by Diana DuMont
Mitch’s eyes darkened a little. “Okay. Well, I won’t be too hard on you at the moment, considering you almost got your head shot off. But you know that if there were potential poisons in Josie’s possession, proper evidence procedures should have been followed or that evidence might not be admissible in court.”
Scott looked chastised, and I felt badly for him.
“It was my fault,” I said. “I thought you were out to get me, and I thought it was better if I took things into my own hands. But I would assume that if there was poison in Josie’s purse, which is where this potential poison came from, she must have more at home or at her hotel room. I bet if you got a search warrant you’d find something more.”
Mitch shook his head at me in exasperation. “I told you not to play detective. But you’re just like your grandma, aren’t you? You do what you want to do, and don’t listen to anyone else.”
I shrugged at him. He was smiling as he said these words, so I figured I was mostly forgiven. He must’ve still been happy from the adrenaline rush of tackling Josie. Or maybe he just wasn’t that bad of a guy after all. In any case, it felt good not to be hiding things anymore.
Mitch rubbed his forehead, and then looked down at his watch. “It sounds like all of you have quite a bit to tell me. I’d like to take statements, but I don’t think it has to be tonight. I’ll let you all go home and get some rest if you promise me you’ll come by the station in the morning and have a chat with us. We’ll be too busy tonight grilling Josie to pay much attention to you three, anyway.”
Scott, Molly and I all nodded eagerly. I don’t think any of us were too keen on doing anything other than going home and collapsing into bed at the moment. I would have loved to clean up the pie shop first, since shattered glass had been strewn everywhere. But I figured that would have to wait until morning. Mitch already had officers securing it as a crime scene, taking photographs and making notes on little pocket notepads. I sighed as I watched them. Would my pie shop ever go more than a few days without being the scene of a crime? At least, if I was lucky, tonight’s events would bring a fresh wave of gossip-seeking customers my way.
Mitch gave each of us his business card, as though we didn’t already know who he was or what the police station’s phone number was. But I humored him, thanking him for the card. It probably made him feel important to pass them out, and if he wanted to feel important, I wouldn’t begrudge him that. Not after what he’d done tonight. Not only had he saved my life, but he’d also promised to post a guard outside my pie shop until I got the door fixed. He didn’t have to do that, and I was grateful for his kindness.
As Mitch walked away, Scott finally dropped his arm from my shoulders. I had to admit that I regretted the loss of his warmth. But I knew we all had to get home. I’m sure Scott had an early morning tomorrow with deliveries to make, and besides, this wasn’t the best time to explore any feelings I might have for him. I was exhausted, and a mess. My pie shop was also a mess. Besides, I had quite an audience: Molly, who was quickly becoming my best friend and was watching me with eagle eyes; and then Theo, who was also watching closely, but for different reasons. I didn’t have the energy to think about making a choice between Theo and Scott right now, nor about whether I was reading both men correctly in assuming they were both interested in me. For heaven’s sake, my divorce had only been finalized this morning. I needed to take a few deep breaths, and take some time to recover from the divorce before moving on to any sort of new relationship.
Beside me, Sprinkles whined and nudged my hand with his muzzle, as if to remind me that I still had him, no matter what else was going on. I looked down at him and smiled, giving him a vigorous rub behind the ears.
“You were a good boy tonight. I’m so glad you listened to me. I don’t know what I would’ve done if I’d lost you.”
Molly and Scott had walked away to gather up their things, but Theo was still standing there. “Seriously? Did Josie threaten your dog, too?”
I nodded. “Yeah, he was threatening to attack her, so she almost shot him.”
Theo shook his head. “That’s just wrong. Who kills a dog?”
I laughed. “Well, I agree with you that it’s just wrong to kill a dog. But are you really that surprised? If she was willing to kill three humans, then it shouldn’t be that surprising that she was willing to kill a dog.”
“I suppose you’re right. But I just think that anyone who would harm an animal has no soul.” Theo crossed his arms and shook his head in disgust. I let myself admire his good looks for a moment. Had he really been flirting with me? Was it possible that this wealthy, handsome bachelor was into me?
I forced myself to push the thoughts away. All of us were high on adrenaline tonight, and I shouldn’t read too much into things. I should just be happy that one of Sunshine Springs’ most prominent residents seemed to be on good terms with me now. Perhaps my status as an outsider was finally expiring, and I was becoming a local. I didn’t want to push my luck on anything beyond that at the moment.
“Well,” I said awkwardly. “Thanks again for everything. You know, saving my life and all.” I gave a nervous little laugh. “I should get going now, but I’ll see you around?”
Theo nodded. “Are you opening the pie shop tomorrow?”
I frowned as I looked around. “I don’t think so. I’m not sure when I’ll be allowed to clean all this up, but it’s already late. I also don’t have a front door anymore, and I have a feeling I’m not going to be up for baking a bunch of pies in the morning after almost being shot to death tonight. I think I’ll close the shop for one more day.”
“Good call. In that case, since you’ll be free tomorrow after giving your statement at the police station, why don’t you come down to the winery for a private tour?”
I felt a little thrill of excitement. “Really? I’d love that.”
“Really,” Theo said with a smile. I’d be willing to bet that you could use a day off to just do something relaxing.”
“Then you’d bet right,” I said with a grin.
I was excited at the prospect of a private tour of Theo’s winery. But the truth was, I wasn’t sure I could relax in the presence of a man like him. I had a feeling my heart would be racing during the whole tour tomorrow.
Besides that, I wasn’t sure I would truly relax until Caitlin’s murder case was completely closed. Sure, Josie was in custody now. But we still didn’t know the full story. Had she acted alone? Todd was still out there, and it wouldn’t be hard for him to find me.
I reached down to rub Sprinkles behind the ears again, thankful that I had him constantly standing guard beside me.
I would definitely be double checking the locks on my doors tonight.
Chapter Sixteen
The next day, after giving my statement at the police station, I headed down to the Sunshine Springs Winery with Sprinkles in the passenger seat beside me. As I parked in the gravel parking lot and the dust settled, I saw that Theo was already waiting for me. In the late morning sunlight, he looked even more handsome than usual. He wore dark wash jeans and a crisp button-down shirt—the perfect blend of casual and professional. I smiled and gave him a small wave before I killed my car’s engine and grabbed my purse. What was I getting myself into? I’m sure Molly would not be able to give me enough eye rolls to express her feelings if she knew the thoughts running through my head about Theo. Hopefully, she wouldn’t realize for a while yet that I had indeed succumbed to the charms of Theo Russo, just like many a woman before me.
I took a deep breath, and told myself that I was different. I’d been married and divorced, so I knew better than to trust my heart too quickly to a man. I wouldn’t let Theo sweep me off my feet as easily as he had any of the other girls. If he was interested in me, he was going to have to work for my heart.
“Hey,” Theo said as I strode toward him. He reached down to pet Sprinkles, which made me wonder where his dogs were.
“Don’t you have dogs, too? Why don’t you bring them ou
t for the tour?”
Theo looked confused for a moment, then laughed. “I don’t have dogs. You probably think I do because of the barking you heard the night you and Molly came to accuse me of murder.”
I frowned. “Well, yes. Generally hearing dogs barking inside of someone’s house means they have dogs.”
“Generally, yes. But in my case, the barking is part of my alarm system. It’s just a recording that makes people think there’s a big, ferocious dog waiting for them if they break in.”
I stared at him for a moment. “Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
“Why don’t you just get real dogs?”
Theo was quiet for a moment. “I had a real dog. He died a year ago, and I haven’t been ready to get a new one yet. It would feel too much like replacing him.”
“Oh. I’m really sorry. And I’m sorry I brought it up.”
I was sorry that I’d brought up what was a sad subject for Theo, but knowing how much he’d cared for his dog only made me like him more.
Theo smiled. “Don’t worry about it. I miss him, but he had a good, long life. One of these days, I’ll be ready for a new dog. In the meantime, I’ll enjoy spoiling my friends’ pets. Like this guy right here.”
He gave Sprinkles a vigorous rub behind the ear, and my heart warmed even more. Theo was turning out to be a decent guy. I felt my heart skip a beat as he gestured toward the winery with a grand sweep of his hand.
“Ready for your private tour?”
“Ready, indeed. I’ve never been given a private tour of a winery.”
“You’re in for a treat. Come on, I’ll show you the barrel cellar first.”
Over the next hour and a half, Theo led Sprinkles and me through his winery, proudly pointing out the features of his winemaking process that he thought made his wine unique. When we’d looked at everything except the tasting room and the grapevines themselves, Theo asked if I was hungry.
“A little bit,” I said. “I didn’t eat much for breakfast, so I should probably eat something. I haven’t had much of an appetite since last night. Something about almost losing my life seems to have put a damper on my desire for food.”
Theo’s face sobered, and his eyes clouded over. “I’m sorry. I still can’t believe Josie came in there like that. She must have really lost her mind.”
I shrugged, not wanting to spoil the magic of this day with thoughts of the horror of last night. “It’s not your fault. Let’s try to forget about it for now.”
“Good idea. But if you are hungry, we can go into the tasting room and have some lunch. I usually don’t offer a full meal in there, but one of my employees can whip us up a generous plate of the crackers, olives and cheese that we normally serve as side bites for our wine tastings. How does that sound?”
“That sounds perfect. A light lunch in the tasting room is just what I need. I’m assuming there will also be wine available?” I grinned at him.
Theo grinned back. “Of course. You can have as many glasses of whichever wine you want. On the house, even. It’s included in the private tour. And I’ll find someone to entertain Sprinkles while we’re inside.” He waved over one of his vineyard employees to take Sprinkles, and then led me into the tasting room.
I’d already seen this room before, of course. But I did enjoy listening to him as he pointed out the features of it that were special to him. When one of his employees called him over to let him know the food was ready, we took our seats at one end of the large bar.
The tasting room was fairly empty today. Theo told me that things would get much busier later in the day. He explained that it was always like that as the weekend approached. The afternoons got crazy busy as people finished up work and headed in from the city in droves. But since things were quiet right now, it was only a few moments before one of the tasting room employees came over to ask me what I would like to drink.
“I’ll have a glass of the special 2016 reserve pinot,” I said proudly.
Theo laughed when I gave my order. “You must have been here when Violet was here. She tells anyone who will listen that that’s the best vintage my winery has, although personally I think the 2015 is better.”
“Oh,” I said uncertainly. “Then perhaps I should try the 2015?”
“Tell you what. I’ll get a glass of the 2015, and you get the 2016. Then you can try both and compare. If you like the 2015 more, you can take my glass. But if, like Violet, you still think the 2016 is better, then I’m not going to argue with you about it. I do believe that subjective taste plays a role in the enjoyment of wine.”
I smiled. “Alright,” I said, turning to the employee. “Then a glass of the special 2016 reserve it is!”
The employee gave me a funny look, and I decided I must sound a little crazy practically yelling out my wine order. But he recovered quickly, nodded, and went to get my wine for me.
When the glasses of wine came, I had to admit that I honestly couldn’t tell much difference between the 2016 and 2015. I let Theo keep the 2015, since he thought it tasted better. It didn’t make much difference to me.
As we ate and drank, Theo told me about his father, and how hard he had worked to build up this winery. I told him that Violet had said his father was the best businessman and winemaker in the area, and he smiled.
“She’s right. And you’re probably leaving out the part where she says that I’ll never measure up to him.”
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. “Well, she did sort of say that, but…”
Theo laughed as he took the last swig of what was now his third glass of wine. I finished off my glass too, although I was only on my second. I definitely felt a bit tipsy, probably more due to the excitement of spending so much time with Theo than with the alcohol content of the wine. But I was just going to blame the wine for now. I wasn’t quite ready to face my feelings for Theo, or to explore what those feelings might mean.
“It’s okay,” Theo said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Violet can sometimes be a little harsh in her judgment of me, but at the end of the day I know she does admire me and my winery. She’s one of my best customers. She’s always here, and she knows each vintage of my wine by taste. She’s also good friends with all of my employees. She’s a little strange sometimes, and her anxiety sometimes makes my other patrons uncomfortable. But they can just deal with that. She’s a good friend, and she’s welcome here anytime she wants to be here. Besides, she’s right about me, you know. I do my best, but I’ll never measure up to my father.
“Don’t say that,” I said. “You’re fairly young still. You have plenty of time to catch up with your father.”
“Well, there’s a lot of catching up to do. But anyway, if I become even half the businessman he was, I’ll still consider that a wild success.” Theo glanced at my empty wine glass. “Would you like another, or are you ready to go see the grapevines?”
“Let’s go see the grapevines. Seeing grapevines in sunshine is my favorite part of visiting a winery. Besides, I better slow down on the wine or I’m not going to be able to walk straight through those grapevines.”
Theo laughed. “Then grapevines it is.”
We made our way out into the grapevines, and Sprinkles happily rejoined us. But the early afternoon sun was stronger than I’d anticipated, and in just a few minutes I was sweating profusely. Theo glanced over at me with concern.
“I forget that not everyone is as used to this sun as I am. Why don’t we go up to my house for a bit? There’s some shade in the backyard next to a big fountain. It’s very peaceful there, and we can relax a bit while you cool down.”
I wanted to protest and insist that I was fine, but my discomfort was stronger than my pride. Relieved, I nodded my head and followed Theo to his villa’s giant backyard. He picked us each a fresh orange from a tree near the fountain, and we sat below that orange tree’s shade as we munched our oranges. Sprinkles settled happily on the grass beside me, his tail thumping out a slow, lazy rhythm. As the swe
et juiciness of the orange hit my tongue and revived me, Theo looked off into the distance and started talking about his father again.
“I owe him so much, you know? He left me quite a legacy, and I’ve done my best to honor that legacy. I’ve made mistakes, but I’m doing my best.” Theo looked over at me, and his eyes had turned uncomfortably serious as he spoke. “I’ve started to think that perhaps it’s time for me to settle down and share that legacy with someone else. But it can’t be just anyone else. I need a woman with spunk. A woman not afraid to stand up to me.”
I froze with a bite of orange in my mouth. Was he talking about me? I had stood up to him, even if standing up to him had meant falsely accusing him of murder. That had been one of my more ridiculous moments. Still, it had taken a certain amount of guts to just march up to his house in the middle of the night and demand that he confess. I swallowed my bite of orange, and felt my heart beginning to pound as he leaned in toward me, licking his lips.
He’s going to kiss me, I thought in surprise. Perhaps even more surprisingly, I wanted that kiss. I started to close my eyes, pushing away all the nagging little voices in my head that told me I was moving on too soon from my divorce, and that I should give myself time to heal. I wanted to enjoy this moment without worrying about all the rules I was supposed to be following. I licked my own lips, and waited for the sparks that I knew were sure to fly the moment his lips connected with mine.
“Theo Russo!”
I jumped at the sudden interruption. The moment broken, my eyes flew wide open, and I turned to see where the voice was coming from. Theo cursed under his breath, but he quickly smoothed away the annoyance on his face and stood to his feet, looking ever like the cool, collected businessman that he was.
“Theo Russo!” The voice yelled again. I turned around, and saw to my surprise that Mitch was walking down the pathway toward us. His face looked drawn and pale, and he had two officers following him.
“Mitch?” Theo asked. “What’s wrong?”
Instead of answering Theo directly, Mitch nodded wearily to his officers, who stepped forward and began to pull Theo’s hands behind his back.