“What was the party for?” Nikki already had a feeling she knew from her earlier conversation with Derek.
“Isabel recently opened a restaurant over in Yountville. It’s called Grapes. It was her opening night.”
Nikki nodded and took a sip of her wine.
“I’m sorry to tell you all of this. I couldn’t take it anymore.”
“I’m happy that you feel you could trust me and I could be here for you.”
Tears streamed down Minnie’s face. “Gabriel really loved me. He did. It wasn’t like with him and Tara or whatever he wanted Isabel for, or Meredith for that matter.” She covered her mouth. “You didn’t hear me say that. Please. That did not come from me. Deal? Besides, I don’t even know if it’s true. Gabriel insisted that the rumors about them were false, but the gossip was brutal. Someone got that idea about him and Meredith, and the stories became more exaggerated with each telling. I’m sure it put a strain on Gabriel and Derek’s relationship.”
Derek was right, the goings-on at the vineyard would have put any and all soap operas to shame. Gabriel apparently had played the starring role as the gigolo. Just like Raoul Bova, who’d starred opposite Diane Lane in Minnie’s favorite flick. Yes, that would’ve been a great role. Bova was luscious and had reeled in Lane’s character, Frances. Granted, Nikki hadn’t seen the movie, but she had read the screenplay and she also knew Bova from Avenging Angelo, a Stallone stinker that Nikki had actually enjoyed, mostly because of Bova. Bova’s character in Under the Tuscan Sun was the womanizer on screen that Gabriel was in real life. Lane’s character fell hard for Bova and then caught him screwing around. The difference here was Minnie hadn’t been willing to let go of her Italian charmer, and of course, no one was murdered in Under the Tuscan Sun. Minnie had been sucked in and romanticized her relationship with Gabriel, excusing his bad behavior.
Minnie wiped the tears from her face. Nikki wanted to ask her more questions, but Derek appeared at her side with a new glass of wine.
“This is our Cabernet Sauvignon. I think this is one of the best we’ve ever produced. Gabriel did a great job.”
Minnie glanced away and then back at Nikki, her eyes pleading with her to keep silent. She wondered if that was what the woman really wanted.
“Here, try these. I’m going back in to bring some for you, Minnie,” he said, handing Nikki a plate. “They’re delicious. Broiled oysters with a jalapeño pesto. They’ve got a bit of a kick to them.”
“Don’t worry about me. I think I’ll mingle a bit. It was nice talking to you, Nikki.”
Nikki smiled back at her. Derek looked questioningly at her and led her to a nearby table. She ate one of the warm appetizers before setting them on the table, discovering that Derek was right. They were delicious.
“What was that all about?” he asked.
“She’s pretty distraught over Gabriel’s death.”
“I’m sure she is. We all are. Most of us are, anyway. My brother and his partner, on the other hand, don’t seem to be unhappy.” Derek pointed to the boys of summer doing the swing on the dance floor. “That’s Simon and Marco, and the only pleasure I get from those two is the knowledge that Patrice can’t stand it that her only son is gay. If you look at her right now, she’s trying very hard to avert her eyes from the dance floor. She can’t even admit that Simon is gay. He sleeps in the same room with Marco, they travel together, they kiss in public, I mean c’mon. But, because Simon hasn’t come right out and told his mother that he prefers men, then to her he’s just artsy.”
“You still think I should move in here?” She pointed to the mansion.
“Yes. They may all be loonies, but they’re harmless loonies. You’ll be safe here, and I’ll feel better about that.”
“If you insist.” She didn’t feel good about it at all, and she wasn’t in the least bit convinced that any of them weren’t capable of murder, as she thought about the cigarette pack she’d found earlier and the charm. It did look more and more like Andrés could be involved in Gabriel’s murder. She wondered what the police had determined in regard to Andrés.
“I do.”
“Here, have another oyster.” He picked up the appetizer and fed it to her.
She was pretty tipsy from all the wine, but not too tipsy to recognize that when a man feeds a woman, it hits a ten on the flirting-Richter scale. The band switched from the big band music and started playing the Rolling Stones’ “I’m Just Waiting on a Friend.”
“I love this song,” Derek remarked.
“Me, too,” Nikki replied as the saxophonist started in.
“Will you dance with me?” Derek stood and extended his hand. Nikki thought she might melt right there. But, before it could get any better, a fortyish woman wearing a low-cut gold-colored gown with a slit up the side that would give even Samantha from Sex and the City a run for her money, rudely interrupted them.
She pulled a chair right up to their table and reached for Derek’s hand. The one intended for Nikki. “Don’t mind if I do.” She set her wine down, splashing it around, just missing Nikki’s dress. Brushing back her hair, the same color of the dress, with an exaggerated flip of the hand, the woman batted her thickly coated eyelashes in their direction. She sat down and grabbed an oyster from the platter at the table, tugging at Derek’s hand.
“Sit down, darling. I want to talk to you. You’ve gone over the top once again. What a lovely event. I am blown away. It’s marvelous, absolutely marvelous.” She leaned over and gave Derek a kiss on the cheek imprinting the side of his face with her lipstick. The woman’s raccoon eyes gave Nikki the once-over.
“So anyhoo, darling, I love the new wines and can’t wait to write about them in Winemaker Magazine. They’re fab, fab, fab. When are you going to give me a little private tasting, hmm?” She scooted her chair closer, nudging him on the shoulder.
Nikki was sick to her stomach. She had no idea that women could be so totally obnoxious. Well, yes she did. That TV show The Bachelor kind of proved it.
“I’m really busy these days, Tara. But it’s nice to see you,” Derek said, obviously as annoyed by her presence as Nikki.
“You can never be too busy for those who help you on your way up the ladder, now can you? And you have to admit I always write a very nice article about you, your winery, your wines—ah. Fab, fab, fab, darling. I simply wish I could say that to Gabriel. We were so close. He was such a darling. It is so horrid. I am mortified that anything like this could happen in our quaint little valley. I’ve heard the memorial service is on Tuesday. He deserves a toast. I’d like to give him one, darling.” She sloshed back a gulp of wine, set the glass down, and reached her hand out, sliding her long red nails down Derek’s arm in what could only be construed as a pass.
“That’s okay, Tara. I’ll be doing that later on this evening. Have you met Nikki Sands?”
The woman stuck out her hand. “Nice to meet you, darling. I’m Tara Beckenroe, Winemaker Magazine. And what did you say you do?”
“I didn’t.” Her name clicked in Nikki’s mind as she recalled the picture Derek had shown her the evening before. This was one of the women Gabriel had been seeing. No wonder he’d rid himself of this one. And now it looked as though Tara was gunning for Derek.
“Of course, darling. Would you be a dear and grab me one of the Merlot? It’s absolutely divine.” She ran her tongue across her lips and took Derek’s hand, and held it tightly in hers. He turned bright red.
“Certainly,” Nikki replied.
Derek grabbed her by the arm as she stood up. “No, you don’t have to do that. I can go, or one of the servers should be out in a minute.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Nikki touched his shoulder and caught Tara’s gaze. “I need to visit the rest room anyway.”
“Thanks. You’re such a dear.”
She overheard Tara comment as she walked away, “My, she’s a cutie pie.” Nikki winced.
She did have to go to the rest room, that wasn’t a lie, but s
he also needed some fresh air. She didn’t think the vulture was going to remove her talons and fly away anytime soon.
Nikki stepped into the house. Most of the guests had migrated outside and were enjoying the band and the festivities. She grabbed a glass of water to clear her mind a bit, and headed up the spiral staircase after looking around to make sure no one was watching.
The upstairs was in as much need of a good decorator as the downstairs. She peeked inside one of the bedrooms. Ooh, scary. She shut the door. The burgundy and hunter green colors had migrated their way upstairs as well, and in this room, they came in the form of puff valance window treatments.
She moved down a long hallway, lit by candlelight, which gave it the feeling of a haunted house. Nikki wanted to get a good picture of this loony bin, if she was going to be spending her nights here. The classical music, piped through the house, mixed with the muffled band music and voices through the open French doors.
Nikki couldn’t help reflecting upon everything that Minnie Lark had told her earlier. She and Gabriel had been lovers? That being the case, why did she mention Tara or Meredith? Current girlfriends usually didn’t like to freely bring up past bedmates of their boyfriends. And why tell Nikki about them, especially Meredith? If they truly had been left in the past, which Nikki doubted from all accounts she’d heard in regard to Gabriel and his passion for women.
Minnie was sweet but different. Maybe she was simply trusting and needed a shoulder to cry on. After all, love was a funny emotion, and women have put up with worse things than a philandering lover. Nikki could kind of understand Minnie telling her about Andrés. He did fit in the suspect category as far as she was concerned, and even though he and Minnie were friends, Nikki was pretty sure that Minnie felt the same way. Nikki had gotten the feeling that was something the woman really did want to get off her chest. Maybe Minnie did feel a certain comfort level with her, and that was why she’d divulged as much as she had. Or maybe she suspected one of the other women who’d been in Gabriel’s life at one time or another, and that’s why she’d let all their names come rolling so easily off her tongue.
What if the whole thing about Meredith and Gabriel were true, and she couldn’t blame Derek for believing that it wasn’t. Gabriel had been his best friend, but there were those best friends who back stabbed by sleeping with their pal’s spouse. Now, if Minnie were also sleeping with Gabriel, maybe she got a little jealous. Maybe Meredith and Gabriel had not been through playing house. Was it possible that Minnie could’ve murdered her lover?
This was getting out of control. The list of suspects was growing, and so were their motives.
Nikki wished she could pick up a phone and call Aunt Cara. Maybe she could. She did have a cell phone in her handbag. If Aunt Cara were somewhere in range, she knew she’d answer. But it was the middle of the night in Spain. The heck with it. Nikki had to take the chance. Cara would advise her, help her put this puzzle together. She also would probably tell her to get the hell out of there.
She walked all the way down the hall to the last door. The sound of a door closing from the other end of the hall caught her attention. She turned to see who it was, but there was no one there. A draft filled the hall. Just the wind.
Uneasily, Nikki decided to open the door to the room. It was unlocked. She stepped inside. The room hadn’t been used in years. It was enormous, dust-filled, and hadn’t been updated since disco was hot. The bed was a white wrought-iron queen-size, with a canopy covered in pink ruffles everywhere. It almost looked like a little girl’s room. A dark wood vanity table was over in the corner, with powders and silver brushes on top. Nikki moved toward it, hoping to find a phone there.
As she walked around the side of the bed to the vanity, a sickening surge struck her in the stomach, seeing that someone else had also wanted to use the phone in this room. Nikki quickly realized that Minnie Lark was not going to get that vacation she’d longed for in Tuscany, and she doubted she’d murdered Gabriel. Because there, on the floor by the side of the bed, lay Minnie with a spilled glass of red wine next to her and the phone cord wrapped around her neck.
Goat Cheese and Apple-Smoked Bacon Tart
The goat cheese and red onion tart with apple-smoked bacon is a good starter dish. Luckily, Nikki and Derek were able to finish theirs before they were so rudely interrupted by another kind of tart—that Tara Beckenroe—and just when things were starting to warm up between them. A nice wine to pair with the tart is Grgich Hills Chardonnay. The enticing aroma of this wine displays a subtle combination of varietal fruit and oak, followed by a cornucopia of delicate tropical fruit flavors such as pineapple, mango, and lemon. This recipe was so graciously passed on from Bob Hurley, owner of Hurley’s in Yountville.
TART DOUGH: 9-INCH TART PAN
1 cup all-purpose flour
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons cold sweet butter cut into small pieces
11⁄2 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening
21⁄2 to 3 tablespoons ice water
In a bowl combine flour, salt, butter, and shortening. Quickly work ingredients together with fingers until evenly mixed. Add 21⁄2 tablespoons of water and gently work into the dough until it comes together. Form into a ball and let rest, covered in plastic wrap, in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a circle about 1⁄8 inch thick. Place into tart pan, trim the edges leaving a 1 inch margin so that you can fold it under, and crimp edges.
Bake at 425°, using buttered foil and beans or pie weights to keep the crust from rising. Bake 8-10 minutes until the edges are set and slightly brown.
FILLING:
1 teaspoon cooking oil
5 ounces diced apple-smoked bacon
3 cups sliced red onions
1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme
1 whole egg
1 yolk
6 ounces Chevre-style goat cheese
1 pinch nutmeg
1 pinch salt
1 cup half-and-half
Cook bacon in 1 teaspoon oil until most of the fat has rendered. Pour off excess fat and add onions. Cook slowly until soft and translucent, add thyme.
Mix eggs with goat cheese, nutmeg, and salt until it has a smooth consistency. Add half-and-half slowly so as to prevent lumps, until it is all incorporated.
Spread bacon and onion mixture evenly throughout tart. Pour on the goat-cheese mixture and bake in at 350° until custard is set, about 35-40 minutes. Let cool to room temperature before serving.
Broiled Oysters with Jalapeño Pesto
There is a theory that oysters are an aphrodisiac. It really was too bad neither Nikki nor Derek got the chance to find out if the theory holds true.
However, if you want to give it a try, open a bottle of Napa Valley’s Cakebread Cellars Vin de Porche and see if Aphrodite’s charms go to work on you and your loved one. This wine has an inviting floral fragrance. On the palate, the overall impression is one of a smooth refreshing dryness with flavors that resemble a mix of fresh strawberries and cherries. This recipe serves 10, so you may want to invite some friends over. Don’t be surprised if they leave early. And, don’t be even more surprised if eight months later you’re asked for your oyster recipe to make for a baby shower or two.
1⁄2 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves
1⁄2 cup cilantro leaves chopped and pucked
2-3 jalapeño peppers
1⁄4 cup plain dry bread crumbs
1⁄4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1⁄4 cup water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1⁄2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
30 fresh oysters, shucked, shells reserved
Combine basil, cilantro, jalapeños, breadcrumbs, cheese, 1⁄4 cup water, lemon juice, and garlic in processor. Blend until mixture is finely chopped. Add butter and process until smooth paste forms. Season pesto to taste with salt and pepper.
Preheat broiler. Arrange oysters in half shells on 2 large baking sheets. Top each oyster with 11⁄2 teaspoons pesto. Working in batches, broil until pesto begins to brown, about 11⁄2 minutes. Place 3 oysters on each plate and serve. Serves 10.
Chapter 10
What seemed like forever was really only a matter of a few minutes or so, from the time Nikki spotted Minnie’s body, to letting out a bloodcurdling scream that sent a few people dashing into the room. The next thing she knew her eyes were meeting Derek’s, whose jaw dropped open at the sight of Minnie. He looked at Nikki, and her hands began to shake. She could see it in Derek’s eyes, and knew he had the same thought in his mind that everyone else did who had come into the room—what the hell was she doing in there? Right now, she couldn’t find words to answer anyone. They weren’t asking it out loud—yet. But she knew that they would be.
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