Murdered By Wine: A Cedar Bay Cozy Mystery (Cedar Bay Cozy Mystery Series Book 13)

by Dianne Harman

  Matteo interrupted him. “I’m good, Signor, but let’s not pretend. We both know Angela was better.”

  “Only slightly, Matteo, only slightly. There is no doubt in my mind that you can do every bit as fine a job with our grapes as she did. I am certain we will continue to produce the best wines in the valley. Naturally, I have told no one that I want to hire you, but the rumor mill has started.”

  “What do you mean, sir? About Angela?” Matteo asked, clasping his hands together as a worried look appeared on his face.

  “No, Matteo. About who my new winemaker will be. Naturally you are the one who comes to most people’s minds, but there are others who have called me. I must say the strangest call I’ve received was from the intern who has been working here.”

  “Caitlin called you? What did she want?” Jim asked with a sound of surprise in his voice.

  “What do you think? She wanted to be the winemaker for the Moretti Winery,” Gio replied as he suppressed a laugh. “She said she had the top grades in her studies at the university, and she had been interning here for over a month. She felt she could easily fill the job. She said she would drop out of school and finish her master’s degree at a later date.”

  “You’re kidding, right Signor?” Matteo said as his mouth fell open. “Angela said she was ambitious, and she thought it might be a problem for her, but that is amazing. It takes years to learn the language of the grapes. It’s not something you can learn just from books.”

  “I agree, Matteo,” Gio said with a wise nod. “I told her she had a long way to go before she’d be ready to be the winemaker at any winery, much less an award-winning one. Believe it or not, she told me I’d regret my decision and hung up on me. I remember staring at the phone in disbelief. I think we will have to find another intern, because even if she does return, I don’t want her on my property.”

  “I’ll call the dean of the department, Signor, and tell him what happened,” Jim said. “He’s a friend of mine, and maybe he can convince her that like wine, she needs to age a little.”

  “Thanks. Matteo, I would pay you what I paid Angela and naturally you may continue to live in the house I have provided here on the property. I know how awkward the timing is, but if you agree to take the job, you’ll need to get started immediately.”

  “Signor, Sheriff Dawson took a lot of our files with him to see if there was anything of interest in them,” Jim said as he turned to Mike and asked, “Think you could get those returned to us?”

  “I’ll go over to his office after I leave here,” Mike said. “If he or his deputies haven’t had a chance to go over them, I can. When I’m finished, I’ll return them or have one of his deputies bring them back. Would that be all right with you?”

  “Thank you, that would be great,” Signor Moretti said. “Well, Matteo, are you ready to accept my offer and become the winemaker for the Moretti Winery?”

  Matteo took a deep breath. “Yes, as I told the sheriff’s wife earlier, being the winemaker at the Moretti Winery would be a dream come true, but now it’s turned into a nightmare because of Angela’s death. As much as I love making wine, it will be my job to put the nightmare portion of my dream behind me and concentrate on making the best wines in the valley. That will be Angela’s legacy.”

  “Good. I feel very comfortable with you in that position. Let’s go to Angela’s office, or rather your office, and begin.” Signor Moretti stood up and turned to Mike. “If I can help you in any way, please call me. If we assume that Angela was murdered, I want nothing more in the world than to have the demon who committed this horrible crime to be caught and punished.”

  “Rest assured sir, I will do everything in my power to see to it that the guilty party is brought to justice.” They shook hands and Mike walked out to the porch where Kelly was waiting for him.

  CHAPTER 22

  After Mike’s meeting with Signor Moretti and Matteo, Kelly and Mike got in their rental car and left the winery. Kelly noticed that even though there had apparently been a murder at the vineyard the previous evening, the workers were walking up and down the rows of grapes, as if nothing had taken place. She knew that timing was everything in the wine business, but nevertheless it seemed strange.

  Kelly turned to Mike, who was driving, and said. “What’s on your agenda for the rest of the afternoon, honey? If you don’t mind, I’d like to go back to the bed and breakfast and call Julia. I want to find out how Ella’s doing. After that, I thought I might walk to the square and talk to the florist and the chocolatier, or maybe I’ll go to the square first.”

  He looked over at her. “I won’t even ask why for now. You can tell me about it over dinner, and I’ll tell you about my conversations with Jim and Signor Moretti. By the way, Matteo accepted the job as winemaker and is starting right away. Sheriff Dawson’s deputies removed a number of files from Angela’s office, and they need to be returned to the winery. I don’t know if you heard, but evidently there was a very bad accident on the highway leading into Sonoma. Several people died, and there are others in critical condition. My guess is that whole department has their hands full at the moment and going through those files will be on the back burner.”

  “What are you going to do with them?” Kelly asked.

  “I know what Sheriff Dawson will be looking for, and I can spend a couple of hours looking at them. After I’m finished, I’ll take them back to the winery and then meet you at our B & B. By the way, when you talk to Julia, see if she had some place in mind for dinner tonight, and tell her to give Ella my love.”

  “Will do,” Kelly said, smiling. Mike’s concern for little Ella was touching. “Why don’t you take me to the square, and I won’t bother going back to the room. I’ll meet you back there when we’ve both finished.”

  “Good idea, and that will save me some time. I don’t anticipate any problems with the files, but you never know.”

  Just after Mike turned onto the street across from the square, Kelly waved her arm, pointed, and said, “There’s the flower shop, Mike. You can let me off here. Good luck. See you later,” she said as she got out of the car and walked towards Paula’s Posies.

  The shop had tubs of beautiful colored flowers in front of it offset by a bright green door. She opened it and a small bell rang, indicating there was a customer. A moment later a woman who appeared to be in her mid-40’s walked out of the back room, wearing gloves and an apron. Her greying hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and she smiled in greeting. “May I help you?”

  “Yes, I’d like to talk to Paula for a moment. Would that be you?”

  “Guilty as charged. What can I do for you?” Paula peeled off the gloves she was wearing and set them on the counter beside a pair of pruning shears.

  “I’m trying to help Matteo Lucci,” Kelly explained. “I’m sure you know that his wife, Angela, was found dead in a wine vat at the Moretti Winery last night. Sheriff Dawson suspects foul play may have been involved, and he’s investigating her death as a possible homicide. My husband and I are visiting Sonoma. He’s a sheriff in Oregon, and I know from his cases that often the victim’s spouse is the first one looked at as a suspect. Matteo reminds me of my son, and I’d like to help him clear his name. I understand he bought a bouquet from you yesterday evening.”

  “That’s true. Please, have a seat. Actually, it was quite an undertaking. He was very specific in what he wanted, and I had to take several floral arrangements apart that I had made for delivery today. Fortunately, the flower grower I buy most of my flowers from was able to deliver more of the ones I needed.”

  “Matteo mentioned that he had an arrangement made that was very similar to the one his wife had carried down the aisle at their wedding. From what he told me, it sounded beautiful.”

  “It was. He has a very exacting eye, and he knew exactly what he wanted. He had trouble remembering a couple of the flowers, so that’s one reason it took so long. I had to try several different kinds, before it was just the way he wanted it.”
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  “I hate to ask this, but I know one of the sheriff’s deputies would. Do you remember how long he was here and the approximate time?”

  “Yes,” Paula answered, “he was here from about 6:30 to 7:30. I remember because I close the shop at 6:30, and I had just turned the sign to closed when he knocked on the door. He’s always been a good customer, as a matter of fact, he’s bought a lot of bouquets from me in the past.” She laughed and said, “He told me once that he and Angela were both hot-blooded Italians and arguing was a part of their life, but he said it was worth it when they made up. That’s why he bought bouquets from me.”

  “Do you know if he went home or went anywhere else after he left your shop?” Kelly asked.

  “He mentioned he was going to Nic’s to get some chocolate truffles for Angela, but I can’t tell you that with any certainty. When he left, I locked the door and went out the back way to where my van was parked, so I didn’t see exactly where he went.”

  “Thank you for taking the time to talk to me. Could you point me in the direction of Nic’s shop?”

  “Yes, he’s located across the square and down that side street,” she said gesturing towards the street. “If you like chocolate, you’ll not find a better shop.”

  “Again, thanks for your time and the information,” Kelly said as she walked towards the door.

  “I’m glad you’re doing this,” Paula said. “Even if Matteo is a bit hot-blooded, he’s one of the finest people I’ve ever met, and while he and Angela may have argued from time to time, he worshipped her.”

  Kelly walked across the square and made her way down the street to a shop with the simple sign, “Gourmet Chocolate.” She looked in the window as she walked to the door and saw several people standing in front of a long counter filled with what appeared to be different kinds of chocolates. She opened the door and walked in, inhaling what she considered to be a smell coming directly from heaven. When Kelly looked at the long, glass-enclosed counter, she couldn’t believe the number of different kinds of chocolates the shop carried.

  She looked at the vast array of sweets being offered and at their names: cacao, chocolate liquor, milk chocolate, white chocolate, cocoa, couverture, gianduja, single bean chocolate, and others, many of which were unfamiliar to her. As someone who had provided for her family by owning and operating a coffee shop after her husband had died, she thought she knew a lot about food, but this shop took it to a new level.

  Kelly knew that chocolate making was considered to be an art form, but this shop seemed to take it beyond that. She couldn’t help salivating at the sights and the smells in the shop, and thought it was a lovely touch that each purchase was wrapped in a gold foil box with a gold ribbon around it. A young woman seemed to be in charge of the wrapping, and an older man she heard several customers call Nic hurried to fill each customer’s order.

  Finally, it was Kelly’s turn to be waited on. The man named Nic said, “Welcome. I don’t think I’ve seen you in my shop before. How may I help you?” Since the other customers had left the shop, she told him what she’d told Paula a little earlier, specifically that she was trying to help Matteo clear his name.

  “Whatever I can do to help Matteo, I will,” Nic said solemnly. “Dio lo benedica – God bless him. You know, we come from the same town in Italy, and our families are friends, although he and I met for the first time here in Sonoma. He was here last night and bought truffles for Angela.”

  “That’s what he told me. Do you remember what time it was?” Kelly asked.

  “Yes. I stay open until 8:00, because so many people like to come here for a sweet after they’ve finished dinner rather than have dessert at a restaurant. When Matteo left I looked at my watch, and it was 8:00 on the dot. Several other people were still in the shop. They are all good customers and had waited while I helped Matteo, so I stayed later than usual. When they left the shop, I closed up and went home. If you would like their names, I could give them to you.”

  “No, I don’t want to speak for Sheriff Dawson, but I don’t think that will be necessary. Thank you anyway.” Kelly turned to leave, but Nic called after her.

  “I must tell you, we’re all sick about what happened to Angela. She was loved by everyone that knew her, and we will all do whatever we can to help Matteo. He’s fine young man.”

  “Nic, you’ve been most helpful.” An afterthought occurred to her. “I almost forgot, but I do have one other question which has nothing to do with Matteo.”

  “If I can answer it, I would be happy to.”

  “My family and I had a wine tasting at the Moretti Winery yesterday afternoon, and there was a chocolate on our tasting platter that had been made with a wine from the winery. It was the best thing I’ve ever had. Does your shop make them for the winery?”

  “Yes. Their wine is so extraordinary, it matched perfectly with one of my best chocolates. When Josie became the tour guide for the winery, she asked if I could come up with something special. I’m sure you noticed that on top of each chocolate there was an M and a W intertwined, the initials of the winery.”

  “I’m afraid I didn’t notice. When I popped it into my mouth I was too busy thinking I’d never had anything that tasted that good. I would like to buy several boxes of them for friends of mine in Cedar Bay, Oregon. That’s where I’m from, and I know they’d like them.”

  “Aah, that is a problem,” Nic said with a sad shake of his head.

  “Why?”

  “You see, I made a promise to Josie that I would never sell them in the shop. The only way you can get those is at the Moretti Winery during a wine tasting, but I might have a treat for you, since you’re helping my friend, Matteo.” He raised a finger and smiled. “Wait.”

  He walked through a door into a back room. A moment later he came back with a Moretti chocolate on a napkin. “I promised Josie I would never sell them, but I never promised her I would not give one away occasionally. I would appreciate it if you kept it our secret.” He bowed his head and handed the napkin to Kelly, who carefully tucked it into her purse.

  “I do promise,” she said, “but I would also be very remiss if I didn’t take some of your chocolates back to Cedar Bay as gifts. I’d like to buy three boxes of mixed chocolates. I have no preferences, and you know far, far more about this subject than I do, so I’ll rely on you to pick them out.”

  His assistant carefully filled the boxes, tying luxurious gold bows around them before presenting them to Kelly. “Nic, thank you for the information and for the chocolate, and believe me, I will recommend your shop to anyone who is planning to come to Sonoma.”

  “My pleasure, Signora, and please, do what you can to help Matteo. Do you think he’ll be considered a suspect?”

  “I can’t speak for the sheriff, but I would be very surprised if he is.” Everyone Kelly had met seemed to hold Matteo in high regard, and from what Kelly could tell, he was just a hot-headed Italian who was a lover, not a fighter. “You and Paula have given him an alibi, and I feel certain other people will be looked at, even though the sheriff is waiting for the coroner’s report to determine if Angela’s health was a cause of death or if there was a foreign substance in her body.”

  “She was in perfect health, and as far as alcohol and drugs, that is not even a possibility. No, I believe she was murdered. But who would want to kill her?” he asked, turning the palms of his hands up in a gesture of resignation.

  “I don’t know Nic, but I feel certain that the person will be found and hopefully, sooner rather than later.”

  CHAPTER 23

  As soon as Kelly left Nic’s, she took the chocolate piece he’d given her out of the napkin it was wrapped in and put it in her mouth. It made her feel like she was floating on a chocolate cloud all the way back to the B & B where they were staying. She didn’t see Mike’s car in the parking lot, so she figured he was still either looking at files or at the winery.

  When she got to their room, she carefully placed the gold-wrapped boxes contain
ing the chocolates she’d purchased in the small refrigerator in their room. Even though it was a cool day, after paying what the chocolates had cost her, not an inexpensive amount, she didn’t want to take the chance that they might melt. She was already concerned about having to put them in her luggage on the flight back to Portland.

  She called Julia, and a moment later heard her voice say, “Hi, Mom. Figured you’d call sometime today. Before you even ask, I’ll fill you in on Ella. She has strep throat. The doctor put her on antibiotics, and we’ve been giving her baby aspirin. Her fever is down, but her throat is raw. Poor little thing. We definitely made the right decision in coming home. What’s going on with you two, and sorry to bail on you.”

  Kelly spent the next few minutes telling Julia about Mike and his golf game, Angela’s death, their conversation with Sheriff Dawson, her talk with Matteo, and her visits to Paula’s Posies and Nic’s.

  “Good grief, Mom. I can’t leave you alone for a minute without something major happening to you. That’s too bad about Angela. I liked her when I met her. I’m sure Josie is devastated.”

  “That’s an understatement,” Kelly sighed. “Not only is Josie a wreck right now, a lot of other people are too. She seemed to really be liked here in Sonoma.”

  “Mom, I know you’ve been involved in a number of Mike’s cases. What’s your feeling about this one?”

  “As soon as I met Matteo, I felt he was innocent. Maybe because of Cash I’m a sucker for young men that remind me of your brother, but it was just too obvious. As far as who did it? I don’t know. Mike’s at the sheriff’s station reading the Moretti Winery files, so he might know something when he gets back. I do know the sheriff was hoping to have a preliminary coroner’s report and fingerprint analysis completed by later today or tonight. Maybe those will show something, but it seems to me anyone who went to that much trouble to come up with a plan to kill Angela, isn’t going to leave a trail of fingerprints.”