Fire in the Vineyard

by Christa Polkinhorn

  Julietta opened her mouth, as if she wanted to protest. Lauer, however, touched her arm lightly. “How well do you know, Adam?”

  Julietta glared at him defiantly. “He’s my boyfriend.”

  “All right,” Lauer said. “Why don’t you come with me. You can help.”

  Julietta gave him a questioning look, then glanced at the others. “Okay.”

  “Let’s talk outside.” Lauer motioned to the door.

  After they had left the room, Nicholas glanced at his father, who looked chastened. He felt it was kind of divine justice that the man who had a tendency to blow up and put others in their place, now got a taste of his own medicine, so to speak. At the same time, Nicholas felt sorry for him. He seemed to have aged. The pressure of the crimes, the death of his friend, and the general uncertainties had taken a toll on him. Nicholas went up to him. “You okay?”

  Robert gave a quick grunt. “I guess I really screwed up. I just hope to God this case is soon over with or I’m going to crack.”

  “Calma, calma.” Nicholas patted his father’s shoulder. “Just do what Lauer says.”

  “And get that fiery Italian temper under control.” Matthew chortled.

  “Oh, shush.” Robert shook his head but gave a quick grin.

  Chapter 33

  David Lauer and Julietta were standing outside Robert and Janice’s home. “How long have you known Adam?”

  “I met him at college. He was at the same lecture as me. We’re in the same program.” Julietta thought back to the time she first noticed the handsome, funny guy in a lecture on the history of architecture. “That was during the spring term … I guess since April.”

  “Did he ever mention his uncle? Have you ever met him?” Lauer measured her with his sharp gray eyes.

  “He never talked about him until that day we met him by accident at the free concert in August, down at the park in Paso.”

  “How did you meet him?” Lauer asked.

  Julietta told him that he had suddenly showed up and talked to them, that Adam had introduced him. “He gave me the creeps.”

  “How so?”

  Julietta shrugged. “He was just an unpleasant fellow, he leered at me. He smelled of alcohol.”

  Lauer nodded. “Did you have the feeling he and Adam were close?”

  “No. Adam said Uncle George and his father didn’t get along. That George was the black sheep of the family. And, no, Adam didn’t seem to be close to him.”

  “So, no indication that they might have a secret agreement, that they were working together?”

  Julietta knew what Lauer was leading to. She shook her head. “No, no way. Adam wasn’t involved.”

  Lauer gave a quick nod. “All right. I’m meeting with Adam at the station downtown.” He checked his watch again. “In ten minutes. I’d like you to join us. We’re trying to find his uncle who mysteriously disappeared. Perhaps you two can help us clarify where he might be.”

  Julietta hesitated. She didn’t really know what she could contribute but she wanted to be present, even just for moral support for Adam. Lauer seemed to have read her mind. “Adam is pretty upset, and I think scared. He feels we suspect him. Perhaps when you’re there, he’ll be more relaxed and open up.”

  Julietta nodded. “Sure, if I can help.”

  “Okay, let’s go.” Lauer pointed his key at his car and unlocked the doors with a beep. They got in and Lauer drove the short distance to the police station.”

  “Do you work for the Paso Robles police?” Julietta asked.

  “No. I’m from out of town, but they let me use an office at their facility for this case,” Lauer explained.

  When they arrived downtown, Lauer parked his car. Adam was waiting outside. His eyes opened wide when he saw Julietta. “What’s going on? Is she a suspect, too?” Adam pressed his lips together and shot an angry look at Lauer.

  “We’re not talking suspects now,” Lauer said. “I think that perhaps you can help us locate your uncle, and since Julietta met him once together with you at the park, she might think of something helpful.”

  Adam looked puzzled but shrugged. “Whatever.”

  “Let’s go inside. You guys want any coffee, water?”

  “Some water would be good,” Adam said and Julietta nodded.

  Lauer guided them to his office at the back of the station and asked them to sit. “Let me get the water.” He left the room.

  Adam turned to Julietta. “What’s going on? Why did he bring us here?”

  Julietta hugged him briefly. “Relax. I think he really hopes we can help him locate your uncle. He doesn’t sound like he suspects you.”

  Lauer came back in with three small bottles of water and handed them two. He opened his own, took a sip and sat down. “Okay, here is the thing. We’re kind of stuck. Somehow your uncle must have gotten cold feet when he realized we were looking for him. He probably suspected that the whole thing was going to blow up in his face. So he ran. I’ve to admit, we haven’t had any luck finding him.”

  Lauer turned to Adam. “We talked to your parents and they have no clue where he could be. Your father mentioned something about a cabin he used to go to, near Santa Margarita, that hiking and campground east of San Luis Obispo. And he said you were with him once as a kid.”

  Adam nodded. “Yes, that’s true, but that was a long time ago. I was about six or seven years old.” He wrinkled his forehead. “It was a small cabin not far from the lake where he used to go fishing. It’s quite secluded. I was only there for a couple of days.”

  “I guess that would be a good place to hide,” Lauer said, thoughtfully.

  “I guess,” Adam said, hesitantly. “Gee, I wish I remembered where it was exactly.”

  “Didn’t your parents take you there?” Lauer asked.

  “I don’t think so.” Adam paused. “No, Uncle George picked me up and brought me back. My parents knew that we were near Santa Margarita Lake, but I don’t think they knew the exact location.”

  “And your parents let you stay with your uncle, despite of his less than stellar reputation?” Lauer raised an eyebrow.

  “He was different at the time. He had a job with the government. He was married and had children. I guess my parents figured it was safe for me. Later, after George got in trouble with the law, my aunt divorced him, and the family moved away … hey, wouldn’t Aunt Susan know where the cabin is?” Adam sounded eager. “Aunt Susan is his former wife.”

  “We already talked to her,” Lauer said. She claims she doesn’t know where it is. She’d never been to the cabin herself. She didn’t sound very forthcoming. I guess they broke off any connection after George’s legal troubles.”

  “I guess that’s true.” Adam spoke in a low voice. “The cabin seemed like more of a guy thing, those outings there. You know, pretty spartan, almost primitive. So I guess, it wasn’t elegant enough for Aunt Susan.” Adam gave a quick smile.

  “What did the area near the cabin look like?” Julietta asked Adam.

  “It was a beautiful place from what I remember, lots of hiking paths, a lake, lots of trees, mainly oaks, I think, lots of brush. It was kind of fun.” Adam wrinkled his forehead. “Jesus, had I known that my uncle was a criminal, I wouldn’t have enjoyed it that much.”

  “Well, people can change. Perhaps, he wasn’t a bad guy then,” Julietta said.

  “I remember he was already a boozer then. There was always a can of beer in his hand. I didn’t think anything of it at the time, of course. I was too young. But in hindsight …”

  “Okay, something else.” Lauer stopped writing and glanced at them. He turned to Adam. “When was the last time you saw your uncle?”

  Adam’s forehead creased. He turned to Julietta. “It was during that concert in the park we went to.”

  Lauer nodded. “Julietta told me about that. And you didn’t see him or have any contact with him after that?”

  “No. That’s the last time I heard of him.”

  “No phone ca
lls? No text messages? No nothing?” Lauer’s gray eyes seemed to bore into Adam. “I have to warn you that if there is anything you’re withholding, perhaps to protect your uncle or your family, now is the time to tell me. If he approached you about the wine, if you gave him any kind of information, even if it sounded innocent, you have to tell me. Whatever happened, we’ll find out. And it would be much better for you if you’re upfront with me.”

  Adam’s face turned red. “I told you everything. I only heard about my uncle being involved in any of this when Segantino threw it into my face and fired me. Jesus, everybody is accusing me.”

  Lauer raised his hand. “I’m not accusing you. I’m simply asking a question and giving you the information I would give to everyone in your position. You worked for Robert Segantino at a time when your uncle was committing fraud against him and perhaps worse. So, don’t take this personally. I just have to ask.”

  “And I answered. I have no contact with him, and I don’t want to have anything to do with the jerk anymore. Look what he caused? I’ve never felt so bad and humiliated in my life.”

  Julietta put her arm around him. “It’s not your fault.”

  “Is there anything you can remember and want to add?” Lauer faced Julietta. “You only saw him that one time, yes?”

  “Yes. No, I can’t remember anything else.” She paused. “Except he was clearly surprised that Adam worked for Robert. That I noticed.” She looked at Adam, who nodded.

  “All right, I think that’s it. You’ve been very helpful. At least, we now have an additional area we could search.” Lauer leaned back in his chair. “And, as I said before, if you hear or see anything or remember something, even if it doesn’t sound important, let me know. You both have my phone number?”

  Adam took his smartphone out of his pocket and checked it. “Yes, here it is.” Julietta did the same.

  Lauer got up and accompanied them to the door. “Do you need a ride back?” he asked Julietta.

  “I’ll take her back,” Adam said.

  “Good enough.” Lauer smiled at them and waved them off.

  After he went back inside, Julietta took a deep breath. “Well, that went okay. I really don’t think he feels you have anything to do with this.”

  “I hope so. What about you?” Adam let his eyes linger on her.

  “Of course not.” She hugged him. He smiled and kissed her. They walked to his car arm in arm.

  “You know,” Adam said. “I really feel like checking out that area in the mountains. I can’t remember where the cabin was, but I could at least try.”

  “You think that would be smart? I don’t think Lauer would approve.”

  “Why not? I could help search. I really want my uncle to be found soon. The bastard. He’s guilty not just for the wine theft and all that, but he may have burned down that shed that killed Romero.”

  Julietta nodded. “We could try. It could just be an outing.”

  “We?” Adam looked at her inquisitively.

  “I’m not going to let you go by yourself. No way. I’m coming along. Besides, I’ve never been to those mountains and the Los Padres National forest, and I heard it was beautiful.”

  “Well, then, what are we waiting for?” Adam kissed her again.

  Chapter 34

  Julietta and Adam had been walking through the town and the nearby oak forest toward the lake for about an hour while Adam was trying to familiarize himself with the landscape he hadn’t seen since childhood. They had left the car parked in town, since much of the hiking and leisure area was closed to traffic. It was a weekday and the place wasn’t crowded. They met a few hikers, but most of the vacationers seemed to be back at work.

  “Some of it looks familiar.” Adam lifted his hand to shield his eyes from the sun and scanned the landscape. “There are areas I seem to recognize. Let’s walk along the lake. I think we’d have the best chance of finding the cabin. I remember it was close to the lake but hidden behind trees.”

  “You said he came here to fish,” Julietta remarked. “Was that in the lake or a stream?”

  “The lake.” Adam stopped short. “That looks familiar.” He pointed at a group of oaks and a boat landing place. “Or not? Well, let’s go and check it out.”

  They walked slowly along the lake. It was early in the morning, but it was already hot, and the sun was beating down. There was some welcome shade under the trees, and a light but pleasant breeze was coming from the water. Julietta took off her sun hat, wiped her forehead, and drank a sip of water from her bottle. Adam was walking ahead, then stopped.

  “Let’s walk more under the trees.” He, too, took a sip of water. “I know the cabin wasn’t that close to the lake.”

  They moved back from the water and walked among the trees for a while. Adam stopped again and touched Julietta’s arm. “I think that might be it.” He pointed toward a small log cabin, hidden behind oak trees.

  Julietta’s heart began to beat faster as they slowly approached. It looked old and abandoned, more like a shack than a cabin. There was a shabby porch in front of it. Some of the logs in the wall had holes in them, and one side of the cabin was overgrown with ivy. Even in the daytime, it looked spooky.

  “Seems like nobody is here.” Adam sounded disappointed. Julietta, however, was relieved. They were, after all, pursuing a criminal, and she only realized now that they had no plan what to do if in fact they did find George Winter.

  “Let’s check this out.” Adam walked up the two steps of the rickety wooden stairs that led to an equally unsafe porch that tilted to one side.

  “Be careful.” Julietta grabbed Adam’s arm. “What if he’s here? What are we going to do?”

  “Confront him,” Adam said in a stern tone. “I don’t think he’s here though. I’m not even sure it’s the right cabin, although it does look familiar.”

  He carefully walked across the porch, which creaked with each step. Julietta held her breath as Adam pressed down the door handle. To her surprise, the door gave. Adam looked back and scanned the area, then carefully pushed the door open. “Uncle George?” he called in a low voice. There was no answer. “Anybody here?” he tried again. Still nothing.

  They stepped inside, Julietta following Adam hesitantly. The creepy feeling she’d had when first meeting George was back.

  The first thing they discovered was a backpack on the floor. There was also a coffee percolator on the stove and a half-empty coffee mug on the table next to a baseball cap. “This is Uncle George’s cabin all right. That’s the hat he was wearing the night of the concert.” Adam touched the coffee pot. “Still a little warm. He must be here somewhere. He left the door unlocked. He can’t be far. I can’t believe we actually found him.” He sounded excited.

  Julietta, however, didn’t feel that confident. Fear flooded her. “We should leave and let Lauer know.” She grabbed her cell phone. “No connection, darn it. I’ll try outside.” She walked across the rickety porch and down the stairs. She still didn’t see any bars on her cell phone. “What are we going to do?” she asked Adam who had followed her outside.

  “Let’s wait for a while. I’m sure he’ll be back. We can hide behind those bushes there.” He pointed at a couple of shrubs next to the house.

  “Okay.” Julietta hesitated. “I still think we should leave and call Lauer.”

  “Shh.” Adam grabbed Julietta’s arm. “Somebody’s coming.”

  A few seconds later, George Winter stepped out from behind some trees, carrying what looked like a pile of firewood. He dropped the logs when he saw them, stared at them baffled, and put one hand into the pocket of his loose jeans. Then his expression changed from shock to anger. “What in hell are you doing here?” He looked around frantically. “Are you alone?”

  “The police are looking for you, Uncle George,” Adam said. “They know about you stealing and selling Segantino’s wine. Did you also burn down the shed that killed his manager?”

  “You’re just a little bit too smart for yo
ur own good. Why can’t you leave that to the cops? You had to come snooping. And now you and your sweetheart are in trouble.” George pulled a gun from his pocket and pointed it at them. Julietta inhaled sharply. She felt she was going to faint.

  “What are you going to do, Uncle George? Kill us and add murder to your crimes?” Adam tried to sound brave, but his voice trembled. “You made my life miserable. They think I collaborated with you. I was fired from my job and banned from the estate. All because of you.”

  George gave a vicious laugh. “Idiots. They’ll eventually find out it wasn’t you. They’ll have to look a little closer to the estate to find my collaborator.”

  “Then who was it?” Adam asked.

  “None of your business. You already know too much. Now, I’m sorry, kids. I’m not going to harm you, but I’ll need you to be quiet until I’ve disappeared.” He approached them, waving his gun. “In you go. Now.”

  Julietta could barely walk, her legs trembled so much. Adam took her arm and tried to sound reassuring. “Don’t worry,” he whispered. “He’s a criminal, but I don’t think he’ll kill us.” They walked up the two steps and made their way carefully across the slanting porch.

  Inside the cabin, George grabbed some rope from the kitchen cabinet. He pointed the gun at Julietta and then at the wall. “Sit down over there.”

  Julietta, her knees trembling, sat on the floor next to the wall. George then pointed the gun at Adam. “Tie her hands behind her back.”

  “What?” Adam stared at him.

  “Do what I tell you. Now.” He lifted the gun and pointed it at Julietta again. “Or I’ll shoot her.”

  “Stop it. I’ll do it.” Adam’s voice cracked. He took the rope. “I’m sorry,” he said to Julietta. I have to do it.” He tied Julietta’s hands behind her back but didn’t tighten them very hard.

  “That’s not enough. Tie them so she won’t be able to loosen them.” With the gun still pointed at them, Winter checked the rope. “More.” He yelled at Adam.