by Cat Chandler
Nicki rolled her eyes. “Well, the police chief won’t be too happy to hear about that.”
He reached around and opened the car door for her. “Ben isn’t too happy about the chief either.”
Wondering just what kind of secrets the guys had been sharing on their male-bonding trip, Nicki pursed her lips as Matt got behind the wheel and started up the car.
He glanced over at her. “What?”
“I thought there was a rule that there would be no relationship discussions during this trip?”
“Only for the guys who aren’t in one.” Matt waited for the two cars coming down the street to go by before he pulled away from the curb.
“And what about the guys who are in one?”
He prudently kept his eyes on the road. “I plead the fifth.”
“Oh really?” Nicki crossed her arms and stared out the windshield when she suddenly sat forward. “Wait. That sign says the next street is Pine.”
“Okay. Is there going to be a quiz later on about the names of the town’s streets?”
Nicki shot her amused editor an exasperated look. “No. Gin said the local chapter of the VFW was on Pine Street.”
She’d already filled Matt in on the valuable bottle of wine and the origin of the missing pin while they’d mopped floors together, so she only smiled when he didn’t ask any questions but silently turned the car at the next corner and headed down Pine Street. There were quite a few cars parked along the curbs about halfway along the block, and Matt slowed down as they cruised past them.
“That’s it.” Nicki turned to give him a thumbs-up sign. “The VFW, and the doors are wide open.”
He grinned back at her. “Then I guess we’re going in.”
It didn’t take long to find a parking spot or walk back to the VFW. Not only were the doors open, but the lights were on and quite a few people were milling around inside. Nicki and Matt stopped beneath an archway leading into a large space, with a long counter that was serving as a bar on the far side of the room. The floor was crowded with card tables and chairs, and quite a few of them were occupied. Some of the groups were engaged in animated conversations, while others sat together and watched a sporting event on the TV hung high on one of the walls. Matt nudged Nicki and pointed over toward the back where the bartender was waving at them.
They made their way in that direction, finally reaching the man with the gray beard and bushy eyebrows. He braced both arms against the counter and smiled.
“Can I help you two?” He looked between them. “Which one of you served in the war?”
Matt held out his hand. “Neither one of us, sir. I’m Matt Dillon and this is Nicki Connors. We’re hoping to find someone who knew Robin Boral, or his father?”
“Matt Dillon?” the man smiled as he shook Matt’s hand. “Gunsmoke would’ve made a great call sign. You might consider it if you ever decide to be a military pilot, son.” He turned and beamed at Nicki. “And you look like the very reason all of us were happy to defend this country. I’m Doug.” He glanced back at Matt. “Doug Simmons. I didn’t know Robin so well, but I heard he was killed over at that catering company of his.”
“That’s right,” Nicki said. “We’re doing some follow-up for Chief Thomas.”
“Huh, isn’t that something? Well, I can’t tell you much about Robin, but I was good friends with his dad. He was in World War Two, and I did my combat duty in Vietnam, but we still found plenty in common.”
“You were good friends with Mr. Boral?”
“Good enough that he’d come in every week to talk about baseball.” Doug’s grin showed two rows of crooked teeth, which only added to the vet’s old-fashioned charm. “Although I don’t know how he could have preferred those Mariners over my Pirates.” He winked at Nicki. “I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, and I can hear the New York in your voice.”
“You can?” Nicki’s eyes widened in surprise. That was the first time anyone had said that to her.
“Just a bit. Am I right?”
Nicki laughed. “You certainly are.”
“Well now that we have that established, what did you want to know about the lieutenant?” Doug cocked his head to one side and waited.
Deciding the straightforward approach with Doug would be the best one, Nicki jumped right in. “Did he ever tell you about a bottle of wine he brought back from France?”
Doug smiled. “Sure he did. A couple of times. We exchanged a lot of war stories. It helped us through the bad days.”
“Do you remember what he told you about it?”
“He brought it in once.” Doug nodded when both Nicki and Matt’s jaws dropped open. “It had a pretty fancy label on it. It was a red wine, as I recall. I think he said it was a Bordeaux. A real old one.”
Nicki bit her lower lip and tried to even out her breathing that had picked up its pace with every word Doug had said. “Did you notice any marks on it, or maybe some initials?”
The older veteran seemed to think it over for a moment before he shrugged. “I didn’t really look at it that close. But I know the lieutenant said his son was mad about the marks he put on the bottom with a glass cutter. He said his boy thought it would take away from the value of the wine, but since the lieutenant was only holding it and would never sell the wine, he didn’t really care about that.”
Nicki looked at Matt and then back at the man behind the counter. “Holding it? For whom?”
“For his squad. Or at least five or six guys of them. Sergeant Franklin was one of them. He used to come in a lot too until he passed away. He and the lieutenant were almost inseparable. Friends for life, I guess you’d call it.”
“I don’t understand,” Nicki said. “The whole squad owned the wine?”
Doug chuckled, making his beard bounce up and down. “In a manner of speaking. They had a tontine.”
“A pact?” Nicki asked. “What kind of pact?”
“The last man standing,” Matt said.
Doug nodded at him. “That’s right, son. The wine would go to the last man alive in the group, and he would drink a toast to his fallen comrades. That’s the way a tontine works.”
Nicki went very still. “Who is the last man?”
The vet shook his head. “No one now. There aren’t many of those World War Two guys still around, and the lieutenant outlived his whole squad.”
When the two people in front of him didn’t say a word for a long time, Doug shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Did I help you any?”
“You certainly did.” Nicki’s voice was soft, but her heart felt as if it would pound out of her chest. “Thank you, Doug. Just one more thing. What did the lieutenant etch on the bottom of the bottle?”
“No surprise there,” Doug grinned. “He stamped that thing with ‘66 ARMY’, since they’re the ones that liberated it.” He chuckled at his own joke then lifted his hand in a short salute when Nicki smiled at him.
She thanked him again and took Matt’s hand as they walked back outside. When they were halfway to the car, he glanced at her.
“Well? What do you think?”
“I think I know who killed Robin Boral, and why.”
Chapter One Hundred One
“I can’t believe it! We iced seven hundred cupcakes in two hours. That has to be memorialized somehow.” Alex was sprawled in one of the chairs in the hotel lobby. That’s as far as the seven-person cupcake crew had gotten before they’d all collapsed.
“Many hands make for lighter work,” Nicki grinned. “Or in this case, a cupcake mountain to end all cupcake mountains.” She pushed on one of Alex’s outstretched feet with her toe. “It also helped that Kylie had made most of the decorations beforehand. She really came through for you.”
“Something I’ve already told Gin several times, but I’ll be sure to remind her again.” Alex opened one eye and peeked over at Nicki. “I also told Kylie if she ever needed a client reference, I’ll be the first in line.”
Nicki laughed. “So di
d I. Especially when she didn’t utter one complaint that there was probably more icing on the floor and counters than there was on the cupcakes.” She shook her head at Nate and Josh. “And I think the aprons you two were wearing are a complete loss.”
Nate shrugged. “Small price to pay for getting the job done. Which I would say definitely calls for a drink.”
“It’s only ten thirty in the morning. The bar’s not open yet,” Ty noted. He hadn’t bothered with a chair and was sprawled out on the floor at Alex’s feet.
Nicki was sitting on the arm of the chair Matt had claimed, with his arm around her waist to firmly anchor her there, and Jenna occupied the chair next to them. The two groomsmen had made a dive for the small sofa, which was why their good buddy, the groom, had ended up on the floor.
“The bar at the pool is open, and it would be a great way to get all this icing out of my hair,” Nate said.
Josh turned and eyed his friend’s close buzz cut. “What hair?”
“Doesn’t matter. I still think a dip in the pool is a good idea.” Nate grinned. “Lots of company down there.”
Getting to his feet, Josh stretched his long arms outward before bouncing up and down on his toes. “Sounds good to me. I’ll meet you there in ten.”
The two men said goodbye after promising to meet everyone back in the lobby at six, to head to the rehearsal dinner. They’d barely disappeared into the elevator when Nicki’s cell phone buzzed. She looked down at the screen and smiled.
“Maxie said she’s got a snack buffet set up in her suite as a reward for all our hard labor.
Tyler was the first one on his feet. “That sounds great!” He grabbed one of Alex’s hands and pulled her up.
“It would be even better if we didn’t have to walk up there,” Alex groaned.
Her firefighter fiancé grinned at her. “Want me to carry you, honey? I can toss you over my shoulder and do a fireman’s carry. You’ll be up in Maxie’s suite before you know it.”
“No thanks.” Alex accompanied that with a warning look.
“I’m afraid you’ll have to walk on your own,” Matt said to Nicki.
She stood up. “That’s no problem.”
They all staggered toward the elevator, laughing until they arrived at Maxie’s suite a couple of minutes later. The snack buffet was more like a brunch, and everyone dug in as their hostess cheerfully poured coffee and handed out sodas.
“I’m so proud of all of you,” she beamed at them. “You certainly came through to make Alex’s wedding perfect.” The silver-haired genealogist nodded at the bride. “And I can safely say that your mother is positively over the moon about everything.”
Alex smiled as she rolled her shoulders back and forth. “That’s good. I still have to finalize a few details for the rehearsal dinner. Including telling mom there’s been a change of venue.”
A change of venue? Nicki hadn’t heard anything about that. She looked over at Alex. “What did I miss?”
“The hotel restaurant is fine, but if we had it there, who knows how many other people in the family would wander in? Ty and I wanted a little quiet time for us, our parents, and our closest friends.” She smiled at Matt and Maxie. “Which includes both of you.”
Matt grinned in return and Maxie looked absolutely delighted.
“I’m honored,” Maxie said. “And as a member of your inner circle, I’d be happy to inform your mother of the new venue, and smooth over any ruffled feathers that I imagine will occur.”
“Thank you, Maxie. That would be the best wedding gift of all.” Alex looked at the smiling group all around her. “Along with Jenna, Matt, and Nicki pitching in at the catering company, of course.”
“All part of the bridesmaid code,” Jenna said airily.
“Absolutely,” Nicki agreed, completely forgetting that the day before she’d wished she’d never heard of it.
When Alex looked at him, Matt shrugged. “The code was explained to me, so I’m good.”
“Well then,” Maxie said. “Where will I be telling your mother to show up tonight for the rehearsal dinner?”
Alex took a bite of her egg-white omelet and chewed slowly before she said, “The Sunny Side Up Cafe. I spoke to Ricki, and she’s agreed to host our private party there tonight.”
“The Sunny Side Up? That’s brilliant, Alex,” Jenna declared.
“I agree,” Nicki said before she burst out into laughter. “But I’m glad I’m not the one who has to tell your mom that.”
“I shall prevail,” Maxie declared. “What made you choose that particular restaurant, dear?”
Alex lifted her nose higher into the air. “It’s a diner, thank you very much, and, according to Ricki, proud of it. And that’s for Ty. He and his friends can drink all the beer they like and not be afraid of offending anyone by their choice of beverage instead of some fancy cocktail. The wedding is for mom, and that’s plenty. And the cabana boys and the tropical drinks are for me.”
“Cabana boys?” Ty turned a suspicious eye on his fiancée, who winked and blew him a kiss. “What cabana boys?”
Jenna pointed her fork at Nicki. “Alex’s mom isn’t the only one over the moon. You’ve been looking pretty smug all morning.”
Alex laughed. “That’s probably because Andrew Benson finally showed up with his tail between his legs, and gave his solemn promise to Nicki that he’d be there to cook tomorrow.”
Ty grunted. “That last part was only because Matt was standing behind her looking as if he wanted to take that piss-ant chef out to the back alley and teach him some manners.”
Matt cast an eye over to the fireman as he cleared his throat. “I am not a violent person, Ty.”
The groom shrugged. “Neither am I, brother, but there are exceptions.”
“No, no,” Jenna broke in. “The piss-ant chef showing up might be part of it, but not all.” She narrowed her gaze on Nicki’s face. “I know that look. You’re keeping something from us, Nicki Connors.”
Since Jenna was right, Nicki didn’t even bother to deny it. “You’ll just have to wait and see what it is.”
It only took Jenna five seconds before she dropped her fork on her plate and pointed an accusing finger at her friend. “You’ve figured it out, haven’t you? You know who murdered Robin Boral.” When Nicki only grinned, Jenna turned to Alex. “How long do you think she’s going to make us wait until she lets us in on it?”
There was a loud knock on the suite’s door. When everyone else froze, Matt rose to his feet. “I’ll get it.”
Nicki winked at her friends. “I guess you won’t have long to wait after all.”
A few seconds later, Matt walked back into the room with Clay Thomas right behind him.
The chief removed his ball cap and smiled. “Good morning. I hope I’m not interrupting?”
“Not if you’re going to bring us up-to-date on the murder,” Maxie said. She gestured toward the long table still covered with food. “And you’re welcome to help yourself, Chief Thomas.”
He smiled his thanks but his gaze immediately went to the long piece of butcher paper taped to the wall. “That’s pretty impressive.” He moved closer and studied it for a few moments. “Maybe I should try one of these out.”
“Expecting a lot more murders here, Chief?” Jenna asked.
Clay grinned. “Hopefully not. That’s more a problem in the national forest than in our little towns.” He turned to look at Nicki. “I’m here to deliver an official thank you and an unofficial, off-the-record report. Plus a little payback for all of your help.”
Maxie’s eyes were twinkling with amusement. “We never doubted for a moment that our Nicki would be a big help.”
“Is someone going to tell us what happened?” Jenna demanded.
“Sure,” Clay said easily. “This morning we arrested Paul Franklin for the murder of Robin Boral.” He smiled at Nicki. “We found the wine in his bedroom closet, and you were right. He had no idea that ‘66 ARMY’ was etched on the bottom.”
“Paul, our florist?” Alex blinked rapidly. “He murdered Robin? But why? They were best friends.”
The chief nodded at Nicki. “Why don’t you fill them in while I get a plate of food. It’s been a busy morning and I haven’t had anything to eat yet.”
As he moved off, Nicki waited for Matt to take his seat next to her. She laced her fingers through his. “It was about the tontine.”
“What tontine?” Four voices asked together.
“And what is a tontine?” Ty wondered.
Nicki smiled at him. “It’s a pact. An agreement to do something. And it was made between the men who served in the same squad as Robin’s father.”
Jenna frowned. “But that was during World War Two. What has it got to do with Paul? He wasn’t part of the squad.”
“No. But his father was. For Paul, it was a matter of getting what was his, and nothing more. A philosophy that his father had drummed into him and he repeated to me. Which is why he took the wine, that he felt rightfully belonged to him, and not the VFW pin that belonged to Robin’s father. At least not at first. He must have changed his mind about leaving the pin behind when I started asking about it.”
Clay sat down with a full plate of food in his hand. “Paul admitted that he knew about the Jefferson initials. His father had told him about them quite a few years ago. And that he and Robin had been arguing bitterly about the wine for the last few months. It had even gotten to the point where they’d stopped talking to each other.” Clay shook his head. “Paul didn’t think he had any options left to get hold of the wine that he was sure belonged to him, except to get rid of Robin.”
“Brad mentioned that, but it didn’t sink in at the time,” Nicki said. “Or when Gin told me that Paul’s business and Robin’s used to share the same space. The same space where Robin’s Catering is now.”
The chief swallowed a piece of toast as he nodded. “I also checked with Brad. He confirmed that in all these years, he’s never changed the door locks or the security code. They always used the same one because it was just easier to remember it, and it’s a small town. They’d never had any problems. But it’s the same code they used when Paul was in that building, and he still had his key.”
