by Cat Chandler
“That would be nice,” Alex said before glancing at Nicki. “What do we do now?”
“Well, in about fifteen minutes Matt is going to call, and lucky Nicki gets to explain this whole mess to him.” Jenna pushed herself to her feet. “And somehow, I don’t think he’s going to find any of this very funny.”
Nicki didn’t either. Poor Matt sends his trusted admin out to keep an eye on Nicki, and what happens? His admin is on the verge of a nervous breakdown, and there still isn’t one viable suspect for a killer who at one point was lurking right across the street. Somehow, Nicki didn’t think Matt was going to be happy at all.
Alex grabbed Jenna by the arm and started pulling her along. “We’ll let you have a few minutes of peace so you can come up with some explanation for him. Come on, Jenna.”
“Oh gee, thanks,” Nicki called out after them.
When the Skype call came through a few minutes later, Nicki still had no clue what she was going to tell Matt. All she knew was she would have to tell him something, because she was sure that Jane intended to give him an earful about her visit with Nicki.
“Hi, honey.” He ran a hand through his hair until it was standing on end. “Look, before you say anything, I want to apologize for snapping at you the other morning. Or I guess it was night where you are. It’s just that everything was happening at once, and I guess I was having trouble juggling it all.”
“It’s all right, Matt.” She peered closely at him, pleased to see he looked much better than the last time they’d talked. “You look good. I guess the extra sleep really helped?”
Matt grinned. “Among other things. You aren’t mad at me, are you?”
Nicki smiled and shook her head. He sounded so much like the Matt she was used to that it would have been impossible to be mad at him. “No. I’m just glad to be talking to you.”
He adjusted his glasses and squinted at her. “Please tell me everything is going smoothly there and you aren’t in the middle of a can of worms.”
“Eww, Dillon. That’s a horrible mental picture.” When he started to frown at her, she sighed. “There is something I need to tell you.”
“I hope it’s that Chief Turnlow has caught Viola Richards’ killer, and everything has returned to normal.”
“Not exactly.” Nicki took a deep breath and did a quick summary of what Melinda had told them, ending with how upset Jane was over the whole Sam-is-a-suspect thing.
When she was finished, Matt tilted his head back and closed his eyes. “Please tell me my admin isn’t thinking of breaking this guy out of jail and I’ll have to send bail money.”
“Not funny.” Nicki crossed her arms and glared at him. “And Sam isn’t going to jail. There isn’t a shred of evidence against him except something Viola said to her assistant.”
“And a couple thousand dollars of his money that should be pretty easy to prove he paid to Viola,” Matt pointed out. When Nicki’s eyes only narrowed even more, he shrugged.
“I’ve met Sam. I wouldn’t peg him for a killer either.” He rolled his shoulders back and forth and then scratched his chin. “Look, honey. Just put Jane to work. Have her do research on something.”
“I would if I knew what to research,” Nicki admitted.
“Okay. What avenue is the chief going down?” Matt asked.
Nicki thought about it for a moment. “He’s doing what any good detective would do. He’s looking for any connection Viola had with someone in Soldoff.”
“And what do you think should be looked at?” When Nicki gave him a blank stare, Matt smiled at her. “Do you think Viola knew someone in Soldoff?”
She slowly shook her head. Suddenly Roe’s words came back to her, and she sat up straighter.
“What is it, Nicki?”
“Something in the past that someone in the present doesn’t want anyone to know about.” Nicki considered it for a moment. “That’s what Roe said, but it didn’t sink in until now.
Matt’s brows lowered behind his glasses. “What didn’t sink in?”
“She’s a genealogist. Viola’s a genealogist.”
Matt still looked skeptical. “All right. What does that mean?”
“It could be that something in the past that Viola found out about, got her killed.” The more she thought about it, the more it made sense to Nicki. She met Matt’s gaze across the thousands of miles separating them. “But why did she come to Soldoff? I’ve been asking myself that ever since Maxie found her floating in the pool.”
“To vacation, just like she said, and the killer probably followed her there.” Matt cocked his head to the side. “So it would have been a stranger killing after all. At least a stranger to everyone there but Viola.” He nodded. “It fits.”
“But how did he get to Viola’s? There weren’t any strange cars here that morning, and the chief told me Danny didn’t find any tracks in the field behind the townhouse.”
“You don’t have to solve everything, Nicki. Pinpoint the killer and let the police do the rest.”
Nicki felt the first glimmer of hope she’d had ever since Viola had been murdered. “All we have to do is figure out what Viola was working on before she came to Soldoff. And we know she visited Nuits-Saint-Georges, and two of the family wineries here have a connection there.”
Matt smiled. “Like I said, put Jane on the trail, and the two of you can spend the next couple of days doing internet research.” He grinned. “Get Maxie to help you. I understand she’s pretty good at that stuff too.”
She laughed at Matt’s droll understatement. Maxie was a genius at research.
“If you and Jane stick to that, you might come up with something and I’ll sleep easier knowing you aren’t running around the countryside without me.”
“I miss running around the countryside with you.” Nicki’s eyes softened as she stared at his image on the monitor.
Matt smiled back at her. “It won’t be long now. I promise, honey.” He hesitated for a moment. “I won’t be able to make our call tomorrow morning, so maybe we could reschedule for later at night. Say nine or so again?”
Seeing his mouth droop at the thought, Nicki couldn’t feel too disappointed. She might even have good news to report to him by tomorrow night. “That’s fine, Matt. I’ll talk to you then.”
“I love you, Nicki.”
Her heart melted at how intense he looked whenever he said those words. “I love you too, Matt.”
In another second he was gone, and Nicki flopped back against her chair. Whoever said a little separation was good every once in a while, didn’t know what they were talking about.
Shaking her head at herself, Nicki pushed back from the desk and swiveled her chair around. She doubted if Jane would be up for any research project today, so she decided to leave the distraught admin in peace and go on a field trip instead. Bouncing out of her chair, she went in search of Jenna and Alex.
“What are we doing here again?” Jenna asked. They were standing outside one of the wine tasting rooms along the same alley as the Fabrons’ location for Enfui. Maison du Vin had fancier scrollwork across the window, and a hand-painted sign with the winery’s name hanging over the large door.
“I haven’t had a chance to talk to the Ingrams yet, and this is as good a time as any.”
“I certainly would enjoy a glass of wine,” Alex declared. “Shall we go on in?”
The three women stepped into a room, quaintly decorated entirely in white with multiple accents of a dark blue. Nicki smiled at the quietly pretty woman behind the long counter at the back of the room. A number of the tables scattered about the open space were occupied since the weekend tourists had descended in full force, so Nicki led her friends to the far end of the bar that had no one sitting close by. When the smiling brunette approached them, Nicki glanced at her name tag which identified her as “Allie”.
Holding out her hand, Nicki smiled at the wife of the current manager of the winery. “Hello. You must be Allie Ingram?” The woman gave a cautious nod as she
shook Nicki’s hand. “I’m Nicki Connors.”
“I know,” Allie said quietly. She smiled at Jenna. “And you must be Jenna, the computer whiz. My son positively worships everything you do. He thinks Maxie Edwards’ website is a stroke of genius.”
“Then he should see some of the other things Jenna has done.” Alex smiled. “I’m Alex.”
Their hostess nodded a greeting. “Welcome to the tasting room for Maison du Vin. What can I get for you ladies, or are you only here for information?”
While Jenna and Alex looked decidedly uncomfortable, Nicki grinned at Allie. “Both. But maybe we could start with a glass of chardonnay?”
“Of course.” Allie quickly set three glasses on the bar and uncorked a partially filled bottle from a bucket of ice. “This is one of our more popular blends.” She efficiently put a small pour into each glass. “Enjoy.”
While not quite as sophisticated as blends from the larger wineries, it still had a very pleasant aroma and flavor. Nicki lifted her glass in appreciation and took another small sip. “It’s very good.”
Allie’s smile beamed back at her. “Thank you.” She leaned on the counter in front of Nicki. “What did you come to ask? We’ve already told Chief Turnlow everything we know about Viola Richards. She was in here a few times and seemed very curious about the history of the winery. But since she told me she was a genealogist and made a living studying the past, that didn’t surprise me very much.”
“What did you tell her about the winery?” Nicki went right to the point, deliberately leaving the question very broad since she had no idea where to start, or even if this was part of Viola’s secret project, or simply the genealogist being curious.
“There isn’t much to tell,” Allie shrugged. “Adam’s grandparents bought the winery when they first came to the Sonoma Valley, and renamed it Maison du Vin, house of wine,” Allie translated. “To remind them of their home in France.” She paused and took out another bottle, pouring a two-finger amount into Jenna’s and Alex’s glasses.
“Grandpa and Grandma Ingram spent ten years in France after the war and before coming to America.” Allie drummed polished fingernails against the top of the bar. “That’s all there is. Hardly anything to accuse someone of murder.”
“No, it isn’t,” Nicki agreed. “What part of England did Adam’s grandparents come from?”
Allie let out a short laugh. “Viola asked the same thing. They were from York originally.”
“York? Really?” Nicki casually looked around the tasting room as if she was simply making conversation. “Being English, was it hard for them to adjust to a coffee-drinking culture?” She smiled at Allie as if it was simply a funny comment.
“They never bothered to make the leap,” Allie laughed. “They never had a cup of coffee as far as I remember.” She grinned back at Nicki. “Neither has Adam. He can’t stand the stuff.”
A gangly teenager burst through the door and skidded to an abrupt halt the minute he spotted Jenna.
“Wow. I mean, oh wow!” He stood rooted to the spot, staring at the tall computer geek who had an amused smile on her face.
“Oh wow, yourself,” Jenna bounced back at him. She chuckled when he ducked his head.
“You’re like the mag in web design. I saw the write up in Comp World about you doing the gig for Trident Industries.”
“Thanks.” Jenna winked at him. “And I hear you’re the local mag at hacking.” When his head whipped up, she grinned at him. “The principal’s computer was it?”
He grinned back at her. “I plead the Fifth.”
“Did you wipe any of his files out?”
Nicki lifted a hand to hide her sudden smile of satisfaction. Bless Jenna for asking just the right question.
“Nah. You can get in a lot of trouble for that stuff.” He shrugged. “I just got in and looked around a little. Left him a message, so he’d upgrade his security.”
“Which is what got you into trouble,” his mother said. “This young man is our son, Jason, who is on his way to the back room to do his homework.”
“Aw, Mom."
“Aw, Jason,” Allie shot back at the teenager. “You earned your grounding, now go and enjoy it.”
The tall young man with the mop of dark hair rolled his eyes but obediently disappeared through a door in the back of the bar.
Allie turned toward Nicki and let out a long sigh. “Like I told the chief, Jason and I were at home the morning of the murder. And Adam was out for his morning run.”
“How long was he gone?” Nicki asked.
Allie’s expression went a little stiffer and a lot less cordial. “Adam is a distance runner. I sometimes don’t see him for hours. And he was nowhere near Viola Richards’ townhouse or Maxie Edwards’ property that morning. Now. I have other customers.” She gave Nicki a brief nod and moved off.
Jenna poked Nicki in the side with her elbow. “Well, I guess the interview is over?”
Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Four
Nicki walked into the townhouse after she’d dropped Alex and Jenna off at Maxie’s place. The three of them had plans to cook up something special for dinner, and Nicki promised to join them as soon as she looked in on Jane and checked her email.
Dropping her purse and keys onto the narrow hallway table, Nicki walked into her home office then stopped just inside the doorway. Jane was sitting at her desk, staring at her laptop’s monitor. The admin looked over her shoulder and gave Nicki a halfhearted nod.
“I got tired of lying down and thought I’d get some work done. But I’m having a hard time concentrating on it.”
Feeling sympathetic for the poor turn of events for Jane that morning, Nicki continued toward her desk, grasped the back of her chair and swiveled it around until it was facing Jane. Taking a seat, she smiled at her temporary office mate.
“Maybe that’s because you’re working on the wrong thing?”
Jane made a face. “Unfortunately, there’s always plenty of email to sort through.”
Nicki laughed. That was certainly true enough. “There’s research we need to do on our little murder mystery.” She quirked an eyebrow. “Unless you want to put it off until Monday? I’m sure Sam won’t mind spending the extra time in Chief Turnlow’s company.”
Jane’s head snapped up and she turned her chair around. “What research?”
“I know the chief is covering all the possible ways Viola could have had a connection to someone here in town today, but she was a genealogist after all. It could be we’re looking for something that happened in the past.”
“You mean maybe she’d uncovered something and was blackmailing someone?” Jane’s eyes grew wide at the thought. “Someone here in Soldoff?”
“Or someone who followed her here,” Nicki said, remembering Matt’s take on the whole thing.
Jane’s hand suddenly flew up to her throat. “Something she put on her laptop. That’s why the files were erased.” Her mouth formed into an “O”. “Including everything in her genealogy application.”
“Exactly.” Nicki swung around until she was facing her monitor and turned it on. “If we can figure out what she was working on, then maybe we can figure out who killed her.”
“If we have the ‘why’, then the ‘who’ should be simple,” Jane declared. But her enthusiasm quickly dropped down a notch or two. “But where do we start? She could have been working on anything.”
The chef-turned-amateur-detective pointed to the murder board. “We have some clues there, and Melinda gave us a few others.” Nicki glanced back at Jane. “It’s a good thing she’s staying over too. She might know more than she realizes.”
Jane straightened her shoulders and nodded, reaching down into the tote bag she’d tucked under her desk to retrieve her large notebook. “All right. Where do we start?”
Glad to hear a bit of fire return to Jane’s voice, Nicki contemplated the murder board. “We know that Viola specifically wrote down about visiting three wineries, so they must ha
ve been important to her. The chief hasn’t uncovered anyone else who remembers Viola, so let’s assume she was targeting just those three — Wine Time, Maison du Vin, and Enfui.”
The sound of Jane’s pencil scratching across paper rippled through the room. She tapped the eraser against the edge of her desk. “So we should search for the three families associated with the wineries.”
“That would be Adam Ingram, Marie or Christophe Fabron, and Charlie,” Nicki supplied. “Although it was Adam’s grandfather who bought the winery. His name should be mentioned in at least one or two of the online histories of the wineries in Sonoma Valley.”
Jane continued to take notes as Nicki studied the board. “And we know that both the Ingram and Fabron families came here from Nuits-Saint-Georges.”
“And that Viola made a visit there,” Jane put in.
“You also might look at records from York, England. Allie Ingram mentioned that her husband’s grandparents had originally come from York before they moved to France and then to America in the late 1950s. The Fabrons arrived here in 1988.” Nicki smiled. “I think that’s enough to get us started.”
“Yes, it is.” When Jane finished her last notation, she looked over at Nicki. “But before we get started, I want to talk to you about Matt.”
“Matt?” Nicki wasn’t sure she wanted to have that kind of discussion with Jane. She cautiously turned around. “Okay. Did you have something in particular that you want to talk about?”
“Yes. His attitude toward your relationship.”
Nicki’s mouth dropped open in surprise before she snapped it shut again. “Matt’s attitude?”
“I never would have thought it, but Matt might be taking you for granted.” When Nicki’s eyebrows shot up, Jane gave a firm nod. “I saw another email from him letting me know that he’d rescheduled your daily call from tomorrow morning to tomorrow evening. Again.”
“He’s busy,” Nicki said, feeling a need to defend Matt since he wasn’t there to defend himself. “I can understand that.”
“And he should have told you I was coming. He shouldn’t have just assumed you’d take in a houseguest without any notice at all.”