“It’s all right, Vanessa, I think we’ve figured it out.”
Vanessa approached wearing a long white robe, her hair pulled back into a flawless French twist. “Katie, what are you doing here? What happened to your head?” Her eyes lowered to my hand. “And why are you holding my wine?”
I handed her the bottle. “You called me. To come pick up the wine.”
Vanessa flinched. “What wine? I didn’t call you.”
“I meant that Lisa called me. She said you wanted to give me a case.” I touched my head, the stickiness turning cold.
“Here,” Dean handed me a handkerchief.
I held it to my forehead. “Thanks.”
Vanessa emitted a cough mixed with a laugh. “Why would I give you a case of wine? I can’t give anyone a bottle, let alone a case. The winery has no money. We need everything we can get.”
“Katie,” said Dean, “Lisa called you, right? Vanessa, can you please have Lisa join us? We’ll figure this out right now.”
Vanessa shook her head. “But Lisa’s not here. She’s been in Sonoma for work all day and won’t be back until tomorrow.” Her stare fixated on me. “Why are you really here?”
“Honest, I was going to meet Lisa. She called me.”
“You talked to her?”
“No. She left a message at Trentino…” My voice trailed off.
Dean motioned to me. “Come on, let’s get you back to your car. Where are you parked?”
“Outside the gate.”
“How did you get in the gates? And why would you park down there?” asked Vanessa. “If you were really coming to pick up wine, you would have pulled onto the property. Sounds like you didn’t want anyone knowing you were here.” Her voice was cold.
“But the gate. It’s broken. There was a note that said to park outside.”
“Oh, please. The gate’s not broken,” Vanessa scoffed.
I shifted my focus to Dean, but he shook his head. “Gate wasn’t broken when I pulled in, it opened fine.”
“Listen. There was a note. I’ll show you.”
The three of us walked down the driveway and out to the street where my car was parked.
“It’s right here on the front passenger seat.” The driver’s window was pushed all the way down, something I didn’t remember doing. I opened the door and looked at the front seat. It was empty.
“What happened to your car?” asked Dean.
“Wait, it should be here. It has to be here.”
“Katie, what happened to your car? Why is it all damaged on this side?” Dean repeated.
“I got in an accident two days ago.” I leaned down to the floor of the car and looked under the front seat. The note wasn’t there either.
“Did you report it?”
“No.” I glanced back up at Dean. “The note was here. It was right here. Someone’s taken it.”
Dean’s flashlight flooded the car.
“What the …?” I exhaled as the beam revealed multiple bottles of Frontier Winery wine.
“What are you doing with my wine?” said Vanessa, her voice getting louder. “Why is my wine in your car?”
I stared at the bottles, at least fifteen of them, that lay across the back seat of my car. “I don’t know. I have no idea why they are there.” I looked up at the faces of Dean and Vanessa. “I didn’t do this.” I pointed to the front window. “Someone knew I was here and did this. Look, my window is all the way down. When I left my car, all the windows were up.”
“How could you?” cried Vanessa. “How could you? I trusted you, Katie. But you’re just like the rest. Trying to steal what little I have left.”
“No. No, I didn’t.”
“You’re a thief and a liar. Is this your role in Tessa’s little wine-moving game? Stealing wine from me and selling it to other markets? No wonder you’re friends. You both deserve each other.” She turned to Dean. “I want to press charges.”
Dean hesitated for a moment before he spoke in a soft tone. “Katie, I hate to do this, but I’m going to have to take you in.”
“Dean, I didn’t do anything.”
“I’m sorry, Katie. Please turn around.”
The cold metal rings sent a chill through me as the handcuffs clicked around my wrists.
“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.”
We walked back up the driveway, Dean holding my arm, Vanessa only a few steps behind.
“Why is everyone trying to take advantage of me?” Vanessa cried. “How can people be so cruel?”
I cringed.
We reached Dean’s squad car and he helped me into the back, his hand gently covering my head as I ducked under the doorframe. The slam of the door sent a shock into my ears.
Dean and Vanessa continued a short conversation outside the car, but I couldn’t make out any actual words.
Finally Dean sat in the front seat and started the car.
“Dean, I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t,” he replied. “Don’t say anything. I have to write down everything you say and I don’t want to do that. It’s better to remain silent.”
He glanced back at me in the rear view mirror during the drive, his eyes full of sadness.
twenty-five
pairing suggestion: shiraz—barossa valley, australia
A dark purple wine that handles spice well.
-
The station was cold as I sat on the bench in cuffs. Even Peters didn’t meet my eye as he cleaned the cut on my forehead.
“Katie, come on to the back,” said Dean as he opened the gate. “I’ll process your booking.” He kept his hand on my arm as he guided me through the office.
“You have to know that I didn’t do anything,” I whispered. “I told you I got the call from Lisa and went to meet her there.”
Dean pointed to the chair next to his desk. “Have a seat.”
I sat down, readjusting the cuffs. “Then in the cellar, someone tried to kill me. Just like the other day.”
“Other day?”
“The accident. Someone tried to run me off the road. That’s why my car is damaged.”
Dean shook his head and leaned over a form. “Full name?”
“Katie Kelehua Stillwell.”
He looked up. “Sounds Hawaiian.”
“My parents were married there.”
He continued to write.
“You don’t believe me about the accident, do you?”
“We can talk about that in a minute. First, we need to get through tonight’s incident.”
“Dean, come on. You know I didn’t steal that wine. And where is Lisa? We need to find her.” My eyes drifted to a beige folder on his desk titled Frontier Winery.
Dean tapped his forehead with the pen and looked at me. “I told you to tell me when you were going to talk to anyone involved.”
“I left you a note.”
“Not good enough. You’re playing a dangerous game with dangerous people. Yet you ignore the warning signs, not to mention your promise to me, and return to the scene of a crime. Then the bottles of wine in your back seat…”
“Someone set me up. They think I’m getting too close.”
Dean let out a deep breath. “Katie, you have to stop.”
I studied him, his mouth drawn, his eyes not meeting mine. “There’s more, isn’t there? What aren’t you telling me?”
Dean put down his pen. “You’re in trouble, Katie. Apart from the wine bottles in your back seat. I don’t know how to tell you this but Peters found fingerprints all over Mark’s office that don’t match Mark or Vanessa. Once I fingerprint you for booking, they’re going to run your fingerprints in the system. Am I correct in guessing that there will be a match?”
I hes
itated. “Yes, but that’s only from the party when I was trying to find Tessa. I haven’t been in there since. Lisa mentioned the lodge and I had a feeling that’s where Tessa would be, so I went to the office to find out the address. Which I did. And we found her.”
“Why didn’t you ask me to find out the address of the lodge that night? Why did you sneak into someone’s private office?”
I took a large breath. “I wanted to find Tessa first. I wanted to get the truth.”
“I could charge you with interfering with the investigation.” Dean picked up his pen and placed it in the corner of his mouth. “I need an honest answer from you. Can you do that for me?”
“Absolutely.”
He paused. “Did Tessa kill Mark?”
“No.”
“Katie, I don’t mean because you know her, I mean because of the facts. You’re her alibi.” He hesitated. “Why were you in such a rush to get to her at the lodge that night? Was it to prep her with information so that she would look innocent?”
“No.” My voice escalated along with my pulse. “I just wanted to talk to her. I don’t usually … I don’t ask for help. I’m used to doing things on my own. It was nothing against you or the Pluegers. I needed to find her on my own.”
Dean shook his head. “This doesn’t look good for you. At all.” He straightened the booking papers. “We also did a run on Tessa’s accounts. She has a large amount of money in there, which doesn’t match her salary record.”
I stared at him, not moving. “You mean she took the money?”
Dean shrugged. “I’m not sure. But it looks that way.”
I glanced around the office, but there were no other officers in sight. I looked back at Dean and whispered, “If Tessa took the money and Seb was telling people, that could be motive for her to kill Seb. But I don’t think she did.”
“I wouldn’t worry about Tessa right now. You have enough troubles of your own. Now tell me about this accident.”
“I was on I-80 and a black truck pushed me off the road.”
“Did you get a plate?”
I shook my head.
Dean sat back. “This happened two days ago?”
“Yes.”
“Yet you’re only telling me about it now?”
I lowered my eyes and nodded.
Dean sighed. “You’re entitled to a phone call. Would you like to make that now?”
I stared at the phone on the desk. A cop’s daughter wasn’t supposed to get arrested, they were supposed to be a shining example for the rest of the community. At least that’s what my dad always told me. “No. I need to clear my head first.”
“I think we can allow that. Come on, stand up. I’ll take you to your quarters.”
“You make it sound so fancy.”
“I do my best.” Dean led me through the door into the hallway of jail cells. He escorted me into the first cell, removed my cuffs, and closed the sliding door, locking it between us. “I hate seeing you in there.”
“I hate being in here. You know that I don’t belong in here, right?” I waited for Dean to answer, my breath caught in my throat.
“Vanessa is pressing charges. I don’t have a choice.” He looked down at the keys in his hand. “I like you, Katie, but you’re hard to read, and you seem to turn on the charm only when you want something. And then you keep things from me, like the hit-and-run. I don’t get it.”
A noise stirred from the next cell, but I ignored it. I stared through the bars into Dean’s blue eyes. “Dean, I’m sorry. I’m not good at this stuff, but I like you. I do.”
“You’re saying that now, but I don’t know what to believe. What if you’ve been using me from the start? What if you and Tessa dreamed up this whole thing? You’re her alibi for Mark’s murder, but what if you’re in this together?” Dean shook his head. “It’s a rule of mine to never get involved with someone on a case. It’s making me waver in what I believe. But not anymore. I’m taking a step back so I can look at the evidence without influence.”
I leaned against the bars, the cold metal pressing into my flushed cheek. “Dean, please. Don’t believe what is happening, today with the bottles in my car, with everything. Tessa is innocent and so am I. Someone knows I’m getting close and they don’t like it.”
Dean stared at me, but remained silent.
“If you want to give up on me and believe Vanessa, that’s fine, I can handle that.” My voice started to shake and I took a breath. “But don’t give up on Tessa. She deserves better. She didn’t kill Mark and she didn’t kill Seb. So please. Help her.”
Dean looked at me and back at the keys. He leaned to the left as if he was about to walk out of the cell area.
“Listen,” I said, “find out where Lisa is and ask her again about Seb’s alibi that night. I still think he was involved with Mark’s murder.”
“I’ve already called her about that,” said Dean, finally breaking his silence.
“And?”
“Haven’t been able to get in touch with her. I’ve left messages.”
“There’s got to be something we’re missing.”
Dean smiled, but his eyes were full of pain. “I have to go. I’ll be back in an hour so you can make your call.”
He walked down the hallway and out the door. The cell area was silent and reeked with a combination of cleaning fluid and body odor. I sat down on the mattress and stared at the floor, a hollowness inside me that I hadn’t felt since my mom died.
“He likes you,” said a female voice from the next cell.
twenty-six
pairing suggestion: pinot noir—santa barbara, ca
A lighter red as things begin to look up.
-
I stared in the direction of the voice, the concrete wall that divided the cells obstructing my view of Tessa.
“He did. He doesn’t now,” I replied.
“Dean told me that you came to the station earlier. To tell the truth about when we were teenagers. And now you’re in jail, right where you never wanted to be.”
I glanced around my cell—two beds and the open toilet—before answering. “I’d do anything for you. Not because of what you did for me, but because we’re friends. In fact, I’m glad I’m in here. Maybe you needed to see how far I’d go for you.” My voice lowered. “Maybe I needed to see it, too.”
“Really?” Tessa’s voice came closer, as if she had moved to the side of her cell nearest me.
“Yes, really. You’re my family. I need you in my life. You did something amazing for me when we were teenagers. I’d change places with you in a second.”
“I never wanted you to be in jail,” said Tessa. “You don’t belong in here. I don’t regret what I did back then. I didn’t want you to be in trouble. You had family. I didn’t. No one cared what I did, but your dad was so proud of you. I couldn’t take that away from you.”
I leaned my head against the bars in an effort to get a glimpse of Tessa, but I recoiled with pain, a whimper coming from my throat.
“What happened?”
I touched the bump on my forehead and the wound that I had just reinjured on the bar. “My head … I have a cut and I forgot about it. It’ll be fine.”
“You okay?”
“Of course. I mean, I won’t win any beauty pageants right this minute, but I’ll be fine.”
“Katie…” Tessa paused. “Why did you tell Dean the truth? You didn’t need to do that.”
I stared at the tile floor in the hallway, scuffed from years of dragging feet. “I did.”
“Why?”
“It was time to come clean. I needed it to be out there. I didn’t want that old case to factor in with this current situation.”
“But your dad …”
I waved dismissively at the empty air around me. “It’s fine. I’ll get it figur
ed out.”
“Is that why you’re in here? Because of the old case?”
I let a small laugh escape from my lips. “No, I’m in here because of what I did tonight.”
“Wait, what exactly did you do?” Tessa lowered her voice. “Did you do something naughty to Dean?”
“Tessa!”
“Just asking,” she said with a smile in her voice.
“No, someone set me up at Frontier and framed me for stealing wine. Well, that and they tried to kill me.”
“Katie!”
“Listen, it doesn’t matter right now. But the sheriff’s deputies found a lot of money in your account. They think you took it from the winery.”
“Katie, I swear I didn’t take it.” Tessa stopped. “Wait, was that recent?”
“I don’t know, why?”
“When I checked my account yesterday, I had a lot of money in there.”
“How much money?”
“Not really sure, I was hung over so I didn’t really think about it, but a lot more than there should have been. I have direct deposit so money goes in there every two weeks. I figured it was that time.” Tessa paused. “But to be honest, it was a lot more than my usual paycheck. I figured I’d finally hit a lucky break. About time.”
“Who could have put it in there, Tee?”
“You got me.”
I leaned against the bars again, this time more carefully. I could see Tessa’s red fingernails resting on her own cell bars. “Someone who had access to your private information, social security, that stuff. Who would have had that?”
“Who knows? I don’t give that out.”
“Tessa, think. Someone got it from somewhere.”
“I don’t know, Katie. No one’s been to my apartment. I haven’t lost my wallet. In fact, I usually keep it very close, right with the twins,” she replied followed by the distinct noise of patting her chest.
“Tessa, you never change.”
“Why change something so good? I’m like a wine, I get better with time.”
“Yes, Tessa. You are like a wine. Sometimes sweet, sometimes bitter.”
“Shut it.” Tessa laughed.
“Okay, so we don’t know who would have been able to get into your accounts.” I paused, focusing on the concrete blocks that separated us. “Except with your direct deposit. Who handles the paychecks for Frontier?”
Decanting a Murder Page 19
