The Italian Sister (The Wine Lover's Daughter, Book 1)

by Christa Polkinhorn

  After school and homework, Julietta often walked around the estate, joined the workers and listened to their conversations. She seemed to feel like a detective and clearly enjoyed her self-appointed role. When she came back, she reported anything suspicious, which was usually not very helpful. Sofia was amused at her sister’s eagerness to play Sherlock Holmes, but warned her not to get herself into trouble.

  “Do you really think whoever did this would confide in you, knowing you’re my sister?”

  Julietta raised an eyebrow and smiled. “You never know. In all the detective stories I read, the criminal always gave himself away eventually.”

  “Honey, those are stories, not reality.”

  “Just leave it up to me,” the young sleuth said in a mysterious tone.

  Sofia sighed. “Don’t do anything dangerous, please. It’s enough that one of us got hurt.”

  One person’s behavior toward Sofia didn’t seem to have changed as a result of the accident. The old Santucci still displayed his erratic emotions toward her. He glared at her viciously one day, treated her with cold indifference the next and then all of a sudden he gave a quick smile and waved at her. His behavior totally confused her and she didn’t trust him. However, since he had a foolproof alibi, Sofia attributed his strange behavior to his general mental instability. One day, however, new suspicions flared up again.

  Chapter 34

  Sofia and Edoardo were at one of the vineyards, testing the grapes. Edoardo measured the sugar content and the ripeness of the grapes with a refractometer. He checked the small instrument and nodded. “It looks like we can pick really soon,” he said to Sofia. “We will collect some grapes from the whole field, crush them, taste the juice, and check the sugar content with the hydrometer. That’s much more accurate than with this little thing.” He pointed at the refractometer.

  Sofia nodded. “I remember. We call it ‘batch sampling’ in California.”

  Edoardo nodded and gave a quick smile, then became serious again. “You do not need to help picking. I would prefer if you did the final checking as before. We have a whole crew of experienced pickers.”

  Sofia, however, wanted to help, since it was her Sangiovese field they were getting ready to harvest. “I would like to try. If it hurts too much, I’ll stop.”

  Edoardo shrugged. “Suit yourself. But remember. The last test before the crushing is very important. It is the place where we catch the remaining bad grapes and guarantee a good wine.”

  “I guess you’re right. It’s just, it’s my own field but perhaps I’m being sentimental.”

  “It will not be the last time you are helping with your fields. You have time,” Edoardo said.

  So, he was expecting her back for the next harvest? Sofia was surprised. It was the second time he made a reference to her continuing to be involved. He’d encouraged her to help with the blending as well. He seemed to have accepted her as part of the estate. She glanced at him. He was gazing over the field toward the pine forest. As she looked in the same direction, she saw Edoardo’s father standing next to Nicholas. They seemed to be having an animate but friendly talk. The old man pointed with his cane in a few directions. At one point, Nicholas seemed to laugh out loud. A little later, the old Santucci walked away, supporting himself with his cane. Nicholas continued to work.

  Sofia scrunched her eyes. She remembered their talk when the old Santucci had asked her about importing wine to California. However, she was surprised how friendly Nicholas and he seemed together. They looked like old pals. Perhaps they planned to go into business together after all. Nicholas, who had been so passionate about inviting her to become his partner during that dinner before the accident, hadn’t mentioned it anymore. Then again, so much had happened. They didn’t really have the opportunity to talk about it. Sofia shook her head. I can’t get all paranoid. She followed Edoardo who went on picking a few more grapes and tasting them.

  On the way back to her house, she saw Nicholas and Silvio again. They were standing next to Nicholas’s car, talking. The old man pulled out an envelope from his pocket and gave it to Nicholas who held it, nodded, and got into his car. Sofia stopped and looked at them stunned. Did they make a business deal? Was it money? Did Silvio pay Nicholas for something? A terrible thought rose in Sofia’s mind. Was Nicholas…? No, no way.

  By then, she had reached his car. Nicholas was getting ready to drive away. When he saw her, he gave a quick smile, waved, and left. Was it her imagination or did she detect a guilty look on his face? Sofia’s heartbeat had doubled, her head hurt her again, and she felt nauseated.

  She went back to her house, poured herself a glass of water, and sat down in the living-room, trying to come to terms with what she’d witnessed. It couldn’t be. She must be imagining things. Nicholas couldn’t be the culprit. What would he gain by killing her? Then again, she knew he needed money to invest in his vineyard back in California. Perhaps Silvio Santucci or someone else from the family had promised him a lot of money if he hurt Sofia, perhaps the offer had been too tempting. But no, Nicholas had been so kind to her. He’d been really concerned when she was injured. No, it was just ridiculous. One thing, however, was sure. Sofia no longer knew who or what to believe. More and more, she felt persecuted from all directions. But she couldn’t let herself go insane.

  Chapter 35

  “Do you think Nicholas could have something to do with the brakes?” Sofia sat next to Julietta who was busy finishing her homework. Sofia had helped her with her English assignment. In her advanced English class, the students now studied American and English literature.

  “What? No, of course not. He is such a nice man. Why would he …?” Julietta looked at her stunned.

  “I don’t know, Julietta, I’m just confused.” Sofia hesitated to tell her sister about the exchange between Nicholas and the old Santucci she’d witnessed in the afternoon. She didn’t want to give her the impression she still suspected her grandfather or anybody else of her immediate family of having a hand in the crime. But how else could she explain her suspicion that Nicholas was somehow involved.

  “I’m sorry. I’m probably paranoid.” Sofia decided to keep her suspicions to herself for the moment.

  Julietta closed her books, came over, and sat down next to Sofia. “Do not worry, they will find the bad guy. The police, I mean.”

  Sofia sighed. “I’m not sure they will. I haven’t heard anything. And how could they if nobody saw the person do it?”

  “Fingerprints,” Julietta suggested.

  Sofia shook her head. “You can be sure that whoever cut the break pipe was wearing gloves.”

  “Hmm, you may be right.” Julietta studied her fingernails. She had painted them a glossy green. “But not Nicholas,” her sister said.

  Sofia sighed. “No, I don’t think so either. I know I’m not very good at judging people’s characters, especially not men.” She gave a quick snort. “But I couldn’t be that wrong. He seems to be a genuinely good person.”

  “Yes, and he likes you. Why would he want to hurt you?”

  He needs money. Sofia shook her head to chase the thought away. “I don’t know,” she said. “I’m just worried sick that whoever did it is going to try again. I’m even afraid to drive anymore. Sometimes I feel like packing up and leaving.”

  “No, do not leave, please.” Julietta held Sofia’s arm. Her eyes pleaded with Sofia.

  Sofia put her arm around her sister. “Don’t worry. I won’t. I can’t, really.”

  There was a knock at the door. Julietta got up and opened. It was Nicholas.

  Speaking of the devil. Sofia shook her head. Stop the stupid thoughts.

  He came in and smiled at her. “How are you ladies?”

  “Sofia is afraid,” Julietta said.

  “Why? Because of what happened?” Nicholas looked at Sofia.

  She tried to analyze his expression but there was no guile in his eyes. She nodded. “I see ghosts everywhere.”

  “Well, I don’t
blame you. Do the police have any new information?” Nicholas sat down on a chair across from Sofia. He put a paper bag on the coffee table. “I got you some white peaches in town. I bought too many. They’re really sweet.”

  “Thank you, that’s nice,” Sofia said.

  “So any news at all?” Nicholas asked.

  “No, not really.” Sofia glanced at him, wondering if he was truly concerned or just curious. “So, is Santucci senior still interested in doing business with you?” She tried not to sound distrustful.

  Nicholas gave her a questioning look. “Actually, no. He was asking me a bunch of questions about other things.”

  Sofia was surprised at Nicholas’s answer. If he was no longer interested in going into business with the old Santucci, then why the animate discussion she had witnessed from far and what was in the envelope? “I saw him give you an envelope in the afternoon,” she said.

  “That’s true. He asked me to mail something for him, since I was going to town anyway. I mailed it at the post office. Why?”

  Sofia shook her head. “Just wondering.”

  “You mentioned once that a man from Rome had caused a commotion … what’s his name?” Nicholas said.

  “You mean Guido, Julietta’s half-brother?” Sofia said.

  “Yes. Do you think he could have something to do with it?” he asked.

  “He is a crook,” Julietta said. “But we don’t know if he was near the estate when the accident happened.”

  Sofia got up and walked over to the window, then turned around. “The fact is I don’t know who could have done it. I’m clueless. And it scares the heck out of me.”

  Nicholas walked up to her and hugged her. “I’m sorry. I wish I could help. But I’m sure the problem will be solved.” He took a step back. “In the meantime, be careful. Don’t walk around by yourself after dark or go to places alone. Have one of us accompany you, either Julietta or me. If you need to go to town, I can drive you. Okay?”

  Sofia nodded.

  “Anyway, I need to leave. Edoardo wants me to help him with something. I’ll be back later. Stay safe.” He gently squeezed Sofia’s arm.

  “Thanks, Nicholas.” She looked after him as he left. If I could only trust you completely. If I could only trust someone.

  Chapter 36

  A few days later, Sofia and Edoardo walked along one of the fields where Edoardo was checking the grapes again. Sofia was in low spirits. She couldn’t relax and she had trouble sleeping at night. Julietta was back in school and stayed at the main house. Luisa had invited Sofia to stay with them so she wouldn’t be alone at night. Sofia, however, said she would be all right. Julietta spent the weekends at Sofia’s place and during the week, Sofia noticed that Edoardo would walk around her house late at night, probably making sure she was all right, or, as she sometimes thought to herself, wait for another opportunity to harm her. She didn’t really believe the latter, but she made sure all the doors were locked at night.

  And to make matters worse, Guido had been around again. Sofia had seen him talk to Nicholas a few days ago. It raised Sofia’s distrust of Nicholas again. The short exchange she’d witnessed from far could’ve been entirely innocent. However, if Guido still had an interest in her fields, he may have tried to bribe Nicholas. Stop it, Sofia, this is ridiculous. You’ve become a victim of a crazy conspiracy theory.

  But even without her perhaps unfounded suspicions, the situation was getting unbearable. Sofia asked herself once again, if she should just leave and hand over the vineyards to the family. But that was probably exactly what the criminal, whoever it was, had in mind. And she didn’t feel like giving up that easily. She would stick it out.

  Edoardo tapped her on the shoulder and woke her from her musing. “You seem preoccupied.” He gave her a probing look. “You are worried about what happened.” It was a statement not a question.

  Sofia’s eyes filled with tears. “It’s just so scary” Her voice broke.

  “I understand. But we will not give up until we find who did it,” Edoardo said in a reassuring tone. “The police checked out Guido Berlusconi, the son of Luisa from her former marriage. He was here a few weeks ago. Remember?”

  Sofia nodded. “I know who he is. Julietta and Luisa told me about him.”

  “Yes, well he is not very trustworthy. He has been in jail for some criminal activity. It is tragic the way he turned out. I think it is his father’s fault, but Luisa really suffers because of it.” Edoardo sighed. “And he expressed an interest in your vineyards.”

  “Yes, I heard about it,” Sofia said.

  “So far it looks as if he was in Rome at the time. But he is still one of the suspects. And then there is one of the workers. He disappeared over night without giving notice. We don’t know why. However, the police are looking for him. They follow every lead.” Edoardo gently touched her shoulder.

  Sofia was moved by this friendly gesture. She sighed. “But why would a worker I don’t know and who doesn’t know me do something like this? It doesn’t make sense.”

  Edoardo shrugged. “Perhaps he …” He shook his head. “Perhaps he is insane. We don’t know him very well. He is new. But we will know more when we find him.”

  Sofia nodded but didn’t feel convinced.

  “We will get to the ground of this,” Edoardo said. “Do not worry.”

  Sofia had to smile at his slightly mistaken use of an idiom.

  “We are ready to pick another field,” he said matter-of-factly.

  “I’ll be there,” Sofia said, then walked toward the main house. She felt strong enough to help pick again. The work would take her mind of her fears and sadness. She saw Nicholas drive up and park, then get out of the car and wave at Edoardo. The two began to talk. Sofia glanced wistfully at them, then walked to her house.

  Chapter 37

  During the first week in October, all the workers and volunteers were out picking grapes. A cool and dry northern wind made the temperature drop to a pleasant twenty degree centigrade during the day but at night it went as far down as twelve degrees. This kept the now fully ripe grapes dry and created the perfect condition for the harvest.

  Sofia, together with Edoardo and Luisa, worked at another one of the estate’s Sangiovese fields. Fully recovered from her accident, she inhaled the sweet and pungent scent of the ripe grapes. Concentrating on her work, she was able to forget her fears for a while. She focused on cutting the clusters and listened to the sound of the truck, which carried the picked grapes to the winery, as well as the occasional laughter and talk of the workers. The peaceful atmosphere and her intense concentration and hard work were the perfect antidote to her troubles.

  “Hi Sofia, how are you feeling?” She was surprised to hear Nicholas’s voice. He began to work at the row next to hers. His smile seemed genuine and she hated herself for not being able to fully trust him.

  “Great, thanks,” she answered. “Working helps my strained nerves.”

  “I understand,” he said, then went on with his work.

  Sofia took a deep breath and continued to snip off clusters of grapes, putting them into the plastic containers along the rows of vines.

  After a few hours, Nicholas and Sofia walked over to the winery and helped to do the quick final check of the grapes before they were crushed. Nicholas stayed with the others after work, chatting and laughing. Sofia, however, didn’t feel comfortable anymore just hanging out with the workers, so she went home.

  Back at the house, Julietta came toward her with a basket in each hand. “Want to come and help pick porcini? I saw some in the forest there.” She pointed at the woods next to the property.

  “Do you know the poisonous from the edible ones?” Sofia asked.

  “Certamente. What do you think?” Julietta rolled her eyes. “Besides, we are going to show them to Edoardo before cooking. He is an expert.”

  Death by poisonous mushrooms. That’s all I need. Sofia shook her head and grinned.

  “What?” Julietta stared
at her.

  “Nothing. Yes, let’s go.” Sofia grabbed one of the baskets and they walked the short path to the small forest. Julietta obviously knew her way around the dense brush.

  They didn’t have to walk very far to see the first of the large brown and white mushrooms that were so delicious when prepared with risotto, pasta, or as a ragout. It was quiet and peaceful in the forest. Circles of dappled light from the sunrays shining through the trees covered the ground. Sofia inhaled the scent of pines and the earthy smell of the ground cover.

  After about an hour, they’d picked enough mushrooms for a dinner. It was late afternoon and the light began to dim in the forest.

  “Hear that?” Julietta grabbed Sofia’s arm. They stood still and listened. A thrashing noise nearby became louder. It sounded like a mixture of thunder and snapping tree branches. “Cinghiale,” Julietta whispered and pulled Sofia behind a cluster of trees. “Wild boar.” They saw the huge animal with its powerful tusks bolt through the trees. As soon as it had appeared, it was gone. Sofia and Julietta breathed a sigh of relief.

  “They are usually not dangerous, but if they feel threatened, they can attack,” Julietta explained. They walked on and came out of the forest without further interruptions.

  After having the mushrooms checked by Edoardo and Luisa, they cleaned them. Luisa invited Sofia to have dinner with them. “It will be just the three of us, Julietta, you, and me. My parents are eating at Edoardo’s tonight.”

  Sofia gratefully accepted the invitation. Julietta set the table and Sofia helped Luisa prepare dinner. Luisa cleaned the mushrooms and cut them into thin slices while Sofia heated the olive oil and sautéed the garlic for a couple of minutes. “Make sure it is not getting brown,” Luisa warned. Sofia then added the mushrooms and Luisa turned up the heat, because the mushrooms needed to be cooked on a high flame, as Luisa told her. Sofia cooked them for about ten minutes, added salt and pepper halfway through the cooking time, then added parsley in the end. “If it gets too dry, you can add a little broth,” Luisa told her. “Good, now set it aside.”