“No, they’ve been working around the clock lately due to the press,” Aunt Jemma said. “So I told them they could have the evening for their families.”
I was the first to see it. The front window was smashed, glass was everywhere, and a large rock rested on the floor inside. I turned on a light, handed Millie to Holly, and stepped carefully toward the rock.
“I’m calling the police.” Aunt Jemma picked up Clemmie as she dialed.
I grabbed a tissue and picked up the rock. It was huge, and there was something written on it.
Murderer.
“What does it say?” Holly asked.
“Murderer,” I said with a slight tremble. The house sat a good quarter mile from the road. That meant whoever threw the rock had to have come over the fence and through the vineyard. I looked out the window. The outside floodlight was not lit. It must have been bashed as well because it was usually kept on at night. Which meant they could be outside now. Even worse, they had been out there when we were on the patio.
“That’s horrible,” Holly said.
“The police are on their way,” Aunt Jemma said. “They said not to touch anything.”
I put the rock back down where it had landed and cautiously stepped back out of the glass. “There was someone out there when we were outside.”
“Why didn’t Millie bark?” Holly asked me and looked at the dog in her hands. “Are you hard of hearing, baby?”
“We were all talking. Maybe she was sleeping and didn’t hear anything. We certainly didn’t hear anything.” I took the pup and hugged her. She squirmed at the attention.
“Maybe she knew who it was,” Aunt Jemma said. “Who has Millie met?”
“Well, you, me, Holly, Juan, and Julio,” I said. “They wouldn’t do that to the window.”
“She also met everyone on your first hike,” Holly reminded me.
“So it could’ve been someone from Laura’s team.” I frowned. “Most likely she didn’t hear anything. If it were someone she knew, she would have gone to greet them, don’t you think?”
“Whether she heard anything or not, I don’t like the idea of anyone getting that close to my home. Tomorrow I’m getting cameras and motion-sensor lights,” Aunt Jemma said.
“They’ll go off and on all night when the raccoons come by,” Holly pointed out.
“Better to be safe than sorry,” Aunt Jemma said and absently put down the cat. “The police are on their way. I’m calling Juan and Julio next.”
Clemmie sneaked toward the glass-covered area. I handed Millie to Holly and scooped Clemmie up before she could hurt herself. “Oh, no, kitties and doggies need to go into the bedroom to be safe.” Holly and I took them to the bedroom. I opened the closet for Clemmie to get to her favorite box, and then we put Millie in her kennel. “It’s for your own safety, girls.”
The police had arrived when we came back into the great room. Juan and Julio weren’t far behind them. Four men checked the premises while a fifth took pictures of the damage, bagged the rock, and took our statements.
“So you heard nothing until the glass broke,” Deputy Angus McCarty said. He was about five foot nine with gray hair and brown eyes, and his muscled frame filled out his uniform. He was older and put off the aura of someone you could trust in a tight spot—like Holly’s brother, Derrick.
“We were out on the patio having a drink,” I said. “The patio is on the opposite side of the house, so we couldn’t really hear anything.”
“Even the dog didn’t bark,” Holly said.
“Do you think it was someone she knew?” I asked.
“Who does she know?” Angus asked.
“Well, whoever left her in my vineyard,” I said, “and she knows my aunt, Holly, Juan, Julio, and the people on my first tour.”
“The people on your first tour?” Angus repeated.
“Yes, everyone who was there from the yoga mastermind group.”
He scratched his head. “Isn’t that the group where the boss lady got killed?”
“Yes,” I said, “but I don’t think they would do this. I mean, maybe Dan or his sister, but not the other ladies.”
“That you know,” Aunt Jemma pointed out. “One of them may have killed Laura after all.”
“I’m pretty sure they didn’t—none of them were bloody.”
Deputy Jason Elles came into the house with Juan and Julio behind him. “We found some tracks. I took photos and called the crime scene unit to come check it out.”
“Is it okay to stay here with the window broken?” I asked. With tracks outside, it seemed clear that sleeping in a house with a gaping picture window might not be the safest.
“Why don’t you come stay in town with me?” Holly asked.
“It might be for the best,” Jason said. He was taller than Angus, with dark hair and wide shoulders.
“But I don’t want to leave my home,” Aunt Jemma said.
“I’ll have a crew out here for a few hours, and then your men can board up the window,” Jason suggested. “We can call you when it’s done.”
“You should stay with me. I’d feel better about your safety,” Holly said. “Bring Millie and Clemmie.”
Just then Sheriff Hennessey walked in. The red-and-blue police lights flashed around the living room, sparkling on the broken glass. “What happened?” he asked, an expression of concern on his face. “Are you all right?”
“Someone threw a rock through my window,” I stated the obvious. “We think it was someone we know because Millie didn’t bark.”
“Where’s Millie now?”
“We kenneled her and put Clemmie, my cat, in the bedroom so they wouldn’t get hurt.”
“So everyone is okay,” he said and put his hand on my forearm and gave it a comforting rub.
“We think this has something to do with the murder,” Holly said.
“Show him the rock,” I said to the deputy. He pointed the sheriff toward the evidence bag on the table.
“Looks like some sort of stunt,” he said. “Someone trying to intimidate you.”
“Or someone trying to really hurt us,” Aunt Jemma said.
“I think they could have done a lot more than throw a rock through your window had they meant to really hurt you,” Sheriff Hennessey said.
I wasn’t liking him too much right now. “A rock through our window is enough.”
“I’m not downplaying the incident,” he said and held out his hands to calm us. “I’m simply asking that you stay vigilant, but not fearful. You’ve had the press following you around for a couple of days now. I’m sure it brought undue stress and attention to you.”
“Undue is right since I didn’t do anything,” I said and put my hands on my hips.
“The department didn’t release any statements about persons of interest—no matter how tempting.”
“What does that mean?”
“I think that’s a double entendre,” Holly said with a wink and a grin. Sheriff Hennessey blushed.
“Holly!” I nudged her, shocked. “She’s a kidder,” I told the sheriff. “Don’t let her get you flustered.” I sent her a look. She smiled and shrugged.
“Are you saying you don’t think this is related?” Aunt Jemma piped up.
“I’m saying, don’t worry too much,” he said. “You’ve been in the news. People get strange ideas and play pranks.”
“Are you going to have the winery watched more carefully?”
“We’ll send a patrolman down once or twice a night. I recommend purchasing motion-sensor lights and an alarm.”
“Is that the advice you give all your murder suspects?”
“Sonoma rarely has a murder, so I’ve yet to give any advice to anyone connected to one, let alone the suspects.”
“So I am a suspect . . . ?”
“Taylor,” he said and shook his head, “get some clothes, and go into town for the night. When you come back in the morning, things won’t feel so scary.”
“I’m not af
raid in my aunt’s home,” I said, lifting my chin.
“Someone put a rock through your window. It’s okay to feel threatened and afraid.”
“I suppose you deal with this every day.”
“No,” he said and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Most of my homicides don’t involve people like you.”
“Like me?”
“People who want to help the investigation.”
“I see,” I said.
“Come on, Taylor,” Holly said and put her hands around my arm. “Let’s get out of here and let the cops do their jobs. Okay?”
“Sure,” I said and went to get my things while Holly collected Millie and Clemmie. I was still dealing with the zing I felt when Sheriff Hennessey looked in my eyes and said, “People like you.”
Chapter 12
I sat up in bed after I remembered something Dan had said. “Rashida had been to Quarryhill before.” Rashida was the one who had brought along a plastic coat. Rashida, who didn’t have her coat when we came back home.
“What’s going on?” Holly asked as she peeked out at me from under her eye mask.
“Nothing,” I said. “Go back to sleep.” I waited until she’d fallen back to sleep to get up and go into the living room, where I turned on my laptop. I spent the next two hours learning everything there was online to know about Rashida Davis.
After a while, Holly came into the living room and opened the curtains. I blinked as the sunlight poured in. “Have you been on the computer since you woke me?” she asked.
“Yes,” I said and sighed. “I thought I had an idea of who to investigate for Laura’s murder, but I didn’t find all that much information online.”
“Who?” Holly asked as she made coffee.
“Rashida Davis,” I said. “She was one of Laura’s yoga crew.”
“Isn’t she the one with the missing jacket?”
“Yes,” I said and closed my computer. “At one point, Dan told me Rashida had been to Quarryhill before. She was the only one besides me familiar with the gardens.”
“That’s interesting,” Holly said and brought me a mug of fresh brewed coffee. She sat at the dining room table with me.
Holly had a small two-bedroom apartment with a great room, which she had made into two spaces: a small dining room and a living area with couch, two club chairs, and a television the size of her wall. Okay, it wasn’t that big, but it was big and curved, and she swore she’d bought it to attract more men in her life. I secretly suspected that she enjoyed the surround sound for her movies.
“The problem is that it doesn’t seem Rashida had any reason to kill Laura. As far as I can tell from her social media and online stuff, she adored Laura.”
Millie whimpered at my feet, wanting to go out. I got up and slipped my shoes on. “I’ll be right back.” I leashed Millie and took her down the two flights of stairs to the park across the street. Our walk was uneventful—I only saw two joggers and a man reading a newspaper on a bench across from Holly’s place.
When I walked by, he waited a moment and got up. After last night’s incident, I was a little spooked about things. I walked faster and noticed that he walked faster. I scooped up Millie and sprinted to the apartment complex. I went around the corner but waited and let Millie explore the grass a bit. The man didn’t come around the building. Heart still beating fast, I took a roundabout way to Holly’s door. The man was gone.
“That was an adventure,” I said as we came inside and I unleashed Millie. She went and drank some fresh water, then found the spot of sunshine to curl up in. I assumed that Clemmie was still in her carry case because everyone knew how hard it would be to get her back inside once we let her out.
“What happened?” Holly asked.
“I’m not sure, but I think I was followed. There was this guy sitting on a bench and reading a newspaper, facing your complex. When we walked by, he got up. I went faster, and I swear he sped up too. So I picked Millie up and ducked around the building next door.”
“Did he follow?”
“I thought I heard footsteps, but he never showed. So I circled around three buildings before I came back here.”
“I don’t like it. We should call the police.”
I went to the window and looked out. The park was empty, and no one was near the sidewalk. “I think he’s gone.”
“I still think we should call the cops,” Holly said.
“And say what? A guy was walking behind me suspiciously?”
“Did you recognize him?” Holly asked.
“No,” I said.
“What did he look like? Maybe he’s always in the park,” Holly said.
“Oh, that’s good. Let’s see. He was a little taller than me and stocky. He wore a dress shirt with short sleeves and jeans. I think he was wearing dress shoes. They weren’t sneakers.”
“He sounds kind of nondescript.” Holly frowned at me.
“He was dark haired,” I said. “I didn’t catch his eye color. He did have a darker complexion. Indian, maybe?”
Holly laughed. “I live in little India. There are a lot of Indian people here. Can you be more specific?”
“No,” I said and frowned. “I was scared. He weirded me out is all.”
“Okay, I’ll take your word for it,” she said. “Come on, I made breakfast. Have some more coffee and take a seat.”
I washed my hands and sat down at the table. “Maybe it was nothing,” I said and sipped my coffee. “I think my imagination is working overtime because of the rock.”
Aunt Jemma came out of the smaller bedroom wearing a bright-blue-and-green caftan. “Good morning, lovelies. How did you sleep?”
“I slept fine,” Holly said. “Taylor, on the other hand, was up at four AM.”
“Poor baby,” Aunt Jemma said and hugged me. “Where’s the coffee?”
“There’s a pot to the right of the stove,” Holly said. Clemmie took the moment to streak into the second bedroom. “We’re going to have to search for your cat.”
“I thought we agreed not to let her out?”
“Oops, I wanted her to sleep with us last night,” Holly said sheepishly. “I figured we could get her back in her carrier. We can, right?”
“Clemmie will come out if you rattle a treat bag.” Aunt Jemma sat down with us and sipped her coffee. Holly had a spread of fresh fruit, coffee cake, and yogurt.
“Fine, you two can get her back in her carrying case,” I said, “but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“What were you worried about that you were up at four AM?” Aunt Jemma asked.
“I remembered something about the day Laura died,” I said, “but it didn’t really pan out.”
“You need to meet with Amy and see if she remembered anything new. You know Amy has all the dirt,” Holly said.
“Sally should have the dirt. She’s the human resources lady.”
“No one tells HR anything,” Aunt Jemma said and popped a grape into her mouth. “Everyone knows that.”
“That’s ridiculous,” I said.
“But true,” Holly added. “Call Amy, and see what she thinks. Ply her with wine, and she might share some juicy gossip.”
“Have you seen anyone from that day besides Amy and Dan?” Aunt Jemma asked.
“No,” I said. “I didn’t really get to know anyone else but Sally, and she’s been quiet since that day.”
“Maybe she has something to hide,” Aunt Jemma suggested. She grabbed a plate and put a slice of coffee cake on it. “Holly, dear, you are a gem. This breakfast is to die for.”
“Let’s hope no one does that, okay?” I said. “I’ve had enough of that lately.”
“What makes you so sour today?”
“Taylor thought a man may have tried to follow her to my place,” Holly said. “I think she should call the police.”
“There’s nothing to call about,” I explained yet again. “He weirded me out is all. He was in the park facing the apartment complex and reading a paper. Who
does that anymore, anyway?”
“Lots of people read papers,” Aunt Jemma said.
“People usually look at news on their phone,” I pointed out. “Anyway, when we walked by, he got up and walked behind me, which was creepy. So I sped up, and he did too. I picked up Millie and hurried. It felt like he hurried too until I ducked around a building. Then he slowed back down.”
“She lost her tail by circling around three buildings to get here,” Holly teased me and forked up a chunk of coffee cake.
“Stop,” I said, feeling the heat of a blush rush up my neck and into my cheeks. “Maybe I am paranoid, but I found a dead woman. Then someone trespassed on the winery and threw a rock through the window. I have cause to be a little paranoid.”
“Oh, honey, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t tease you so much,” Holly said. “But seriously, who would know you were staying with me? And why would he sit outside in the park and wait to follow you?”
“Maybe he recognized Millie,” Aunt Jemma said.
“What?”
“Maybe he knew the puppy,” Aunt Jemma repeated. “Have you called the vet lately to see if they were able to get ahold of the owners?”
“Oh,” I said and slumped in my seat. “I didn’t think of that.”
“Much less dramatic than having a killer follow you, I know,” Aunt Jemma said. “But still sad if Millie has to go home.”
“Let’s hope that isn’t the case,” I said and made a note in my phone to call the vet. I had to admit that I’d been procrastinating. I wanted to keep Millie for myself. I was growing fond of the little brown fur face, and the last thing I needed was to lose my new puppy.
Chapter 13
With worries about safety at the winery, I rescheduled my tour for the following day. There was no sense in trying to pretend I wasn’t shaken up by the events of the past week and needed time to steady my nerves. Instead of going to Cornerstone Gardens with a tour, I stayed at the winery and supervised the workmen putting boards up over the window.
I had to admit, I felt safer with boards up instead of more glass. At least until the murder was solved or the person who threw the rock was found. The deputies said they had discovered footprints. They looked like they’d come from a male shoe.
A Case of Syrah, Syrah Page 11
