A Vintage Murder

by Michele Scott

  Nikki looked at Nathan, who sweated profusely, which was odd, being that it was only about fifty degrees. “Are you okay?”

  “I’ve been feeling a bit under the weather today,” he replied.

  “Yeah man, you do look pale,” Kane said. “You know, we’ve done quite a bit today. It’s already after three. Why don’t we let everyone knock off early and you go and get some rest. The last thing we need is for you to get sick.”

  “I really wanted to shoot one more scene. Damn. But I do feel shitty. I’m sorry guys, but maybe I should go and rest.”

  Kane slapped him on the back. “Do that. I’ll let everyone know.”

  “Thanks,” Nathan said as he left.

  “Since we’re stopping early, would you want to join me and some others for dinner?” Kane asked.

  Nikki thought about it for a moment, but all she really wanted to do was try and get ahold of Derek. She also had to find Simon. She’d only caught a few glimpses of him all day. She wondered if Derek said anything to him when he got back to the hotel room last night. “Thanks, but I think I’ll follow Nathan’s lead and get some extra rest. I’m not used to these long days.” Not to mention she hadn’t gotten more than four hours’ sleep the night before.

  Kane nodded. “It can be rough. But you’re doing a great job, and don’t you worry about Marne. Nathan and I were just wishing you’d mentioned it when you’d joined on. Marne Pickett can be one pain in the ass, and if I’d known she had a bone to pick with you, then I’d have had a strategy in place to deal with her.”

  Nikki got back to the motor home and called in to her voicemail. There were no messages from Derek. He must have been busy. She could understand that. Maybe he’d spoken to Liam. She could head up to the Hahndorfs’ house and ask. She did want to talk to Liam about Elizabeth and the script, and gauge Grace if possible. She needed to talk with Liam alone but wasn’t sure how that would happen.

  She still believed that Grace was against the movie being made. Since the character Nikki was now playing had been Liam’s lover in real life, had Grace lost perspective and seen Lucy as the real other lover from days gone by? Compounded with the fact that Grace didn’t think much of Lucy hanging around Hannah, could she have gotten it in her head to do away with the actress? Grace claimed to be squeamish around snakes, but had she been dishonest about that? Had she taken enough mental notes to be able to handle a poisonous reptile and plant it in Lucy’s bed?

  Nikki was tired, but restless at the same time. Since she had time on her hands and unanswered questions on the brain, she figured there was no better time than the present to visit the Hahndorfs.

  Chapter 26

  Hannah answered the door and showed Nikki in. “G’day,” she muttered. “Mum and Dad are in the kitchen.” She held a book in her hand.

  “Thank you. Hannah?”

  “Yes?”

  “About this morning, is there anything I can help you with? I mean, are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. I have some reading to do.”

  “Okay. I can show myself in.”

  Hannah went back into the den off the side of the entrance and sat back down on a sofa without saying another word.

  When Nikki had first met Hannah, she had thought the young women was strange and sullen, but now she found her more sad and withdrawn. Something was going on here at the Hahndorfs’ house, and from what Nikki surmised, it was not a happy scene.

  “I don’t think it was a good idea to help out, Liam. I know your heart is in the right place. Hiring Will could cause problems, and with everything else we don’t need it.

  You have to stop taking care of others and start taking care of yourself,” Grace was saying as Nikki walked into the kitchen.

  “Hi. Sorry. Hannah let me in. I was coming up to see how you’re doing and if Derek has checked in with you.” She wondered why hiring Will could cause them any problems. Was it because Grace knew that he’d gone out with the girls and Johnny? Maybe he was truthful in telling Nikki that he could be fired if anyone knew. Maybe it was why Hannah had been so upset. If Will was not supposed to be with them, and Grace was the hammer she seemed to be on her daughter’s life, that could be where the tension was coming from. Yet she still did not understand why it would be such a big deal for Will to have met the others for drinks at the pub.

  “Hello, Nikki.” Grace circled around the counter where she’d been dicing onions. “Nice to see you. How are things going down on the movie set?”

  Nikki could not tell if the concern was real. “It’s been . . . interesting. Kind of tough.”

  “Tough, how so?” Liam asked. “Have a seat.”

  “Nathan is a stickler and I’ve had some difficulty getting things just so. But we’re off early today because Nathan wasn’t feeling well. I was actually supposed to do a scene with a kangaroo.”

  Liam smiled. “Yes, I remember.”

  Nikki noticed Grace eyeing him, but decided she might not get another chance to ask Liam about the script, or Elizabeth. “I’ve read the scene a number of times and it gives a good sense of who Elizabeth is as far as her love for the animals and her generosity, but there is something I feel I’m not getting right,” she said. “There is some part of Elizabeth that I’m not dialing into, and as an actress I want to do the best I can by someone who did so many wonderful things for conservation.”

  “How can I . . . we help you?” Liam asked.

  Grace leaned back and crossed her arms.

  “You wrote the script. You knew her. Can you give me some more insight into who she was as a person, how she acted around people?”

  Liam looked at Grace and then back at Nikki. The tension spread out thick, almost making Nikki wish she hadn’t asked about it, but at the same time wondering what the real deal was between these two.

  “You’ll have to excuse me,” Grace said. “I should get back to fixing dinner. We are expecting company tonight.”

  Liam looked at her as if he was surprised by this revelation. Nikki felt Grace was lying about any company. She just didn’t like the topic of conversation.

  “You know, I can come back another time.”

  “Oh no. This is a fine time. I’m only trying to get everything pulled together.” Grace’s body language told Nikki that she was not welcome. “Would you like to stay for dinner?”

  “Oh no, I’m tired.” Grace’s tone also told her the same thing. It was the first real waft of coldness Grace had sent her way since they’d met. And it sent a chill down her spine and gave her the strong feeling that there had been no love lost between Elizabeth Wells and Grace Hahndorf.

  “So you haven’t heard from Derek then?” Liam asked.

  “No.” He was changing the subject and Nikki knew that if he was going to reveal anything about Elizabeth, and why the movie was so important to him, then she’d have to get him alone.

  “You will. I’m sure of that.”

  “Yes. I better let you get back to your dinner preparations. I’m tired.”

  “I’ll walk you out.” Liam stood and walked down the hall with Nikki.

  She peered into the den to say good-bye to Hannah. The girl was gone, but the book she’d been reading sat on a coffee table, and Nikki caught a glimpse of it: The Illustrated Guide to Poisonous Snakes.

  At the door, Nikki turned to Liam. “It would be really helpful to talk to you about my character, Elizabeth. I know you two were . . . friends, and I’d really like to gain more insight into her. You wrote the script. I think you could help me better understand her.”

  “Yes. Maybe that would be a good idea,” he replied. “Tomorrow morning. Six o’clock. I know you have to be on the set. I’ll bring you down a bit of breakfast and we’ll talk.”

  Nikki shut the door behind her with a lot of questions whirling in her head about the Hahndorfs.

  Chapter 27

  Nikki needed to know the timing of Liam and Elizabeth’s relationship and how Grace came into the picture. They would be delicate questions t
o ask Liam, but there was one person who might know the answers, even if they were likely going to be embellished. She decided to drive over to Sarah Fritz’s winery. First she needed to find Simon. He could keep her company and throw down his Jiu-Jitsu act if anyone bothered her. She smiled at the thought of that. Hopefully, no Marne Pickett or paparazzi would be stalking her.

  “Where have you been? I’ve been trying to talk to you all day.” Simon ran up alongside Nikki as she walked to her trailer. “Then after they wrapped I thought ‘oh, now she’ll find me,’ but no. What is going on?”

  “In case you hadn’t noticed, they had me jumping through hoops today. We shot quite a few scenes.”

  “I did notice, but I kept trying to get your attention. Didn’t you see me?”

  “Yes, and I’m sorry. It was one of those days. But listen, why don’t we get out of here? Go for a drive? There’s a winery down the road and maybe we can do some tasting. It’s just now five, so they’ll probably still be open.”

  “That does sound fun. Can we bring Shawn?”

  “No. It’s you and me time.”

  “Let’s go then. You need a little powwow with your BFF.” He smiled.

  “Exactly.”

  They got into the rental car, with Nikki driving.

  “Okeydokey, Snow White, I need to know what is going on with you and Derek.”

  “What did he tell you?”

  “Nothing. He said that you had decided to take Kane’s offer to stay at the vineyard, and that he was leaving this morning to do some business and that he’d be back in a couple of days.”

  “Is that what he said?” She sped up.

  “I knew it. I knew there was more to it.”

  “What makes you say that?” Derek must’ve known this was where she would come. And if so, since he hadn’t come after her, did that mean it was over between them?

  “He was pissier than I’ve ever seen him. Snapping at me for this and that until I finally went to bed. He said that I could have the hotel room, but I can see you need an ear. I’ve decided to stay in the motor home with you.”

  “Joy.” She didn’t mean to be sarcastic with him. In reality she wouldn’t mind the company, and she could bounce some of her theories about Lucy’s death off of him. Okay, he didn’t buy into her sleuthing, but in the past he and Marco had been a big help in solving a couple of capers with her. She knew she could bend his ear, and the gossip alone would interest him. Plus, she wanted to learn if he’d heard any good dish himself that might tie into Lucy.

  “Now, tell me what happened between you and my brother.”

  She gave him the scoop while driving toward the Fritz Winery.

  “Ah, I see.”

  “See what?” Nikki asked.

  “He’s afraid and you’re afraid.”

  “I’m not afraid . . . Afraid of what?” She turned onto the dirt road that led up to the winery.

  “You’re both afraid to jump in and see where this relationship will take you.”

  Nikki held up a finger. “I’ll buy that as far as your brother is concerned, but I am more than—or at least I was more than—gung ho to jump in and see where a relationship could go.”

  “If that were true, would you have walked out so hastily on him?”

  “What? Come on, he was second-guessing the relationship just because we hadn’t had a chance to really be alone together. He was acting as if it was an omen directing the future. And, I might add, he never came after me.”

  Simon laughed. “Would you have let him? You know you’re stubborn, and once you’ve made up your mind when you’re angry, I think that it’s best to leave you alone and allow you to sulk, pout, and overanalyze.”

  “I do not overanalyze!”

  “Sure you don’t. Here is what I really think.”

  “Do tell, Dr. Phil.”

  “I think the two of you love each other so much you can’t stand it and it scares the hell out of you both. Neither of you have probably ever felt so deeply in love with someone. Especially someone who started out as your friend. Okay, I know there was always an attraction between the two of you. But you’ve been friends for going on three years now. To take your relationship to the next level, no matter how much you love one another, is scary because there is the thought in the back of your mind: What if you lose him? Or he’s thinking, what if he loses you? Your subconscious is doing double-time for both of you. Because you know that it’s better to be friends and close to each other than take that next step and possibly ruin everything. Because we both know that relationships are never, ever easy.”

  Nikki didn’t know how to respond at first. She took a minute to really think about what Simon had said as she pulled up to the winery and stopped the car. “Where did all that come from? The Guru Sansibaba?” she finally asked.

  “No. Actually it came from me. But I want to tell you something and I already said it to my brother: Marco and I started out as friends. You know we met at the nudophobia meetings.” That made Nikki smile. Recently they’d revealed that they’d met each other at anonymous meetings for people who were afraid to be naked and/or see anyone else naked. “We were good friends for over a year until we realized that there was something deeper that we could explore, and we took a risk. Right now, things may never work out with Marco.” He shrugged. “I don’t know what’s going to happen. But I tell you, as much as I miss him—and it’s a lot, and it hurts—I would not have traded what we had and what I learned by going forward in our relationship. Even today I am still learning because I allowed myself to fall in love and really love Marco. And, I think if you and Derek don’t allow that for each other, then in the end you’ll be worse off than if you didn’t ever take a chance.”

  “You really are a good friend. And, you’re not as selfish as people say you are.”

  “I know. What are you going to do about Derek?”

  “I’m going to talk to him when I see him. I guess that’s the only thing to do.” She opened the car door. “Thank you.”

  “Anytime. This place looks quaint.” He wrinkled his nose while surveying the area.

  Nikki knew that when Simon said the word “quaint,” he didn’t think much of it. “Come on, let’s go in.”

  They went inside Sarah Fritz’s barn/winery. This evening there was no one hanging around, and Sarah looked to be putting everything away for the evening. “Oh hullo. G’day. How are you?” She looked up from washing a wineglass.

  “Are you closed?” Nikki asked.

  “Never really closed.” She laughed. “Have a seat. What would you like to try?”

  “What’s your best wine?” Simon asked.

  So, Simon—only the best.

  “I prefer my Sauvignon Blanc. I’m the winemaker as well as the owner.”

  “I’ll give that a try,” he replied.

  She poured one for herself and one for Simon. When he took a sip, Simon nearly choked and spit it out.

  “Go down the wrong way?” Sarah asked. “Care for some?” she asked Nikki.

  “No thanks. I’m driving.”

  “Can I have some water please?” Simon asked.

  “Me, too,” Nikki said, trying not to laugh. Simon must have felt the same about Sarah’s wine as Derek had.

  “You were in here the other day with that other gentleman. The one making a deal with Liam Hahndorf,” Sarah said. “Wait a minute, you’re now starring in that movie they’re making there. I saw you in the paper this morning.”

  “Afraid so.”

  “That writer sure said some nasty things about you.”

  “Yes, there is no love lost between us.”

  Sarah leaned on her elbows and lowered her voice, even though no one else was there. “Do you really think that Lucy Swanson was murdered?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Simon put his hands on his hips and faced her. “What’s going on?” Nikki sighed. Simon knew her a little too well. “You are on some kind of fishing expedition here, aren’t you? You didn
’t bring me here for the wine.”

  “What’s his problem?” Sarah asked. “And what’s he talking about?”

  “The other day when I was in here you said some things about Grace and Liam Hahndorf and Elizabeth Wells, and now that I’m playing her I thought you might be able to enlighten me a bit more.” Simon kicked her in the shin. “Ouch.” Nikki gave him the evil eye.

  Sarah smiled. “You want to know about what happened back then?”

  “Yes. Maybe you can help me understand who Elizabeth was and what went on at the end of her relationship with Liam,” Nikki said.

  “Have you spoken with Grace at all about Elizabeth?”

  “No. It does seem to be a bit of a touchy subject.”

  “I am sure of that. Everyone knows the truth. Elizabeth and Liam were lovers. I imagine Grace is coming undone over this movie because it must stir up everything again for her. You want the story about what happened with the three of them?”

  “Yes.”

  “Liam Hahndorf and Elizabeth Wells both loved animals. Elizabeth more than Liam, but he fell in love with her at first sight. They were inseparable. But Elizabeth and Grace were best friends, too, and Grace pined for Liam, like many women around here did back then. Myself included. He is a fine-looking man.”

  Nikki nodded. “Yes. So what happened?”

  “Grace seduced him one night at a party. He’d had an argument with Elizabeth, who wanted to have another go with the great white shark. He didn’t want to do it, and he definitely did not want her to do it. When they made her first documentary, she nearly got herself killed and Liam didn’t want that.”