by Thea Cambert
“I never should have trusted that idiot, Billings!” said Forrest. “He seemed so smart—so certain he could get us what is rightfully ours.”
“Is that why you called me out here—to come and insult me on my own estate?” said Max.
“If I’d asked you to come over to Clear Creek, would you have?” There was a pause. “Yeah. I thought not,” said Forrest. “Because everyone knows you Emmersons are too good for everyone else.” He laughed, sounding slightly delirious. “Good thing your stupid sister was so gullible! She fell for Rupert like a ton of bricks. What a loser.”
Max shoved Forrest, who fell back, but hopped right up.
“Don’t you ever talk about my sister! Now I want you off our land. You’re obviously drunk!”
“First, the essencia was my grandmother’s idea. Second, I paid Rupert handsomely to steal it. The jerk had it memorized and demanded more money. He got what he deserved as far as I’m concerned. But now I’m here to claim what’s mine!” His words were starting to slur a little bit.
“No, Forrest. And it’s time you learned you can’t buy your way to a great wine. Everything’s not for sale. And so what if your grandmother wanted to make an essencia? Lots of people do! Only a true winemaker can formulate something unforgettable. Just let it go.”
“I won’t let it go! And you and your stupid sister can kiss your success goodbye!” Forrest rushed at Max, who mentioned something about leaving Helena out of it and then took a swing at Forrest but missed. Then Forrest ran off toward the wooded tree line, and Max made to go after him.
“Get back here now, Forrest! I want you gone!”
“He’s going to get himself killed,” said Luke, leading the group out of the bushes. “Time to step in and lend a hand.”
“What are you all doing here?” asked Max, shocked to see them.
“We’re here to help,” said Luke. “But first, do you have your wallet on you?”
Max frowned and patted his jacket pockets. “Sure,” he said, taking out his wallet and holding it up. “Why?”
“Just making sure,” said Luke, nodding at Alice, who nodded back. “Ben, let’s go. You three, call the police.”
Ben and Luke ran off at top speed toward the woods.
Chapter 14
“I’ll call the police!” said Franny, running off in the direction of the cell phone-reception rise.
“I’m so confused,” said Max as they walked at a slower pace back toward the inn. “Were you all just out walking around in the dark?”
“We’ve been doing a little investigating,” said Owen. “We hear about an unsolved crime and we just have to meddle.” He shrugged modestly.
“Oh—so you’ve been looking into Rupert Billings’s murder.” Max nodded in understanding. “How good of you. How brave.”
“Well, I was the one who saw Rupert get shot from the hot air balloon,” said Alice. “You can’t see a thing like that happen and not want justice to be served.”
“So you saw it all, huh?” asked Max. “What happened? I mean—other than the part where Rupert got shot?”
“Hard to say, really, except that he and Forrest were fighting, and then Forrest got up holding the gun. But Rupert never did.”
Max nodded. “Must’ve been terrible, to see something like that. And here you are, on your honeymoon.”
“It was,” Alice admitted. “But it must be terrible for you, too, knowing that everyone wants to steal your family’s secrets.”
“Yes, I’ve had about enough of that,” said Max. “I mean, just this week, we had Rupert and Forrest. And that other couple—the Youngs—they hinted at it, too.”
“You know, I saw Forrest and Rupert talking outside the barn at the wine tasting,” said Alice. “I told Luke then that they were having some kind of clandestine discussion.”
“You have good instincts,” said Max. “I wonder how long the two of them were in cahoots.”
“Crazy!” said Owen. “That essencia must be some wine.”
“Oh it is,” said Max. “I’ll break out a bottle when we get back to the inn. You can try it.”
“That’d be amazing!” said Owen.
Alice suddenly stopped walking. “Max, how did you . . .” She looked closer at him for the first time that evening. Her heart began to pound when she noticed what Max was wearing. A dark sweat suit. A hooded jacket. “I mean, uh, you look like you’re dressed to go out for a jog or something.”
“I am,” said Max, looking down at his clothes. “I love to run through the vineyard after dark, when the guests have all gone home or gone into the inn for the night. Clears my head.” He paused, then looked at Alice.
Alice tried to steady her breathing. She could feel her face getting hot. “Sounds—”
“You know, don’t you?” Max wasn’t smiling anymore. “You figured it out.”
“Figured what out?” asked Owen.
But Max didn’t answer, and he didn’t break eye contact with Alice for a second.
“How did you know the Youngs had tried to steal the formula?” Alice asked quietly.
“Let’s walk a different direction,” said Max, turning away from the inn and taking out a gun.
“What? It was you?” Owen’s eyes grew large.
“You were probably hiding in the same bushes we hid in tonight,” said Alice. “You saw the Youngs follow Rupert. You hid and watched Rupert’s meeting with Forrest—probably ready to jump out the second Rupert started to rattle off the secret formula.” She looked at Max. “But he never did, did he?”
Max shook his head slowly.
Alice went on. “Rupert wanted more money, Forrest made him mad, and Forrest left. By then, the Youngs had already scurried back to the inn. And that was when you saw your chance. The formula was in Rupert’s memory—not written down. He would’ve sold it to the highest bidder, given the chance. But if you killed him, it would be secure.”
“Correct,” said Max. “Almost.” He sighed. “I didn’t confront Rupert for stealing the formula. I’m sick of that stupid formula! I confronted him because he hurt my sister.” Max held out the gun. “This isn’t—”
“Don’t point that thing at—”
Owen’s words were interrupted, for at that moment, time seemed to stand still as a battle cry was heard coming from the shadows a few steps away, and Franny appeared, running at top speed, her rock climbing trophy poised above her head. A split second later, the trophy had come squarely down onto Max’s skull, and he’d fallen to the ground, where Franny—now with Owen and Alice’s help—managed to pin Max’s arms and legs down and take away his gun.
Just then Ben and Luke—a slightly more sober Forrest trying to keep up behind them—came running up. Franny quickly handed Ben the gun.
“You should have seen your wife, Ben,” said Owen. “Turns out, she’s a warrior banshee at heart.”
Max let out a pained grown. “My head,” he said.
“It broke my trophy,” said Franny with a sniff. “That’s some hard head you’ve got.”
Sirens could be heard arriving at the inn, and Owen flipped on his bright light to signal the police where to come.
“Please, I beg you,” Max said from where he still sat on the ground, rubbing his head. “Turn that insanely bright light off.”
“Sorry, but I don’t think I will,” said Owen.
Chapter 15
“It’s true. There’s no place like home,” said Owen as he, Alice, and Franny took their usual seats in their rooftop garden early in the evening a few days later.
“I’m so glad to be home,” said Franny, snuggling nine-month-old Theo, who cooed happily in his mother’s arms.
“We’re all definitely going to need a rest after that vacation,” said Alice.
Luke and Ben came through the French doors from Alice and Luke’s living room.
“Let’s eat,” said Ben, holding up bags from the Smiling Hound, the pub across the street.
Alice sighed contentedly as she reache
d into a bag and pulled out a big basket of onion rings. “I never would’ve thought I’d say this after all of the wonderful food we ate on our honeymoon, but the Smiling Hound beats them all.”
“Hands down,” agreed Owen, stuffing an onion ring into his mouth while unwrapping his cheeseburger. “But the post-vacation detox has to start tomorrow,” he added.
They all settled in around the café table with their food, collectively feeling glad to be home as they watched the sun begin to sink behind the tops of the Smoky Mountains that surrounded their little town.
“So, is Max going to be in jail for quite some time?” asked Franny.
“Actually, I have some news on that front,” said Luke. “I just had a call from Detective Mullins. We followed up on the case, detective to detective, and it seems Max’s story checked out. He’d been out for his evening jog when he saw the Youngs sneaking out into the vineyard in the dark, following Rupert. He decided to see what was going on. After the Youngs ran back to the inn, Max did confront Rupert, in part because he was angry that Rupert had stolen the Emmersons’ formula, of course, but even more so because he’d insulted and hurt Helena. He and Rupert got into a shoving match, Rupert pulled a gun, and as Max was wrestling it away from him, it went off, killing Rupert. Max never meant for it to happen—and the gun was definitely registered to Rupert. But Max was afraid of what would happen to him when the police found out. He knew he had several strong motives to have murdered Rupert and that it wouldn’t look good if he fessed up. So in the heat of the moment, he tried to cover the whole thing up.”
“And then later, of course, he realized that if he was found out, he’d look even guiltier because of that,” added Ben.
“So, he didn’t say anything,” said Alice. “And hoped it would all just go away.”
“Yep,” said Luke. “He took the gun, stashed the body, and ran away.”
“And when he pulled the gun on us in the vineyard, he wasn’t planning to shoot us with it, was he?” Alice guessed.
“It wasn’t even loaded,” said Luke. “He said he was out walking the vineyard when Forrest called him and demanded to talk to him. Max had been trying to clear his head, considering whether he should throw the gun into the lake. When you’d obviously figured out the truth, Alice, he panicked again, took the gun out, and was hoping you’d run away and he could run the other direction and toss it into the lake.”
“He definitely isn’t the best under pressure,” said Owen with a chuckle. “He wasn’t even holding it right.”
“I guess the secret to the Emmersons’ essencia is safe and sound,” said Alice ruefully. “Rupert had memorized it, but now he’s dead.” She paused. “But you know what I keep thinking about? The fact that Max and Forrest are cousins. First cousins! Isn’t it a shame they can’t work together and get over the past?”
“Good news there, too,” said Luke. “Mullens told me that those two have actually had a civil discussion since the other night in the vineyard when Franny here beaned Max in the head.”
“Really?” asked Owen. “I was sure that family feud would go on forever.”
Luke shook his head. “Seems like this whole thing brought it home to both of them that their rivalry has been silly, and that together, they might be able to create some amazing wines. I think they’re going to be okay.”
Alice felt a wave of relief at this news. “Then I’d like to propose a toast,” she said, raising her bottle of water, and looking around the circle of the faces of her friends, her family. “To family. All families. But especially to this one.”
“I’ll drink to that!” said Owen.
Plastic bottles were clicked together and everyone took swigs of water.
“Let’s all go flop on Alice and Luke’s couch and watch a movie,” said Franny.
“Great idea,” said Owen.
“I’ll pop the popcorn,” said Alice, standing and stretching, following the group toward the French doors, which were standing open to the spring evening.
“Hey,” said Luke softly from behind her.
Alice stopped and turned back.
“That was some honeymoon,” he said, pulling her close.
“No kidding,” said Alice with a smile, laying her head on his shoulder.
“Have I mentioned lately how glad I am that we got married?”
“No, I think it’s been a while.”
He pulled away a bit and looked at Alice’s face, tucking a red curl behind her ear. “I’m really, really glad we got married,” he said.
“So am I,” said Alice. “And I always will be.”
“I have a feeling, Mrs. Evans, that our love will age like a fine wine.”
“Ooh, like an essencia?” said Alice, laughing. She kissed her husband. “Sweeter with the passing of the years.”
“Ever sweeter,” said Luke with a smile. He took her hand and they went inside to join their family.
Also by Thea Cambert
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