Fire in the Vineyard

by Christa Polkinhorn

  “We’ll decide once we know for sure. We’ll support him of course.”

  Robert nodded. “What about everything else? The wine theft and all that?”

  “Robert, that you’ll have to leave to David Lauer. He’ll deal with it. Focus on your relationship with your son. Leave the rest to the authorities.”

  “And you don’t think Matt is somehow involved? Lauer seems to consider him a suspect.”

  “Lauer doesn’t know us that well, so in a way we’re all suspects. But you know your son. He’d never do anything like this. And if you have doubts, then you really don’t know Matt, which seems to be your problem to begin with.”

  “Am I such a lousy father, then?” Robert’s voice gave out.

  “No, not at all. You have always been a good father, but lately the business has taken over too much. You have to find a better balance.”

  Robert sighed. “I know.”

  “Well, it looks like you’ll have a chance to deal with Matt.” Janice motioned with her head to the window. Matthew was walking up the hill. He took the steps of the short stairs leading up to the house two at a time and seemed full of energy. “Try to listen. Don’t blow it. Hothead.” She patted his back.

  “Yes, ma’am,” Robert said with a touch of sarcasm.

  Matthew knocked on the door and Janice went to open it. He came in and sniffed the air. “Smells like coffee.” He ran a hand through his tousled hair.

  “I’ll get you a cup.” Janice left the room.

  The two men stood facing each other in silence for a while. Then Matthew cleared his throat. “Did you hear about the paternity thing?” he asked, lowering his eyes.

  “Yes,” Robert said in a matter-of-fact voice.

  “Did Mom tell you?”

  “That would’ve been less embarrassing. No, I had to hear it from Lauer.” Robert tried to keep his rising anger in check.

  “I’m sorry. I know I should’ve told you earlier. But I didn’t want to worry you without knowing if it was true.”

  “Is that really the reason?” Robert said. “You could at least be honest.” He watched as Matthew blushed.

  “All right, if you want to know. I was afraid of your reaction … of you putting me down again, calling me a failure.”

  “Calling you a failure?” Robert was shocked. “When have I ever called you a failure?”

  “Not directly, not in so many words, but just … the way you treat me.” Matthew averted his eyes.

  Robert exhaled deeply, then took another deep breath. “We obviously have a serious communication problem. We’ll have to talk about this in detail. But for right now. I have never ever considered you a failure. If I had, I would’ve never asked you to take over the estate. And I wouldn’t consider making you the manager now.” He held up his hand when Matthew opened his mouth. “Wait.”

  Matthew stared at him stunned.

  “Let’s get this clear. I consider you a capable winemaker and vintner and future business owner. But at the same time, you still have a lot to learn, and I’m not going to coddle you just because you’re my son. If I see you make a mistake, I’ll let you know. That doesn’t mean I’m always right, but I’m still the owner and have the last word.”

  “Okay, agreed.” Matt sounded subdued.

  “And, in case you don’t know it. I love you. And I know I don’t always show it, but it’s the damned truth.” He pulled Matthew close and hugged him briefly. He saw tears in his son’s eyes.

  Janice came into the room with a cup of coffee and handed it to Matthew. “You’re okay?”

  “Yes. Thanks for the coffee.” Matthew took a sip.

  “Now, before we talk about anything else. What’s going on with your paternity case?” Robert asked.

  “That’s what I came to tell you. I got the results. Negative. I’m not the father.” A huge smile spread across his face.

  The mixture of tears in his eyes and the smile reminded Robert of Matthew as a child. He realized that his son was still very young and vulnerable. He shouldn’t be so hard on him. “Wonderful,” he said and hugged him again.

  Matthew seemed almost embarrassed about his father’s sudden display of compassion. “What’s this thing about me being the manager?” he asked.

  “I’m offering you the position, but I want you to take a couple of days to think about it,” Robert said. “I want you to be sure. If you’re not ready for it, that’s okay. I wouldn’t think any less of you. You can always take over at a later date, and in the meantime, I could hire someone from the outside. But if you accept, that would mean we’d have to work together even more closely.” Robert chortled. “And I think we do need to find a way to stop fighting each other all the time.”

  Matthew nodded. “I agree, and I’m sorry—”

  Robert put his hand on Matthew’s shoulder. “No, no. We’re both involved, and we’re both at fault. But most importantly, we’ll have to figure out who the frigging hell is responsible for Romero’s death and the stolen wine.”

  Matthew shot him a cautionary glance. “Lauer said I was a suspect, too.”

  “I know. We all are. I just hope he’ll come up with something concrete soon. He needs to check out Adam. I told him several times. His connection to George Winter bothers me.”

  “Let David Lauer do his job,” Janice said. “For right now, I think, it’s time to eat. Matthew, there’s enough for all of us. And there is enough scrambled eggs, if you change your mind, Robert.”

  “Okay, I guess in the meantime, I got kind of hungry. Let’s eat.” Robert put his arm around Matthew’s shoulders and they went into the dining room.

  Chapter 26

  Adam looked up from his computer as Robert entered the office. Robert’s black eyes bored into him for a short moment, then he gave a quick nod and began a conversation with Ken. Adam’s heartbeat sped up. He could never get used to the hostile look. It had started when Segantino found out about him being related to Uncle George, who, as Adam found out in the meantime, was Robert’s enemy. And now that wine had been stolen, Uncle George was an obvious suspect and by association Adam was too. He had really enjoyed working here, but now it felt all wrong.

  “I shouldn’t really work here anymore.” Adam said after Robert had left the office.

  “Why? What’s the matter?” Ken looked up from his work and stared at him.

  “That investigator, Lauer or whatever his name is, just grilled me about my relationship to my uncle. You know, the man who supposedly lost his job because of Robert. I mean what do I have to do with this?”

  Ken scrunched his forehead and faced Adam. “What exactly did he say?”

  “He wanted to know if I had stolen the wine for my uncle. I mean, the nerve.” Adam pushed the laptop away and got up. “He asked me about my alibi for the evening of the fire. Fortunately, I do have one. Otherwise, he might have dragged me off to jail.”

  Ken gave a quick smile. “Calm down. I was questioned as well and so were all the others who were present during the time. He grilled me about my financial situation, even made a remark about my family’s spending habits. Pissed me off.” Ken smirked and shook his head. “So don’t take his questions too personal. We all feel strange after being questioned. I heard from Robert that Lauer is a tough, no-nonsense investigator, but he rarely gets it wrong. He prosecuted quite a few felons successfully. He could hardly believe you have anything to do with this.”

  “I’m not so sure,” Adam mumbled.

  “Anyway, I don’t think you should quit now. In a few weeks, your school starts again. If you quit now, it might look more suspicious. Lauer might think you’re running away because you feel guilty.”

  Adam shrugged. “You could be right.”

  “Besides, I need you here. We’re almost done with the project, and you’re doing great work,” Ken said.

  “Thanks. Okay, I’ll stay, I guess.”

  “Thanks, Adam, I appreciate it.” Ken gave him a warm smile.

  A little later, Ada
m took his lunch break. He had brought a sandwich and planned to eat it outside. It was hot though, and he was looking for some shade when he saw Julietta and Nicholas walk up the hill. They waved at him. Julietta stopped and waited until he caught up with her.

  “Are you having lunch?” she asked.

  He nodded. “Yes, I’m looking for a shady place. It’s really hot out.”

  “Let’s go to the cellar. Matt started to set up some tables and chairs for the entertainment area. It’s nice and cool there.”

  “Okay. Are you having lunch as well?”

  “Yes. I’ll get my sandwich and meet you there.”

  “Good. See you later.” Adam walked the short path to the underground cellar and sat at one of the wooden tables. It was pleasantly cool inside but being alone gave him an uneasy feeling. Cellars tended to creep him out.

  He was still thinking about the interview with Lauer, and it worried him. Ever since his talk with Robert, he had tried to distance himself from his uncle. He never mentioned him anymore around the estate. Now, he needed to do this even more. He actually had a decent relationship with Uncle George. He got along with him better than his father did. Now, whatever relationship he had with George had become a serious liability.

  “Hi there, deep in thought?” Julietta sat down across from him.

  Adam hadn’t even heard her approach. He needed to stop daydreaming. “Well, I’m still upset about my meeting with that investigator.”

  “David Lauer?” Julietta asked.

  “Yeah. He practically accused me of having stolen the wine. You know the bottle I said my uncle gave us.”

  “What?” Julietta stared at him. “That’s crazy. Didn’t your uncle give you the wine long before this all happened? Before the wine disappeared and before the fire?”

  “Well, according to Lauer, the wine could’ve begun to disappear before they noticed,” Adam said. “I remember Ken telling me there was a lot of shuffling around of wine bottles when they moved to the new storage facility. So it was kind of a mess.”

  “Yes, but what does this all have to do with you?” Julietta asked.

  “Obviously, my uncle and your uncle aren’t great buddies. So they may suspect that Uncle George was trying to get back at your uncle and hired me as the go-between?” Adam snorted. “Idiots.”

  “I agree. I don’t think they seriously consider you, though. Everybody gets investigated.”

  “Yeah, well that’s what Ken said, too. Still … remember when I first met Robert in the tasting room, he acted really weird when he read my last name?” Adam scrutinized Julietta. “Did he say anything to you about it, about me and my uncle?”

  Julietta hesitated, then shook her head. “Not directly, but I, too, noticed that he was acting kind of funny.”

  Not directly? What does that mean? “Do you think I have anything to do with it?” Adam glared at Julietta.

  She looked at him puzzled. “Of course not.” She quickly lowered her eyes.

  Adam crumbled the paper he had wrapped his sandwich in and tossed it into the trashcan. “Got to go back to work.” He sounded harsher than he wanted to, but he was disappointed. Obviously Julietta didn’t trust him either, and it hurt him. He got up and walked outside. Julietta rushed after him.

  “Adam, don’t let it get to you, please. Things will clear up. They’ll find whoever did it.”

  “I hope,” he grumbled and headed back to the office. On the way, he met Matthew, who waved at him.

  “Hey, there, how is it going?” Matthew, who had been in a grumpy mood the past few weeks, seemed to be cheerful again. Adam liked him. He had noticed that Matthew and his father had a somewhat tense relationship. Robert’s son was often at the receiving end of his impatient outbursts. Adam smiled. He could relate. Although Robert had never yelled at him, the sinister looks he gave him whenever they met made his ambivalent feelings toward Adam more than obvious.

  Chapter 27

  “Hi, Matt. What’s up?” Nicholas shouted and waved at Matthew. Nicholas and Sofia were working at the winery, getting ready for the harvest. Nicholas laid down the rag he’d used to clean the outside of the wine press. He watched as his brother walked across the meadow toward them. Matthew seemed to be in good spirits. He smiled and there was a spring in his step, something Nicholas hadn’t seen in his brother for a while.

  “Hey, guys.” Matthew took off his baseball cap and brushed a hand through his curly dark hair. “Busy?”

  “Yes, but never too busy for you.” Sofia hugged him. “How is it going?”

  “Pretty good,” Matthew said. “Pretty damned good, actually.” He grinned, then tried to put on a serious face. “I actually feel almost guilty for my good mood, considering what’s going on around here.”

  “Spit it out, bro. What’s making you smile like the sun?” Nicholas asked.

  “Well, the first good news. The paternity test came back negative.” A smile spread across his face. “And that’s a big burden off my back, as you can imagine.”

  “Wonderful. Great.” Nicholas slapped him on the back. “You know who the father is? Just curious.”

  Matthew shook his head. “No. Marcia didn’t say. I suspect it’s the guy she’d been involved with at the same time we were dating. Whoever it may be, I actually hope it works out for her. I don’t particularly care for the woman anymore, but I’d feel sorry for the baby, if he or she had to grow up in unpleasant circumstances.”

  “Well, fortunately, that’s not your problem anymore,” Nicholas said. “But you said the ‘first good news’. What’s the second?”

  “Well, I had a long talk with Dad.”

  Nicholas guffawed. “And that’s the good news?”

  “Yes. Believe it or not. For once, we had an amiable conversation. In fact, he was even compassionate … almost loving.” Matthew gazed into the distance, as if he couldn’t believe his father’s changed behavior.

  “Whoa. Amazing. Good for you.” Nicholas smiled.

  “Yeah. Of course, we’ll still be yelling at each other. I don’t think we’ll turn into angels overnight. But he did offer me the position of manager, now that Romero … has passed.”

  “Congratulations. And, did you accept?” Sofia asked.

  “He wants me to think it over. And, to be honest, as much as I appreciate the offer, and I’d love to be the manager, I’m not sure, I can swing it.”

  “Matt, you definitely can do it,” Nicholas assured him. “You’ve worked with Romero for years. You know the ins and out of the job more than anybody else.”

  “Yes.” Matthew shrugged. “But it would also mean I had to work more closely with Dad. And that will be a challenge, an additional one.” He paused. “Although Dad seems to realize that we both must make more of an effort, that he doesn’t feel it’s just my problem. You know the miscommunication, or whatever you want to call it.”

  “I’m glad to hear that,” Nicholas said. “It means he’s aware that he has problems relating to other people, including his son. I’m sure you’ll be able to work together.”

  “I got the feeling he let Romero pretty much do his own thing,” Sofia said. “So, perhaps, you’ll have more freedom to run the estate as well.”

  “I hope so.” Matthew looked thoughtful. “But you know, as much as I welcome the opportunity, it makes me really sad that it’s because of Romero dying. This just sucks.”

  “Yes, I know,” Sofia said. “And I feel terrible about Juanita and Nora. I haven’t seen them around. Are they still with Juanita’s sister?”

  Matthew nodded. “Yes. Dad told them they should stay on in their home. He even offered to let them live there without paying rent until their financial situation is straightened out. And he would reduce the rent so they could pay it comfortably. He also offered Juanita a job at the estate. You know, Ken always needs help with the accounting.”

  “That’s very generous,” Sofia said. “You know, Robert can be difficult to deal with sometimes, but he really does have a good hea
rt.”

  Both Nicholas and Matthew nodded.

  “Any news from Lauer?” Nicholas asked.

  “No, not yet,” Matthew said. “Anyway, I’m on a mini vacation for two days. Dad said to take some time off and think about his offer. So, since I can’t just sit around, do you need any help?” He pointed at the crusher and the wine press.

  “Oh, we can always use two more hands,” Nicholas said. “Or four more.” He motioned at Grandpa Martin, who came strolling up the steep path to the winery. He stopped in the middle, as if to catch his breath, then climbed the last few yards. Nicholas, watching him, felt a little stab in his heart. Although Martin was still in good shape for the most part, age did creep up on him. A few years before, he would have climbed the hill without stopping.

  “Hey, Grandpa,” Matthew called.

  “Hi there, Matt. How’s it going?” Martin measured Matthew with a probing look.

  “Great. I’ve good news.” Matthew told him about the result of the paternity test and of his father’s offer to become the manager.

  “Excellent. Congratulations.” Martin gave a quick smile, then looked serious again. “I just wish it was for a different reason.”

  “Don’t we all?” Nicholas said. “By the way, when is Romero’s funeral?”

  “Any day, now,” Matthew said. “Dad helped organize it. I’ll let you know the exact date and time soon. The family wants to wait for a few relatives of his from Mexico.”

  “Does he still have a lot of family in Mexico?” Sofia asked.

  “Not too many. Both Juanita and Romero were born in the US, so most of their family members are here,” Martin said.

  He turned to Nicholas and Matthew. “I actually came here to help, of course.” He pointed at the wine press. “But I also need some quick help from one of you strong and able-bodied men.” He grinned. “I got some bags of natural fertilizer for Grandma’s garden, and I need to carry them to where she can use them. I’m getting too old and doddery to do it by myself.”

  “No problem, Grandpa, I’ll help,” Nicholas said. “And no, you’re not old and certainly not doddery.” He turned to Sofia and Matthew. “I’ll be back.”