Murder By the Glass

by Michele Scott

  Just as she sat down on her couch, threw her legs up on the coffee table and picked up the latest Jennifer Crusie novel, the phone rang. She let it go to the answering machine, until she heard Andrés’ voice come across.

  “Nikki? You there?”

  She grabbed the phone. “Hi. What’s up? You sound a bit off?”

  “It’s Isabel. She’s been arrested for the murder of Susan Jennings.”

  Chapter 7

  Nikki met Andrés at the sheriff ’s main office for Sonoma County, located in Santa Rosa.

  McCall greeted them. “She’s being booked down at the jail. I’m afraid that you can’t see her until tomorrow morning at the arraignment.”

  “What about an attorney? If you read her her rights, didn’t she call an attorney? You obviously brought her in for questioning and for that, she is entitled to have an lawyer present,” Nikki said.

  McCall shrugged. “Guess she’s going to need one. And, yes, we offered her one when we asked her to come in for questioning. However, she refused.”

  “You asked her to come in, and she came willingly? Doesn’t that say something about her innocence? This is ludicrous. Isabel wouldn’t hurt anyone.” Nikki could hear the anger in her voice and tried to shove it down. It wouldn’t be to anyone’s benefit to get emotional with the detective. Aunt Cara had taught her that in retelling many of her case situations over the years. Always keep your cool, especially when dealing with authority.

  “Maybe it says something about her guilt,” McCall replied.

  “What kind of evidence do you have against her?” Andrés asked, his face almost the color purple. Nikki wanted to calm him down, but she knew of his deep love for his sister and figured he had to be boiling over with rage.

  “I can’t discuss this with you right now. You’ll have to speak with her and her attorney.”

  “She doesn’t have an attorney yet.” Andrés clenched his fists and raised his voice an octave, between gritted teeth he said, “And you won’t let us see her.”

  McCall crossed his arms in front of him and rocked back and forth on his long legs. He eyed Nikki, who took it as a warning.

  She placed a hand on Andrés’ arm. “Let me talk with him, okay? Just settle down, go grab a cup of coffee. No, water, definitely water.” Right now, caffeine wouldn’t be a good option for her friend.

  “Settle down? Ay, este idiota no mandeja a mi hermana. Pendejo.” He pointed at McCall.

  Nikki understood enough Spanish to know what Andrés had said, and by the looks of McCall he caught the gist as well. It was far from a compliment.

  “Trust me, go and get some water.”

  Andrés stormed off.

  Nikki sighed heavily, and looked back up at the detective. “He’s understandably upset. I’m sorry. Think about his position for a moment. There’s no way Isabel could’ve murdered Susan. It’s impossible. What evidence could you have against her? Can’t you please tell me, so we know what we’re dealing with and can talk with an attorney? Please?”

  “We have protocols, Miss Sands. There are visiting hours at the jail and they are fairly stringent. In the morning she’ll be provided with a public defender who will meet with her, and then I assume she can meet with you. That is, unless Mr. Fernandez or Miss Fernandez herself hires a defense attorney on their own.”

  She took a step closer toward McCall, and against her better judgment put on her bad-acting hat. She touched his arm and smiled. “I realize it’s not normal procedure, but you have to understand Isabel isn’t from around here, she’s not even from this country. You saw her. Does she really look capable of murder?”

  McCall shook his head. “She may be a pretty woman, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t kill Susan Jennings. Trust me, I’ve arrested other beautiful women before.”

  “Right. Well, can’t you give me some indication as to what she’s facing?”

  He sighed. “Here’s the deal. Mrs. Waltman was poisoned. The autopsy showed that she had enough of a poison called Sodium Fluoroacetate in her system to shut it down within minutes.”

  “How do you think she got it into her system? If it’s a poison, are you thinking food, drink, what? If that’s where you’re headed, you know as well as I do that Isabel Fernandez was not the only one preparing the meals that night. For that matter, there were a ton of people who had contact with Susan that night.” If this was what they were basing Isabel’s arrest on, Nikki already knew there was no way it would ever stand up in a court of law.

  “We received a call this morning from the trucking company that Isabel Fernandez contracted for the Waltman wedding. Seems they were cleaning out the trucks and they found a vial of some white powder. The climate around the world being what it is, the man I spoke with, didn’t know what he’d discovered and thought it might be cocaine, but admitted it could be something else. We ran it through the lab and discovered that it was the poison that matched with Mrs. Waltman’s toxicology report.”

  “How can you pin that on Isabel? There were several drivers and workers using the trucks that day.”

  “The vial fell out of a sweater that was in the truck. The sweater was part of a uniform and across the chest was Isabel’s name.”

  This was not good at all, but still possibly circumstantial. Wasn’t it?

  “I can’t say any more.” McCall nodded his head toward the desk clerk.

  Nikki got the picture. “Thanks. But can I ask you one more favor? Can we at least say hello to her and let her know that we’re here for her?”

  McCall frowned and shook his head. He paused for a moment, looking at her, arms crossed in front of him. Nikki put on her “poor, pitiful me” face.

  “I’ll see what I can do. Maybe I can pull some strings over at the main detention facility. However . . .” He held up his hand. “You need to explain to Mr. Fernandez to pipe down. I know exactly what pendejo means.”

  An hour later, McCall’s string pulling had worked and they were facing Isabel at an interview table inside the jail. She was in handcuffs, her face tear-stained with black mascara running down it. Nikki gasped at the sight of her and her throat constricted to keep from crying out. She wanted to hug her, but McCall had instructed there’d be no touching. Andrés’ face grew taut and his eyes welled with tears at the sight of his sister, an anguished, stricken look accompanying the orange jumpsuit she’d been made to wear.

  In Spanish, Andrés told his sister how much he loved her and not to worry.

  “I did not kill her,” Isabel said. She placed her face in her palms and wept.

  “Of course you didn’t. We’re going to get you out of here,” Nikki replied. She wanted to be strong for her friend, but it was difficult, especially seeing her like this. Broken down and lost. Nikki recognized the signs and knew that Isabel was suffering from shock.

  “I promise to you both, that I would not do this deed they accuse me of.” She slumped back in the chair she was in, tears continuing to stream down her face.

  “I have an attorney coming to see you in the morning. He couldn’t get over here tonight, but he’ll be by early before the arraignment. I was told he’s the best defense attorney in this county. It’s going to be okay,” Andrés said.

  Nikki could tell that Andrés was trying hard to remain strong for his sister, as she wanted to. He was doing a much better job than she was, however, and Nikki knew that it couldn’t be easy.

  After a few more minutes of trying to console Isabel, McCall told them they had to go.

  Once inside the car, Andrés fumed, swearing about the injustice and how wrong it all was. “What could they have on her? Why arrest my sister? She wouldn’t kill Susan Jennings.”

  “No, she wouldn’t. I spoke with the detective and he gave me some info about why they arrested her.” Nikki went on to explain to Andrés what McCall had told her back at the station. Her information only infuriated Andrés even further and he began swearing again in his native tongue.

  Nikki touched his arm. “You have t
o calm down and be rational for Isabel. It’s dinnertime. I know a great place close by where we can get a bite to eat and we can maybe come up with something, at least a strategy for Isabel.”

  “I don’t think I could eat. I’m too upset.”

  “I’m with you, but if we take some time to try and relax a minute, you might be able to get yourself together and concentrate on the problem here, instead of getting yourself all worked up. That won’t solve anything, and it certainly won’t get Isabel out of jail. We can’t do anything tonight about this, other than talk and think.”

  He nodded, took a deep breath, and took her directions to Capri Ristorante in downtown Santa Rosa. The restaurant was an Italian place with an eclectic setting, both rustic and contemporary, done in brick, chrome and cobalt blues, with high ceilings that sported skylights. It was definitely Nikki’s favorite when she got over into Santa Rosa on occasion, not only for the atmosphere and delicious fare, but also for the owner, Luigi—a charismatic, old-school Italian with all the airs of a romantic. As they entered the restaurant, Luigi greeted them, kissing Nikki on both cheeks.

  “I’ve missed you, Bella. Why you no come by before now?” He took both of her hands in his and held them out openly.

  “I’m sorry. Life gets crazy.”

  “Never too crazy for a good food and a little of romance.” He winked at her and turned to Andrés. “This is your boyfriend, no?”

  She shook her head.

  Luigi took Andrés hand and pumped it. “He should be. He’s a fine, strong man. You two take a table by the window. I will be over in a moment, and bring you a vino that is special to me.”

  Andrés tried to be more cheerful, but as he sat in the seat across from her in the restaurant, he could only stare out the window. She let him wind down before again bringing up Isabel’s situation.

  It was over dishes of veal with artichokes in a marsala sauce for Nikki, the pork tenderloin for Andrés, and a bottle of zinfandel, that Nikki and Andrés hashed out Isabel’s predicament and Nikki was able to file away some interesting information that Andrés had.

  “Wait a minute, you actually overheard Susan and Kristof arguing the other day?”

  “More than an argument. Those two were like a horse and a snake. It was out in the parking lot at Grapes when they’d come by to sign off on the contract with Isabel.”

  “Do you know what they were saying?”

  “He was pretty much telling her that she was being unreasonable and that he didn’t like that side of her.”

  “Hmmm.” Nikki took a sip of her wine. “What else?”

  “She yelled at him to not marry her if he felt she was being unreasonable. I thought he should have backed out when she said that. I would have. He told her that maybe he wouldn’t marry her. Then she started to cry after that and he hugged her. They made up.”

  “What if they did, but didn’t?” Nikki asked.

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Maybe Kristof was starting to see the real Susan in all of her phony glory.”

  “You think he could’ve killed her?”

  Nikki shrugged. “Maybe him, or someone who loves him. Like his dad, or another woman, even his aunt Sara.”

  “Why not do the right thing and not marry her? Why go to the extreme? Not only did he have to commit murder, but then he also would have had to frame my sister.”

  “Someone did frame your sister. We know that.”

  Andrés looked out the window again. “Yes.”

  “It’s a good question, why not just end the upcoming nuptials and be done with her? Here’s a thought. The Waltmans are very rich people, from their wines to the land they’ve developed in the county and on and on. Rich people, well, all people really, usually have some well kept, hidden secrets. What if the Waltmans have some juicy tidbit lying around in their closet, and Susan stumbled onto that skeleton? You can’t tell me that Kristof hadn’t seen the ugly side of his future wife before the day you saw them arguing.”

  “It’s hard to imagine. What kind of secret do you think they could have?”

  “No clue, but if Susan knew what that secret was and was blackmailing Kristof, the killer could’ve murdered Susan to protect Kristof.”

  “The future bride blackmailing the groom?” Andrés asked.

  “There is quite a bit to be gained for whoever does finally wind up with Kristof Waltman. If there was no prenup, and down the line Susan decides it’s time to cut ties and take that community property with her, well, I guarantee she would’ve made out better than if she’d agreed to a cash payoff from the get go. Plus, she’d have the Waltman name for the rest of her life to get her through closed doors.”

  “It’s a theory, I suppose.”

  “Yes, it is, and maybe a feasible one. People have been known to kill over secrets. And if there is one the Waltmans have been keeping, then I intend to discover it.”

  Pork Tenderloin

  with Port Wine Mushroom Sauce

  with Alexander Valley

  Vineyards Sin Zin

  This pork tenderloin dish is delicious and easy to prepare, although it tastes so good that your significant other will likely think you spent your day in the kitchen. When ready to serve, open a bottle of Sin Zin from Alexander Valley Vineyards. This is a great wine to drink with this earthy dish as it contains mature fruit flavors of strawberry, plum, and cherry blended with coffee beans, black pepper, and peppermint.

  1 lb pork tenderloin

  1 lb cleaned, thinly sliced cremini or button

  mushrooms

  Fresh ground black pepper and salt to taste

  1 clove garlic crushed

  2 tbsp olive oil

  1⁄2 stick butter

  1⁄2 cup of rich dessert Port wine

  Over medium-high heat, heat olive oil in heavy skillet, preferably cast-iron. While skillet heats, make paste of black pepper, salt, and garlic, and rub this mixture into the tenderloin on all sides. Cook 2-3 minutes per side. Remove pork to platter and keep warm.

  Add butter to the skillet, scraping up the good seasonings as the butter melts. Add the mushrooms and cook over medium heat until they begin to render their moisture. Add the port wine and place pork loin back in mixture and allow sauce to reduce by half. If you wish, you may add 1 tablespoon of flour to thicken the sauce.

  Remove pork loin, slice into thin slices, and pour sauce evenly. A good side is grilled asparagus and mashed sweet potatoes. Bon Appetit!

  Chapter 8

  The next morning was as horrible as the events from the day before. Isabel’s arraignment, regardless of the wonderful defense attorney Andrés hired, turned out dismally. The judge would not release her on bail, citing that she was a flight risk because she had been in the United States for just under two years, and he felt that she might possibly flee to Spain. Andrés stayed behind after the arraignment to see Isabel, but Nikki had to get to work. She also wanted to see what she could find out about a possible prenuptial agreement between Susan and Kristof.

  Instead of taking the freeway back into Napa, Nikki had the compulsion to go the long way through Sonoma and to pass by the Waltman Castle. She’d just have to add on some extra time at work that afternoon.

  Passing by the castle, she continued to wonder if some dark secret resided within those walls. She thought about stopping and seeing who might be around, but on what pretense? She was sure that if there were any lurking detectives or crime scene specialists hanging out, they wouldn’t appreciate her interrupting their job. However, she still believed the theory that she and Andrés had conjured up the night before might prove a valid one, and knew that she would have to make a surprise visit in the next day or two. With that thought, she decided to go into Sonoma Square to pick up a sympathy card for Kristof, et al., and use it as her excuse to drop in. A flimsy one, yes, but still an excuse. She’d take the card over after work.

  How plans had changed by the time she left Sonoma Square . . .

  She stepped outside the local
card and gift shop, and stopped in her tracks. Seated across the street at the Ledson Hotel & Restaurant at one of the outside tables—granted it was a corner table and somewhat blocked by a post—having what looked to be a cozy lunch together was none other than Kristof Waltman and Deirdre Dupree. Kristof had some gall, now didn’t he? Wasn’t he supposed to be the bereaved widower? Odd to be out and about with none other than your former girlfriend.

  She wished she had a damn camera because if she had, Detective McCall’s focus might take a different direction.

  They were partaking in early afternoon liquid vine. Not only was Deirdre Dupree Kristof ’s previous love, she was also the corporate sales manager at Waltman Castle. Nikki had heard their breakup had been nasty, but that Marty Waltman loved Deirdre, who did a phenomenal job for him. And, with some bonuses and a major pay raise, she’d stayed on. Rumor had it that Deirdre was the one who initiated the breakup after a wild weekend out in the city where she’d hooked up with an old flame.