by Cat Chandler
“She’s coming to pick up Viola’s things from the townhouse.” Chief Turnlow inclined his head toward the only hotel on the town square. “She’ll be staying here. Chief Edwards arranged it. I think he’s paying for it too. He doesn’t want Maxie dealing with any of that.”
Nick smiled. For being a confirmed bachelor until later in life, myMason was a very considerate husband. And very much in love with his outgoing wife.
“Is that boyfriend of yours coming back soon?”
“What?” Nicki blinked up at the chief. “Matt? Not for another month or so. Why?”
“I just got an itch about this one.” The chief shrugged. “Can’t really explain it, but I’d feel better if he were staying out there with you and Jenna.”
“I’d like that too, Chief, but he can’t get away right now, so we’ll just have to get along on our own.” Nicki rose to her feet. Giving in to an impulse, she stepped forward and gave the startled chief of police a brief hug. “Thank you for worrying, but we’ll be fine.”
The chief gave her a light thump on the back before he stepped away and cleared his throat, setting his mouth into a stern line. “Be extra careful anyway. I’m not going to waste any more of my breath telling you to stay away from my investigation, but until I can figure out what happened to Viola Richards, it would be best if you didn’t go out by yourself. Any of you.”
He pinned her with a flat stare. “And that includes those morning runs of yours. Don’t get caught out on those roads by yourself. And stay away from the woods or anyplace else you’d be isolated and out of sight of other people.”
Nicki gave him a jaunty salute. “Yes, sir. Anything else?”
“Watch your back, Nicki.”
Chapter One Hundred Nineteen
Breakfast found Nicki sitting at the kitchen island with a cup of espresso and one plain piece of toast. She felt a little out of sorts since she’d heeded the chief’s advice and skipped her morning jog. The espresso was getting cold, and the single piece of toast reminded her of Matt, whose favorite complaint was that she didn’t eat enough. Not that he’d mentioned it to her lately.
Their short phone calls weren’t leaving time for much except a quick catch-up of each other’s day. To keep her mind off the suddenly strange behavior of the usually reliable Matt Dillon, Nicki had taken advantage of the empty townhouse yesterday afternoon and tackled a large pile of work. It had certainly been nice to check so much off her “to-do” list, but it hadn’t helped with lightening her mood about Matt.
“Good morning.” Jane’s cheery hello told Nicki that at least someone was getting along swimmingly in their private life.
Turning on her stool, Nicki smiled at her houseguest. “Hi! How was your date with Sam?”
“Oh, I’m not sure I’d characterize it as a date. Sam just wanted to show me one of the town’s landmarks.”
Nicki laughed. “The grape statue is a landmark, Jane. Eddie’s Diner may not be fancy but it’s still a place to have a meal, so trust me, it was a date.”
Jane’s eyes lit up behind her wire-rimmed glasses. “It was, wasn’t it? I had a wonderful time. Sam is such a gentleman, and the food was absolutely delicious.”
“Great!” Nicki wondered just how infatuated Jane was with Sam Moore. First it was the enthralling world of stamps, and now she felt like she’d had a gourmet meal at Eddie’s Burger Diner.
Jane set her tote bag on the counter and looked down at the espresso cup Nicki slid over to her.
“Here. You can have mine. I haven’t touched it. It seems I don’t have a craving for it unless I’ve been out for a run.”
“Oh. Thank you.” Jane lifted the delicate cup and took a sip. “Heavenly. Why didn’t you go for your run this morning?”
“Chief Turnlow asked me not to until whoever killed Viola is caught.” Nicki took a bite of her toast then hopped off her stool to grab a bottle of water. “And I try to do whatever he asks, when I can.”
“To offset those other times when you can’t?”
“Exactly.” Nicki grinned and took a glass out of the cupboard before returning to her stool with it and her bottle of water.
Jane murmured her agreement as she absently stirred her espresso. “Did you and Maxie have any luck at the Historical Society?”
“We did, and we didn’t. There’s a connection between two of the wineries, but it’s weak at best. However, I did get quite a bit of work done after Maxie dropped me off yesterday afternoon, including that article on aging in American oak or French oak barrels.”
“All I managed to accomplish was a telephone call with Matt.” Jane reached for a muffin from the plate Nicki had set on the counter earlier, as her hostess stared at her.
“You spoke to Matt yesterday? When?”
“Oh, about two, I guess. It ended up being a lengthy call. About an hour or so.”
An hour or so? Nicki huffed out a breath. He could barely find fifteen minutes to talk to her, but he had an hour to talk to his admin?
“He certainly was in a good mood,” Jane rambled on. “Very upbeat and almost chatty, at least for Matt. But he did look tired.”
“Chatty? Really?” Nicki tried not to sound put out but wasn’t sure she’d managed to pull it off. Maybe it was time she and Matt had a serious talk. If he was regretting saying he loved her, then she’d like to hear that. It would hurt, but it would be better to know the truth than be constantly worried over what was wrong.
“Jane, would you have time this morning to change my eleven a.m. phone call with Matt to nine tonight?”
“Certainly. I was going to do some work this morning and then run into town for a bit. What reason should I give Matt for the rescheduled call?” Jane had switched into her efficient admin assistant mode.
Nicki chewed on her lower lip and briefly considered saying, ‘no reason’, but didn’t want to get that censoring look from Jane that she knew all too well. “I need to do a bit more shopping for the additional guests coming. And start the preparation for those cookies I’ll be taking to the charity event this weekend. I do have to bake hundreds of them. Not to mention that Alex and Ty will be here tonight, and I promised them a fabulous dinner.”
“I see.” Jane studied her for a moment before reaching into her tote and removing her multi-tabbed notebook. “I’ll be sure to get this done and shoot a confirming note to your email. Did you send me that article on the different types of barrels?”
“I did.” When an uncomfortable silence fell between them, Nicki tried a bright smile. “What did you need in town? Maybe I could save you a trip and pick it up for you?”
“No, this is something I have to do myself. If you would like to write out a list, I could do your shopping and save you a trip if you’d like to get extra time in on your novel.”
With the whole exchange getting more stilted by the minute, Nicki stepped off her stool and carried her half-eaten piece of toast to the sink. Escape seemed like a good option at the moment. She made a show of checking her watch. “No, it’s part of my baking ritual to walk down the grocery aisles myself. I’d better get going. So, I’ll see you at dinner? Bring Sam if he’s available. The more the merrier.”
The impulsive invitation was certainly worth it to have the smiling Jane back again.
“I’ll stop by his shop and invite him.”
Nicki grinned. It was nice to have inadvertently given Jane an excuse to stop and see the dapper stamp collector again. Much better to have a solid reason than to simply drop in and pretend you just happened to be in the neighborhood.
With her mood a little lighter, it only took Nicki a few minutes to gather up her purse and car keys and head outside. Fifteen minutes later she was maneuvering her SUV into a parking space in a small public lot just off the square. The entrance to the picturesque alleyway where quite a few small tasting rooms were located was only half a block away.
Taking her time walking past the shops, Nicki enjoyed the quiet of the morning and the fact she practically had t
he winding little alleyway all to herself. She stopped in front of a window with old-fashioned panes and a flower box underneath it. A bike was chained to the lamp post at the side of the front door that had a top and bottom part to it. The top was wide open, allowing anyone strolling by to see directly into the shop with its small pots of flowers adorning the walls, and a wrought-iron chandelier hanging from the ceiling.
Pushing open the bottom half of the door, Nicki quietly walked into the room, the soles of her tennis shoes barely making a sound against the stone floor. A tall man, with dark-brown hair and a thin build, was working behind the counter at the opposite end of the room.
Since his back was to the door, Nicki doubted if he was aware that he had company in the shop, so she did her best to make a little noise as she walked toward him. She certainly didn’t want to give anyone a scare at this early hour of the day.
When he looked over his shoulder, she smiled. Nicki could have sworn his whole body stiffened for a moment before he turned around and gave her a polite nod, even if he didn’t quite manage a smile in return.
“Good morning. Can I help you?”
Nicki recognized Christophe Fabron from a few of the private wine tasting events she’d attended. Pulling out one of the stools tucked under the counter, she set her purse down in front of her and settled onto the seat. “Mr. Fabron? I don’t know if you remember me, but we’ve met at several of the events at Holland Winery.” She extended a hand and waited as he slowly reached out to give it a quick shake before withdrawing back as far as the cramped space behind the counter would allow.
“I remember. Nicki Connors, isn’t it? You’ve quite a reputation around here.”
“A good one, I hope.” Nicki smiled when the tall man’s face reddened a bit.
“A very good one, of course.” He inclined his head. “No offense meant.”
“None taken. And please call me Nicki.”
“I’m Christophe. I’m sorry my wife isn’t here. She’d love to meet you. I think she’s signed up for one of those cooking classes you’re giving.”
“I’ll look forward to meeting her then, or maybe I could stop by again? I’m planning a series of articles about the family-owned boutique wineries in the area.” Nicki didn’t know where that impulsive thought had come from, but it was a great idea. She’d have to run it by Matt and Jane and see what they thought.
“You are?” Christophe perked up considerably, standing a little taller as he stepped up to the counter and set a wine glass in front of her. “I’d be happy to go through an explanation of our full flight of wines for you.”
It was a little early in the day to have a glass of wine as far as Nicki was concerned. “I thought I could make an appointment to do that, along with Matt Dillon’s admin, who happens to be in town.” She paused a moment. “Matt is the CEO of Food & Wine Online.
“Oh sure, I’ve heard of him.” Christophe’s smile got a little wider. “That would be a very good idea. Maybe we could arrange something out at the winery? We’re too small and a little far outside of town to have a tasting room on the property, but we can do a private set-up there along with a tour.”
“Sounds perfect. Does early next week work for you?” Nicki smiled at the winery owner’s enthusiastic nod. She looked around the empty room. “How’s business?”
Christophe picked up a dishtowel and started wiping off the top of the counter. “It’s slow right now, but I’m sure it will pick up this afternoon once the weekend tourists start rolling into town. How did you hear about us?”
“It’s a small town.” Nicki smiled as she gave the most popular reason in Soldoff for just about anything. “And someone I know mentioned your winery, Enfui, to me. Viola Richards? Do you remember her? I believe she was in here not too long ago.”
Christophe’s wiping motions stopped as he looked over at her. “The lady who was killed?” When Nicki raised an eyebrow, he shrugged. “Small town.”
He was silent for a moment before he heaved an audible sigh and set the dishcloth aside. “I know Chief Turnlow was out at Adam’s place asking about this Viola Richards. I’ve been expecting him to pay me a visit too.”
“How often did Viola come here for a tasting?” Nicki asked.
The tall man shrugged. “I don’t know. I only saw her once when I’d made the trip in to restock the shelves. My wife usually works in the tasting room. She’d be here now if she hadn’t made plans to visit with some of her friends this morning.”
“It’s likely the chief will be here at some point,” Nicki confirmed. “It’s a fairly standard procedure to retrace a victim’s movements.”
“Then it could have been an accident?”
When he relaxed a little, Nicki pressed a bit harder. “Viola was never out at your winery? She visited Charlie at Wine Time.”
“No. Like I said, we don’t have a tasting room at the winery the way Charlie does.”
Nicki smiled. “Do you know Charlie?”
Christophe relaxed enough to chuckle at that. “Everyone knows Charlie.”
“How well do you know Adam Ingram?”
“Enough to say ‘hi’ and exchange a few highlights from the game the night before.” He rubbed a hand along the side of his face. “Why do you ask?”
“I was just wondering why Viola picked out your two wineries in particular to visit. Did she ask you a lot of questions about your background, your family, that kind of thing?”
“I never even talked to the woman, my wife did,” Christophe repeated. He crossed his arms over his chest and frowned. “And there isn’t much to tell. My mother came here from France about thirty years ago. I was five or so at the time. She bought a failing winery, made it into a successful small business, and now I run it. End of story.”
“And you never met or heard of the Ingrams or Viola Richards until you came here?”
He nodded. “That’s right. Why so much interest in that ancient history?”
“Viola was a genealogist. I’m guessing she would have been very interested in that sort of thing,” Nicki explained.
“Guessing?” Christophe asked.
“Well, if she kept notes, she didn’t put them on her laptop. There aren’t any files on it at all.”
He looked about as surprised as Nicki thought Christophe ever looked. “Seems strange. I know that Emma, she’s my wife, was a little embarrassed she couldn’t answer all of that woman’s questions.”
“She shouldn’t be,” Nicki was quick to reassure him. “Genealogists are notorious for picking up details. They can be hard to keep up with.”
“That’s quite right,” Christophe agreed. “Maxie Edwards is a bit like that.”
“Maxie is a lot like that.” Nicki looked to the front of the shop when she heard the door behind her swing open.
A group of five women walked in, chattering away with each other as they went straight to a large table in the corner of the room. Christophe gave the new group such a wary look, Nicki almost laughed out loud. She’d guess that mingling with the customers wasn’t one of his strong points.
Picking up her purse, Nicki hopped off the stool. “I won’t keep you.” She dug into her purse and laid a business card on the counter. “Send me an email about your available times next week, and we’ll set something up.”
Chapter One Hundred Twenty
Nicki wandered back to the square. She couldn’t decide if she should drop in on Maison du Vin’s tasting room, or go to the market and get a few things for dinner. Feeling at loose ends, she finally decided to walk down to Roe’s bakery and get a cup of coffee, and maybe a muffin, despite the fact she hadn’t made her morning jog.
As she meandered along, Nicki’s mind wandered back to Matt. Could he really be regretting their relationship taking such a serious step? Deciding there was some kind of irony in her keeping him at arm’s distance for so long, and now it was Matt who was showing signs of cold feet, Nicki stepped into the bakery. She stopped just inside the door, taking a long, apprecia
tive sniff of the fragrant air filled with the mingled aromas of recently baked bread and sugary confections.
“Hey there, Nicki. Not surprised to see you in town this morning.” Roe nodded from behind the counter. “Want something to take over to the station house?”
What? Nicki frowned, wondering what Roe was talking about.
“I hadn’t planned on dropping in on our local police department today, but I’d love a cup of coffee if it’s already brewed?”
Roe turned around to the small coffee bar in back of the long counter. “Sure do. Practically freshly made.” She poured out a cup and carried it down to the cash register. “There you go, and it’s on the house considering we’re going to be business partners and all.”
Nicki smiled. “Suzanne called you?”
“She sure did.” Roe’s grin stretched all the way across her face. “We’re going to meet next week and hash out all the details. I’m glad I can help you with your baking classes. It’ll give you more time to work on that other thing.”
Picking up the Styrofoam cup, Nicki lifted it to her mouth and took a long sip before the baker’s words sank into her preoccupied mind. “Um. What other thing?”
The shop owner leaned over the counter and lowered her voice to a whisper. “That murder. I guess you must have seen Sam go into that woman’s house, since you live right across the street.”
“See Sam do what?” Nicki wasn’t sure she’d heard that right. Where did Roe get such a wild idea?
“Sam. You know, the guy who owns that knick-knack shop down the main alley. Chief Turnlow escorted him to the police station this morning, and I haven’t seen him come out since.” Roe shook her head. “You just never know about people.”
Nicki’s mouth dropped open until her chin was almost resting on her chest. “Chief Turnlow arrested Sam?”
The baker nodded, crossing her arms over her sturdy frame. “He sure did. And I hear the chief has been out to Charlie’s too. It’s probably only a matter of time before he’s sitting in a cell right next to Sam.”
