by Kathi Daley
“That’s a good point,” I said.
“The investigator looked into things a bit more closely and found the man was an oenologist.”
“An oenologist? What’s that?’
“Oenology, or enology, is the science of wine and winemaking. An oenologist is an expert. He wasn’t simply an employee of the Parisi family; he was the person responsible for coming up with the specific recipe that had earned the Parisi Winery all those awards. Not only was it his formula Luciana had supposedly given to Romero, but as the oenologist for the winery, he received a percentage of the profit the winery made each year. After the Montenegro Vineyard won the regional competition, sales for Parisi wine declined.”
“So he killed Luciana in a fit of rage,” I concluded.
“Not exactly. After Luciana left the winery that night, he followed her. She went home, and he parked down the street, walked to the house, and knocked on the door. She opened it for him; why wouldn’t she, when she’d known him all her life? They argued, and he pushed her. She hit her head and died. It appears as if Luciana’s death was an accident. Still, instead of notifying the authorities, he left and went back to work. No one even knew he’d left the winery. He would have gotten away with it if he hadn’t become nervous when the investigation was reopened and tried to frame Stefano. It was a dumb move on his part.”
I frowned. “So why did Longorian take the fall for an employee of the Parisi Family Winery? It kind of made sense that he would confess to a manslaughter charge he wasn’t responsible for if the primary suspect was not only a good friend but a man in a position to help him out financially but if it was a vineyard employee that was actually responsible for her death the whole thing makes no sense.”
“Perhaps. But the individuals involved in the wine industry are a close knit community. It is possible that Luciano knew the man he covered for and was willing to take the rap for a payout. I guess at this point we’ll never know.”
“No I guess not. Still, I’m very relieved to know Romero wasn’t the killer. Of course, that isn’t going to make my discussion with Mike any easier. He’s going to be blindsided by the whole thing,”
“He doesn’t know about Romero at all?”
“No. I knew he’d freak out, so I didn’t mention him, and Mom didn’t either. But now that Romero’s going to be in town tomorrow and she wants to bring him to dinner, it’s time to fill Mike in.”
Tony made a face.
“Exactly. Mike isn’t going to be happy, and I was a fool to agree to be the one to tell him.”
“Maybe he’ll take it better than you think.”
“And maybe pigs can fly.” I pulled out my cell and took a deep breath. “I may as well get this over with.”
Chapter 16
Sunday, May 13
Tony was carrying a gift when he arrived at my cabin the next day. Wrapped in blue paper and a giant red ribbon, it caught my attention immediately. “What is this?” I asked when he handed it to me. I stepped aside and let Tony through the door. “This is Mother’s Day, and I’m not a mother.”
Tony tossed his keys on the table near the front door, a habit I’d noticed he’d developed recently. “I know. Open it.”
I ripped the paper from top to bottom and gasped. “Where did you get this?”
“I made it.”
I looked at the large photo of the meadow with the old cabin, colorful flowers, and seasonal creek Tony and I had seen on our walk up to the waterfall. “You went back and took a photo?”
Tony nodded. “Is the frame okay?”
It was made of rustic wood and stained dark. It was exactly what I’d pictured in my head. “It’s perfect. Absolutely perfect.”
Tony held up a hammer and nail. “I can hang it for you.”
I smiled and walked across the room. “Right here. I pictured it right here on this wall.”
Tony pounded in the nail, hung the photo, and stood back.
“I love it.” I turned and threw my arms around Tony’s neck. “Really, really love it. Thank you so much.” I leaned forward and impulsively kissed him on the lips. It was a quick kiss. Unplanned. Simple, and in many ways unspectacular. Yet it sent a volt of something I so didn’t want to take the time to analyze through my body to my very core. I took a step back, trying desperately not to blush.
Tony looked as if he was going to say something but then didn’t. He took his own step back and reminded me that we needed to get going if we were going to get up to the bench Chip had made for his mother by eleven-thirty. We’d decided to get there early so there wouldn’t be any chance we’d miss him.
We’d decided to leave the dogs at the cabin. We weren’t sure what to expect when we arrived at the little pond where a young Greg Fairchild had liked to fish and swim. We wouldn’t be gone all that long, and Mike and Bree both planned to come to the cabin early to get a start on the preparations for the barbecue should we be detained.
“So, how’s Mike today?” Tony asked as we drove out of town. As predicted, when I’d first told Mike about Romero the previous night, he’d gone ballistic.
“He seemed better when I spoke to him this morning. He’d not only had a chance to think about things, but he’d talked it over with Bree, and she made him look at things from a different perspective. Of course, he’d had no idea Romero’s fiancée was murdered or that he’d been considered a suspect; I felt it best to keep that piece of information from him.”
“I’m glad Bree was able to talk him down,” Tony said. “It would have been a very uncomfortable afternoon today if he arrived on the warpath.”
I turned slightly so I was facing him. “Do you think there’s something between Mike and Bree?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m not sure. They’ve known each other for most of their lives and mostly gotten along all right, but they’ve never spent time together with just the two of them. I suggested Mike ask her to dinner a week or so ago when I knew she was looking for something to do one night. They had a good time, which didn’t surprise me. But what did surprise me is that ever since, they’ve been spending a lot of time together. I think there might be something going on there other than friendship.”
Tony glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. “Would it matter if there were?”
I hesitated and looked out the windshield. “I don’t know. Maybe. Bree’s my best friend and Mike’s my brother. I love them both and want them to be happy. But the idea of them being more than friends is really weird for me.”
“Have you talked to either of them about it?”
I shook my head. “No. And I’m not going to. Not yet. For all I know, there’s nothing going on and I’m freaking out for nothing. Sure, they’ve been spending a ridiculous amount of time together since that first dinner, but we spend a lot of time together and we’re just friends. They could be just friends too.” Tony didn’t respond, so I went on. “I mean, it isn’t like they’ve been doing anything really romantic. He fixed her fence and took her fishing. All very innocent, but I’m picking up a vibe.” I turned once again and looked at Tony. “I’m good at picking up vibes of the romantic sort. Always have been. I really think there might be something there.”
The oddest look washed over Tony’s face.
“What?” I asked.
“I didn’t say a thing.”
“Maybe, but you had a look.”
Tony lifted a shoulder. “I was just thinking that maybe you aren’t as good about picking up vibes as you think you are.”
I frowned. “Yeah. I guess you might be right. It’d be crazy if there were vibes between Mike and Bree after they’d been friends for so long.”
“Yeah, crazy.”
Tony pulled off the highway onto the road that led to the parking area provided for hikers. We got out and began to walk down the trail.
“I’m really nervous,” I said when Tony laced his fingers with mine. “I’m not really sure why. I’m not even sure if I’m hoping Chip shows or not.
Is that weird?”
Tony squeezed my hand slightly. “Not really. What started as a misdirected piece of mail has ended up being an emotional journey. And it’s never fun to have to tell someone—even someone you don’t know—that someone they love has died. Especially when we know Chip will never have the second chance he wrote about with his mother.”
I felt emotion clog my throat. The meeting today, should there be one, really had all the makings of a very emotional moment. “Thank you.”
“For what?” Tony asked.
“For helping me with this, no matter how it turns out. For putting your life on hold to be there for me this week.” My voice caught just a bit. “For being you.”
Tony stopped walking. He turned me so we were facing each other. I swear, it looked as if he had something heavy on his mind. He looked deeply into my eyes for several seconds, and then he glanced over my shoulder. He turned me so I was looking in the same direction he was.
“That must be him,” I said when I saw a man with dark hair sitting on the bench.
“Are you ready for this?”
I nodded, taking a deep breath as I did. “As much as I’ll ever be.” My heart began to pound as I looked at the man. “I wonder how he’s going to take it.”
Tony put his arm around my shoulder and took a step forward. “I guess there’s only one way to find out.”
******
Later that afternoon, I sat with Bree in my newly painted swing. Romero and Mike had hit it off, and they were sitting with Mom, talking about the huge wine festival the Montenegro Winery held in the fall. Tony had taken Titan and Tilly for a walk, so we were spending a few minutes catching up.
“I’m glad Chip was okay after the initial shock,” Bree said as we gently swayed forward and back.
“I could see he was upset, but there was something else in his eyes. Acceptance. The cabin he and his mom used to rent was vacant, so he made plans to stay there for a while. He’s going to clean out the storage shed and see to any other loose ends Edna might have left behind. Hopefully, by the time he’s ready to go home, he’ll have made peace with the situation.”
“Did you find out why he seemed to have disappeared for all those years?”
“He said he couldn’t deal with the fallout from his father’s legacy, so he took off. He drifted for a few years and then got a job on a private island in the Caribbean, working as a groundskeeper. He was there until a few months ago, when he decided it was time to grow up and come home. I feel really bad for him. He was dealt a tough lot in life, which he handled the best he could. He appeared to realize he caused his mother a lot of pain by leaving, and he feels guilty about that. I imagine it might take him some time to work through that.”
The chain holding the swing to the overhead support creaked slightly as we rocked. The sound had a quaint, comfortable feel to it. It was calm and peaceful overlooking the meadow, with the mountains in the distance. As the minutes melded into one another, they created a contentment that wrapped its arms around me like a bear hug.
“I think I might have feelings for Mike.” Bree breathed so softly that I wasn’t certain if she had said the words or I’d imagined them.
“Feelings?”
Bree lowered her eyes. “I know it’s crazy, and the feelings I think I’m having could be the result of a deep longing to have someone in my life.” Bree looked up at me. “But this week, whenever he’s been around, I’ve felt a rumbling in my stomach.”
“Are you sure it isn’t just indigestion?” I teased.
Bree laughed. “It’s not indigestion. And I know that just because I have butterflies doesn’t mean he sees me as anything more than his little sister’s pesky friend. We’ve had a wonderful time this past week, but it’s not like we have a relationship. We’ve never even kissed. I’m crazy to think he even knows I’m alive. Right?”
I thought back to Valentine’s Day. The gifts he’d delivered to her anonymously to cheer her up for not having anyone in her life on the most romantic day of the year. I thought about the moodiness Frank had attributed to girl problems, an affliction my brother had never had before. I could discourage Bree, tell her that what she was feeling was probably nothing more than a reaction to the mess her love life had become since Donny. She’d believe me and most likely move on. And if she did, I wouldn’t have to worry about my brother and my best friend getting into a messy entanglement. “You should tell him how you feel,” I said instead. “I think he might be feeling those same butterflies. In fact, I think he might have been feeling them for quite some time.”
“Really?” I felt a rush of emotion as Bree’s face filled with hope. “You think so?”
I couldn’t tell her about the gifts Mike had sent. It wasn’t my secret to share. “Yeah.” I reached out and grabbed Bree’s hand. “I think so. Mike and I are close, and sometimes a sister just knows those things.”
Bree looked to the others sitting around the table, chatting. I followed her gaze. Mom and Romero stood up, as if they were saying their good-byes to Mike. “Maybe I’ll see if Mike wants to take a walk. I’m afraid if I don’t tell him now, I’ll chicken out and never do it.”
“Go ahead. Mom and Romero are leaving, and Tony should be back soon. He can help me with the cleanup.”
Bree hugged me. “Thank you.”
I hugged Bree back. “For what?”
“For always being there for me. For putting my needs in front of your own. For understanding how I feel and what it is I want to say even when the right words elude me.”
I touched Bree’s arm with my hand. “Of course I’m always there for you. You’re my best friend. Now go talk to Mike before you talk yourself out of it.”
I watched Bree as she walked across the grass. She paused briefly to say good-bye to my mother and Romero, then continued to where Mike was standing. She said something to him. He nodded and took her hand. They never looked back as they walked together into the forest. As I watched them stroll away, I wondered how things would turn out. Would I look back on this moment and wish I’d tried to convince Bree that her feelings were a schoolgirl crush? Or would I realize this moment was the moment when two people I loved very much found each other?
Tony returned with the dogs shortly after everyone left. He sat down in the swing next to me. I laid my head on his shoulder as the gentle breeze of the spring day caressed my cheeks. Tony entwined the fingers of his left hand with my right hand as we rocked back and forth.
“Where did everyone go?”
“Mom and Romero left, and Mike and Bree went for a walk,” I said.
“It’s a beautiful day for a walk.”
“It is. But I think the walk had more to do with talking than walking.” I took a slow breath and let it out. “Bree told me that she has feelings for Mike, and I’m pretty sure he has feelings for her too.”
Tony’s hand tightened slightly on mine. “And how do you feel about that?”
I frowned. “I’m not sure. I love Bree and I love Mike, but I’m scared.” I was quiet for a beat. “Do you think people who are friends, who have been friends for a very long time, can ever be anything more?”
Tony stopped rocking. He took my chin in his hand and looked deeply into my eyes. “I absolutely think friendship can be the basis for the most powerful love two people can have.”
I felt a tingling in my own stomach. I knew I should say something, but I had no idea what that something would be. I wasn’t sure if Tony was talking about Bree and Mike or something else entirely, but I was both too moved and too scared to ask.
Next from Kathi Daley Books
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Preview
Monday, January 29
Most every Monday evening, the group of writers who live and write at the Gull Island Writers’ Retreat meet in the main house, where I, Jillian Hanford, live with my brother, resort owner Garrett Hanford and paranormal writer Clara Kline. The other writers, who live in cabins scattered around the oceanfront p
roperty, gather, not only to socialize, but to discuss whichever mystery the Mastermind Group is currently investigating. This week, one of our newer residents, Nicole Carrington, had asked to present a mystery to us. Nicole had moved to the resort two months before in the hope of picking up the trail of her half sister, Emily Halliwell, who ran away from home when she was just sixteen but agreed to maintain contact with her sister via a weekly photo. The last photo Nicole had received arrived on May 8.
“Okay everyone, let’s get right to it,” I said once the meal I’d served had been eaten and we’d gathered in a large circle near the stone fireplace to discuss this week’s case. “As I’ve already mentioned, Nicole has a mystery she’d like to present to the group. I thought it best if we gave her the floor so she can lay the groundwork. Please feel free to ask any questions you have.”
In the two months Nicole had been living at the resort, she’d made it clear us that she wasn’t interested in socializing or engaging in any shared investigations. The fact that she was here tonight had a lot of us feeling uncertain, some of us suspicious.
“Thank you for agreeing to hear my case.” Nicole, a tall woman with a thin frame dressed in black dress slacks and a white button-down blouse smiled weakly. Her pale complexion set off her black hair and huge brown eyes, which had taken on a serious expression when she took the floor. “As I’ve already explained to Jill, the reason I came to the island wasn’t, as I told everyone, to do research for a novel, but to research a missing person. Her name is Emily. She’s my half sister and I haven’t heard from her since May.”
No one spoke, but I could see Nicole had everyone’s attention. The group was made up of wonderful people, but Nicole had gone to such lengths to push everyone away that I wasn’t sure how she would be received. Still, I hoped they would find it in their hearts to forgive Nicole and rise to the challenge of locating a teen who could very well need our help.
