by Rose Young
“I’m trying to encourage Madeline to incorporate some of these practices, but she feels they are too esoteric. Yet, she does see how well it works in my vineyard and notices the wine. Biodynamic wines are less allergy inducing too.”
Madeline speaks in French, while pointing to her lips. “Ma soeur, tout le monde est le bienvenu à leur propre opinion.”
Georgi interprets for Roxanne, “My sister, everyone is welcome to their own opinion.”
Madeline raised her glass and said, “Cheers, to our friends.” They sipped and Georgi cooed, “Oooh, the pear wine is so delicate and refreshing, Camilla. I love it.” He took a deep breath, sighed, and then reached for the appetizers.
Madeline noticed his sigh. “Georgi, how are you doing? I’m beside myself with our dear friend Mitch. I have visited Marissa twice. I’m so sorry, he was Lester’s best friend, and he’s been so good to me, making sure I had everything I need to keep the business going. Look how they are both gone in a year. It’s heartbreaking. I don’t understand what happened. It’s just terrible. How could this happen? Who did this to him?”
“Oh Madeline, it’s so hard, and you know of this because of Lester. And my dear Roxanne, well she found Mitch.” Georgi hung his head and was overwhelmed with emotion. He used a napkin to dab his eyes and Roxanne spoke up.
“I’m so sorry, Madeline, for the loss of your dear husband. We actually came to bring you news of something we discovered and wanted you to be the first we tell.” She paused briefly, and continued, “Georgi came across a file in Mitch’s laptop. It looks as though Mitch was doing research on Morelli International Distributors. Morelli has been investing in vineyards around the world and we were wondering how much you knew about this.”
Madeline gave a still, dead stare, to her sister. Camilla asked, “What are you saying?”
Georgi explained, “It’s possible, is it not, that Morelli might have thought Mitch’s 30% ownership of your vineyard would be available to him after his death? Maybe he thought he could acquire it by negotiating with Marissa. Mitch’s files say that Morelli tried to repeatedly buy him out, and Lester, but they both refused. I don’t know if you knew that.”
Madeline informed, “Lester and Mitch were so good about running the business I let them be in charge and I handled the wine tastings and renting to private parties and weddings. I didn’t know.”
Georgi continued, “At some point Mitch must have become disenchanted with Morelli and he made arrangements with Lester. First by assuring you received Lester’s 50 % ownership and then Mitch placed his 30% into a Trust to protect it from Morelli. I just read the files. You and Lester were the executors if anything had ever happened to Mitch.”
“I’m sorry Madeline, but what I am trying to say, which is so hard to say, is that Mitch researched Morelli’s domination of small to medium-sized vineyards around the world. Mitch was concerned for you and wanted proof. Morelli had purchased other successful vineyards like yours, with award winning wines. It looked as though he strong-armed many, and to some… well, unfortunate things occurred.”
Georgi looked grief stricken as he explained, “Madeline my dear, I’m so sorry, but frankly, I think Mitch was suspicious that Lester did not die from just a heart attack.”
Madeline’s hands went to her face, then to her stomach as she doubled over. Camilla quickly reached for her sister and hugged her. Realizing the possible horror that Lester could have been murdered was overwhelming. In a low undertone Madeline uttered, “This is so bizarre.”
Dismayed, she explained further, “Art Morelli is in our business and in my life. He has tried to wine and dine me. He’s been offering to help me, wanting to invest more into the business. He says he wants to relieve me of the workload. He said I could partially retire. I was actually considering it.” Suddenly, she had another realization and her demeanor changed. “I think I found something you need. I’ll be right back.” She left and quickly returned.
“This is Lester’s.” She presented a computer memory stick. “I recently found this in the bottom of a strongbox Lester kept in the wine cellar with receipts and a few business papers. I didn’t realize he had anything worthwhile in there. This was in an envelope inside with a note, In case of emergency, view this with Mitch. I didn’t know it was there or I would have told Mitch, and now it’s too late.” Her voice trailed off as she started to sob.
Teary-eyed, Georgi hugged her, “I’m so sorry.” After a few moments she regained her composure.
Georgi sat by her and made an offer, “Madeline, Roxanne and I are working with Detective Morrison in New London on Mitch’s case. There is so much that has happened that I won’t bother you with the details. But if you don’t mind, I’d like to take this memory stick to him for the investigation.”
With tissues in hand she said, “Of course dear,” Then she suddenly became aware of the likelihood of Georgi’s theory, “You get that bastard, Georgi, or I’ll kill him myself.” With a bereaved sigh she said, “You’ll have to excuse me now, I’m too upset to continue.” Madeline hugged Georgi and said goodbye to Roxanne.
“Georgi and I are returning directly to New London on the ferry, Camilla,” Roxanne gently informed. “We’ll call you with any new information. I think we have what we need for the detective.” Camilla nodded, while holding back her own tears. Georgi and Roxanne saw themselves out.
Once outside, Georgi softly moaned, “Oh, I feel horrible.” Tears rolled down his face and Roxanne dabbed them with a tissue. The fresh air, flowers and sunshine did not penetrate his sorrow.
“Georgi, let’s go. We have to keep moving and stay focused. Let me drive for a while. Okay?” Georgi gratefully handed her the keys. They drove straight away, on Route 25 toward Greenport. Roxanne looked at her watch.
“We have an hour before the ferry leaves. Let’s stop in front of this ice cream stand and look at the memory stick.” Georgi agreed. They opened Mitch’s laptop, and plugged in the stick. Up popped Lester’s files of his dealings with Morelli.
Roxanne reviewed the notes Lester made, and paraphrased aloud to Georgi, “Lester says he had a bad feeling. Even though Morelli was friendly, he felt excessively pressured. Lester regretted letting him invest in his business. He didn’t like his ideas of adding Morelli’s choice of grapes to his wine blends.
He says here, he didn’t want to bother Madeline with his concerns. So he just put everything in these notes as he tried to figure out what to do. He says they suspected Morelli, so Mitch helped him arrange the Trust that protected his business for his family.
“He researched other Morelli holdings. He created a spreadsheet that showed Morelli at the top and any possible subsidiary companies. It was a difficult process, but through his vintner connections and word of mouth, Lester verified these connected enterprises. Morelli would pretend to help a family by investing in their vineyard until he could control it. The more Lester researched, the more he felt Morelli was acting like an international monopoly, trying to own and control the wine prices and distribution.
“He told Mitch his concerns and together they made a plan to protect Williamson Wines. The pattern was obvious, Morelli was building an empire constructed on the hopeful dreams of vineyard owners, while pillaging for his grandiose schemes of supreme market domination.”
Roxanne added, “Lester follows all his details and data with a haunting phrase, Mitch, if something happens to me, take care of Madeline and investigate that bastard Morelli.
Roxanne’s voice became unrecognizable as she belted out a clarion call, “We have to call the detective now!”
Jolted by her fierce toll, Georgi yelped, “Call
him! Call him now!”
Chapter 54
Day 6 – 1:00 pm
“Detective Morrison, here.”
Roxanne had the detective on speaker phone and started the conversation off casually, “Oh hi Dan, it’s Roxanne and Georgi. We are here in Long Island to meet with one of the vineyard owners.” Unable to mainta
in the farce, her tone changed and her voice sped up, “We discovered hard evidence that connects Morelli International Distributors to Mitch’s death, and possibly Lester Williamsons’ here in the North Fork.”
Morrison stood stunned, feeling as though she had just spun his mind. Trying to catch up to what was said, he realized her words had a deep significance.
Roxanne continued to blurt on, “This morning Georgi found a laptop Mitch had left at Vinho Verde, under the cash register. We looked at some files and came here to talk to Madeline, Lester’s widow. She gave us a memory stick she recently found. We opened it and it confirmed Mitch’s research on Morelli. It’s very incriminating, detective!”
Morrison reeled from relief and disbelief. The responsibility he felt for Roxanne’s safety was monumental, and she didn’t seem to comprehend the gravity of his duty to her husband, Chief Samson.
“Roxanne,” Morrison thundered, “I swear to God, you’re nuts! What are you doing? These people are really dangerous! Do you know the President of the United States is easier to manage than you? I know this because your husband is handling his visit to the Coast Guard now!”
She looked at Georgi with raised eyebrows, and mouthed, “We’re in big trouble.” Georgi crinkled his face wondering how seriously in trouble. He pulled out a lavender handkerchief and patted his forehead.
Sternly, Morrison instructed, “I want you to stay right there. I am sending a pair of local officers to escort you to New London.” He took an obvious deep breath then growled the words, “Where are you exactly?”
“We’re at the Magic Fountain ice cream stand in Mattituck, in Georgi’s PT Cruiser. But we have to make the three o’clock ferry,” she whined, looking at the time.
“Just stay put. We’ll get you on the ferry, but with an escort. Do you hear me?” he said completely frustrated.
“Yes, I hear you. We’ll wait, but I’m afraid for Madeline at Williamson Wines in Southhold.”
Trying to respond gently, he said, “I’ll send an officer over there too. Okay?”
Softly Roxanne said, “Yes, Dan.”
“Good,” he said and hung up.
“We have to wait here for the police,” Roxanne confirmed.
“Oh, he’s mad at us!” Georgi said, not amused, “I thought he’d be at least grateful for all our hard work.”
Staring longingly out the window, Georgi read the Magic Fountain’s ice cream list. “Can I have an ice cream? It sure would make me feel better.”
Roxanne smiled, noticing the little boy inside the grown-up. “Sure thing, I’ll treat and have one too.” Roxanne gave him the money and while he was in line, she explored Lester’s files on the laptop further.
Finally, Georgi returned with the ice cream. Roxanne enjoyed a dish of Coffee Heath bar, and Georgi had Black Raspberry Chip. After a several bites someone knocked on the window. Georgi’s mouth was full and Roxanne looked up with a spoon in her mouth.
“Ms. Roxanne?” a man asked, “Detective Morrison asked us to escort you and Mr. Georgi to the ferry. Are you ready?”
“Uh, I was expecting the police,” Roxanne protested.
“We are, Ma’am,” he answered, as he quickly flashed his badge. “We are in plain clothes so we don’t draw any undue attention.”
“That makes sense. Do we follow you?” she asked.
“No, we will follow you, Ma’am.”
She put her ice cream in the cup holder and drove toward Greenport. A police car suddenly went past them with flashing lights on.
Greenport was dotted with fancy Bed & Breakfast Inns, restaurants and charming shops. Georgi admired the tasteful window decorations and large flowering pots at the store entrances. “Oh, they have some ideas I could use,” he mused. “Marco would love it here,” he dreamed.
Once at the ferry terminal, they waited in the car line up and finished their ice creams. The plain clothes officers followed them on to the ferry. In the canteen area one officer stayed with them, while the other scoped out the ship and decided the second floor open deck was the most secure.
The officer instructed, “Ms. Roxanne, we’ll have you and Mr. Georgi sit outside here on the forward exterior deck, if you don’t mind. We will be posted inside and have an eye on you at all times to keep the area secure.”
“Oh, that sounds fine,” she acknowledged. As soon as their escorts stationed themselves indoors, she poked Georgi, “Don’t you feel better? Isn’t it nice to know you have your own bodyguards?”
“Oh yes!” Then he mimicked a posh accent, “Mr. Georgi is quite pleased to have his own bodyguards.” They laughed, relaxed and stood at the railing overlooking the water. This smaller deck was located at the bow. The larger upper deck was behind the Captain’s wheelhouse and faced the aft of the ship. Lucky for Roxanne and Georgi, the small number of passengers on board at this time gave them the privacy they and their undercover escorts needed. From their secure perch, they gazed toward their future again as the boat traversed Long Island Sound’s expansive waterway.
Georgi turned back to look ashore. He observed blue flashing lights on the Orient Point dock. “They sure have plenty going on around here in Long Island. I thought this was a sleepy tourist town. Boy was I wrong.”
She joshed him with a nudge, “Maybe they’re escorting someone important.”
He smiled and then was distracted, “Look at the jet skis, behind the ferry.” They both moved to the starboard side and leaned out to look behind the boat. Two jet skis were speeding toward the ship taking advantage of the ferry’s wake. The curling foam of white water offered a substantial ramp for the wave runners. Applying crisscrossing maneuvers, the jet skiers high jumped the waves and deftly became airborne. “Wow, look at them go!” The water acrobatics kept the two entertained as the boat moved further away from shore.
Roxanne’s hair was whipping around and once again she noticed Georgi’s hair holding steady. “I need a new hairstyle for water travel,” she teased him, “but if I put that amount of gel in my hair, I would look like a wild emoji or a Manga character!”
Georgi laughed, “Once I get it right, I don’t want it to move the rest of the day.” His hand puffed his hair like a 1950s actress, then struck a pose. Roxanne rolled her eyes and pointed to the view looking toward Plum Island. The fleet of fishing boats had grown, vying for a fresh caught dinner.
Finally the two decided to sit on a bench and relax. Simultaneously, they heaved a happy sigh. Both were feeling more confident than they had in the week since Mitch’s death.
Unknown to them, from every angle, their future was about to radically change.
Chapter 55
Day 6 – 3:30 pm
While Georgi and Roxanne relaxed in their safe zone, a gentleman in a grey running suit suddenly approached them. He had dark hair, a shadow of a beard, dark eyes and a fine form. Their jaws dropped, stunned by his good looks. His handsome presence induced them to stand up.
In a soft, smooth, hypnotizing accent, the fellow spoke, “Roxanne my dear, what did you do with the diamond you found?” He leaned toward her in a demanding way, which was mystifyingly precocious.
“What? What diamond?” she stuttered, confused.
“The one I lost in your garden, sweetie, next to Mitch.” The hot breath of Mr. Silver warmed her skin as he pressed against her and cinched her arm. “Don’t play the fool with me, blondie. I’m not a patient man.”
“Leave her alone, you brute!” Georgi pounded on his back. The man pushed him aside easily.
“I don’t know about any diamond!” protested Roxanne, trying to push him away.
Georgi warned him, “We have security guards. Get away from her!”
“Those men are with me, you idiot,” the villain seethed through his teeth. He motioned the thumbs up sign to the guys, and they gave it back.
“Oh, no!” Georgi wailed.
The man barked at Roxanne, “This is your last chance, my dear. Where’s the diamond? Do you have it on you?” He attempted to c
heck her pockets, making her feel disturbingly invaded by his hands. She swatted him with vigor, using all she had to fight him off.
“Leave us alone. I never found a diamond!” she answered angrily and attempted to push him off balance but his solid form did not budge.
He growled, “You’ve been all over that garden, sneaking around in it. Where is it?”
“I never saw it,” she yelled, “I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
His annoyance peaked, “Don’t be coy with me, sweetie. Maybe a cold swim will refresh your memory.”
Roxanne screeched, “Don’t you dare! If I had it, I’d give it to you.”
He lunged forward, “Then tell it to the fishes!” In one swift motion he scooped her up and tossed her over the rails into the water twenty feet below. Roxanne screamed the whole way down.
Georgi screeched, “You’re crazy! You’re a madman!”
“Yes, I’m mad,” he hissed. His eyes looked to be on fire. He frisked Georgi who yelped in pain from the man’s forceful maneuvers. He found Madeline’s memory stick and pulled it off Georgi.
“Hey, that’s mine,” Georgi bemoaned.
“It’s mine now, you buffoon and your laptop too. Here, have a drink on me.” He lifted Georgi up like he was a toy.
“Oh no, Oh no, Oh no!” Georgi hollered.
Holding him horizontal in the air, the man grunted, “Arrivederci,” and threw him over the brink. Georgi plummeted into the choppy water below.
***
Meanwhile, Detective Morrison had received a call from the Long Island police officers. “Detective, Madeline Williamson is secure in Southold. But we did not make contact with Roxanne Samson and Georgi Algarve.”