A Flair for Chardonnay

by Deborah Garner

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Sadie pulled into the parking lot of The Vintage Vine in the late afternoon after fighting northbound traffic out of San Francisco. By the time she finished helping Amber get set for the sale the next day and left Flair, rush-hour traffic had begun.

  Tina greeted her at the door with a hug, “Nice to see a friendly face around here, especially one without a badge.”

  “Yes, you’ve had quite a week, haven’t you?” Sadie was pleased to see Tina in good spirits.

  “Longest week in my life, seriously,” Tina agreed, showing Sadie inside. “But it seems the police are focusing their search elsewhere now, thank goodness.”

  “Do they have another suspect?” Sadie wondered if she’d missed part of the puzzle.

  Tina shrugged. “Maybe, who knows? I’m just glad to be home.”

  “I’m sure you are.”

  “How does the Merlot room sound again?”

  “Perfect.”

  Sadie filled out a registration form and took the key from Tina. One trip from the car to the room and she was settled in, as was Coco, who was content in her travel palace. Sadie set out Coco’s china food and water dishes and returned to the lobby.

  “I have to go by the lawyer’s office,” Tina said. “Want to come along?”

  Sadie jumped at the offer. Nick Perry might know what the detectives knew, or at least some of what they knew. She could learn something just by listening to him talk with Tina. He might even be willing to answer a few questions about Tina’s arrest and release, as long as Tina didn’t mind. And Sadie had a sense Tina was beginning to trust her as much as Matteo did.

  Tina’s Honda CR-V was neat and tidy, as meticulously kept as The Vintage Vine. It seemed oddly incongruous to Sadie that someone so organized would be a murder suspect.

  A brief chill ran up Sadie’s spine at the thought, far-fetched as she felt it was, that she could be riding in a car with a killer. But her instincts all along had led her to believe Tina’s story, at least about being innocent. Whether or not Stefano had set her up, as Tina claimed, was another matter. She still believed Mr. Collins was involved in some way. That Tina herself would have someone purposely plant an item connected with the murder in her home was absurd. No, unless Sadie’s usual keen perception skills were way off, Tina was in the clear.

  Nick Perry’s office was located not far from Vines and Tines. The building looked every bit like a structure for legal firms – expensive and formidable without appearing presumptuous. An engraved sign in the lobby indicated suite numbers for various tenants.

  Tina led the way to Nick Perry’s office on the second floor. They entered the suite, passing a woman in her mid-thirties who was on her way out.

  “Do stop by and try out our new menu,” the woman said as the lawyer walked her to the door.

  “I look forward to it,” Nick said. “Especially that moussaka you’ve been talking about. It sounds delicious.”

  “And our baklava,” the woman added. “You can’t miss that.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “I grind the walnuts; that’s my secret.” She put one finger in front of her lips, smiled and slipped out the door.

  Nick turned to greet Tina, who started to introduce Sadie, then stopped when it became obvious they’d already met.

  “We bumped into each other at the police station the other day,” Nick explained to Tina. “Lovely to see you again, Ms. Kramer.”

  “Please, call me Sadie.”

  “Sadie it is, then,” Nick replied. He motioned toward his office, inviting both women to step inside. “That was Mrs. Stavros of Stavros Taverna. Excellent Greek food. You must try it, if you haven’t.”

  The law office was spacious and exquisitely decorated. It had all the necessary trappings for a new client to feel confident hiring Nick Perry for business deals. Award plaques for the accomplishments of the wineries and restaurants he represented filled the upper half of one wall. Below those, sleek bottles of premium wines graced a long marble counter. A set of crystal goblets etched with grapevines promised a few sips of the area’s finest creations. On the opposite wall, framed photographs portrayed enthusiastic scenes of opening celebrations around the area. The entire office screamed success, right down to the imported rug below the luxurious leather armchairs facing Nick’s desk.

  “You have a fabulous office,” Sadie said as she took a seat. “I take it you specialize in winery and restaurant deals?” She turned her head toward the photographs to back up her question.

  “Yes, I handle a lot of business for local vineyards and restaurants,” Nick replied, “but I also take cases for individuals, depending on the situation.” He glanced at Tina. It wasn’t necessary to elaborate.

  While Tina handed over the folder she’d brought along and began to talk to the lawyer, Sadie stood and wandered over to a tall bookcase and browsed the titles. Not surprisingly, legal handbooks and law reviews filled most of the shelves. A small section was devoted to wine encyclopedias and cookbooks from some of the local establishments, presumably those Nick had worked with. Or, Sadie pondered, potential projects for the future. Pre-acquisition research, perhaps?

  As she flipped through a cookbook and perused a mouth-watering recipe for chocolate soufflé, Sadie listened to the voices behind her.

  “These records show you received the call from Luisa’s phone number at 9:46 a.m. last Saturday,” Nick said. “This is the call that led you to the winery that morning?”

  “Yes, that’s correct,” Tina said. “Luisa was overwhelmed with last minute preparations and needed boxes of supplies stored in the fermentation building. Since I was planning to go to the festival soon, anyway, I said I’d come a little early and bring the boxes to her in the tasting room.”

  “Well, it’s good we have this documented,” Nick said. “It shows you only went to the fermentation building because Luisa asked you to. You probably wouldn’t have even been there if she hadn’t called.”

  “I definitely wouldn’t have been there, not that early,” Tina pointed out. “I had an inn full of people, including Sadie.” Tina paused to look over at Sadie, who raised her eyes from the soufflé recipe and nodded.

  “Sadie, do you remember the phone call? That could come in handy,” Nick said.

  “I didn’t hear the conversation, but I did see Tina take a phone call as breakfast was winding down,” Sadie said, replacing the cookbook on the bookshelf and moving back to the chair in front of Nick’s desk. “The assistant innkeeper took over the remaining breakfast duties so Tina could leave.”

  “That’s right,” Tina said.

  “If you don’t mind me asking,” Sadie began, looking at Tina, “didn’t it seem odd to you that Luisa called you for help? From what you’ve told me this week, the two of you don’t have the best of relationships.”

  Tina looked at Nick then at Sadie. “It did seem odd. But you both already know I think Stefano set that up to get me to the fermentation building. All he had to do was suggest to Luisa that I should be helping. Stefano could have done that because he wanted me to find the…” Tina paused, finishing with, “Flanagan.”

  Nick shook his head and tapped a pencil against a legal pad on his desk. “I’m still not convinced Stefano would have enough reason to set you up for something as serious as murder. You’ve said he was jealous of Matteo, but enough to kill Flanagan just to get back at you? That’s not going to hold up in court.”

  “Why not,” Sadie asked. “It wouldn’t be the first time jealousy was a motive for murder.”

  “True,” Nick said

  “Besides,” Sadie continued. “How can you be certain it was Flanagan he meant to kill? Maybe Flanagan was an innocent bystander, in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  “You think Matteo was the intended victim?” Nick stopped tapping his pencil and waited for an answer.

  “It would make sense,” Sadie pointed out. “Stefano didn’t have a problem with Flanagan, did he?”

  “Not that I know o
f,” Nick said. “Everyone thought Flanagan was pushy, but mostly the family appreciated his devotion to the project. Stefano wanted the sale to go through.”

  “What did you think about the sale?” Sadie directed this question at Nick, who seemed taken aback by it.

  “It’s not my place to be pro or con when it comes to these deals,” Nick said. “My job is to represent the clients’ wishes, to explain the terms of the offer, and to make sure any legal paperwork is in order.”

  “But in this case, the clients’ wishes varied, right? Because you had more than one client with different opinions.”

  Nick set the pencil down and leaned forward, forearms on his desk. “True, but in the end there was just one client, the Tremiato Winery. The discussions about whether or not to sell were between the family members themselves. I witnessed some of the discussions but mostly kept quiet unless someone asked for information regarding the contracts and the law.”

  “Be glad you weren’t there, Sadie,” Tina interjected. “This family tends to argue a lot, anyway. But that winery deal sent people over the top. All the resentments and grievances from over the years emerged during those discussions.”

  “Really?” Sadie said, intrigued that there might be a new angle to follow. Perhaps the crime had nothing to do with the winery deal at all, but rather involved something from the past that emerged during the decision-making process.

  “Yes, really.” Tina looked over at Nick. “You remember, Nick.”

  “I’m afraid I do, though I try my best to forget.” Nick shook his head. “It’s normal for family members or business partners to disagree; I’m used to that. But I’ve never seen anyone return to a grade school quarrel as part of negotiations.”

  “A grade school quarrel?” Sadie raised her eyebrows. That sounded extreme, even for the Tremiato siblings.

  “Yes,” Tina said. “That was Angelo referring to a dispute he and Luisa had back in school. Which was ridiculous. But those two have always been rivals. They both think the other one is getting an unfair advantage in almost every situation from the work they do at the winery to the size of their portion of lasagna at dinner. In the tasting room now, Luisa is always trying to take over, and Angelo is constantly forced to stand his ground.”

  “I’ve noticed that myself,” Sadie said. “I don’t see why they can’t both share the work. Surely there’s enough to go around.”

  “Yes, you’d think so,” Nick said vaguely, replacing papers in Tina’s folder. “Anyway,” he continued, “thank you for bringing these phone records in, Tina. I think this will help.”

  Sadie was not at all surprised to see Nick change the subject. Since they were dating, it had to be difficult for him to stay objective when Luisa’s name came up.

  “And Sadie,” Nick continued, reaching for a business card from a desktop stand. “you seem to have a knack for digging up information. If you think of anything that might help, please give me a call.” He flipped the card over, picked up a blue and gold ballpoint pen and wrote his cell phone number on the back.

  “I’ll be sure to let you know if anything comes to mind,” Sadie replied.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Sadie wrapped her hands around a cup of peppermint tea and looked around the dining room of The Vintage Vine. Like many bed and breakfasts she’d visited over the years, the surroundings reminded her of days gone by. The crocheted lace runner that adorned the buffet could have been the same one on her own grandmother’s long dining room table. A china cabinet housed an assortment of tea cups worthy of a tearoom.

  “Tina, tell me about the cork the detectives found in the kitchen.”

  A second cup of tea settled on the table as the innkeeper sat down. To Sadie’s delight, Tina brought a plate of chocolate-dipped cookies with her. Sadie took one immediately, savoring the combined taste of peppermint and chocolate as she bit into the baked goodie.

  “It was just a cork, the kind you normally find in a wine bottle.”

  Sadie nodded. “It did have the name of the winery on it. You mentioned that on the phone the other night. Is that unusual?”

  “Not at all. The Tremiatos stamp the name of the winery on all their corks just like many wineries do. I don’t think that would have been an issue, except…”

  “Except,” Sadie took over. “…it wasn’t in the cabinet the first time they searched, so it appeared to have been moved, maybe hidden somewhere else in the house the first time they investigated.”

  “Right,” Tina replied. “They asked me if I had moved it. Of course I hadn’t, since it was never there in the first place.”

  “The type of wine was a problem, too?”

  “Yes. It was a common wine, a cabernet, but it was the same type of wine found at the scene.”

  “I can see that wouldn’t look good.” Sadie took another cookie. “But there were no fingerprints on the cork itself.”

  “Right. That’s why they let me go.”

  A pained expression crossed Tina’s face. Sadie understood this. Thinking back to the discovery of Flanagan’s body had to be disturbing. Sadie felt queasy thinking about it and she hadn’t even been inside the fermentation building.

  “How do they know it was from the same bottle? The police wouldn’t give me any details.” This was something that always irritated Sadie. The authorities never wanted to divulge facts to her, yet expected her to provide them with information.

  “There were traces of glass in the cork,” Tina said.

  “Couldn’t that have been from any bottle?”

  “Not really. Glass doesn’t fragment into the wine or corks.”

  “Unless you hit someone over the head with a bottle.” Sadie quickly revised her wording when she saw Tina’s face. “I don’t mean you. I mean if ‘someone’ hits someone else over the head.”

  “I knew what you meant,” Tina said. “I’m just tired of being suspected of something I didn’t do. I never should have agreed to go help Luisa that morning.”

  “You had no way of knowing you were walking into that situation,” Sadie pointed out.

  “That’s what puzzles me,” Tina said, reaching for a cookie herself. “Luisa never asks me to help with anything. She’s determined to do everything on her own.”

  “I can see that. It’s obvious she resents Angelo taking control of the tasting room.”

  “She resents everything,” Tina laughed. “She’s one of the unhappiest, angriest people I’ve ever known. Don’t let her quiet demeanor fool you.”

  “Don’t worry, it doesn’t. But I find it odd she called you that morning.”

  “Well, it was a big event – is a big event. She might have just been overwhelmed with last minute details. She might have felt a little desperate. If she’d asked Angelo for help, he could have used her request against her to get even more control over the business. She also may not have wanted to bother Mama Elena, who might have assumed Luisa wasn’t organized enough.”

  “Maybe.” Sadie said, unconvinced. She was always suspicious when people’s actions deviated from the norm. “Tina, if someone did set you up, could it have been Luisa?”

  Tina opened her mouth to answer, but the phone rang. She picked up the receiver, paused, and then slammed it back into the cradle.

  “Reporters! Can’t they just leave me alone?” Tina sat back down, hands pressed against her forehead.

  “Isn’t this going to be a problem tomorrow?” Sadie asked. “You might be hit hard at the festival.”

  Tina shook her head. “I’m not going, even though Nick said he would have some people at the entrance who would try to screen out reporters.”

  “I’d think that would be hard to do,” Sadie said. “It would be easy for a reporter to pass as any other attendee.”

  “Exactly. And I’m tired of being in the public eye.” Tina picked up her empty tea cup, as well as Sadie’s. “More tea?”

  Sadie shook her head as she stood. “No, thanks. I’m going out to find dinner in a bit. I think I
’ll run by The Grapevine again. I’m rather addicted.”

  “Good idea. They always have a wonderful Friday night special.” Tina smiled and disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Sadie to head back to the Merlot room.

  * * *

  Dressed in a bright lime tunic with a glittery peacock motif, Sadie clipped turquoise baubles on her ears. She’d always been fond of green, the brighter, the better. Slipping on metallic silver flats to pick up the sparkle above, she lifted Coco from her palace and settled the dog into her tote bag. She glanced at her figure in the mirror and smiled, satisfied that she looked like her normal, flamboyant self.

  Sadie was surprised to find The Grapevine abuzz with activity. She found, in general, that popular lunch places were not necessarily popular dinner places, but this café had clearly managed to succeed at both meals so well that there was a waiting list to get in. Too hungry to sign in and hope for a table within the next hour, she headed to the counter, which didn’t require a wait. Another diner was saving one of the two unoccupied seats for a friend, so Sadie took a spot two spaces down.

  A server with a nametag that simply said “Glad” placed a dinner menu in front of her, along with a tiny plate of antipasti. She pointed to a chalkboard with the Friday night special, and rushed off to ring up an order to go.

  “My, Coco,” Sadie whispered into the tote bag on her lap, “This young girl has the entire counter to handle, plus the register.” When she raised her head, she found a woman sitting in the seat closest to hers was staring at her.

  “Does it talk back?”

  Sadie studied the expression on the thirty-something woman’s face. At times, talking to Coco when the pup was in her tote led to entertaining exchanges with strangers. But she could tell this wasn’t going to be one of them. The contemptuous look on the woman’s face didn’t instill a desire for a friendly chat.

  “Sometimes. Sometimes it even picks up the tab.”

  There, Sadie thought to herself. That should do it. A more endearing neighbor might have earned a more forthcoming answer, even an introduction to the canine princess hiding inside the bag. But this wasn’t one of those times.