A Case of Syrah, Syrah

by Nancy J. Parra

  “Who are you?”

  “I’m Eric Jones, attorney at law. Amy and Dan hired me.”

  “I didn’t do anything,” Amy said. “I want to go home.”

  “I have her on tape burying something in Ivy’s grave,” I said.

  “Where is this video?”

  “The sheriff took my phone,” I said and put my hands in my pockets.

  “Burying something is not a crime,” Eric said. He turned on his heel and went to where the police were gathered. The crime investigator showed up in his van and brought out a shovel. Before he started, he took Amy’s shovel and bagged it. Then he bagged my phone.

  They brought in two big lights and illuminated the grave site. After studying my video, the CSI guy rolled up the sod and stuck in the shovel. Two shovels of dirt later, we all heard a clink.

  “I’m sorry,” Amy said and turned to Dan.

  “Don’t say another word,” Eric advised as the crime scene guy dug with his hands and pulled up a pillowcase with something metal inside.

  “We have a gun,” he said.

  “I’m going to have to take you to the station,” Sheriff Hennessey told Amy. He turned her around and cuffed her hands.

  “Don’t say anything,” the attorney advised.

  “Amy?” Dan looked surprised.

  “It’s a 9mm,” the investigator guy said. “The same type of gun that killed Ivy.”

  “I tried to get rid of it,” Amy said. “I tried to save you.”

  “What?” Dan looked confused.

  “I think you should both come down to the station with me,” Sheriff Hennessey said.

  “I don’t understand.” Dan looked confused.

  “Don’t say another word,” the attorney said.

  “I’m sorry, Dan,” Amy said. “I found the gun, and I thought I could save us both and bury it with Ivy. It needed to go away.”

  “What gun? I don’t own a gun,” Dan said.

  “You didn’t kill Laura and your sister?” Amy asked.

  “How could you think that?” Dan asked her, astonished.

  “Let’s take everybody down to the station,” the sheriff said.

  “Wait. Everyone?” I asked.

  “Yes, everyone,” Sheriff Hennessey said, “including you and Chelsea.”

  “Man,” I said as he escorted me to the back seat of his car. Two deputies took Amy and Dan. Chelsea was able to take her car. “Why can’t I drive with Chelsea?” I asked as the sheriff got into the front seat.

  “Because you’re under investigation for Laura’s murder,” he said. “You were present when a key piece of evidence was found. Under an abundance of caution, I’m taking you to the station.” He started the car and backed away. “It’s for the best. We’re going to check your fingers for dirt and prove you didn’t have anything to do with the gun.”

  “I didn’t,” I said.

  “It’s standard—”

  “I know, I know, standard procedure.” I was not liking the fact that I was getting used to being suspect number one.

  Chapter 28

  Three hours later, Sheriff Hennessey finally walked into the little interrogation room where he had put me. “How are you doing? Do you need any coffee or water?”

  “I’d like to go home,” I said. It was strange being alone with him again after the last time. Neither of us mentioned the strange heat that had passed between us.

  “I understand,” he said and handed me my phone. “Our experts in digital forensics downloaded the video, so you can have this back.”

  “Thanks.”

  He took a seat across from me. “Let’s talk about the day you found Ivy’s body.”

  “Okay,” I said cautiously. “Do I need my lawyer?”

  “I’m sure he’ll advise you not to say anything.” Sheriff Hennessey sighed. “It sounds like a chorus to me right now.”

  “They’re doing their jobs,” I said.

  “And I’m trying to do mine. What you did today, staking out Amy and following her to the cemetery, was ill advised.”

  I shrugged. “I was indulging Chelsea. I didn’t really think anything would happen.”

  “Well, because of you and Chelsea, we caught a break in Ivy Scott’s murder. So thank you.”

  I drew my eyebrows together in confusion. “You’re welcome?”

  “Tell me about the day you went to see Ivy. Why did you go to her house?”

  “I thought maybe she knew something about who had killed Laura.”

  “Why did you think that?”

  “She was part of the identity-theft gang. She was seen at Quarryhill the day Laura was killed, and Laura had that SD chip on her with everyone’s identity information. I thought maybe someone in the group was working with Ivy, and Laura had caught them in the act of handing over secure information . . . Did you know that Laura had cancer and was terminal?”

  “Her autopsy report showed that,” he admitted.

  “I suppose that’ll come out at the trial.”

  “Only if it’s relevant,” he said. “Now tell me about the day you went to see Ivy. Did you see anyone on the street?”

  “No.” I shook my head. “We’ve been over this. I didn’t see anyone. The front door was open, but the screen door was closed. No one answered when I knocked, so I went around the back to see if Ivy was working in her garden.”

  “And entered the house through the back door.”

  “Yes,” I said. “The back door was also open, and this one didn’t have a screen. When I saw that Ivy wasn’t in the back, I became worried that something was wrong and went inside. I saw her almost immediately and called nine-one-one.”

  “And then you exited the house through the front.”

  “Yes,” I said.

  “Did you see a gun?”

  “No.” I shook my head. “I didn’t see any weapon. I only saw Ivy lying in blood. I touched her shoulder. When I realized she felt cold, I called.”

  “Why did you leave the house?”

  “I thought that the killer might still be inside, so I went outside where the neighbors could see me.”

  “Except you didn’t see any neighbors.”

  “No, I didn’t,” I said and sighed. “I didn’t see anyone, but it still felt safer on the porch.”

  “How long were you there before the first responders showed up?”

  “I don’t know,” I replied. “I didn’t think to time them. I’m sure you have record of my call and when the first responders got there.”

  “It was ten minutes,” he said casually. “You saw Dan shortly thereafter.”

  “Yes,” I said. “The first responders weren’t there long before Dan showed up. He got out of his car and threatened me.”

  “Did you call him?”

  “Me? No, why would I call him?”

  “You’d found his sister dead.”

  “I thought it was your job to call him. No one called him? He just showed up?”

  “Yes, it appears that way,” Sheriff Hennessey said.

  “Do you think Dan killed Ivy?” I hugged myself. “That would mean that Dan and Ivy probably killed Laura.” I drew my eyebrows together. “But why would they when they both knew she was dying anyway?”

  “We have no evidence that the two murders were linked,” he said.

  “But the SD card and the identity-theft ring link them.”

  “Circumstantially.”

  “Which is what your entire case against me is—circumstantial.”

  “Let’s talk about Ivy’s death,” he said. “Did you see Amy there?”

  “No, I didn’t.”

  “But you saw Dan.”

  “Yes, I saw him show up a few minutes later. Tell me about the gun,” I said. “Is it the gun that killed Ivy?”

  “Yes,” he said. “A simple ballistics test proved it. They found two sets of prints on it—one is Dan’s and one is Ivy’s. Dan has confessed to killing his sister.”

  “What? How terrible.”

 
; “I think he’s covering for someone.”

  “Why?”

  “Because Amy also confessed to killing Ivy,” he said. “Their stories don’t jive, so I think they’re covering for each other.”

  “You mean Amy thinks Dan did it and is covering for him, but Dan thinks Amy did it and is covering for her?”

  “Yes,” he said. “I have two people who have confessed to the same crime. I’m pretty certain that Amy is lying because she can’t tell me where Ivy was shot. Dan knows where Ivy was shot—”

  “In the back,” I said.

  “Yes,” he said, “but Dan can’t tell me why he shot his sister.”

  “So you’re going to let them both go?”

  “I’m going to hold them both while we go over the evidence with a fine-tooth comb,” he said. “I was hoping you could shed some light on that day, but it sounds like you didn’t see anything.”

  “I didn’t,” I said.

  “It’s amazing how we can miss things when we’re shocked by an accident or death,” he said. “Don’t worry. I’m going to let you and Chelsea go. I suggest that you go home and leave the rest to me and my team.”

  “You keep saying that.”

  “You keep ignoring that,” he pointed out, stood, and opened the door for me.

  Chelsea was waiting for me in the lobby along with Aunt Jemma.

  “Well, that was an adventure,” Chelsea said as we walked out.

  “What were you girls thinking?” Aunt Jemma asked. “Amy could’ve used that gun on you.”

  “She didn’t,” I said and walked Chelsea to her car.

  “She confessed,” Chelsea said.

  “So did Dan,” I pointed out. “I think they’re trying to save each other.”

  “A credible source told me that Dan and Ivy had an argument the day she was killed,” Chelsea said.

  “I heard you tell Amy that. What were they arguing about? Do you know?” I asked. “Was it about the identity-theft ring?”

  “Or Amy,” Chelsea said. “I bet it was quite the surprise when those two got married so quickly.”

  “Was Ivy protective of her brother?” Aunt Jemma asked.

  “Yes!” Chelsea and I said at the same time and laughed.

  “She threatened me to an inch of my life when she thought I killed Laura,” I said.

  “I bet she was not happy when she discovered that Amy married Dan,” Chelsea said. “My source told me there were witnesses to the argument. I’m going to call on them tomorrow morning and see what they can tell me.”

  “I want to come,” I said.

  “No,” Aunt Jemma said. “Enough is enough. You must stay out of the investigation and let Chelsea see what she can drum up.”

  “I understand they found both Amy’s and Dan’s fingerprints on the gun,” Chelsea said, “so that didn’t help them determine who was lying.”

  “What about DNA?” I asked.

  “I’m sure the police are already on any kind of lead like that,” Aunt Jemma said. “For now, let’s go home. It’s nearly three AM. Chelsea, follow me. You can spend the night in the guest room. I’m not sending you back to North San Francisco at this time of night.”

  “Thank you,” Chelsea said. “That’ll help me get an early start on finding and interviewing witnesses tomorrow. I’m going to get to the bottom of this.”

  We arrived at the winery to find Clemmie waiting for us at the door. She wound between my legs and rushed into the house as Aunt Jemma opened the door.

  “What a night,” I said.

  “A real adventure,” Chelsea said as she followed me inside. Aunt Jemma turned on the lights as I let Millie out of her kennel.

  “Do you really suppose that Dan thinks Amy did it, Amy thinks Dan did it, and they are covering for each other? That would be real love,” I said as I picked up Millie and gave her a hug. “Imagine going to prison in the place of the person you love.”

  “What I think is that Ivy knew who killed Laura and was killed for her knowledge,” Chelsea said.

  “Seriously?” I asked. “If she knew, then why would she accuse me? I mean, she practically attacked me.”

  “Maybe she only recently discovered who did it,” Aunt Jemma said. “That would explain getting shot in the back. She might’ve been trying to get to the phone to call the police.”

  “That would mean she knew the killer,” I said. “So it might have been Dan or Amy.”

  “I’d bet on Amy,” Aunt Jemma said. “After all, Dan was with you at the end of the hike.”

  “But he also set out alone to help you find her and in the end had Laura’s blood on his hands. He might have found her, killed her, then hurried up the trail so that when you found her, he could hurry down and ensure you saw him touch her.”

  “But,” I pointed out, “he knew she was dying of cancer. Why murder her?”

  “I thought Amy would be his motive,” Chelsea agreed, “but it seems like he would simply wait out her disease.”

  “Well,” Aunt Jemma said, “that’s enough speculation for one night. Let’s get some sleep. Things might be clearer in the morning. Good night, girls.”

  “Good night, Aunt Jemma,” I said. “Thanks for coming down to the police station to check on me.”

  “Your aunt is great,” Chelsea said. “My family is a little nuts.”

  “So are we. We just hide it better.” I showed her the guest room and gave her fresh towels, a new toothbrush, and spare toiletries.

  “I hope you don’t mind the cat,” I said as Clemmie scooted into the room and sauntered toward the bed. “She likes to sleep in here whenever possible.”

  “I love cats,” Chelsea said and ran her hand over the kitty. “We’ll keep each other company, won’t we?”

  “Her name is Clemmie—short for Clementine.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Chelsea said to the cat, and then she looked up at me. “Good night.”

  I closed the door to the room behind me and called Millie to follow me to the pool house. Millie helped me feel safer in the small apartment. It was mere yards from the main house, but ever since the picture window had been shattered, I hadn’t been comfortable sleeping alone.

  * * *

  I was up by ten AM the next morning. Millie licked my face and nudged me out of bed to feed her and ensure she went outside to do her business—after all, we were still potty training. By the time I got dressed and had a cup of coffee, I saw that Chelsea’s car was gone. I sat outside on the patio and listened to the men start to work on the vines.

  Holly had texted me, “Did you catch Ivy’s killer?”

  I texted her back, “Both Dan and Amy confessed. The sheriff thinks they are both lying.”

  “Then who?”

  “I don’t know,” I texted, “but I’ve been banned from trying to find out.”

  “What will you do today?”

  “I’m going to meet with Emma to see if she’ll volunteer to come out to the winery for Wine Down Wednesdays.”

  “I thought none of those ladies were talking to you.”

  “I e-mailed her yesterday and got her to agree to meet me outside the studio,” I wrote. “She needs the money. Her son started soccer.”

  “Expensive sport.”

  I laughed and texted, “Only if you want to give them private lessons. Emma is competitive. If her son is going to do soccer, then he’s going to be the best of all the soccer players.”

  “How old is he?”

  “Four,” I texted. “Got to start early if you’re training for the pros.”

  “Poor kid.”

  “I know.”

  “Why don’t you stop by for lunch?”

  “Okay.” We finished up the details, and I got dressed and went into town. Emma had agreed to meet me at the coffee shop closest to the yoga studio.

  “Hi,” I said as I walked in. I gave her a quick hug and ordered a chai latte. “Thanks for meeting me. I’m sorry it’s been a while since we last spoke.”

&nb
sp; “I was surprised to see you at Ivy’s funeral,” Emma said. “Are you still investigating things?”

  “No, I was paying my respects. I found her and wanted closure.”

  “I get that,” Emma said.

  “How are you?” I asked.

  “Going crazy,” Emma said. “With Laura gone, I’ve inherited a third of her client list. It keeps me busy. I had no idea how much she and Dan did for us.”

  “Is coaching difficult?”

  “Not difficult, but time consuming.” Emma sipped her tea.

  “Oh, does that mean you can’t commit to doing a Wednesday evening yoga class? My aunt and I were thinking about having a six PM class outside on the winery grounds and then finishing with light refreshments. We think it could be a way to get people out to the winery and to enjoy the fresh air.”

  “What is the time commitment?” she asked.

  “An hour a week from, say, May through September?” I said. “If you can’t make a day, you could send a substitute. We’d pay a hundred dollars for that hour, plus snacks and wine if you want them.”

  “Let’s see, a hundred a week for twenty-six weeks . . .” She did the math in her head. “Yes.” She nodded. “That sounds fair.”

  “Fabulous,” I said. “I’ll have a contract written up.”

  “Sounds good to me.” She sipped her beverage. “I want you to know that I don’t believe you killed Laura.”

  “Thank you,” I said. “That means a lot.”

  “The case seems weak to me. I mean, you barely knew her, unlike the rest of us, who’d worked with her for the last four years.”

  “Did you know that Laura had cancer?”

  “What? No! Was it bad? How could she keep something like that from us?” Emma nearly dropped her drink. Eyes wide, she looked stunned by the news.

  “She thought she was in remission,” I said. “She didn’t want anyone to worry. Amy told me that Laura had just learned it was terminal. Also, I guess Dan and Amy got married.”

  “Yes, I heard at Ivy’s funeral.” She shook her head. “I would’ve never guessed those two would do such an impulsive thing. I suppose I’ve been busy with my boy, running him to and from school and lessons and playdates, and then trying to pick up the slack on my third of the client list. It was no wonder Laura could be a bit of a bear. She must’ve been exhausted. I know I am, and I’m healthy.” She paused. “As for Dan and Amy? I suppose I can see it now that I think about it. Dan is a nice guy, and Amy was always there to help.”