A Toast to Murder

by Michele Scott

  And at that moment she needed to get ready and be out the door for the rehearsal. Thankfully, it would be only the immediate wedding party at the church. Their friends would be joining them for the dinner afterward that was being held at the vineyard restaurant.

  Simon had picked out a gorgeous azure blue dress that was off the shoulder and draped down the front—chiffon and silk. It was shorter than Nikki normally would have chosen, but Simon insisted it showed off her legs, which he also insisted were one of her best features. She wasn’t too sure about that, but as with anything Simon insisted upon, she’d learned to nod her head in agreement and go with it.

  Nikki leaned into her BFF at the rehearsal while the minister was walking Derek, Marco, and Jonah through their motions. Alyssa was on the other side of Nikki on the phone with the babysitter. “Where’s Violet?”

  Simon bit his lower lip.

  Nikki tilted her head. “Simon? Where is Violet? Who’s she with?”

  He looked up at the ceiling of the church rafters. Of course, to accommodate all of the people who would be coming to the wedding the following afternoon, they’d had to choose a large church—St. Luke’s. It was Episcopal, which was the denomination Derek had grown up with. Nikki had started attending recently. Even though the candlelight in the church bounced gently off of a stained glass image of the Virgin Mary, Nikki felt like she was about to strangle Simon, because she knew the answers to where and with whom Violet was.

  “She’s with Patrice, isn’t she? How could you?”

  The pastor and the guys looked over at her. “Everything okay?” Derek asked.

  “Of course,” she said. Simon was wringing his hands. “How could you?” she whispered. “How could you trust that woman?”

  Alyssa hung up the phone and leaned in, her hazel eyes shining with amusement. “I have a feeling I’m about to be entertained.”

  Simon gave her the evil eye.

  Nikki patted her hand. “I may need backup, sister. Or, actually, you may have to hold me back from murdering him.”

  “Stop it. Stop being so impossible. She’s my mother, and she begged me. Try to understand.”

  Nikki had no understanding whatsoever. Her own mother had completely abandoned her as a child and not once had she ever thought to pick up the phone, reach out and trust her again—mother or not. “I don’t understand.” She glanced at Alyssa. “Do you understand?”

  Alyssa held up both of her hands. “I’m not getting involved in this.”

  “I’m sorry. Be rational here. She won’t hurt the baby,” Simon said.

  “I don’t think she would. What I think is that she’s trying to worm her way back into the family, and it looks to be working. On top of that, I am certain that she has some kind of plan up her sleeve to make sure that this wedding doesn’t take place.”

  Simon’s jaw dropped. “Oh, come on now. You are being simply ridiculous.” He leaned forward and looked at Alyssa. “She is, isn’t she?”

  “I told you, I’m out of this. I’m only here to watch the show. Fireworks are happening.” Alyssa rubbed her hands together.

  Nikki nodded. “Yes, they are. For the past week, I’ve been receiving these ominous-type messages.” She briefly explained.

  “Patrice wouldn’t do that.”

  “I don’t know,” Alyssa commented. “After what Nikki has told me about your mom, no offense, Si, but she doesn’t exactly sound like a sweet lady. She sounds kind of vindictive. And signing the notes with Greek names? That’s really strange. I think Moros means death. Not sure about the other two.”

  “Super. I’ve been meaning to get online and do some detective work, but I really haven’t had a lot of time, and I just figured that it was someone trying to freak me out. It would make sense if it was Patrice,” Nikki said.

  “I don’t know. It scares me. I think you need to tell Jonah about all of this.” Alyssa faced Nikki, her pretty face slightly drawn, reflecting true fear.

  “I honestly haven’t put much thought into it. I think someone is having fun at my expense and trying to put my already frazzled bride nerves even more on edge. And who wouldn’t love to see me come totally unglued?” She arched her eyebrows at Simon.

  He tossed his hands up. “Okay. Maybe she would. I’ll snoop around and find out if she’s been doing it.”

  “Better yet, send her on her merry way. Do not encourage her, Simon. She will break your heart. Mother or not. She will break your heart. What does Marco say about this? I’m sure he has an opinion.”

  He looked down at his feet, which he’d started tapping against the hard floor.

  “Ah, see, he agrees with me, doesn’t he?”

  He shrugged.

  “Of course he does,” Alyssa said. “I’d bet having your mom around puts a little cramp in your life.”

  “Oh, it’s not just his mother who’s hanging out at the house. I understand she’s found herself a new husband.”

  Simon nodded, his face darkening. “I think he’s younger than me.”

  “No,” Nikki and Alyssa said simultaneously.

  “Oh, that is creepy wrong,” Alyssa said.

  “I can’t believe you convinced Marco to leave Violet with her and this new husband of hers. You don’t even know him.”

  “It wasn’t easy,” he mumbled. “Marco is staying in the hotel until I can get her to go.”

  “Good for him.”

  “Nikki!”

  “Everything still all right?” the minister asked.

  “Yes!” they shouted in unison.

  “He asked me to bring Violet over in the evenings so she can stay with him at night.”

  Nikki didn’t reply.

  “You’ve got to fix that, my friend,” Alyssa said.

  “No kidding. What am I supposed to do?” he asked. “Any ideas from the peanut gallery?”

  “I guess only you have the answers to that, but if it were me, I’d find a way to get rid of Mommy Dearest so you, so we, can all get our lives back on track. I think sooner rather than later. We all need to get together and come up with a fair offer and buy her out of the house. I mean look at what she’s asking of you and Marco.”

  “Aren’t you helpful,” he replied. “How about you? Any ideas?” he asked Alyssa.

  She shrugged. “No. But I wish you luck.”

  “Sure, the two of you rib the hell out of me and give orders and make demands, but you have no clue how to help me. Some friends you are.” He crossed his arms and let out an aggrieved sigh.

  Before Alyssa and Nikki could either come up with something helpful or another smart-ass comment, the minister called the three of them forward.

  The rehearsal went off without a hitch, other than Simon’s bombshell news about Patrice. On the drive back to the vineyard, Derek took Nikki’s hand and held it tight. She sensed an anxiety in him that hadn’t been there until that moment. She didn’t want to say anything because Simon and Marco were in the backseat, and neither one of them was doing much talking. Nikki doubted that Derek was unaware of the trouble in paradise, or the fact that his step-monster wanted to move back into the main house permanently. She thought about bringing it up at that moment, seeing as how they were all in the car and it might be a good time to come up with a plan. But the tension she felt coming from him made her think that the timing wasn’t right. Plus, all she really wanted to do was get back to the restaurant, have a glass of wine, a good dinner, and go to bed. Tomorrow was her day, and she was trying to muster a little more excitement.

  The Malveaux restaurant looked more beautiful than ever. This was not a detail Nikki or Simon had taken care of but rather Derek. He’d insisted on planning the entire dinner from the décor to the menu. He hadn’t missed a thing. When they walked through the arches into the open patio, one of Nikki’s favorite local bands—The Bottlenecks—was playing the instrumental version of “When a Man Loves a Woman,” white candles were lit throughout, across tables and in sconces on the patio walls, the fireplace was lit, and th
ere were small clustered bouquets of miniature roses, tuberose, and lilacs on the table—all of Nikki’s favorites. “You didn’t miss a thing.”

  “I did my best.” He flashed her his brilliant smile, and all of the stress melted way far away. She didn’t even glance at Savannah, who was thankfully seated at the end of the table. Simon had gone to the house and picked up Violet, which thrilled Nikki and Marco both. He’d also whispered in Nikki’s ear that he planned to talk to Derek, agreeing that she was right. He couldn’t allow his mother to just waltz in and try to run the show. Nikki wasn’t quite convinced that he was telling her the truth, but for now, she figured buying it would please everyone, including her.

  Even Kenny was on his best behavior, and actually told a pretty funny and somewhat charming story about his aging mother who had been walking slowly across the street when some “badass” (Kenny’s words) in a BMW decided she wasn’t moving fast enough, so he blared his horn at her. Kenny’s mom had then taken her purse and banged it on the front of the guy’s car, and she did it so hard that his air bag deployed. “Guy was pissed, but my mom just kept on walking while he stood there yelling at her. The best part is, she gets across the street where some teens were, and she gave the guy the finger. The kids loved it. Told her if the dude came near her again, they’d protect her.”

  The entire table broke out laughing, except for Tristan and Savannah who seemed rather distracted.

  The first course was brought out and again, Derek hadn’t forgotten a thing. Gambinos with pasilla chile, goat cheese, and crostini. Hmmm. Tasty. With that they opened a bottle of champagne, and the celebrating went on from there. It didn’t take long before Nikki realized she might have had more than her share of champagne.

  The full meal was absolutely delicious and over the top from the shrimp and crostini, Caesar salad, sea scallops in a pear champagne cream sauce and, for dessert, a crème brûlée.

  After dessert and more champagne and laughter, Derek asked Nikki to dance. Others joined in and some watched. Derek kissed her. “I want you to know that I know what a hard few days this has been for you. But I also want you to know that our love can survive anything that comes our way. All of this outside crap that’s gone down is only that, outside crap. It doesn’t diminish anything we have between us, and nothing and no one can come between us.”

  “I know.” She kissed him back. “It’s fate. That’s why we’re together.” God, there was that word again. How had that slipped out?

  He pulled away from her slightly and looked at her, an odd expression on his face.

  “What’s the matter?” she asked.

  “Nothing.” He shook his head.

  “You’re lying. That’s not a good way to begin our marriage. What is it? What’s the matter, Derek?”

  He took her by the hand. “Come on.”

  They said a quick good night, and surely everyone figured that they were going to get an early start on the honeymoon rituals. But Nikki knew that was the furthest thing from Derek’s mind. She could tell by the tension in his voice and the way he’d been acting all night.

  As they started to leave the restaurant, the host stopped them. “Ms. Sands, a courier dropped this by earlier.” He handed her a large envelope. Derek intercepted and grabbed it.

  “Derek?”

  Once back outside, he tore it open. He pulled out a photo of himself and Renee Rothschild. It was from a newspaper article that had been printed last year when they’d worked on the book project together. In big red, block letters it, of course, read, Do you believe in fate? Sincerely, Moros Apate Thanatos.

  Derek’s face turned red. “Is this the first one you’ve gotten? The first message?”

  Nikki felt her insides shake. “No. I got one with you and Meredith from a newspaper photo, and then I got a text with the same message from a blocked number today.”

  “For how long? When did you get the first one?”

  “About a week ago. Why? What’s going on?”

  “Let me guess, you didn’t want to tell me because you didn’t want to worry me or put a damper on our week?”

  She nodded.

  He nodded, too. “Yep. That’s why I didn’t want to tell you. I’ve been getting the same messages.”

  “Oh my God. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”

  He pulled her in close. “I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you either. I wanted this to be the best week in the world for you.”

  “I know. What do you think it means? And what’s with the signature?”

  “I think someone is trying their damndest to freak us out, but I don’t know why. What do you think it means?” he asked.

  “That someone out there doesn’t want us to get married.”

  NIKKI isn’t exactly a stranger to the odd and mysterious. How she’s kept her sanity through her years in Napa Valley is a mystery in and of itself. Or maybe it’s all that champagne, wine, and good food that keeps her going through the hard times. It also helps that she has herself a good man. The question is, will their love survive all of this turmoil. Nikki would be a fool to not see how good she’s got it. Any man who can come up with the décor and menu for such an important evening is worth hanging on to, even when dangerous forces seem to be at work trying to make certain that these two never tie the knot.

  Those sea scallops in that pear cream sauce alone make Derek worth all of the ups and downs.

  When it seems you and your loved one may have hit a bump in the road, offer up this delicious meal with Bonterra’s 2007 Viognier and soon enough, things will be back on track.

  Pan Seared Scallops, Champagne-Pear

  Cream and Chervil

  with Bonterra Viognier

  SERVES 4

  Following an established Bonterra custom, the winemaker has layered sister White Rhone varietals Marsanne and Roussanne in the blend, adding a dimension of complexity to Bonterra’s signature Viognier. Marsanne provides a rich texture and green apple flavor, while Roussanne contributes pear and haunting floral notes. A touch of Muscat adds to the exciting aroma of this wine. The Mediterranean climate of the North Coast, combined with careful selection of the right rootstocks (101-14, 5C, 110R), particularly the aromatic Viognier Clone 642 that does well in the gravelly, loamy soils in the region, brings the exceptional Viognier fruit even in challenging growing seasons. Bonterra followed their usual style of fermenting in both stainless (62%) and barrel (38%), not using malolactic fermentation and leaving the wine in oak for just a moment to gain a note of vanilla. The increasing use of stainless provides ever fresher and decidedly forward fruit that leaps from the glass. Powerful aromas of freshly sliced harvest peach, hints of honeysuckle and an exotic note of jasmine dominate in the glass. Peaches and cream remain a sensory signature of this wine. Complex fruit flavors of apricot and peach are overlaid with notes of oaky vanilla. The wine is crisp yet creamy, a grand alternative to everyday whites. There is balance and elegance. For many, this is a favorite Bonterra offering, and it’s easy to see why. This vintage won’t disappoint.

  1 quart heavy cream

  16 large scallops, seasoned with salt and pepper

  3 pears, (Bosc or Anjou) sliced thin

  2 tsp salt

  1½ tsp pepper

  1½ tsp sugar

  2 tsp ground coriander

  ¼ cup champagne

  4 tbsp

  1 bunch chervil

  1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

  In a saucepan, reduce cream by half over medium heat and reserve.

  Slice pears thinly. Mix salt, pepper, sugar, and coriander together and then toss with the pears. Heat a sauté pan with 2 tablespoons of the butter and cook pears until they caramelize. Add champagne and let cook for approximately 2 minutes, and then add the heavy cream reduction. Finish with salt & pepper and set aside.

  Heat another sauté pan. When hot, sear scallops with the rest of the butter and cook until desired temp.

  Toss Chervil sprigs in olive oil and salt and pepper.

&nbs
p; To plate: Arrange scallops in a circle, place the pear sauce in the center, and drizzle some sauce on the scallops. Garnish with the chervil.

  Nine

  THE day was finally here, and although the week had been not every bride’s dream, Nikki couldn’t wait to say “I do” and become Mrs. Malveaux. Then it would be on to the honeymoon, which was a two-week dream vacation, first to Tuscany and then to the Mediterranean coast. That was what she was looking forward to the most. She peered out the small window inside the church dressing room. “It does not look good out there,” she said. “Those clouds are awfully dark.”

  “Not to worry. If it rains, you’re in luck,” Simon replied, unzipping the bag holding the Badgley Mischka wedding gown.

  “In luck? How do you figure?”

  “Rain on your wedding day means good luck.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “He’s right,” Alyssa chimed in. “I’ve heard that, too.” She bent down and tied the bow around Violet’s light aqua dress. “I can’t wait to see Petie. Thank God Jonah is taking care of him.”

  “Hmmm. Maybe you’ll catch the bouquet,” Nikki said turning to face Alyssa.

  She smiled, a pink blush creeping into her cheeks. “I can’t say that I’d mind that at all.”

  “Someone in love?” Simon asked.

  “I am. We are. He just told me, and I told him. I’m sorry, Nikki.”

  “For what? I think it’s wonderful.”

  “It is. I know. But this is your day.”

  “Um, and that means what? That I can’t share the day with love and everyone who is in love? Please. I’m very happy for you and Jonah. He is a great man.”

  “He is. And so sweet.”

  “And so hot,” Simon interjected. The women looked at him. He shrugged. They all laughed. “What can I say? I’m honest.”

  Nikki did like Jonah Robinson, Alyssa’s boyfriend. He was a detective with the Sonoma County sherriff’s department, and although the two of them had had a difference of opinion more than once, they liked and respected one another. They’d actually solved a murder case together and found they liked working with each other. When Alyssa began dating Jonah, Nikki was a bit concerned because he didn’t exactly seem the marrying type, but she’d learned quickly that she was wrong. Jonah had fallen hard for both Alyssa and Petie. They seemed to make a perfect little family together. And Simon wasn’t kidding when he’d made the remark about Jonah being hot. He definitely wasn’t hard on the eyes. He had a Lenny Kravitz look to him that leant itself to a subdued rock star quality. His sea green eyes stood out against his mocha colored skin. Alyssa and Jonah were the kind of couple that made people on the streets do double takes. Like Jonah, Alyssa was exotic, with long dark hair, hazel eyes, and creamy skin. If they ever had children together, they’d be model pretty. Nikki was sure of that. “I will do my best to aim the bouquet your way.”