Decanting a Murder

by Nadine Nettmann

  Dean’s brow furrowed. “How do you know?”

  “I met her for coffee this afternoon and we had a nice talk.”

  “Wait a minute.” Dean crossed his arms. “You met her today?”

  “Yes. She wanted a friend and I was there. Besides, she provided some helpful information. She knew Mark was having affairs, but she loved him so she stayed with him. And I believe her.”

  “Who was Mark having the affair with?”

  “She didn’t say, she only said she knew he strayed. But Vanessa said she always stood by him. I didn’t get the sense that she would kill him.”

  Dean gave a slight nod. “Okay, then who?”

  “It still comes back to Seb. He says he didn’t see Tessa leaving that night, but she said he did.” I stared at the hills in the distance.

  “Eyewitness testimony can be flawed, Katie.”

  “Yes, but I have years of friendship to back me up. Besides, leaving Tessa out of this, where was Seb prior to the scream? You said he was the last person to see Mark alive, isn’t that a little strange? And it was really weird, he came to my restaurant, said something about money, and then left.”

  “Wait, what?” asked Dean, the soft emotion gone from his eyes. He was back to work mode. “You met with both Vanessa and Seb? Katie, what are you doing?”

  “Nothing, Seb came to my work. I didn’t arrange to meet him.”

  “Okay, what did he say?”

  “He said that I shouldn’t trust my friend.” I held up my hand to Dean. “Don’t say a thing. That’s only his opinion. And then he was gone.”

  Dean put his hands on his hips. “Did he say why you shouldn’t trust Tessa?”

  I stayed silent.

  “Katie?”

  I closed my eyes. “He said she’s been stealing from the winery. He said money’s missing from the accounts.” I opened my eyes and looked at Dean. “I tried to ask her about it last night, but I didn’t get much out of her. Then Vanessa also said she heard that Tessa was stealing money. It has to be Seb spreading these rumors. He had to have been the one to set her up for the murder, too. He knew she was off property since he saw her drive away. It was the perfect opportunity for him.” And maybe he was the one who ran me off the road, though I kept that thought to myself.

  Dean stood staring at me. I couldn’t read his emotions and it caused me to keep talking. “I mean, you already had Tessa in the suspect category, so if you were guilty, wouldn’t you want to throw more suspicion on the one who is already a suspect?”

  “Maybe,” Dean replied.

  “Do me a favor. Look into it. There may be more to him than we know. And check with Lisa about the alibi. Tessa said that Lisa and Seb used to be romantically involved. It has to be Seb. He’s the murderer.”

  “I’ll look into all of it, but let me know when you’re meeting with people involved in this whole thing. I don’t want anything to happen to you. Okay?”

  I met Dean’s blue eyes. “You got it. I’ll let you know next time I’m meeting with someone.” I smiled. “Do I have to tell you every time I meet with Tessa, too? ’Cause I’ll probably see her a lot.”

  “No,” said Dean as he returned the smile. “I think that will be fine.”

  A lady in a white blouse and a black skirt walked up to the door of Matteo’s as she rattled keys.

  “Oh, I’ll get Tessa’s credit card. It was nice talking to you, Dean.” I looked at him. “Dean is your last name, right?”

  “Yes, but everyone calls me Dean.”

  “What’s your first name?”

  “James.”

  “Seriously?”

  Dean laughed. “No, it’s John. But I secretly always wished it was James. Would go well with the last name Dean.” His cell phone rang.

  “See you later.”

  I stepped inside and approached the lady. “My friend Tessa Blakely left her credit card here last night. She had a tab at the bar.”

  “Not a problem, let me go check for it.”

  I watched Dean pace outside the entrance as he spoke on his phone.

  “Here you go,” said the lady. “Do you want to sign for her?”

  “Sure.” I took the pen and looked at the tab. $387. I shook my head. Tessa knew how to spend money. I signed the receipt and put the copy in my purse along with the credit card. I texted Tessa. I got your credit card. Met Dean :)

  I exited the restaurant as Dean ended his phone call, a solemn look on his face. “You okay?”

  His eyes met mine. “It’s Seb. He’s been murdered.”

  “What?”

  “They’ve found his body. I’m heading there now.”

  “I’m coming with you.”

  twenty

  pairing suggestion: cabernet sauvignon—napa valley, ca

  A bold wine with tannins and high alcohol to smooth tense moments.

  -

  Dean turned into Garrett Winery.

  “Seb was found here? At Garrett?”

  “You know as much as I do about the situation. I only know that we got a call about a body in the vineyard and Garrett identified him as Seb.”

  Dean stopped the car in front of the vineyard, where two squad cars were already parked next to the coroner’s van. “Stay back here,” said Dean. “I don’t want you traumatized by seeing Seb. It won’t be pretty.”

  “Thanks, but I’ll come along. This isn’t the first dead body I’ve seen, remember?”

  “Fine, but still stay back. I don’t want the scene disturbed by your footprints. The last thing I need is for you to be under suspicion.” He looked at me for longer than usual before heading into the vineyard.

  I followed a few feet behind. Even though I prepared myself for the sight, Seb’s pale white face caught me by surprise. His body dangled from a trellis wire full of vines, his hands impaled by poles, his body weight hanging from them as his legs slumped below his lifeless body.

  His jeans were frayed and covered with mud where he had clearly been dragged, either alive or dead, and his shirt was dark, drenched with the blood that had poured from his neck.

  My stomach flipped and I turned away. At the restaurant, Seb had been so full of energy. His incessant tapping. His constant looking around. The contrast stunned me and I looked at the vineyards on the hill as I took deep breaths. The calm and order on the hillside worked and when I was able to cope with the sight of Seb again, I turned back around.

  Dean looked up and saw me watching. He passed by the other deputies and approached me. “You doing okay?”

  “Just fine.” I took another breath. “Except the person I was convinced was the murderer is now dead.”

  “I know,” said Dean as he focused on the photographer documenting the crime scene.

  “I guess Seb didn’t kill Mark after all.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “I don’t know, I would think that the same person who killed Mark, killed Seb.”

  “I wouldn’t assume that.”

  “Oh?” I looked at Dean.

  He motioned to the body. “He could still be guilty.”

  I looked at Seb’s lifeless body, his head angled to the right from the pull of the poles, grape leaves swaying in the breeze near his cheek. “Then who killed him?”

  Dean paused. “I guess we’ll find out.” He took out his notepad. “Seb was last seen around three at Frontier.” He glanced up at me. “Where were you this afternoon?”

  “I was at coffee with Vanessa. People saw me there.”

  “I was kidding.”

  “Funny.”

  “Detective Dean.” Deputy Peters approached from the edge of the vineyard. “Garrett has cameras around the winery. Keeps them rolling to prevent theft and the record stays for forty-eight hours.” He stopped in front of Dean. “He’s setting up the playback now.
”

  “Great,” said Dean. “Let’s go.” The two men walked toward the buildings.

  I followed a few steps behind, keeping a low profile so that Dean and Peters wouldn’t see me.

  The two men entered the main office, leaving the door open behind them. I stepped inside the doorframe and stopped as soon as the screens were visible.

  The office was cold and stark, the row of camera screens with images of the winery staring back at me. I pressed my back against the wall and waited.

  Garrett sat in front of the first screen, wearing the same red ascot he wore at the party. “Gentlemen, I don’t have a camera in the vineyard, but I have cameras at every building on the property.”

  “Do you have one that points toward the vineyard?”

  “Not quite, but I have one that focuses on the parking lot. That should be your top choice, as it’s the closest proximity to the vineyard.”

  “Let’s see that one.”

  “Good choice, my man, what time do you want to see? I have footage from all day.” Garrett tugged at the right side of his mustache.

  Dean glanced at his notepad. “Let’s see, start it at three o’clock. We think the time of death was between three and four thirty.”

  Garrett pressed two buttons below the screen and the footage of the parking lot blurred as it rewound, the time stamp still readable in the corner.

  “Garrett, did you know Seb was on property?” said Dean.

  “Had no idea. Although I’d like to know what the dear chap was doing in my vineyard. Possibly checking out the competition, so to speak. How do I put this? We’re friends with Frontier, but it’s not acceptable to go to each other’s property without an invitation.”

  “You’ve gone past it,” said Peters.

  “Oh, look at that.” Garrett fast-forwarded the footage until the numbers read 3:01 p.m. “Shall I press play?”

  “Go ahead.”

  He hit play on the machine and used a remote to skip through the minutes. The room was silent as everyone stared at the screen.

  At 3:17, two couples got into two separate cars in the parking lot. They both drove out of the lot at the same time.

  “Who was leaving there?” asked Dean.

  “Guests from our tasting room.”

  When the time stamp read 3:19, a silver car pulled up and parked in front of the winery.

  “Oh,” came out of my mouth as my breathing stopped and a chill shot down my spine.

  Dean turned around. “Katie, you okay?”

  I shook my head. “No.” My eyes never left the screen. At 3:20, a person exited the car and walked toward the vineyard. A female with curly hair. Tessa.

  Dean stared at me. “What is Tessa doing there?”

  “I have no idea,” I muttered. “The last I saw her, I had just dropped her off at her car.”

  “Did she tell you she was coming here?” Dean’s eyes were hard and focused.

  “No.” I shook my head. “I had no idea. I thought she was heading to her apartment.”

  Dean looked at Garrett. “Did you know she was here?”

  “Not at all, my friend. I was with a group in the cellar doing barrel tastings for most of the afternoon.” His fingers rested on his chin. “I only came out when my secretary told me a body had been discovered. That’s when we phoned you.”

  “Had Tessa been here a lot?” asked Dean. “I mean, did she have a habit of coming over unannounced?”

  “Hardly. In fact, I was under the impression that she wasn’t too fond of me.” Garrett rewound the tape and played the section again. Tessa clearly headed toward the vineyard.

  “Shame,” said Garrett as he turned to Dean. “I understand that we’re not Frontier, and therefore not privy to the same secrecy, but could there be a possibility of keeping this out of the media?” He tugged on his mustache. “As I’m sure you gentlemen can understand, no one will want to drink wine made from grapes where someone met their demise. It would be devastating for business.”

  “We can’t promise anything, but we’ll do the best we can.” Dean’s face was stern and unmoving as he focused on me. “Katie,” he said. “I need to know where Tessa is right now.”

  “I have no idea, I was with you. I would assume her apartment, but I don’t know. You want me to call her?”

  “No. In fact, do not call her under any circumstances.”

  “Fine. But I’m coming with you.”

  “With me?” Dean stepped back. “What do you mean?”

  “To go pick up Tessa.”

  “I can’t let you do that. Peters, can you please drive Katie back to Matteo’s to get her car?”

  “No, I want to come with you.”

  “Katie, you can’t.” His voice was harsh, a different man than the one who had chatted with me outside of the restaurant.

  “But I need—”

  “No, you don’t. You need to go home. This doesn’t involve you right now.” Dean turned to Peters. “Can you take her?”

  Peters ushered me out of the office. I looked back at Dean. His face was serious but there was still a softness in his eyes.

  “My squad car is over here,” said Peters.

  I opened the passenger door and slumped into the seat, my arms crossed over my chest.

  “I’m not used to civilians riding in the front with me,” said Peters.

  “Well, I’m not sitting in the back.”

  “I’m sorry about your friend,” said Peters as he started the engine. “I know this has to be tough.”

  “Innocent until proven guilty.”

  “You’re absolutely right.” Peters drove out of the winery. “But I’m sorry about the way it looks.”

  “Maybe. But I’m my father’s daughter. He says the most obvious solution is not always the right one. I mean, there’s still a chance that she could be innocent in all of this.” Even though the words came out of my mouth, I didn’t know if I believed them.

  “You’re right, there’s a chance.” His voice lowered. “Stranger things have happened.”

  I stared out the window as we drove toward the station. Tessa. In trouble, again, but this time with video proof. Part of me couldn’t shake the fact that this might be all my fault again. I had shared that Seb spread rumors about her and now he was dead. It would take a jury all of two seconds to convict her.

  I needed help. I needed someone with experience in these situations. I needed someone like my father. I stared at the road ahead, the yellow lines cutting through the black asphalt.

  My father, who had never quite forgiven me for not trying the Academy again. My father, who never liked Tessa because he thought she was a bad influence on me. My father, who had solved numerous cases when everyone else had given up hope.

  I took a deep breath and reached into my pocket for my phone.

  I scrolled through the contacts and pressed Dad. I waited for a moment and then held the phone up to my ear.

  Peters drove in silence as I listened to the ringing on the other line. My father’s voicemail came on.

  “Hey, Dad, it’s Katie. I need your help with … with Tessa. It’s important. Please call me back.” I ended the call and placed the phone in my lap.

  “I heard your dad’s in law enforcement down south.”

  “Something like that.”

  The sun lowered toward the horizon.

  “Good to help out where you can.” Peters pulled up outside Matteo’s. “I’ll have Dean call you when he knows more. I’m sure he’ll give you an update on the situation.”

  “Thanks.” I stepped out of the car.

  When I reached my Jeep, I stopped and leaned against the door, the keys in my hand as I watched other cars go by. I jumped as my phone rang from my pocket. “Hello?”

  “Katie, it’s Dad. What’s going on?”


  “Tessa. She’s in trouble.” I opened the driver side door of my car and sat down, filling my father in on all of Tessa’s legal troubles. He listened patiently, never interrupting as I told the story. “And Dean’s gone to go pick her up right now.”

  “Oh, Katie,” my dad replied when I was finished. “That girl is trouble. I mean, she first got arrested when she was what, eighteen?”

  “Dad, that was the only time she was arrested. And it … doesn’t matter now. I need your help. Please.”

  He let out a sigh. “I knew it had to be something big. I don’t think you’ve ever asked for my help. Ever.”

  Silence.

  “Dad?”

  “I’m thinking.”

  I sat in the front seat and waited. In the distance, orange and pink tinted the fading sky.

  My dad’s deep voice came through the phone. “You need to take each case as its own. You think Seb committed the first murder. What you need to do is clear Tessa in Seb’s murder. That’s the most imminent one, then you can prove Seb’s involvement in the first murder.”

  “But, the video footage. She was at Garrett Winery during the time of the murder. How can I disprove video footage?”

  My dad was silent for a moment. “Katie, if the killer wanted to frame Tessa for the murder, they would have made sure she was there during that time. Tessa’s not exactly straight laced and, to be honest, she’s not the smartest friend you’ve ever had.”

  “Dad,” I interrupted.

  “Let me finish. But she does have common sense. She wouldn’t have been so obvious at Garrett Winery if she was really going to kill someone. If she was going to do something, no one would have seen her. Like the time she broke into my liquor cabinet.”

  “Dad, don’t.”

  “Hey, I’m only saying facts.”

  “Fine.” I nodded as I held the phone to my ear. “You’re right. She would have kept out of view.” I stared straight ahead as the orange and pink in the sky grew deeper.

  “You said Tessa had been there before, correct?”

  “Yes, she worked next door.”

  “Then she had to know there were cameras around. She wouldn’t let herself get caught if she was going to do the crime. Unless she’s gone off the deep end, but I don’t think that’s Tessa.”