St. Helena Vineyard Series: Desserts Can Be Deadly (Kindle Worlds Novella)

by K. T. Roberts

  “What’s going on?” he asked when one of the men nodded toward his windshield. Spray painted across the windshield was a warning in bold letters that read, You’re next. Nico’s lips tightened. He wanted to lash out at someone, especially since his 2003 Corvette had been the last gift he’d received from his parents before they died. He huffed out an angry breath. How the heck was he going to get the spray paint off without a dime to his name? The other bad thing was he couldn’t drive the vehicle either . . . unless, of course, his eyes could see through the paint . . . which was not the case. Someone shouted for him to call the police. He released a sigh because the last thing he wanted was more exposure to the sheriff’s department, but if he didn’t, how would that look? He slowly keyed in 9-1-1 and waited for them to arrive.

  A short time later, he heard the wail of a siren and saw the flashing red lights as they pulled up next to his vehicle. Some of the spectators scattered when they saw the police; the curious lingered longer. Exiting his cruiser, the deputy who’d questioned him at headquarters emerged on the scene. Seeing Nico, his face hardened. A second deputy began questioning those standing close by.

  “You just can’t seem to stay out of trouble, can you?” deputy Ruiz said. Nico ignored his remark and pointed to his windshield. He checked the vehicle over without saying a word. “No fingerprints, no nothing. So, I’m sorry, but unless you have concrete evidence about who did this, there isn’t much I can do except write up the report.”

  Nico fought back the urge to retaliate in kind, but decided doing so was only going to reflect on him. Instead, he called Nonna ChiChi for help.

  Ruiz checked the threat painted across the windshield. Tested it with his finger to see if it was still wet. “Yep,” he said calling it in. “Did you do this to get more attention?”

  “Right,” Nico said, no longer able to hold his tongue. “Self-sabotaging my career is at the top of my list.” The deputy arched his brow.

  Chapter Nine

  WITHIN MINUTES word had spread like wildfire about Nico’s car, and Lexi, Priscilla, Lucinda, and Mr. Puffins, arrived at the scene. Nico had mentally lost his temper a million times over about the way he’d been treated. However, seeing Mr. Puffins’ themed outfit for today, which was an apron, autographed by none other than Chef Michael Chiarello from Bottega Restaurant, and a floppy chef’s toque on his head, brought a smile to his face. The visitors in town laughed at his attire, which Lucinda took it quite personally and shoved Mr. Puffins inside her coat.

  “When is this crap ever going to end,” Lexi asked. She looked skyward, but of course, no one answered. Instead, she moved out of the way.

  “Okay, we have all we need right now,” the deputy said.

  “What exactly does that mean?” Nico asked.

  “It means I can’t arrest anyone because we don’t have any leads to go on. The only other thing I can do is call a tow truck.”

  “Aren’t you going to fingerprint my car?” he asked.

  “I told you, I didn’t see any. It’s probably just a Halloween prank.”

  “A prank?” Lucinda snapped. “With two recent murders in town aimed at this family, and now his car is being vandalized, and you’re calling it a prank? What is it you’re not getting here? He’s been threatened and you’re taking this lightly? You’ve got to be kidding?”

  The muscles in Ruiz’s jaw flickered as he tapped his pen on his pad. “No ma’am,” he said tipping his hat. “Like I said, all I can do is record this, and to be on the lookout for anyone looking suspicious. What more do you want me to say?”

  Having arrived in the midst of the confusion, no one noticed that ChiChi had arrived. “Take my car, Nico,” she said. “I’ll get the garage to come pick it up.” The trio turned in the direction of her voice.

  “But I don’t have the money to fix it.”

  “You have car insurance, don’t you?” ChiChi said.

  “Yes, but what if the insurance doesn’t cover it . . ..” ChiChi shooed him with her hand.

  “You’ll owe me, how’s that?” His head lowered in defeat.

  Chapter Ten

  “GRANNIES” ChiChi called out carrying a thick file as she walked into the Sweet and Savory Bistro. “I need your help.” Priscilla glanced over at Lexi who was just beginning to make a caramelized onion quiche for today’s luncheon special.

  “Go,” Lexi said. “I’ve got this.”

  Priscilla removed her apron and gestured for the others to join her in the backroom. Noticing empty coffee containers still on the table, she cleared them off just as Lexi was carrying in a plate of pumpkin spice donuts. Hearing the chimes on the entry door ring, Lexi rushed out of the room and into the storefront.

  ChiChi opened her briefcase and placed pictures of the two victims down on the table, then a chart she’d worked up. She handed Lucinda a tablet to take notes. “Okay, let’s get started.”

  “What exactly are we going to do?”

  “Both of these girls look familiar to me and I’ve been wondering if they did to you as well, so I thought we could put our heads together and see if there’s a connection somewhere.”

  “Okay,” Priscilla said. “According to the newspaper, the victim in our bistro was Kelly Armstrong, she was twenty-five and lived here in Yountville.”

  “She’s two years older than Nico, so maybe that’s why I’m remembering her. If she lived in Yountville, he must know her.” Turning her head toward Lucinda, “Does she look familiar to you?”

  The group stopped talking and looked up when Nico walked into the room.

  “What are you ladies up to?”

  ChiChi held up the picture. “Do you know this woman?”

  “Yes,” he said lowering his head. ChiChi eyes narrowed in a squint. “That’s Lyndsey Williams. She’s the one who died at the Auberge.”

  “But how do I know her?”

  “I took her to the prom, and right after that she dumped me for the quarterback on our football team. Why?”

  “That’s right. We didn’t like her very much after that. Did we?”

  “No, but hey, I got over it,” Nico said with a shrug. “Well, slightly over it.”

  “Did the sheriff know that you knew both of the victims?”

  “Who’s the other victim?” Nonna ChiChi held up the picture. “Holy crap. That’s Kelly Armstrong.” Nico swallowed hard. “She died here?” Nonna ChiChi nodded. “They only asked me about Lyndsey because her girlfriends told them we’d dated, and what happened after the prom. They never asked me about Kelly.” Nico rubbed his eyes. “Does Lexi know about my relationship with these two women?”

  “I don’t think so, but she wasn’t around then anyway,” Nonna ChiChi said. “I don’t even know if Marco made the connection.”

  Nico bit down on his lower lip. “This is all my fault.”

  “Oh stop. I’ve said it from the beginning that someone had it out for the DeLucas, and I don’t think it has anything to do with you. Just because you dated these women doesn’t mean you killed them. This sounds more like jealousy to me.”

  “Why would anyone be jealous of me? Until you rescued me after my parents died, I had a crappy life. How could anyone envy that?”

  “Oh, I could name off quite a few reasons, one being your good-looks,” Lucinda said.

  “Nico,” Priscilla said reaching for his hand and giving it a tug, “this is not your fault. If that were the case, every girl you ever dated would be dead. We’re just trying to find the pieces to the puzzle. We have a lot of unanswered questions.”

  “Once we figure this all out, we’ll search for the deadly herb. I am wondering if it’s in the garden at the Auberge and maybe Chef Keller has no clue it’s there.” ChiChi ran her fingers through her hair. “Did he plant that garden himself?”

  “I’d heard he planted it the first year, but every year since, it’s been one of his apprentices.”

  “Did you help plant it?”

  “I played a small part in it.” Nico released a b
reath. “I planted potatoes, but the other guys finished it.”

  “Did they were rubber gloves when they planted the garden?”

  “Absolutely, mostly because they didn’t want dirt under their fingernails. Once that gets under your nails, it’s hard to get them real clean and with prepping and cooking food, that’s not a good thing. Can I help with your investigation?” he asked.

  “We’d love for you to help,” ChiChi said, “but the problem is you’ll attract too much attention. Watching his smile slacken broke ChiChi’s heart. Comparing him to every other member of the family, he was the one who didn’t grow up surrounded by wealth and he never expected anything, ever. That’s why buying things for him made her feel good that she could give him something he never had.

  “Your car needs to be repainted,” Nonna ChiChi said. “It’s over at Neville’s. He’s wants you to call him so you can tell him what color you want it painted.”

  “Thank you, Nonna ChiChi,” he hugged her. “I don’t know why you’re so good to me.”

  “Because I love you. Now, get out of here and get to work.” Before leaving, he gave her one more kiss.

  Outside, Nico’s phone rang. Noticing it was Juliana, he answered.

  “I heard about your car. Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. How nice of you to call me.”

  “Well, I’m genuinely concerned about you. Listen, Beth is taking a few days off. She has a relative who’s not doing well and I wondered if you’d like to work for me those days?”

  “I’d love to. Is Beth alright with that though? I don’t want her to think I’m going to try and steal her job.”

  “She’s fine with it. As a matter of fact, she suggested you.”

  “Then it’s a date . . . I mean a deal.”

  “Can you come over now?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “She’ll be leaving in a couple of hours and she said she’d be happy to go through her routine and timetable.”

  “Thank you so much, Juliana. I can’t tell you how much this means to me. Especially today.”

  They disconnected and Nico gave a quick call to Nonna ChiChi to share his good news.

  Chapter Eleven

  “NICO,” Beth said when he entered the kitchen. “Welcome aboard.”

  “Thanks for suggesting that Juliana use me as your fill-in.”

  “You’re very welcome. Okay, let’s get busy. I don’t have much time before I leave.”

  “You’ve got it,” Nico said in an upbeat voice. It felt good being in a commercial kitchen again even though he’d be making dog biscuits. At this point, he didn’t care. He’d be doing something productive.

  ***

  Preparing the batter for the cookies and dough for the biscuits went faster than Nico had anticipated, especially since he didn’t know his way around Juliana’s kitchen. It was small and airy, unlike the expansive kitchen at the Auberge, but he wasn’t complaining. As much as he liked being around Juliana, she’d left for the day and he was manning the front and the back by himself. A few random customers had meandered into the shop and purchased treats for their pets. It was fun and he was enjoying the freedom. It was much better than having a strict boss like Keller Thomason breathing down his neck. Sure, he’d been the top contender for a permanent job in the restaurant, but that wasn’t just because Keller liked him. It was because he was talented. He reflected back on the day Keller had pulled him aside and talked about his permanency. That meant he’d beat out the other two guys who’d started the same time he did. And how quickly that had changed when the chips were down. He understood about the deaths being bad for business, but Keller could have stood behind him. Instead, Keller Thomason had shown his true colors by abandoning him instead of sheltering him with support. He chalked it up as his first harsh reality in business.

  Checking the time, he locked the front of the shop and pulled down the shades. He had some heavy duty baking to do.

  An hour into the job, he heard the key in the lock and it startled him somewhat. Thankfully, it was only Juliana.

  “How are you making out?” she asked.

  “Good. What are you doing back here?”

  “I come bearing gifts,” she said waving the bag under his nose. The delicious smell of Asian food filled his nose. He felt his stomach growl. “I figured you’d be starving by now and since I’m eating alone these days, I was hoping you’d join me.”

  “It would be my pleasure.” He liked that she felt comfortable being around him. That was a good sign that he might get a date with her, after all. The timer on the oven went off and Nico walked over to remove the biscuits while Juliana set the table. Resting the trays on the rolling rack to cool, he walked back and sat down. “Yum, this smells pretty good.”

  “Yeah, it does. I hope you like Pad Thai.”

  “I do,” he said pouring the Riesling he’d found in the refrigerator into the two wine glasses.

  She handed him a large quart container and chopsticks. “Okay, dig in.”

  After dinner, she walked into the kitchen and was amazed at how much he’d accomplished. “You work really fast,” she said. “Beth doesn’t even work this fast and she’s been doing it for a few years.”

  “That’s because she’s not a trained chef. We know shortcuts to make the most of our time.”

  Walking behind the counter, she squealed. “And you bagged them all too?”

  “Well, it was pretty quiet and I’ve always enjoyed being busy.”

  “Too bad I can’t afford both of you.” Julianna’s face grimaced. Leaning against the wall, she pressed her hands against her stomach.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I’ve been getting stomach cramps lately. I think I’m coming down with a virus or something.”

  “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “I’ll be fine. So, like I said, I wish I could afford both of you.”

  “That’s very nice of you, but there’s just so many ways you can be creative with doggie biscuits.”

  She laughed. “You’re right.” Getting up from the table, she cleared the containers off.

  “I’d better get back to work before my boss finds out I’m goofing off,” Nico said. “Thanks for dinner.”

  “Thanks for having dinner with me. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Chapter Twelve

  “TELL ME ABOUT the victims.” ChiChi said to Nico when she saw him the next morning. He was finishing up his cereal when he noticed the time. “Ooh, I need to get to work.”

  “Then tell me quickly and also about the friends you had in high school.”

  “We were just a group of friends who did everything together. No one was paired off, but somehow, we always seemed to wind up that way by the end of the night.”

  “Who was in that group? Do you remember?”

  He thought for a moment. “The two victims, little Al, Valerie, Bensavango.” She smiled hearing the last name. “Yeah, you remember him. He was my short Italian friend who looked like he was one step away from the mob.”

  She laughed. “I do remember him. Who else?”

  “Georgia and Gino, and Beth Davies was also part of the group. You remember Beth, don’t you?” She nodded.

  “I honestly wasn’t all that keen on her,” she said and Nico seemed surprised.

  “You never said anything. Why is that?” He gave her a quizzical look.

  “She was a little too rough around the edges for me. I didn’t say anything because you really liked her.”

  “Well, that was nice of you.” He checked the time again. Grabbing his case with his chef knives off the counter, he asked another question “What exactly are you trying to figure out about the old gang?”

  “I’m just trying to see if there’s a link to those two girls. Anything else you can tell me about them?”

  “Kelly and Lyndsey had pretty much the same temperament. Each could be a bit of a snip at times. Lyndsey had her girls trained well.” He snickered. “I never understand
why they put up with the way she treated them, but she apparently had something they admired. Kelly, didn’t have a lot of friends. They both came from a lot of money and occasionally thought they were better than the other girls. I remember them ganging up on Kelly a couple of times. They wanted to bring her down to earth.”

  “What did they do.”

  He laughed remembering something. “She was older than the rest of us because she’d stayed back Apparently, Kelly wasn’t as shapely as all the guys thought, because after gym one day, on the main bulletin board outside old Framer’s classroom, someone had pinned a girdle that was padded with hips and butt cheeks and printed her name right underneath.”

  “That wasn’t very nice. Who was the leader of that group?”

  “I’m not sure, but I think it might have been Beth who orchestrated it.” He kissed ChiChi’s cheek. “Well, I really have to get to work.”

  “I’ll bet it feels nice being back in the kitchen where you belong, doesn’t it?”

  “It does, even if only for a few days. But it’s given me the incentive to really hustle to find something else.”

  “It’ll happen again.”

  “I hope so. If I can’t find anything, I might just resort to a food truck and travel around California.”

  “That’s not quite as creative as a three-star Michelin restaurant, but there’s a lot to be said about being the owner. Especially if the food is well received.” He threw ChiChi a kiss and walked out the door.

  ***

  “Lucinda,” ChiChi said into the phone. “How well to you know Sandy Framer?”

  “You mean the retired teacher’s wife?”

  “Yes.”

  “We’re pretty good friends. What do you need?”

  “I have a list of friends Nico hung out with in high school. I’m hoping he’ll remember these kids and be able to tell me what they were like in school. You know, if they were good students . . . in trouble all the time. Things like that.”