Wine Astray: Spirit of the Soul Wine Shop Mystery (A Rysen Morris Mystery Book 1)

by K. J. Emrick

  Main Street in Cambria was where all the shops were. When she'd been a little girl growing up here, that meant little mom and pop stores and, of course, the half a dozen places to buy home-grown wines. Now the street really highlighted the growth the small town had experienced. There was a small motel now, and a couple of restaurants, and even a few big name stores that had moved in. Odd, to see how things change. She used to climb trees where a jewelry store now stood. Her first kiss had happened behind a little shack right over there, where the owners of a pizza parlor were just opening up.

  So many memories.

  She parked her little car in front of a flower shop that still looked the same as it had all those years ago. The Petal Place. Old Mrs. Leary used to babysit her and Christina here when they were still very young and their father just couldn't get away from work. In other words, a lot. It would be nice to see her smiling face again. Pushing the door open, listening to the tinkle of the bell overhead, Rysen walked into an overwhelming collection of beautiful scents. She stopped, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. This was a smell that she remembered well. She had always loved it here.

  The store around her was arrayed with shelves of pre-made floral arrangements, as well as stuffed teddy bears and coffee mugs with funny sayings and other little things. Refrigerated display cases held more and more flowers, artfully arranged, prices displayed for sale. The sales counter was on the left, exactly where Rysen remembered it. She walked up to it now, finding a young woman working with a collection of red and blue flowers in a large vase, her back turned so that Rysen could only see the honey-blonde hair tied up in a bun above the collar of a long white smock.

  "Excuse me," Rysen said after waiting a few seconds to be noticed, "is Mrs. Leary here?"

  It was when the woman turned around that Rysen recognized her. An angular face, long and graceful neck, deep blue eyes. It had been a long time, but it was hard to forget a good friend. "Beatrice?"

  "Oh wow, Rysen? Is that you?" Beatrice Leary, daughter of the shop's owner, had spent a lot of afternoons playing with Rysen and Christina as they were babysat in the back. "Wow, you've changed!"

  "You too," Rysen said. They hadn't seen each other for such a long time. She knew she would run into some people that she knew from her old life now that she was back in town. It made things a little easier that Beatrice was a friend. Or, had been a friend, anyway. "So, you work in the store now? Where's your mother?"

  Beatrice's face fell into a sad smile. "Mom died."

  Open foot, Rysen thought, insert mouth. "Oh, Beatrice, I'm so sorry. I was coming in to see her, actually. She made such an impact on my life. I mean, you know, when she watched me and Christina. As girls. You know?"

  She bit her lip to stop herself from babbling. She just didn't know what to say.

  "It's all right, Rysen," Beatrice promised. "It was two years ago. A heart attack. She went quickly, and the doctor's said it was peaceful at the end. And, yes, mom led a good life. You and your sister made her happy. Me too. It gave me someone to hang out with instead of being by myself all day. You were lucky to have your sister. All I had was mom, and this shop. Now the shop is mine."

  "Wow. That's pretty awesome. Owning your own business. That's always been a dream of mine," Rysen said, a little wistfully. She was surprised to see how relaxed she was around Beatrice. Like no time had passed at all, and they were the best of friends again.

  "That's right, you left here to chase your dreams out in, where was it? San Francisco? How'd that go for you? Are you the big, successful businesswoman we all knew you'd become?"

  "Not exactly." The words left a sour taste in her mouth, but they were the truth. "I lost my job out there. I'm back now with my sister for a while until I find something new."

  She left out the part about her bastard ex-boyfriend. There was no reason to unburden all of her troubles on Beatrice. Or maybe she just wasn't ready to talk about Kevin with anyone but her sister.

  "That's too bad," Beatrice said, pulling a strand of hair away from her face. "I know you, though. You'll find something. You were always so focused on becoming a success. Things will work out. I know they will."

  Rysen came around the counter and gave her old friend a big hug. "Thanks, Beatrice. I needed to hear that, I guess. Can we get together soon? Maybe have lunch this week so we can catch up?"

  "That would be great." Beatrice let go of Rysen and went back to her flower arrangements. "I need to get back to this, anyway. Business really picks up this time of year. You know. Graduations, weddings. That sort of thing. I do orders for most of the towns around here and it's still just me in the store. Busy, busy."

  Rysen was happy for her friend. At the same time, she felt a pang of regret for her own life. Why couldn't she have the same kind of success that Beatrice had found? What had she done wrong, that Beatrice was doing right?

  Maybe she just needed to admit she was a failure as an interior designer and move on to something else. Give up her dreams. Her dreams of owning her own business, of making it on her own…

  Of love.

  Realizing she was still standing and staring at Beatrice as her friend added more baby's breath to the arrangement, Rysen forced the smile back on her face and said her goodbyes with a little wave of her hand. Beatrice said she knew Christina's cell phone number and would call tomorrow to set up a lunch date, maybe for all three of them.

  Leaving the store, Rysen decided she wasn't ready to go back to her sister's empty house yet. There was still so much of the town to see. So many changes to take in. She stuffed another two quarters into the parking meter and left her car where it was, locking it up out of habit from living in the city. Here in Cambria, no one had to lock their cars up. Or their homes. As an experiment when she was only seven years old, Rysen had dropped a dollar bill on the sidewalk and left it there for exactly three hours. When she came back, the bill was right where she'd left it.

  In some ways, she missed living here. Still, coming back this way, she didn't really feel like she fit in anymore. She felt like an outsider, like someone holding a snow globe up to her face and seeing all the happy people inside and knowing she could never be a part of their lives. Maybe she'd feel differently after living here again for a few weeks.

  Hopefully, she wouldn't be here anywhere near that long.

  She bit her lip again. Maybe, she should just make up her mind about what she wanted. Beatrice had mentioned how sure of herself Rysen had been as a child. She needed to find her way back to the person she was back then. Back before she'd left home. Before she'd been fired. Before her boyfriend had dumped her and left her out in the cold.

  Rysen sighed. Where had that little girl gone?

  She walked along Main Street and looked into the shops, thinking things over, nodding and waving to a few other people who recognized her. She really hadn't expected so many people from town to remember her. Eventually, she came to Christina's wine shop.

  It wasn't a big shop, not by city standards, but for Cambria it fit right in. Two bay windows faced out on the street with cushy red bench seats right up against the inside of the glass where customers could sit and relax. A red and white striped awning shaded the front door, closed even on a warm day like this. Rysen figured that just like Beatrice's flower shop, Christina would need to keep the inside of her shop cool to protect her merchandise. Hanging over the door was a hand painted sign, artfully done, with the name of the shop on it: Spirit of the Soul.

  Rysen couldn't help but be impressed. Her big sister's shop. Amazing. She reached up to give the store’s sign a little push, sending it swinging back and forth on its chain. Nice.

  Inside, she found a neat and orderly space that was welcoming at the same time. Shelves had long-necked bottles standing in rows. Racks held bottles at just the right angle for display, their labels facing out for all to read. The walls around the display room had paintings depicting vineyards and smiling workers who managed to look Italian as they worked hard to collect clumps
of purple grapes into their baskets. Rysen stood admiring the paintings for a moment. Whoever had done those had a good eye for detail and a vivid imagination.

  Two tables sat in the middle of the display floor, made from oak barrels and sanded planks of wood. The same flowers that Rysen had seen back at her sister's house flowed over the edges of the tables from decorative planters, adding a touch of beauty. It was a nice, inviting space, and Rysen was sure her sister's shop was a big hit with the tourists.

  It must be, she thought, because there were a lot of empty spaces on the shelves, and in the racks as well. Good for Christina. Someone in the family deserved to be a success.

  After glancing over a few bottles of red and white wines, blushes, and a few others, she walked up to the counter and tapped the bell. Its metallic peals sounded unusually loud in the quiet comfort of the store. A sign, handpainted like the one above the front door, sat on the counter next to the bell. "Friends Go Better With Wine." Rysen laughed at the simple humor in the words.

  “Just a minute!” Christina's voice was muffled from the back. Maybe downstairs? It seemed to be echoing a little. She waited there, leaning up against the counter, whistling a little tune. Her sister's shop made her happy. Christina was good for her soul, apparently. She hadn't felt this good for weeks.

  That was the truth of it. Even before Kevin had dropped her like a hot potato there were problems. The end was always there in sight. Rysen had just never wanted to admit it. Now she was on her own again.

  Well, not quite. She still had her sister.

  Christina came out from the back wearing a green apron over her shirt, a pencil stuck in behind her left ear. "Hey, sis. I was wondering if you'd stop by today. I so wanted to show you the store. What do you think? Not bad, right?"

  "It’s amazing, Chris, it really is." She spread her hands like she was taking it all in. "This is your dream come true."

  "Well, I don't know if I dreamed of growing up to sell wine when I was a little girl, but yeah. I've always wanted something to call my very own." She smiled proudly, but Rysen noticed how her eyes were a little distant. Maybe she was remembering when the two of them actually had been little girls, like Rysen had been doing since she arrived.

  Then her sister snapped her fingers together. "Say, I've got an idea. Why don’t you come and work here with me while you're in town?"

  "What?" Rysen asked. "You can't be serious."

  "Sure I am! Oh, Rysen it will be perfect. The two of us working together. I can't imagine anything more fun. It will be just like old times. You, and me."

  She really hadn't been looking for a job here. She needed work, sure, but she was hoping to set herself back up on her feet on her own. Still, the look in Christina's eyes told her this was going to mean a lot to her. And she really didn't have anything else to do right now…

  "Okay, I'm in," she said with a smile. Christina rushed her with a big hug and the two sisters fell into an easy laughter. When they finally stopped, Rysen was out of breath. "I'm glad you've been able to do this, sis. And, thanks. Having something to do to keep my mind off of what happened might be just what I need."

  "Are you kidding? I could use the help around here. Um. I can't pay you much."

  "You're paying me in room and board," Rysen corrected her. "Don't worry about the rest of it. I'll keep looking for something else while I help you and if anything comes along, I'll talk to you about it first."

  "Good." Her sister sighed, and her voice turned serious. "Truthfully, I need another set of eyes more than I need another set of hands. The shop, well, it's not doing as well as I'd like."

  "Is it hard to keep it going? I mean, in wine country like this there must be a lot of shops to compete with."

  Christina nodded. "There are, but I've always carved out a special niche for myself. I've partnered with some of the other shops so we can promote each other. Plus, I sell craft wines from local individuals. They've become a big hit, even if I don't make a lot of money from them. The big sellers are always the high-priced wines."

  Her voice trailed off at the end of that sentence, and Rysen got the feeling she was missing something. "Chris? What is it?"

  Tears brimmed in Christina's eyes and it took her a moment to answer. “I don’t know if I’m going to be able to keep the shop open for very much longer.”

  "What?" Rysen was shocked. "You're kidding! What's wrong?"

  "It's terrible, Ry. My wine shipments aren't making it to the shop. I've even had break-ins here where whole cases have been stolen. I'm still getting my orders from the local guys who make wine in their closets but that's not enough. If I can't stock my shelves, I won't be able to make any money."

  The empty spaces on the shelves, Rysen thought. Suddenly they had a more ominous look to them. They didn't represent healthy sales. They represented no sales at all.

  "This shop is my only income," Christina continued. "If it goes under, I don't know what I'll do."

  Right, Rysen thought to herself bitterly. Because Christina wouldn't have a great sister to fall back on like Rysen had done with her. Rysen had messed her life up to a point where she wasn't any good to anyone. Well. If she couldn't help herself, she was going to help her sister.

  "I'm here now, Chris," she said, putting her hands on her sister's shoulders. "I'll help you. I will not let you lose this place."

  "Thanks, sis. That means a lot." Christina wiped tears from her cheeks and turned away so Rysen wouldn't see her crying. "But what are we going to do?"

  The door to the shop opened, and a couple of tourists walked in, hand in hand, happy and smiling, obviously in the mood to buy something. "For right now, let's make you some sales," Rysen told her sister. "We'll figure the rest of it out later."

  Chapter 3

  It took no time at all for Rysen to learn what she needed to know to help out in her sister’s shop. Smile at the tourists, show them the selection, and promise they could get anything a customer might ask for. Write down special orders and pass them to Christina. Do not sample the wines. Do offer samples to the customers in little paper cups shaped like ice cream cones.

  The four days went by very, very fast. She couldn't believe she was having this much fun here. She liked the shop. It was almost like she’d found a place to hide from the world. A place where she mattered. It didn't escape her attention that she had completely given up looking for another job. This was where she was going to stay. For now, anyway.

  The trouble her sister was having with her shipments still bothered her. Christina was being pretty tight-lipped about it, staying up well past midnight at the kitchen table every night, going over the account books, and not telling Rysen much of anything. The one thing her sister had shared with her was that she was saving up to pay for a security consultant. Rysen had arched an eyebrow at the idea but Christina had just shrugged her shoulders and said she had to do something.

  Rysen had suggested buying a good security camera system, currently lacking in the store, but Christina had pointed out the wine shipments weren't ever getting to her store. Video recording the wine bottles she still had wouldn't do her any good.

  "Have you asked dad for help?" Rysen asked Christina last night.

  "Have you gone to see him yet?" her sister had countered, and that had effectively ended the conversation.

  Rysen was just finishing a sale to an elderly woman who bought four bottles of red wine. She smiled and kept herself from asking if they were all for the lady, but only just barely. It was a good sales day so far, but Rysen was worrying about the way the shelves were emptying out. There was in fact a cellar underneath the store, but there weren't that many boxes left, and the extra storage shelves down there were beginning to look just like the shelves up here.

  There wasn't another shipment due for another four days. Rysen was still pushing her sister to do something, to let her know more about the problem, to let her help, but Christina still had all of her hopes set on—

  "The security consultant's com
ing tomorrow," Christina practically sang as she entered the room from the small office in the back. "I worked out the finances with the bank this morning, and finally—finally!—you and I are going to get to the bottom of these thefts."

  "Yes!" Rysen whooped as she bagged up the order for her customer. The old woman looked at the two of them oddly, then shook her head and shuffled her way out of the store, promising to be back in a few days. "Sis, are you really sure this is the best way to do this? What about the police?"

  "I told you, Rysen. I reported all this to them. They said it was a problem for me to work out with the company. The company says the shipments are getting here even though they aren't, and here I am stuck in the middle. Oh, I suppose I could go down to the station and insist that the police do an investigation, but who knows how long that would take?"

  Rysen knew her sister was right. She also knew several of the police officers who covered this area. She'd gone to school with a couple of them. She wasn't sure she'd trust them to guard a donut shop, let alone Christina's shop.

  "Okay, okay. So we're getting a security consultant. I hope he’s rugged and handsome. We need a little eye candy to stroke with our eyes, don’t you think?” Rysen winked at her sister conspiratorially. That got her sister to laugh. Rysen was only half-joking. A guy to flirt with would be nice, actually.

  Who knew? Maybe working at her sister's shop would have some fringe benefits.

  ***

  The clock up on the wall in the wine store ticked the minutes away. It was just ten minutes before noon. Today was the day Christina's security expert was supposed to arrive to do the initial walk through of the store and make his suggestions for making sure her wine shipments made it here from now on. Rysen hoped he could do what he promised. She hoped he had a nice, tight ass too, and kind eyes. She'd always had a soft spot for kind eyes.

  “Ok," Christina said, making Rysen blush to think her sister might have read her thoughts. "He’s supposed to be here at noon. I’m so worried, sis. What if he doesn't think my little shop is worth his time? What if he refuses the job?”