“Not me,” I said. “Patrick and Chelsea.”
“What?” Patrick said. “I don’t know …”
“I think it’s a good idea,” Chelsea said as she walked back. “I couldn’t get a hold of anyone at the paper. They must all be at lunch. So I tried Frank’s home phone. He didn’t answer. I left a message, but it’s the perfect reason to go track him down.”
“Patrick, I want you to go with Chelsea. I don’t think any of us should be alone. Can you do that for me?”
“Fine,” he said.
“Come on, hot stuff,” Chelsea said, linking her arm through his. “Let’s take your car. I’m sure it’s a comfy ride.”
“Thank you!” I called after them as they went out through the front of the gallery. The bells on the door rang again right after they left, and I looked at Miss Finglestein.
She shrugged. “It could be a customer. We do have those on occasion, you know. Hang tight.” She disappeared out front, and it was just me and Holly left. We went back to the break room, where there was more space for me to pace.
“Do you think they are giving her food and water?” I asked. It was past noon.
“They have to keep her alive,” Holly said and stopped my pacing to look me in the eye. “They lose any advantage if anything happens to her.”
“What if something happens and they cover it up? We might not know for hours, or even days.”
“Okay, let’s not go down that path. Let’s do something constructive. Come with me.” She pulled me to the back room.
“No, I don’t want to work on art.”
“Don’t be silly,” Holly said. She unfolded an easel and then put a large pad of paper on it. “Here’s a marker. Let’s draw a diagram of what we know. Let’s start with the murder of Jeffery Hoag.” She made a line across the paper. “Now, Jeffery was murdered, and his car is missing.” She drew lines out to show the missing articles. “Next we learn that Mandy is mixed up with Dr. Brinkman. She drew another circle on the time line. “We discover Mandy is having an affair with Dr. Brinkman.”
“Who isn’t Dr. Brinkman at all,” I said.
“Right.” She drew a line up from the Dr. Brinkman circle and then out on a parallel path. “We assume it is Harvey Winkle because Bruce told us it was.”
“Then we find Dr. Brinkman dead.” I got into the game by marking an X on the original time line. “And Tim is arrested and jailed for both murders.”
“Right,” Holly said. “Now, who did we talk to besides Chelsea?”
“Well, Mandy,” I said, “and Bruce and now Patrick, Sheriff Hennessey, and Deputy Bloomberg.”
“Also Sarah and Aunt Jemma.”
“Okay.”
“We don’t know who Sarah or Aunt Jemma talked to,” Holly pointed out.
“What about the guy you know who lives south of Tim’s winery? Did you talk to him?”
“No, I just left a message.”
“What did your message say?”
“Only that I wanted to ask him about the zoning commission and Senator Sutter. He’s usually up on the gossip in the area. I offered to buy him coffee and pick his brain.”
“So none of us actually talked to Senator Sutter,” I said and wrote his name on a list at the side of the board. “But we think he’s connected because of the legislature that was pulled that would allow the Brinkman retreat compound to be built. And Jeffery Hoag was involved in zoning meetings shortly after Senator Sutter took office.”
Holly stood back and studied the sheet. “There doesn’t seem to be a connection to any of this.”
“There has to be somewhere,” I said. “Let’s start at the beginning. What do we know about Jeffery? He was a local realtor, of course, and he might have been influenced by Senator Sutter.”
“Right.” She pulled the first sheet up and over and started on a blank one. “Let’s say Sonoma is here.” She made an X and circled it. “The Brinkman compound is here.” She made another X on the bottom of the page toward the left. “The top is north, the bottom south, left is west, and right is east. The Brinkman compound is small, but in the southwest. Tim’s winery is also small, but in the southeast.”
“The Winkle trust is a nice chunk of prime grape-growing area south of Sonoma, but north of Tim.” I made a big circle. “Wait, it looks almost adjacent.”
“We should ask Tim if anyone was asking to buy him out lately.”
I frowned. “Tim said that he was looking for investors. I don’t see him selling out. He loves his place, but a fresh cash flow might have been good.”
“So maybe Tim knows who the developer is. Maybe they approached him before the zoning got cancelled.”
“That could be,” I said. “It would be reasonable for the developers to meet with the closest wineries and try to win support for the zoning. The thing is, I happen to know Tim hates people. The idea that tourists would be staying so close to him and coming and going all the time. That probably didn’t sit well.”
“Plus the road is a two-lane, twisty highway out here. Can you imagine the fuss if it became the world-class destination that Dr. Brinkman’s group wanted?”
“Tim must have been having a fit.”
“Maybe he got enough neighbors stirred up to put pressure on the zoning commission to not push the zoning through. Enough voters can trump any push from a senator.”
“Well, we’d certainly like to think so,” I said. “I can see how Tim might be involved, but how was Jeffery Hoag involved? Was he part of the group trying to run the winery owners out so they could buy the land?”
“We don’t know that much about the guy, other than what Sarah told us, and that was her talking to the dead, and we know that won’t hold up in a court of law.”
“True,” I said. “Jeffery Hoag didn’t have any family. We really don’t know anything about him other than that he had a local office and that Mandy worked for him. There really is no proof that the two murders are connected.”
“But I bet it’s no coincidence that Dr. Brinkman was killed so soon after Jeffery. I mean, Tim was free on bail when Dr. Brinkman died. The timing is not good for Tim.”
“Maybe they weren’t connected other than that Dr. Brinkman’s killer took advantage of Tim’s situation to kill the man and frame Tim.”
“That’s creepy,” Holly said.
I studied the piece of paper. “It seems like there are a couple things we really don’t know about. We need more personal information on Jeffery. Who would want him killed? And then who else lost money in the lack of zoning? Was it one of the wineries around Tim? Maybe his neighbors thought their wineries would be worth more money if the zoning went through …”
“I say we go to the courthouse and do some digging.”
“The courthouse?” I asked.
“Yes, they would have public records on all of the zoning commission meetings and the developers of the retreat.”
“Plus, who’s going to hurt us in the courthouse?” I grabbed my purse.
“Should we let Deputy Bloomberg know where we’re going?” Holly asked.
I picked up the marker, switched sheets of paper, and wrote: Gone to the county courthouse. “There, now he knows.”
“What if they call you back with more demands?”
“I’ve got that tracker app on my phone,” I said. “I’ll keep them talking, and maybe we can pinpoint where they are keeping my aunt. In the meantime, I think we need to do our best to figure out who killed Dr. Brinkman and why. They have to be the ones who have the most to lose if the Chronicle publishes Chelsea’s story.”
Holly put her arm through mine. “Come on—the biggest danger will be when we walk from here to the courthouse, so let’s stay together.”
“I think we’ll be safe. The last place they will expect us to go is the courthouse.”
Chapter 25
Two hours later, I got a call from Chelsea. “Hello?”
“Hey, Taylor, I got Frank to agree to hold off on publishing the story.”
“Wonderful,” I said. “How was meeting his wife?”
“She wasn’t home. She was at an investment seminar, which is a bit odd, don’t you think?”
“Did he know anything about her involvement with the developers and the proposed Brinkman retreat?”
“He knew that his wife had lost a venture, but he wasn’t clear on the details. He said that usually he learns about her dealings after they are successful. Those that don’t succeed she doesn’t talk about.”
“So he didn’t know who the developers were?”
“No.”
“Are you heading back to Sonoma?”
“Yes,” she said. “Patrick has been very helpful.”
“Oh, good. Well, Holly and I have been at the courthouse.”
“The courthouse?”
“Yes, looking through public records,” I said. “It turns out the developers had over a million dollars invested.”
“That’s a lot of money,” Chelsea said.
“They had several people buy in and pool their money. Almost all of the buyers were from Sonoma County.”
“Local people beating on the local economy,” Chelsea surmised.
“Yes, except it still didn’t get zoning, so not as much local influence as we might think.”
“You think there were only a few who bet big?”
“Yes,” I said. “The group was incorporated in the county, so we’re looking into who was a part of that.”
“What banks were involved?” Chelsea said. “Following the money is always a good way to look at it.”
“Holly is doing that right now. We did learn something else that was interesting.”
“What is that?” Chelsea asked.
“Jeffery Hoag was an investor.”
“Wait—what? Hmm … I suppose it makes sense. He would have had friends on the commission and in the area. A lot of local realtors are developers and involved in politics.”
“His political influence might push the wineries to choose to give in to the pressure of the developer and sell. There were several deals on the table to buy adjacent wineries.”
“He would have to have had some powerful influence,” Chelsea said. “Maybe he had something to blackmail them. There’s a story in there somewhere.”
“One you can’t write about until we get my aunt back. I’m going to call the kidnapper and let him know the story was pulled, and we’re not investigating.”
“But you are investigating,” Chelsea said.
“How will he know that?”
“You know that tracker app you have? He might have one on your phone number.”
“Are you saying he knows where I am?”
“He could.”
I studied my phone and suddenly felt as if it might have betrayed me. “That’s creepy.”
“Welcome to the digital age,” Chelsea said. “Where shall we meet you?”
“Meet us back at the gallery,” I said. “We should know more by then.” I hung up and my phone immediately rang. I didn’t recognize the phone number. “Hello?”
“Taylor O’Brian?”
“Yes.”
“Deputy Bloomberg. I asked you not to leave the building without letting me know.”
“We left you a note.”
“I saw it.” He did not sound pleased. “Where in the courthouse are you?”
“In public records,” I said.
“Do I want to know what you are doing there?”
“It depends. Are you trying to find my aunt?” I asked, my chin raised in defiance. “Because that’s what we are doing. By the way, Chelsea called. They got the paper to hold off printing the story. I want to call the kidnapper and let him know that we have met his demands.”
“You should be here when you make that call,” he said.
“We’re heading back now,” I said.
“I’ll head that way and walk with you.”
“No! Stay where you are,” I said. “As far as we know, the kidnappers don’t know about you yet. If you come here and escort us, you will blow that. Holly is with me. We’ll be fine.”
“I’d feel better if you stayed on the phone with me while you walk.”
I frowned. “Fine, I’ll call you back when we leave. Can I call this number?”
“Yes.”
“Good. I’ll talk soon.” I hung up the phone and looked at the records we had spread out in front of us. “We’re busted. Deputy Bloomberg wants us back at the gallery now. What can we take with us?”
“I’ve got a few notes on who to look into,” Holly said. “Jeffery had to be up to more than investing into the Brinkman project.”
“Let’s make some copies of stuff and get out of here. Chelsea is on her way back. She might have more insight into what we’re looking at.”
“Fine, I’ll take this pile, and you take that one,” Holly said. “Make what copies you can, and then we’ll go.”
It took us nearly thirty minutes to make our copies and return the originals to the desk. When you looked at public records, you had to leave an ID at the desk. It took the clerk awhile to sort through what we had and give us back our stuff. Deputy Bloomberg called me every five minutes. I quit answering after the fourth call.
When we left the courthouse with our arms full of papers, I dialed the deputy. “Okay, we’re on our way over. Is there any news from Sheriff Hennessey?”
“He said to tell you that he’s disappointed that you chose to leave the gallery. Frankly, my bum is on the line because of it,” Deputy Bloomberg said.
“We went to the courthouse. We were safe and are still safe,” I said as we walked down the sidewalk toward the gallery. “Is there any news on my aunt?”
“We think we found her car.”
My heart rate sped up. “That’s great news, right? Where did they find it?” Holly looked at me and mouthed, “What did they find?”
“Her car,” I said.
“That’s good, right?” Holly asked.
“It’s good, isn’t it, Deputy?”
“It’s a lead,” he said.
“We have some leads as well,” I said.
“I’m listening.”
“No, you have to wait until we get there.”
“I was looking over your time line.”
“Our time line?”
“The one you wrote on the paper,” he said. “It’s interesting. You believe the two murders are connected.”
“Well, so do you,” I declared. “You arrested Tim for both murders. But we’ve done some research into Jeffery Hoag.”
“And?”
“And did you know that he invested in the development group that was trying to get Dr. Brinkman’s retreat zoned and developed in Sonoma county?”
“What?”
“Yes, we think he was pressuring the wineries into to selling to the developer. The more land the developers had, the more they could plan trails and such from the retreat house. There’s a copy of the proposal at the courthouse. It was quite illuminating.”
“I’ll have the deputies look into it.”
“Don’t bother. We have a copy,” I said. Suddenly a car screeched around the corner and stopped in front of us, blocking out way. “What?”
The door opened, and Bruce stepped out. “Come with me.” He took my arm.
“No,” I said.
“No,” Holly said and grabbed my other arm. “You can’t have her.”
“I want to take you to your aunt,” he said.
“What’s going on?” Deputy Bloomberg asked on the other end of the phone.
“It’s Bruce. He wants me to go with him,” I said.
“Who are you talking to?” Bruce asked as he looked around.
“A deputy,” I said. “He knows that you have your hands on my arm.”
“Oh, geez, hang up the phone,” he said and grabbed my phone to switch it off. “You can’t trust anyone. Especially law enforcement.” He tugged me, and I stumbled toward the car. “Come with me.”
“No!” Holly dropped her papers and grabbed me with both hands. “You take her, and you have to take us both.”
“Fine. Bruno,” Bruce called. A second, larger man stepped out of the passenger side and helped stuff both me and Holly into the back of the car, leaving our papers scattered on the pavement along with my phone.
“I’m going to scream,” Holly said and tried to roll down the window. Bruno grabbed her hand.
“Just listen.”
“What?” I asked as we hurtled out of town. “Where are you taking us?”
“There are people in the sheriff’s office involved in your aunt’s disappearance,” Bruce said.
“You know about my aunt? Where is she? Did you take her?”
“We didn’t take her,” Bruno said. “Listen to Bruce.”
“The cops will be after you,” I said. “They know you took us.”
“We’re not kidnapping you,” Bruce said.
“That’s exactly what you did,” I countered.
“Listen, we’re taking you out to the compound.”
“Why?”
“Because there are things you need to know.”
“Like what?” I asked.
“Like who we think might have your aunt.”
“You know where my aunt is?” I asked. “Tell me. Tell me now.”
“I can’t.”
“We know you’re involved,” Holly said.
“In what?” he asked.
“In Dr. Brinkman’s murder,” I said. “You told me Harvey Winkle was the guy lecturing the night I saw Mandy kissing the guru. We know that Harvey Winkle is an old man with a trust fund. A trust fund that owns the land Dr. Brinkman wanted for his worldwide retreat.”
“Mr. Winkle is in a nursing home,” Holly said. “So we know he wasn’t the one kissing Mandy. You lied.”
“I didn’t lie,” Bruce said as we swerved around a corner and bounced down a rough road. “I didn’t know that Harvey wasn’t really Harvey Winkle until a few hours ago.”
“So you had nothing to do with my aunt’s disappearance or Dr. Brinkman’s death? Because you sure look like a good suspect.”
“I had no idea,” he said. “But I know who does know.”
Seven Deadly Zins Page 19