The Caspian Wine Mystery/Suspense/Thriller Series

by Maggie Thom

  It was tucked in the corner against the side and back walls. As he turned, he noticed the dirty floor had an odd pattern in it. In that unused corner, the floor was dusty but there was one area near the front that looked different. Cautiously, August crept around the front. As he drew closer, he heard movement. He grabbed a jagged piece of metal that had been sawed off the harvester. He heard his mom’s voice loud and clear saying, ‘get out of there’, which was his own gut reaction as well.

  Despite his trepidation, he made his way to the corner and crouched. The sound was originating near the wall. Inching forward, he raised the metal piece in his hand. It was dark enough along the wall that all he could see were shadows. But something was moving. Unsure what he was going to find, he considered seeking help but decided instead to turn on a light. As he turned away, there was a loud groan and more thrashing. Realizing it was a person and they appeared injured, August quickly moved forward. When he got close, he saw that Perry was tied up and his mouth was taped. He quickly untied him and helped him to sit up.

  “Two guys attacked me and ripped this place apart. I was here late. I had wanted to get the new parts into Betsy.” He looked past August to motion toward the big old machine, he’d nicknamed.

  “Are you injured?”

  Perry moved tentatively. He groaned as he stirred Perry touched the back of his head. “Got a bit of a melon back there but other than that I’m okay. Just pissed.”

  August took Perry’s rough, oil-stained hand and pulled him to his feet.

  “I need to call the police.”

  “My wife will be glad to know that I’m finally going to be famous. She always said my hard noggin would be good for something one day.”

  He liked that nothing seemed to phase the guy’s sense of humor. He was a typical guy in his twenties who thought he might be invincible.

  “Let’s get you to the office.” He held on to Perry, who was trying to be stoic but was acting a bit unsteady. Once he had him settled and gave him a bottle of water, he stepped out and called Guy.

  “Need the police and an ambulance. Someone knocked Perry out and tied him up. He’s okay but he might have a concussion.”

  “Sit tight. I’ll call them and LJ.”

  Chapter 56

  No one looked in her direction. JT, Mary, and Jill were having a heated discussion.

  “What’s going on?”

  Intense, angry silence followed but no one looked at her.

  “I really need to see you, ma’am,” Jill pleaded through the opening in the glass partition.

  “She doesn’t have an appointment.”

  “I can handle anything to do with staff. You don’t need to worry about stuff like this.” JT smiled at her with a poor imitation of charisma.

  “I’ll meet with Jill. Thank you both for your concern, but I’ve got this.” Tijan opened the door.

  “Jill, go into my office please. It’s the one with the open door. Close it behind you and have a seat on the sofa. I’ll be right there.” Tijan gave her a warm smile and waited for her to disappear before turning back to the other two. Both had a look of defiance.

  Tijan’s smile disappeared, pleased that her change in demeanor got both their attention.

  “I’m sorry but she—”

  “It’s not right that front line staff just walk in here. They have a manager for a re—”

  Tijan put up her hand. “I don’t want to hear it. I don’t ever want to see that kind of behavior again. You’re adults; act like it. If either of you ever raise your voice in this office again, you’re fired. Now get back to work.”

  She returned to her office, closing the door behind her. It might have made her feel good to know that handling men and women on the ranch was no different than those dressed up and working in expensive offices, but she realized that wasn’t true. On the ranch, she could tell them to stop being petty and get over their issue and they would or they’d leave. She had a feeling JT and Mary had been smart enough to keep their mouths shut but this was far from over. They left her with the impression that they were going to do something to make her life miserable.

  “Jill, sorry about that. Can I get you something to drink? Some water? Coffee?”

  “Water, thank you. I’m sorry to show up like this, but it’s my day off, so I thought rather than send an email...” Jill sat tentatively on the edge of the couch, her hands held tightly in her lap.

  “Is this about the smoking signs?”

  “No ma’am. The other day when we talked, you were asking about the sheets.” Jill took a deep breath. “I talked with some of the other staff. All of our supplies have gone down in quality and we seem to be ordering more of the same. I’ve been here twelve years. We used to get high quality linens. I just thought you should know.”

  “Thank you for telling me, Jill.”

  “I know it’s not my place but things have changed over the last few years. Supplies we’re expecting aren’t very good or don’t show up at all. It’s hard to keep a five-star hotel even at a four star level if we don’t have the supplies.”

  Tijan sat beside Jill and waited until she looked at her. “It is your place. This hotel does not run itself and although it’s been around for a long time, there are always things that need improvement. I’m grateful you came to me. Next time, text me and we’ll schedule a time so that type of incident won’t happen again. And if anyone ever treats you like that again, please inform me immediately. Okay?”

  “Thank you, ma’am. I won’t keep you. I just thought you should know. You seem to care.” She popped up and was headed toward the door before Tijan could respond. Jill’s eyes were glued to Bill, who was still standing at attention.

  “It’s okay. He’s here to help me.” Tijan put her hand on Jill’s shoulder. “Let me walk you out.”

  Tijan went first, opening the door. As she headed to the front area, she was surprised that Mary wasn’t there. She wasn’t anywhere in sight. After putting Jill on the elevator, Tijan stood by Mary’s desk. It seemed odd not to have her sitting there.

  Almost laughing at her own silliness, she had the urge to check the locked file room. She slipped into the copy room and closed the door. As she approached the file room, she realized she didn’t have a code to unlock it. She pulled her phone from her jacket pocket, its only redeeming feature. She texted Tarin.

  ‘Have you ever been in the file room?’

  ‘No. Mary has a master list on her computer of what’s in there. I think anyways. You can access it through your computer though. It’s saved on a cloud server. Or I should say that’s how it used to be. I doubt it has changed though.’

  ‘Thanks.’

  Frustrated, she returned to the lobby just as the elevator doors were opening. Her first reaction was to duck but she managed to stop herself, which turned out to be advantageous as Eleanor had seen her immediately.

  Eleanor walked briskly to the partition. “I need to meet with you.”

  “Yes. And Mary was to arrange a meeting next week.”

  “No. You don’t understand. It needs to happen now.”

  Tijan seriously wanted to tell her to get lost but, deciding it was easier to get this over with, she unlocked the door, allowing Eleanor entrance. Eleanor walked briskly to her office, sitting on the couch. Tijan closed the door behind her.

  Eleanor pulled some papers from her briefcase and set them on the coffee table. Tijan was tempted to tell her that she doubted her father would appreciate her setting something on his coveted coffee table. Instead, Tijan observed her brisk, focused demeanor. It almost made her laugh when Eleanor looked up impatiently only to jerk back when her gaze fell on Bill. He was still standing behind the door, still and hyperaware. His eyes hadn’t left Eleanor since she’d entered.

  “He can leave.”

  Her dismissive attitude annoyed Tijan. “Actually, he can’t. So what do you need, Eleanor?”

  Her lips pursed into a pucker as though she’d chewed on something sour. “Your f
ather left some papers for you to sign to say you were in charge.”

  Tijan sat on the opposite couch. “Why am I just getting them from you now, Eleanor?”

  “I’ve been trying to make an appointment with you, but I keep getting put off.”

  A guilty flush crept up her cheeks. “Yes, but if they were that important, then you should have said so. And you could have emailed them.”

  “Fine. Nevertheless, you need to sign these.” She set the papers on Tijan’s side of the coffee table, with the package open to the last page for her to sign.

  “You’re going to go through these with me, aren’t you?”

  Her teeth clenched and her mouth returned to that sour, pursed appearance. “They state you have signing and decision-making authority over all aspects of the business.”

  Tijan picked up the document, deliberately flipping to the front page. “You wrote these up?”

  “Yes. I am your father’s lawyer.”

  “And yet it has taken you a week to mention this to me. I wonder why.” Tijan stared at her pointedly. “You didn’t think to drop them off?”

  The woman didn’t flinch but held her gaze. “I wanted to make sure they were for your eyes only. And I needed to make sure that you weren’t going to be flighty. You have run out on your father before when he’s needed you.”

  Alarm bells were going off in Tijan’s head. So much of what this woman was saying didn’t make sense.

  “So he’s talked to you about me?”

  Eleanor’s normally pale complexion became dotted with a light pink flush. It was so faint that Tijan was almost convinced she’d imagined it as it faded as quickly as it had appeared.

  “He did.”

  “Oh, what did he have to say?”

  “It doesn’t really matter. You need to sign those papers so we can make this legal.”

  “You know what, Eleanor? You’re right. I’ll read through them and I’ll get them back to you as soon as possible.” Tijan got up, clutching the papers in her hand as she walked to the door.

  “I need you to sign those right now.”

  “Thank you for coming, Eleanor. I appreciate you dropping these off. I’ll make sure to mention to my father what an efficient job you did.”

  They locked eyes and it was only when Bill stepped into Eleanor’s line of sight that she looked away. Getting to her feet in a very controlled but efficient manner, Eleanor picked up her briefcase and walked briskly to the door. Tijan pulled it open for her. Without a word, she left. Slamming it behind her, Tijan leaned against it.

  “We’re quite a team, Bill. Thank you.” She instinctively hugged him. The instant she touched him she felt him stiffen. She pulled him in tight before she backed off. Too many of the men she worked on the ranch with were the same, but she truly believed a hug was good for people. In fact, Pete, one of the older men on the ranch, no longer turned beet red when she hugged him. And he’d stopped mumbling and running away immediately afterwards. It had taken a year but he’d changed. There was hope for Bill. She smiled at him.

  “I think it’s time we got out of here. Enough of this game. I’m done. That woman is scary.” She waved her hand, which reminded her of what she was holding. She looked at the papers. Opening them, she quickly skimmed through them. They looked identical to the ones that Mary had given her, although she hadn’t really read them. So how had Mary gotten a copy? And was it even the same?

  Her insides twisted, although those two women didn’t seem to like each other, were they planning something?

  Chapter 57

  “Just give me a minute, Bill.”

  Tijan opened her door and looked out, making sure that Eleanor had left. The lobby was still empty. Going to investigate, she stopped at Mary’s desk. It was as immaculate as always; no papers on it and nothing out of place. Instinctively, she reached for a drawer and opened it. Mary’s purse and office supplies such as pens and paperclips were all that was there. But it reminded Tijan that she had no right to snoop, she was not Tarin. Or really had any legal right to be there. Grimacing, she glanced around, glad to see that no one was there to see what she had done. Standing completely still, she realized how quiet it was on this floor. With the two VP’s away, there was only her, JT and Mary. There had to be more people responsible for running that empire. It dawned on her that she didn’t know the location of the accounting department.

  Needing answers, she made her way down the hallway to JT’s office. As she got closer she could hear JT yelling. She gently opened the door. JT was standing toe to toe with Mary. Both were raising their voices, their faces red, as though a thousand capillaries had broken open.

  “What the hell do you mean? You can’t be.”

  “I am. That bastard took you away from me. You—” The anger in Mary’s voice startled Tijan.

  “Get away from me. I hate you.”

  Glancing around, she noticed a gun sitting on JT’s desk. Her mouth dropped open but she didn’t stop to ask questions. Believing it was the same gun that had been used to shoot her father and thankful they were on the other side of the room, she made her way cautiously toward the desk. Before reaching it, she realized she was no longer incognito and that both had turned toward her.

  She glanced at them and then at the weapon. It was evidence. She sprinted to the desk.

  “Tarin.”

  JT’s silky way of saying her name made her skin crawl. Holding a gun was nothing new to her, although she’d only ever shot a 22. A handgun had a different look and feel. The weight of it surprised her as she grabbed it. JT was suddenly between her and the door.

  Having no idea if it was loaded and although it made her want to heave, she raised the gun and pointed it at JT.

  “You wouldn’t.”

  “Do you really want to test me?” Maybe it was the way she said it or how she said it, she wasn’t sure but he moved slightly to the side. She waved the gun at him to direct him to move further out of her way.

  Mary thankfully had stayed where she was, her hands pressed against her face. “Tarin, you can’t. Tarin, we found the gun. We were going to bring it to you.”

  Tijan eased her way to the door, turning so she faced JT as she moved. He stepped toward her, she jerked the gun so it was aimed at his face. He stopped and Mary was soon by his side with her hand on his arm, restraining him.

  “Just go.”

  He took a small step to the side at Mary’s urging.

  Tijan inched her way out and slammed the door. Spinning, she sprinted to her office, locking her and Bill in.

  “Bill, we’ve got to go.” She raced for the back door just as there was a pounding on hers.

  “Where’d you get that gun?”

  “I’ll explain. I think this was used to shoot my father. We have to get out of here.” She tucked the gun under her shirt, into the front waist of her pants. She wasn’t sure she could shoot it, even if it did have bullets. Reaching the parkade, she realized her vehicle was in the main parkade because she hadn’t wanted to feel like she was caged in. Racing to the elevator, she punched in the ground floor. As they descended, she typed a text to August and to Tarin.

  Racing out the doors, she had two choices: go through the door to the lobby or head out the exit to outside. It was a quick decision but outdoors seemed to be the safer choice. Ensuring Bill was with her, she sprinted to the edge of the building. Once they’d made their way around back, she jogged across the open paved area, knowing from Bill’s labored breathing that he was doing his best to keep up. Once they reached the courtyard containing a dining and relaxation area, she realized it would be a long way around to the parking lot. They would either have to pass through a lush garden or head toward the outer edge to get around it. To Tijan it looked like there was a cement barrier at the end, preventing them from getting around the area.

  “Bill, we need to go back. We might have to grab a taxi.” She went back the way they’d come, moving quite quickly across the open lot. As she approached the road, she
looked both ways, noting it was a quieter street that looked like it ended in a few short blocks.

  A car careened around the corner and Tijan instinctively started to run, but the sound of a gunshot beside her was enough to make her stop. She spun around as the car came to a screeching halt. A gun was pointed at her from the front passenger seat.

  The back window lowered. She didn’t have to see the face to know that voice.

  “We’re going to finish our deals. You’re also going to get us Caspian Winery. Today.”

  Within seconds her arms were grabbed and forced behind her as she was stuffed in the same black car she’d been in a few days before.

  She fought for all she was worth, preventing them from closing the door. She managed to dive out but she was yanked back into the car by her hair.

  Her last vision was of Bill lumbering toward them, his hand clutching his chest.

  “No!” The door slammed in her face and they were soon speeding away. Spinning around to look out the back window, Bill collapsed on the ground. She had no idea if it was his heart or if he’d been shot.

  “No. You better hope he’s fine.”

  “It seems Ms. Roth that we have more to discuss.”

  Tijan turned to face the one man who once scared the crap out of her but now she was too mad to care anymore. “What do you want? You got part of the company.”

  “Yes, but it appears I’ve been duped. See my lawyer here—”

  Tijan’s gaze swung to the other side of the limo. Her hands trembled slightly when she recognized who sat there.

  “Eleanor. This should surprise me but it doesn’t. Do you always sleep with low life?”

  Eleanor smiled condescendingly. “It appears so. I slept with your father.”

  Tijan wanted to throw up but she watched the woman closely. This was a chess match and in order to win, one had to study their opponent to figure out their next move. She hoped she caught on to this game fast.