“Liz, you forget that money talks. I’d bet she’d say it was just fine with her. Anyway, would you try it for me?”
“Roger, you’re a little too old to try and pull off that puppy dog look you’re giving me. I think little kids who are about five or six can get away with it, but it looks ridiculous on a grown man.”
“You’re probably right. I won’t try that again. Okay, I’ll just ask it up front. Liz, I’d appreciate it if you’d take Winston with you when you have your spa treatment today.”
“Why, Roger, I’d be happy to. See how easy that was?”
“Don’t push it, Liz. I love you, and I just don’t want anything to happen to you.” he said bending down to kiss her as he was getting into Judy’s Mercedes.
“Okay. I do have to say you look pretty good driving that Mercedes of Judy’s. One thing she has is very good taste, but don’t get used to it. Talk to you tonight,” she said waving to him as he drove down the lane to the street.
A few minutes before 2:00 Liz left the hotel and followed the instructions on her GPS to La Spa. She turned down a long driveway that ended in a horseshoe in front of a building that had been designed to resemble a French chateau and parked in a slot with a sign indicating it was for guests. She sat in the car for a moment looking at the building.
Simone LaSalle must have come to the United States with a lot of money. This is the one of the most beautiful buildings I’ve ever seen. It looks like whoever built it spent a lot of time studying French chateau architecture, because it sure looks like buildings I’ve seen in books and on television.
I probably should have asked how much my treatment is going to cost, although with the number of treatment rooms that this building could accommodate, she probably makes her money from doing a large volume of treatments. I might understand it if she was concerned about competition from Serenity Spa cutting into her profits. Based on the size of La Spa, it looks like it would take a lot of appointments to simply make ends meet, much less a profit, but maybe that’s not a concern of hers.
She put Winston’s leash on him and opened the door that had a sign on it with the words “Please Come In” formed with brass letters. She walked over to the reception desk and said, “Hi, my name is Liz Langley, and I have a two o’clock appointment for a massage.”
“Welcome to La Spa,” a beautiful young woman with a heavy French accent said. “I’m sorry, but we don’t allow dogs in here, because some of our clients are allergic to them.”
“I understand, but I have a note from my doctor with me. I suffer from anxiety, and my dog is a comfort dog. He goes everywhere with me. He’s perfectly trained.”
The young woman looked skeptically at Liz for a moment and then at Winston. “I will need to call your therapist and make sure she’s not allergic to dogs.”
“Thank you, I’d appreciate that.”
A moment later the young woman looked up at Liz and said, “It’s highly unusual, but Antoinette said that would be fine, because she likes dogs. Let me show you to the changing rooms. Please follow me.”
A few minutes later Liz was wearing a bathrobe very similar to the one Roger had worn that morning along with spa slippers. She put her purse in the locker that had been assigned to her, turned the key, and walked out to the reception desk.
“Go through that door, and you can relax in there. Antoinette will come and escort you to her treatment room in a few minutes. There is tea and other refreshments in the room. Please help yourself.”
Liz and Winston walked through the door, and as she looked out the window, she saw that the chateau had been designed around a central courtyard where the guests could enjoy the jacuzzi. Recliners covered in soft white velour were scattered throughout the room while gentle music created a peaceful feeling. Even though it was late July, a fire had been lit and candles glowed throughout the room. Large cut glass pitchers held three kinds of water, one with sliced cucumbers, one with sliced oranges, and one with sliced limes. A tray of petits fours had been carefully arranged and set on the counter along with a variety of teas and an urn with hot water. A great attention to detail was evident everywhere she looked.
She sat down in one of the recliners with a magazine and felt the tension she’d been carrying with her ever since she and Roger had arrived at Judy’s slowly leave her body. A few moments later a petite woman with large brown eyes and black hair framing her face said, “You must be Mrs. Langley. My name is Antoinette. I’ll be your masseuse today. Please follow me, and I understand that this dog will be accompanying you, which is fine with me. When I left France, I couldn’t bring mine with me, and I still miss him.”
Liz followed her down a long hall and up a flight of stairs. “Have you been in the United States for very long?” she asked.
Antoinette opened the door to a large dimly lit room which smelled of sandalwood and said, “What you smell is sandalwood. It has a lot of healing properties in it, and I use essential oils such as sandalwood in my massages. I think you’ll like it. To answer your question, I’ve been here for two years. Madame LaSalle travels to France every year and hires several people trained in different beauty and spa techniques to work here at La Spa. She wants to retain the French feeling and felt if she hired Americans, she would lose it.”
“That makes sense. This room is one of the most calming rooms I’ve ever been in. I notice you even have a fountain in the corner. That’s a wonderful touch, and I love the walls covered in the French provincial blue fabric. You’ve done a beautiful job decorating the room.”
“Thank you, but I can’t take credit for it. Madame LaSalle oversees everything. I’m going to leave you for a few moments. Please take your robe off. There’s a hook on the back of the door. You can lie face down on the massage table and cover yourself with the light blanket which has been warmed for you. If you’d like a drink of water before I begin, there’s some water with sliced limes in it on the bureau.” She opened the door and walked out.
Liz looked around and couldn’t believe the amount of money that had obviously been spent on the treatment room. I thought the Red Cedar Spa was done beautifully, but this takes spa treatments to a different level. Madame LaSalle must have an unlimited amount of money to spend.
She made herself comfortable on the table, and shortly there was a knock on the door. Antoinette said, “Are you ready for me to come in?”
“Yes, thank you.”
“I will start with your shoulders and neck and work my way down. When I have finished with your back side, I will ask you to turn over and do your legs, feet, shoulders and arms. Do you have any questions before I begin?”
“Not about the treatment, but I am curious about the person who owns this spa. Can you tell me something about her?” Liz asked as Antoinette began to work on her neck and upper back.
“The woman who owns La Spa is Simone LaSalle. She married an American who had been assigned to the Paris office of an international banking firm. When his term was over, she moved to San Francisco with him, but the marriage didn’t work out. She had been to Calistoga several times and decided it needed an upper-end spa which she had built in the manner of a French chateau. I don’t think she’s left one detail undone,” she said as she began to gently knead the muscles in Liz’s mid-back.
“This is my first spa experience in Calistoga. Are all the spas as luxurious as this one?”
Antoinette laughed. “Non, this is very special. Madame spares no expense. She is from one of the wealthiest families in Provence, you know, southern France. Her family owns the largest vineyard and olive oil company in France. That’s why she liked Calistoga and decided to settle here, because it reminded her of Provence.”
“I’ve not been to France, but when I entered La Spa, I felt like I was there.”
“That is exactly how she wants the clients to feel. There is no other spa like this one in all of the Napa Valley.”
“I heard that a new spa just opened. I think it’s called the Serenity Spa or somethi
ng,” Liz said.
“Yes, Veronique, she’s one of the other massage therapists here, told me that Madame was very, very angry when she heard it was going to open. She told Veronique that she would personally make sure that Serenity Spa wouldn’t be open very long, and we didn’t need to worry about it. She said she had her ways.”
“That’s a strange thing to say. What do you think she meant by that?” Liz asked.
“I don’t know, but when she says something, you can plan on it happening or not happening. It’s too bad that Serenity probably won’t be in business for long. Madame will see to it one way or another. Now we’ve talked long enough, and I want you to simply lie there and let me do the work. By the way, your dog is very well-behaved. He’s just lying under the table. He makes me miss mine all the more.”
“What kind of dog did you have?” Liz asked.
“I will answer that question, and then nothing more. I had a French poodle, but what would you expect?” Antoinette answered laughing.
An hour later she said, “I am finished. You may stay here for a few minutes, and when you’re ready, feel free to spend some time in the lounge or in the jacuzzi if you’d like. We do ask that you shower before you go in the jacuzzi, so as not to get the sandalwood oil I used on you in the jacuzzi. Adieu,” she said as she left the room.
CHAPTER 26
It was late afternoon by the time Liz returned to the Serenity Hotel. She’d thought about what Antoinette had said about Madame LaSalle on her drive back, and wondered how far the woman was willing to go to ensure that Serenity didn’t make it. It was hard to believe she might be responsible for Nikki’s murder, but it was just as hard for her to believe that the owner of the Red Stallion Winery would commit murder just to get land.
She parked her car and took Winston for a walk. When she returned to the hotel she saw Amber relaxing by the pool. She’d wanted to talk to her and see if she could learn anything from her.
“Winston, you haven’t explored the grass by the pool yet, and I think this a perfect time to do it.” They walked through the gate and over to where Amber was reading a book and reclining on a chaise longue. She looked up when she heard Liz’s footsteps on the concrete apron of the pool.
“Hello, Amber. Mind if we join you? It’s such a beautiful afternoon I’m not quite ready to go inside for the rest of the day.”
“Please join me. The others are taking a nap before we head back to San Francisco, but I wanted to soak up a little more sun. I don’t have many chances to relax like this.”
“Amber, I seem to remember that you live down in the Central Valley. Doesn’t it get pretty hot there this time of year?” Liz asked, not sure how she was going to lead up to Nikki’s murder and not sure what she was looking for.
“Yes, it’s brutal, particularly now that the air conditioning unit in our house isn’t working. Our farm isn’t doing very well, so we can’t afford to get it fixed right now. You’re probably aware of the drought here in California. It’s really hurt our crops, and since the farm isn’t doing well we can’t afford to hire many workers. It’s a pretty rough time right now for farmers.”
“Amber, did you live in the Central Valley before you went to college?”
“Yes, I’ve lived there my whole life other than when I was at Berkeley. I was very lucky to get a scholarship. I really thought I’d go on to graduate school and get a master’s degree. I love books, and I always wanted to be an editor, but that didn’t happen. I fell in love in high school with my husband-to-be. He also got a scholarship to Berkeley, but he convinced me to marry him and help him run his family’s farm. He’s a wonderful man, and even though it’s not been easy for us, I’ve never regretted it.”
“You’re the only one of the reunion people who lives on a farm, aren’t you?”
“I am, and it’s something Nikki never let me forget.”
“What do you mean?”
“I shouldn’t speak ill of the dead, but now that she’s gone, it probably doesn’t matter. Nikki felt I was beneath her and the others who shared the apartment we lived in at Berkeley. I never told any of them, but when they weren’t around she said things to me like I had no manners, and that Daniel shouldn’t come to the apartment, because he was just trailer trash and as uncouth as I was. She never said anything when any of the others were there, but Nikki made my life miserable in a million little ways,” she said bitterly.
“I’m surprised your roommates didn’t pick up on that.”
“Renee wouldn’t stand for anything like that. In many ways, she seems almost too good to be true. She doesn’t gossip or listen to it, and she sure wouldn’t have allowed any of us to say something unkind about one of the others. One time I overheard Nikki talking to Renee about me, and believe me, it wasn’t very complimentary. Renee stopped her from going any farther. I’ve never forgotten how wonderful Renee was at that moment and how awful Nikki was.”
“If you felt that way, Amber, why did you continue to attend the reunions?”
“To be sure Nikki didn’t say anything bad about me. As long as I came to them, she wouldn’t be able to. I guess it was a form of self-protection. Now that she’s gone, I don’t think I’ll be attending any more reunions, and quite frankly, I’d be surprised if the other three even hold them. Too many bad memories associated with this one.”
“Amber, it must have been difficult for you to be around Nikki all these years. I think I would have had a problem with that.”
“It was. I hated her, pure and simple. I’m not sorry she’s dead, and I’m not sorry that she’s no longer the rich wife of some real estate developer. I didn’t have anything to do with either one of those things, but I’m sure not sorry they happened to her. What I am glad about is that I had an ironclad alibi for the time she was murdered. Renee was in my room with me, and she and I were catching up on what our children were doing and things of that nature.”
Wish I’d thought to ask Renee about Amber’s whereabouts when we talked at breakfast, and I could have done without having this talk.
Just then Renee walked out to the pool and said, “Amber, we’ll be leaving in about half an hour. Just wanted to make sure you were packed. Hi, Liz. I hear you had a spa treatment at La Spa, but I want to tell you that the treatments I’ve had here at Serenity beat any I’ve had anywhere in the world. Judy has done an incredible job. So, are you two just soaking up the sunshine?”
“We are. Amber was just filling me in on her life. She was telling me that the two of you spent some time when you got here catching up on your children, etc.”
“We did. I went in her room right after we arrived here on Friday, and we were there until I remembered that I’d told Nikki I’d meet her in the sauna. Maybe if I’d gone to the sauna earlier, she’d still be alive.”
“Renee, we’ve talked about this before. None of this is your fault. You couldn’t have prevented it. Please, don’t blame yourself. Who knows? If you had gone to the sauna earlier, you might have suffered the same fate as Nikki.”
“I hadn’t even thought of that. I guess I was lucky. I know a lot of people believe when it’s your time, it’s your time. This might make me a believer in that.”
Amber and Liz stood up and joined Renee as they walked into the hotel, Winston dutifully following them.
CHAPTER 27
After she left the pool area, Liz decided to stop by Judy’s office and see how she was doing. She was in her office sitting behind her desk with a glum expression on her face. “Hi, Judy, what’s the problem?” Liz asked.
“I had all the rooms rented for next weekend and two of them just cancelled. One of them said her husband had to go out of town on business, and the other one said she was having unexpected houseguests. I’d be willing to bet neither one of those stories is true, and they’re cancelling because they heard about Nikki’s murder. Liz, this really could wipe me out. I’ve put almost all the money I have into this. I’m getting really, really scared.”
“I know yo
u can’t help worrying, but we’ll come up with something. I’ll make you a proposition. Let’s eat here tonight. I’ll see what you have in the kitchen, and I’ll cook for us. As for the murder, two heads are better than one, and I want to tell you about my experience at La Spa. It was interesting. Let’s meet in the living room in two hours. I need to make some notes. Okay with you?”
“Sounds great. Anyway, I think I’m too depressed to go out to eat. Renee and her group will be leaving shortly, and I need to say goodbye to them. How do you say goodbye and it was wonderful meeting you when one of their group was murdered in your sauna?”
“Fortunately, I’m sure you’ll never have to go through this again. I had a conversation with Amber this afternoon, and from what I learned evidently Nikki wasn’t quite the nice person people thought she was. I wouldn’t be too surprised if in their heart of hearts, the reunion attendees didn’t know that. See you in living room at let’s say, 6:30. Okay?”
“Yes. Thanks for doing this, Liz. I really appreciate it.”
“Come on, Winston. Let’s see what we can come up with for dinner tonight,” she said as they walked toward the kitchen. She spent some time finding out what was available in the pantry, refrigerator, and freezer. She saw some chicken breasts and put them in the microwave to defrost, not quite sure how she was going to fix them, but figured that was a good start.
Hmm, I could sauté these chicken breasts in some olive oil and when they’re browned, I could put some mushrooms, green onions, and garlic in the pan and lightly sauté those. While that’s cooking, I’ll make a white sauce and pour it over the chicken and the vegetables. There’s also quite a bit of rice left from last night. I can serve the chicken over that. I saw some frozen biscuits and along with a salad, that should be plenty. There’s still some cheese and crackers from the other night. That’s more than enough for the two of us.
She did the prep work, assembled the chicken dish, prepared the salad, and set the table. When she had almost finished, she heard Judy saying goodbye to Renee and her group. She walked into the front hall where Renee’s driver was picking up their luggage and putting it in the large trunk of the limousine.
Murder in Calistoga: A Liz Lucas Cozy Mystery Page 10