all-about-me exterior of his, Rob could really be a sweet guy.
The waiter came up and rapidly repeated the evening’s specials before taking their drink orders. Within two minutes he was back at the table, delivering their wine and noting their dinner choices before retreating again.
Rob lifted his glass and tipped it toward Nicki. “To continued success in your career.”
She lifted her glass and tipped it slightly back at him. “To yours as well.”
Taking a quick sip, Rob set his glass down and cocked an eyebrow. “I read the last article you did for Mark’s magazine.”
“Matt. You know his name is Matt,.” Nicki shook her head when Rob flashed his grin.
“Right, right. Matt. Anyway, it sounds like a nice little winery up there near Healdsburg. I may have to drop in and take a look.”
Pleased he’d read her article and that it might mean new business for Bon Vin, Nicki smiled and nodded. “It really is a wonderful, boutique winery. I think you’d be very pleased with their wine.”
Rob reached over and took one of her hands in both of his. “Have you recovered from discovering Lanciere’s body? That must have been quite a shock.”
“It was,” Nicki said. “A horrible tragedy.”
“Have you found out anything new since his death?”
Startled at the question, Nicki’s eyes opened wider. She didn’t remember telling Rob she was doing a little sleuthing of her own into the winemaker’s death.
“What do you mean?”
“About his wine,” Rob said. “Now that he’s dead, who will get his wine?”
“Oh.” Nicki quickly realigned her thoughts from murder to something more practical. “Well, no family member has come forward to make a claim, as far as I know, so I guess it will be a matter for the courts to settle his estate.”
Rob frowned
. “That might take quite a while.”
“Yes, it could,” Nicki agreed. “Jim Holland has hired an attorney to secure his claim on the wine, and it wouldn’t surprise me if Jeremy Brennan did the same.”
“So it could take quite a while and become messy.” Rob toyed with the stem of his wine glass.
Nicki bit her lip and considered him for a moment. “There’s also some positive evidence that George Lanciere may have been murdered.”
Rob sat up a little straighter and his gaze narrowed on her face. “Really? Then maybe I should check into it.”
“Check into what?” Nicki asked. He couldn’t mean doing any investigating of his own. She couldn’t visualize Rob Emerson running around the wine country, trying to find clues about who killed George Lancer.
“The wine. With Lanciere being murdered, the price of his special blend will go sky high.”
She sighed. “Not my first concern at the moment, Rob.”
“Sorry, babe. Didn’t mean to sound insensitive.”
For the next hour, they ate excellent pasta and had another glass of wine while Rob told stories about the various places he’d been and customers who had placed large orders since the last time they’d seen each other. But by his occasional fidgeting and furtive glances, Nicki could tell there was something on his mind. After they’d both refused the offer of a dessert menu, she set her napkin aside and placed her elbows on the table, resting her chin on top of her interlaced fingers.
“There was something you wanted to talk to me about?” Nicki asked. “Your company dinner, maybe?”
“Not much to talk about there. I have to make an appearance and need a date.” He raised an eyebrow at her. “Which I assume will be my very hot girlfriend. We’ll be the talk of the party.”
Nicki bit her lip to keep from making a comment about his smug tone. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t shown him off on occasion at an event or two, but that was at the beginning of their relationship. She’d hoped that after more than a year together, that kind of behavior would have worn off a bit. But knowing she should be flattered, Nicki put a smile on her face.
“Be sure to send me the date so I can put it on my calendar. Anything else on your mind?”
“Oh. Yeah. There is something else. Glad you reminded me.” Rob also put a smile on his face but looked slightly past her, at a point over her left shoulder.
It was a telling sign that she probably wasn’t going to like whatever he was about to say.
“I know you’ve been getting more and more into the wine scene here.” He paused, waiting until Nicki gave him a wary nod. “So it would be a good idea, every bit as good as the one about that cooking class, if you learned more about the history of wine and the winemaking process in general.”
Uh oh, Nicki thought.
“Do you have a good book on the subject you would recommend?” She accompanied the question with a sweet smile and small tilt of her head.
“Not a book. Something better. A class.” Rob put a lot of enthusiasm into that statement, which instantly made Nicki suspicious.
“A class?”
“It would be perfect! I found one near here, at the local college in Santa Rosa. If you like it enough, you might even mention it in your blog. Or maybe in one of your magazine articles.”
Learning more about the history of winemaking was a good idea, and would help give a tad more color to her writing. But taking a class for something she could just as easily read in a book? Hmm…
“What’s the class called and do you know who’s teaching it?” Nicki asked.
“Well, that’s the best part,” Rob said. “I’m not sure of the exact name of the class, Wine through the Ages or something like that. And it’s being taught by an expert in the industry.”
“What expert, Rob?”
“Mario Rossi.”
Nicki leaned back in her chair. “THE Mario Rossi? As in the same one who’s your boss at Catalan House?”
Rob nodded vigorously. “The very same one. Isn’t it great he’s going to be in the area for a few months and has agreed to teach this class at the exact time you really need it?”
“Gee, thanks. And it is amazing how you happened to stumble across it,” Nicki said. “Did you also happen to tell him I’d give him a mention in an article for Food & Wine Online?”
“Don’t get huffy, babe. I only mentioned to him that you wrote for the magazine.” Rob shrugged and lifted his wine glass. “Which you do.”
“And have you already told him I’d be taking his class?” Nicki crossed her arms and stared at him over the low, flickering candle.
“I didn’t think you’d mind, and it would be helping me out in a small way. Learning that stuff is a great idea, isn’t it?” Rob raised his glass to his lips, his eyes staring at her over the rim.
“It’s a good idea,” Nicki conceded. “But my time is a little short right now, Rob, so…”
He cut her off, sounding relieved. “I’d knew you’d be okay with this, babe. Mario offered to enroll you, so all you have to do is show up.” Rob reached into his coat pocket and pulled out several flyers. “Here’s the details. The first class is early next week.”
With a sigh, Nicki reluctantly took the flyers. “Great.”
Chapter Fifteen
“Well, isn’t this interesting,” Nicki said to herself.
She was alone in her townhouse and looking forward to Alex’s imminent arrival. Her friend was true to her word and had managed to finagle a few extra days off, much to Nicki’s delighted surprise. She’d picked up Alex’s voice mail message about two minutes after Rob had dropped her off the night before. While she was waiting, Nicki decided to go through the information Jenna had collected on her little thumb drive. Most of them were bank statements.
She’d never found bank statements so fascinating.
“He didn’t have any money.” She frowned as she scrolled through the screen and found several checks made out to Holland Winery with the notation of “barrels” on them. Now why would George be paying for barrels when it was in his contract that the winery had to supply them to the head winemaker for free? She walked over to the murder board and added the barrel payments under the fact column. The payments started about a month ago and continued every week until his death.
She searched further back but couldn’t find any more payments to Holland or any other winery. But she did see a check every month for a sizeable amount that she would have attributed to a small mortgage, but George lived in a house on Holland property, and the amount seemed too high for his rent. As far as Nicki knew, he didn’t have a mortgage. But the same amount popped up every month as far back as she could go, which was a good two years. Right up until three months ago when they stopped. The electronic statements Jenna had copied off George’s computer didn’t have a copy of the actual check, so she couldn’t see what, or who, the payments went to. All she had was a check number and the amount.
She pondered it for a moment, then decided against adding the payments to the murder board. They may have been a fact, but she had no idea if it was in any way related to George’s death.
Her computer rang with a Skype call. Nicki groaned when Matt’s picture appeared on the screen. She’d forgotten to call him last night. By the time she made it home, she’d been too tired and too annoyed by Rob enrolling her in a wine class to do more than listen to Alex’s voice mail and fall into bed.
Hoping her editor had something else on his mind and hadn’t even noticed her failure to call him, Nicki clicked on the answer button and smiled as Matt came on screen.
“Hi, Matt. How are you this morning?”
“Tired. I was up late last night waiting for your phone call.” With his eyes drooping behind his glasses, Matt not only looked tired, but grumpy too.
“I’m sorry,” Nicki said, instantly contrite. “I should have called, but by the time I got home I only had the energy to fall flat on the bed and didn’t move until this morning.”
“Did
you at least take your shoes off?” Matt asked, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
Nicki laughed. “I did manage that much.”
He grinned. “What were you doing to keep you out so late? Girls’ night out with Alex and Jenna?”
“No. I had dinner with Rob.”
Matt’s smile faded into a flat line. “So. How is lover-boy?”
She deliberately rolled her eyes at him. “He’s fine. What do you have against Rob?”
“Nothing.” Matt rubbed the back of his neck. “Is he the reason you’re so tired this morning?”
“Matt! Are you kidding me?” Nicki leaned away from the screen and narrowed her eyes at him. In the three years she’d known him, Matt had never asked her anything like that.
“Sorry,” he mumbled before clearing his throat. “I’m sorry. It’s none of my business.”
“No, it isn’t,” Nicki said. “But since you apologized so nicely — no, Rob isn’t the reason I was up late last night. I mean he was the reason I got in late. We had dinner before he drove back to San Francisco. I’m tired because I got up very early to look at these bank records.”
“Are you having money problems?” Matt frowned. “Do you need more work? I can advance you money against future work.”
Nicki held her hand up and waved it in front of the screen. “Stop, stop. That’s a very nice offer but these aren’t my bank records.”
“Okay. Whose are they?” Matt pursed his lips for a moment before looking up at the ceiling. “They aren’t George Lancer’s by any chance, are they?”
“Now that you mention it,” Nicki grinned.
“The police gave you his bank records?”
Her smile faded and she squirmed in her chair. “No.”
“Did a member of his family give them to you?”
“I don’t believe he has any family.”
Matt’s mouth flattened into a thin line. “So the answer is ‘no’. How about Jim Holland or someone else from the winery?”