Derek laughed. Nikki went over to him and bent down. Blood trickled down the side of his lips. She reached out and wiped it with the palm of her free hand. “Turn around.” Nikki set the gun down for a minute, keeping an eye on Meredith and Ollie while working Derek’s hands free from the ropes.
He shook out his hands. “Thanks.” He brought both hands to the side of her face.
His touch was warm and brought tears to her eyes. She wiped them away, as Jeanine Wiley and Mark Anderson rushed into the back of the cave, guns drawn.
“You found us,” Nikki exclaimed.
“Tara Beckenroe phoned us from a tow truck up the road. Seems she was on her way to get us at the station, when her car broke down,” Jeanine replied.
Sure.
“She told us everything that happened. Chief Horn is on his way now to the Malveaux Estate to arrest Cal.”
“Interesting,” Nikki said.
Derek looked at her quizzically.
“Tell you later. Right now we need to get you checked out at the hospital.”
“There’s an ambulance on the way,” Jeanine said.
“I don’t need an ambulance.”
“Let’s play by the rules,” Nikki said, as an EMT technician arrived on the scene.
Derek grumbled. Jeanine asked him to tell Ollie to get off of Meredith, who was in a whimpering heap on the cave floor. A few minutes later, Derek was put into the back of the ambulance. Nikki told him that she’d meet him at the hospital.
“There’s a shortcut to the main highway,” he said, then explained to her how to get there.
On her way to the hospital, Nikki passed by Tara’s car being hooked up to a tow truck. As she sped by, Tara glared at the tow truck driver, hands on hips, looking more disheveled than a whirling dervish. She caught sight of Nikki driving by, who thought about stopping and giving Tara a lift. Payback for the coffee? Nah. Nikki smiled to herself and sped toward the hospital, cranking up the stereo to an old Eagles tune—“Witchy Woman.”
Chapter 23
Nikki and Derek drove back to the estate after he was treated at the hospital for some minor scrapes and bruises.
“Why don’t you stay at my cottage tonight? After all that’s happened, I’d like some company,” Derek said.
“Okay,” Nikki replied hesitantly.
They stopped by her cottage first. Nikki turned off the stove, horrified at the black, shriveled pork roast. “I don’t know about you, but I’m starved, and I think the dinner I’d planned is ruined.” She laughed, pulling the roast off the pan with a turning fork. “I’m sure I can whip up something for you in your kitchen.”
She was right. He had all the ingredients to make what she coined “Simply Pasta Salad.” Seeing that it was approaching midnight, she renamed it “After Hours Pasta.” It’s amazing what a savvy woman can do with some Italian dressing, a few veggies, and some pasta, and only in a matter of minutes. And, at that moment Nikki felt damn savvy.
“What are you fixing in there?” Derek called from his chaise longue.
“Nothing much.”
“I have to ask, after all that’s happened, do you still plan on coming on board here at the winery?”
She came around in front of the kitchen counter. “Do you still want me to take the job?”
He laughed. “Of course. I have to tell you, though, that I have a secret.”
“Oh, no. Not you, too. What is it?”
“When I interviewed you over dinner in L.A. about wines, my initial thoughts weren’t so much about the job. You knew a lot, I’ll give you that, but honestly, I found you interesting.”
She gave him a look. “Interesting.”
“Yes. And sweet. And pretty.”
“Ah, you had ulterior motives, then.”
“Maybe.”
She went back into the kitchen to find a bottle of an assertive, floral red wine to pour. She decided not to partake in the vino, as her head still pounded loudly. She took a sip, though, to make sure she’d made the right choice. It did go very nicely with the garlicky pasta. She brought the food over to him and set it down on the coffee table. She couldn’t help but wonder about that dating policy among employees and decided that it was best not to ask.
“Usually, I’d serve this salad chilled, but I figured you’re starving, so . . .”
“No, it’s perfect. This is delicious,” he commented after taking several bites. “I was starving.”
“Hey, I’ve been wondering, how did they get you into that cave?”
He set his plate down. “Cal came by and said he wanted to show me some of his new vines. He claimed that they could be the best he’d cultivated yet, and wanted my opinion. I’d finished my business for the day around here, so I told him I’d go with him. Back at his place, we shared a cup of coffee, and I got real woozy.”
“He drugged you, too.”
“Yep. Once I was down, he dragged me into the cave. They said that they wanted to know where I kept my wine collection and my mother’s diamond, claiming they weren’t going to hurt me. They said that they only wanted the collection and the diamond, and once they were far away and had sold off everything for their asking price, then they’d let someone know where I was.”
“You obviously didn’t believe them.”
“No way.”
“Can I ask what the collection is worth?”
“Two million dollars,” he replied.
“Wow.”
“My mother’s diamond is worth half a million.”
“But land here is worth at least that. He could’ve sold his vineyard.”
“A year ago, maybe. But Cal wasn’t the best business-man, and he had too much ego. What came out in the few hours of the hell I spent in the cave with him, and then Meredith, was that he was about to lose the place. I think they were looking to cash in, but I don’t think they planned to let me live. I think their ultimate hope was they would murder you and me, and hopefully cover it up so they could take Patrice for all she would be worth.”
“Stupid.”
“Yes, it was. It’s too bad that both Gabriel and Minnie had to die,” Derek said, a tone of sadness creeping into his voice as he uttered their names. “All out of jealousy and greed. But I wonder if things might not have gone so hay-wire for them if Meredith hadn’t murdered Gabriel and Minnie. I think that’s when they panicked. Their initial plan never involved murder, and Patrice was in on it.”
“I thought for a bit that Patrice could possibly be the murderer, especially after what I found out about her being Meredith’s mother. I was wrong. Obviously. She was simply another victim of two greedy children who probably had bad feelings toward her for giving them up so many years ago. She turned out not to be a killer, but Patrice is no brain surgeon, letting those two get their fangs in her.”
“She also isn’t exactly the most upstanding of women, not with the plans she made with the two of them. But as I’ve said before, I’ve never thought highly of my stepmother.”
“Did you know she’d asked Gabriel to go to work for Cal?”
“Patrice? Gabriel never said anything to me about that,” Derek replied. “I knew Cal wanted to lure him, but Patrice? Why?”
“He might not have told you because he took it as a joke, or maybe he never got the chance.”
“You found this out when you were playing Nancy Drew?”
“Hey. I wasn’t playing.” She smiled at him, but she was serious. Nikki knew she’d conducted a better investigation than Jeanine Wiley and Chief Horn. “I think I know why Patrice asked Gabriel to move over to Sumner’s.”
“Let’s hear it.”
“Those two murdering lunatics are her children, and she wanted what’s best for them, like all mothers. My guess is that she thought Gabriel could make Sumner a better winery and increase his profits, and be successful. I’m sure if she ever got her hands on all that you have, Patrice would’ve used the money to promote her son’s vineyard.”
“I’d say you’re proba
bly right. Love is blind,” Derek replied. “I’m sure the love for a child is even more blinding. It’s crazy to think I was married to my stepsister, and that she planned it all from the beginning to get into this family. Then I find out that the vintner down the road is my stepbrother who thinks he deserves a share of what my father built. I owe Simon an apology, because for a moment there I thought he was behind it all.”
“I thought so, too,” Nikki said. “Trust me though, he’s no angel. Simon and Marco would love to see you give up the goods here and hand it all over.”
“Fat chance.” Derek sipped his wine. Nikki sat down on the chaise next to him. “I still can’t believe Minnie would steal from me,” he said suddenly. “I didn’t want to believe Meredith when she said it, but it makes sense.”
“Sadly, it’s true. I found the proof.” Nikki proceeded to tell him about what she’d found at Minnie’s place. “Greed is a funny thing. Money changes people. The thought of having it so close at hand, thinking you’d never suspect her, was too tempting.”
He shook his head and took her hand. “I suppose you never really know people completely. Look at Minnie, Gabriel, Meredith, Cal. They all had secrets. What about you? Is there anything more I should know about you?”
“Nope. What you see is what you get.”
“Funny thing is, even after all this and finding out that people I trusted weren’t exactly what they seemed, I believe you.” He gently squeezed her hand. His voice softened. “By the way, thank you for coming to my rescue.”
She squeezed his hand back, looked into those baby blues of his, and replied, “Any time.”
After Hours Pasta
If you find yourself hungry late at night or just want a quick and easy meal to prepare, you won’t have to look much further than your cupboard and fridge to whip up After Hours Pasta. As a bonus to it being an easy meal to make, it will also impress your loved one. Many would say that the wine should be a white, but a good Red Zinfandel will work well with this recipe. One to try would be Bonny Doon’s Cardinal Zin. It has a rich, chocolate-cherry flavor that is smooth and satisfying. Absolutely yummy.
1 pound penne pasta
6 ounces fat-free Italian dressing
1 large ripe, but firm tomato
1 medium green pepper
2 ribs celery
1 medium carrot
5 small green onions
3 ounces thinly sliced pancetta or bacon
Cook pasta according to package instructions, drain, and while still hot, pour Italian dressing over, toss lightly and set aside for the pasta to absorb dressing. Chop vegetables and bacon and toss with pasta. Chill and serve.
Murder Uncorked Page 23
