The Caspian Wine Mystery/Suspense/Thriller Series

by Maggie Thom

  They stopped in front of an elevator but Tijan couldn’t take her eyes off the ornate stairs with the incredible curved banister.

  Bailey chuckled. “I felt that way too when I first saw them.”

  “They must have been awesome as a kid to slide down.”

  That look that she wasn’t included in happened again. Five minutes in and she’d already stuck her foot in her mouth twice. But she had no clue as to why.

  “Do you mind if I walk up them?” Tijan looked at the elderly lady whose arm felt a whole lot more frail than she looked.

  “Of course, my dear. I used to love walking them as well but they’re too much for these old bones.” Dorothea patted her hand and released her arm.

  “I’ll come with you.” Tarin was still holding tightly to her other arm.

  Bailey immediately stepped forward and took her grandmother’s arm. “Go. We’ll see you at the top.”

  Graham gave Tarin a quick kiss before joining the other three in the elevator.

  “Isn’t this something?” Tarin let go of her arm and twirled.

  Tijan laughed and joined her. “I wonder if everyone does this the first time they come in here?”

  “I don’t know. I just know I’ve always wanted to do it but never had the nerve in front of Dorothea.”

  “She’s something.”

  “She’s amazing. She ran Caspian Winery all by herself for something like fifty years. I think her family started it way back when—eighty some odd years ago. In fact, she just stepped down. Well, if you could call it that. She still works two or three days a week. What a dynamo.” Tarin chuckled.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “Oh. Sorry. That’s Graham’s word for her; I just found it funny that it slipped out. I was raised never to be disrespectful of others and definitely not my elders. In fact, I wasn’t ever to call them by their first names. My father was such—”

  Staring at Tarin, Tijan saw her eyes open wide as she looked at her. That simple statement reminded them both that the rift between them was as big as the Grand Canyon, and they knew nothing about each other. Tijan wanted to say something but the lump in her throat prevented her from talking. She couldn’t do more than stare at the mirror image of herself. Tarin flew at her and wrapped her arms around her. They hugged, the tears flowing. No words were spoken but a lot was said.

  “Excuse me. I know I’m late but I—”

  Tijan and Tarin broke apart enough to look at who was addressing them. The man’s eyes darted back and forth between them.

  “There are two of you.”

  Tijan and Tarin looked at each other and laughed. Soon they were wiping the tears from their faces. “Yes, there are.”

  “Come in, August. I don’t imagine you’ve met my sister, Tijan?”

  August looked back and forth between them before catching her eye and holding it. Cocking his head slightly, he didn’t say a word as he extended his hand. She was confident that he couldn’t recognize her from Caspian Winery because her hair had been different, but she got the distinct feeling he knew something.

  “August is our new mechanic at the winery. He’s been getting all the machinery up to speed. I hear you’re already doing amazing work.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Let’s go up. Everyone is waiting. Come on.” Tarin led the way.

  Tijan could feel August watching at her and could almost hear the questions going through his mind. It made her shake her head and smile. He probably knew more about what was going on than she did.

  She was glad to hear that he was an employee and had at least told her the truth about that. But she still got the feeling that he’d been sneaking around that day she’d found him at Caspian Winery. Why would he have needed to do that if he worked there?

  Chapter 26

  “Tijan, this is my son, Chance.”

  Tijan had taken a moment to slip away and had found herself standing on a huge marble balcony that had the most incredible view she’d ever seen. Beyond the precisely manicured lawns, gardens and trees there were some gently rolling hills and very few houses. It almost made Tijan feel like she was at home. But unlike home this was polished and perfect, unlike her world which was natural, raw, tangled, imperfect and to her even more beautiful than this. She knew, however, that she would never tell anyone that. It definitely made her feel like the outsider.

  When her name was said, something inside her added another stitch to the healing of her soul, which she didn’t even know she needed—or wanted. Hearing her sister say her name was so perfect. She turned slowly, excited and scared to be meeting her nephew.

  His eyes widened as he looked at her from his mom’s arms. He looked at her, then at his mom, then back at her. Tijan and Tarin laughed.

  “He’s not sure what to make of this.”

  “This is my twin sister, honey. She’s your aunty Tijan.”

  “You look like Mom. Like the same, like Mom.” His eyes darted back and forth between the two women.

  And just like that he reached out with his arms to Tijan. Awkwardly, she took him as his small arms wrapped around her neck. It was the most amazing feeling. Some of it must have shown in her face as Tarin hugged both of them, her eyes full of tears.

  Tarin finally eased back. “It is the most wonderful gift ever. I’m guessing you don’t have kids?”

  Tijan shook her head. “Nor a boyfriend, really. Although, there is this guy who wants to marry me. We had all of two dates, even if he says three. His mom has the house and picket fence already picked out.”

  Tarin laughed. “Wow, she sounds like my father. He’s been picking me out husbands for years. Needless to say, his taste in men sucks.”

  Chance had obviously had enough and was squirming. Tijan set him down. Reluctant to face her sister, she knew she had to bring up her meeting with her father. She still couldn’t quite think of him as hers.

  “Tarin, your father—”

  “It just dawned on me; he’s your father too. We really have a lot to talk about, don’t we? My head has just been spinning since I saw you in the office. I can’t tell you how excited I am to meet you. I feel like some rift inside of me has been sewn back together.”

  Tijan gasped, “Oh my God. That’s exactly how I feel.”

  “I’ve always known something was missing from my life but I didn’t know it was you. I always thought you were part of my imagination. And of course, my father was sure I had conjured up an imaginary twin. I’m so confused and have so many questions for him. Where did you grow up, Tijan?”

  “Tarin! Tarin!”

  “I’m in here. What’s up?”

  Tijan felt a shiver of fear course down her spine. The voice sounded urgent.

  Graham flew through the door, his gaze immediately focused on Tarin. “Honey. I don’t know how to tell you this but your father has been shot. He’s at the hospital.”

  The color drained from Tarin’s face as she hurried out the door after Graham. Tijan remained there unsure what to do but felt a blow like never before. She knew that Tarin hadn’t forgotten about her deliberately but could tell that the news had hit her hard. It just wasn’t going to click for her that the man shot was Tijan’s father as well.

  A few minutes later an athletic woman scurried onto the balcony. “Have you seen Chance? I’m his sitter.”

  “He was just here. Do you need help finding him?”

  “No. He’ll go to his playroom. He loves it there. Thanks.” She left.

  With a jumble of confusing emotions, Tijan slowly made her way into the house and down the three flights of ornate marble stairs. There was no one in the vast lobby. She assumed most of them probably went to the hospital, so she opened the door with the intent of leaving, only to stop when she realized she’d ridden there with Tarin and Graham. Really unsure what to do and feeling a bit shaky, she walked out and sat on the steps.

  The sun was just setting. Colors exploded along the horizon. It was still quite warm out but Tijan couldn’
t shake the shiver that had crept inside and was spreading like a rain-swollen river.

  “Tijan. There you are. Tarin just called; she’d like you to come to the hospital. She apologizes for running out.” August came around in front of her.

  “Did he die?”

  “I don’t think so. She wants you to come, though.”

  “Okay. I just need to call a cab.”

  “I’ll take you.”

  Without a word, Tijan followed him to his car and climbed in. “Oh, wait. I need to thank Mrs. Lindell for having me over.”

  “It’s okay; she’s lying down. Her granddaughter is with her. I’m really sorry about your father.”

  “He’s not MY father.” She kept her eyes focused blindly on the road ahead of them. She could feel August looking at her oddly, silently questioning what she was saying, which of course didn’t make sense. She really felt for Tarin but for some reason couldn’t conjure up much for the man she’d spent less than a day with in her life. At least that she knew of. It didn’t really surprise her that someone wanted to shoot him. In her short meeting with him, she’d gotten the feeling that he’d bulldozed over a lot of people, regardless of who they were. What confused her was how had someone gotten close enough to him to point a gun at him, never mind pull the trigger? He’d had bodyguards all around him when she’d seen him. Had it been one of them?

  Chapter 27

  Finally finding a parking spot at the hospital, August knew they were going to pay an exorbitant fee for it but there was no other choice. He’d barely pulled in when Tijan jumped out and headed for the entrance. He followed a fast-moving Tijan but stayed back to give her some space. She’d just crossed the road in front of the hospital when a Rolls Royce pulled up and stopped. August was still across the road but saw Tijan turn to look at the car. It appeared she was talking to someone inside. He stopped and watched for a minute as he wondered who it was. When Tijan jerked back as though avoiding being slapped, August ran but as he arrived, the back window slid up and the car pulled away.

  He looked at Tijan. She was pale but she had been before, so he wasn’t sure if this encounter had added to it.

  “Who was that?”

  She looked at him briefly, saying “someone wanting directions,” before she turned and headed into the hospital.

  That had been a lie but he wasn’t sure why she had. It hadn’t appeared as though anything clandestine had happened, so why lie to him? So much about her puzzled him. Her emphasis on the man in the hospital not being HER father had revealed an anger which he could understand. Her reaction to his shooting had been very different than her sister’s. In fact, why hadn’t she gone to the hospital with her sister? Something was very odd. Since he’d met her there had been an air of dishonesty; although he didn’t feel she was a liar, she sure had a mystery hanging around her like a fog settling in.

  Once inside, she stopped. “I need to use the bathroom. I’ll be right back.” She followed the signs across the lobby.

  He watched her go, liking what he saw but knowing that wasn’t a good idea. He sat down and waited as he had no idea of the man’s name they were going to see. If he asked for the room of the man who had been shot, he wondered how many they’d come back with. Unfortunately, shootings were a little too common. The front cover of a magazine with a picture of waterfalls grabbed his attention. Flipping through it, he got lost in the pictures and some of the stories of people who had gone on some amazing hikes in the backcountry. He was getting quite comfortable when he happened to glance at the large clock on the wall and realized that Tijan had been gone a while. Scrambling to his feet, he followed the signs and headed in the direction she’d gone. As he rounded the corner, he saw her standing there.

  “You okay?”

  She avoided eye contact with him. “We need to find my father.”

  Now the man was her father, he thought, where on the trip over she had vehemently denied that. He wondered why she was so angry at him. Not that he was one to judge; he knew a lot about that whole ‘pissed off at the father’ thing.

  Seeing that Tarin had a twin had thrown him. Had it been Tarin or Tijan he’d seen leaving C-Lite Hotels? Regardless, it still didn’t tell him if he’d been betrayed.

  One minute she was there beside him, the next she was halfway down the hallway. She could move fast. August chased after her and caught up to her at the front desk.

  “Uh. A man was shot. A Mr. Mardsen... Madsen... Marsden... He’s my father.”

  August frowned but shrugged when the receptionist looked at him with a questioning look. Who doesn’t know their father’s last name? “Sorry, she just heard he’s been hurt and is a little rattled.”

  Tijan barely looked up. She was fidgeting with the bottom of her plaid shirt.

  “Mr. Madsen is heading into surgery right now. You can wait in the waiting room, 284.”

  Using the directions she’d given them, August led Tijan to the elevators. He had a ton of questions for her but knew this wasn’t the time to ask them. Something really weird was going on. He just didn’t know what it was. That Tijan and Tarin were identical twins was a given but they were so different. Tarin was all class, gorgeous, friendly, a classy dresser and carried herself with style. Tijan on the other hand, was kind of wild, natural and even he couldn’t deny, gorgeous. Where Tarin’s blue eyes had been arresting and would draw any man in, Tijan’s had a depth that he couldn’t explain. There was something compelling but it wasn’t anything he wanted to explore. There were too many secrets and way too much drama for him.

  When Graham had called, all he’d said was they were sure Tarin’s dad would need surgery but he didn’t know anything more. August followed Tijan until they finally found their way to the waiting room. Tarin was pacing and Graham, who was sitting, never took his eyes off her.

  As they approached the room, Tijan suddenly stopped. Only by using fast reflexes did August avoid running into her. He stepped to the side and looked at her. Her eyes were wide and focused on her sister, her face a mask of uncertainty. If Tarin hadn’t turned and seen her in that second, August was pretty sure she’d have left.

  “Tijan. Thank God you came.” Tarin rushed to her and gave her a big hug before stepping back. “He was shot in the leg but has lost a lot of blood. They think he’ll be fine but... Oh my God, for all the times he drove me crazy, I still wouldn’t wish this on him. I may not want anything to do with him but I didn’t want this. I’m sorry I left you.”

  Tijan took her sister’s hand and returned with her to the waiting room. August followed behind, unsure what to do. Tarin was obviously angry at him, too. The man didn’t sound like he was ever going to win ‘Father of the Year’, yet he had two beautiful daughters who were there for him.

  August felt awkward as if he was privy to family secrets. He’d just met them. He really didn’t know any of them well, although they had gone out of their way to welcome him. Seeing what they were going through with their father just reminded him of his own. He had no idea where exactly the man was, other than last he’d discovered was maybe Toronto. Finding him had been his mother’s wish; her dying wish. If it hadn’t been for that, August would have been fine leaving him to whatever life he’d chosen. His mom had been insistent, though, and although she hadn’t shared much information, she had said there was a lot about him that August didn’t know or didn’t understand. She’d felt he needed to hear the explanations directly from his father. It was only because he’d promised his mom on her deathbed that he’d started the journey to find the man who had sired him. Knowing that Tarin and Tijan’s father might die made him realize that he did want to know why his father had abandoned him. At nine, it had been devastating to know that the man who had barely had time for him had chosen to totally disappear from his life. For a very long time, August had been sure it had been his fault, no matter what his mom had told him.

  Next time he had some free time, he’d really put in the effort to find his father.

  Chapter 28


  “He’s out of surgery. He made it through okay but he’s pretty ill. We’ve got him heavily sedated...” The surgeon who had completed the operation had gone on to explain that the bullet had caused some major muscle damage but had missed the bone. With some rehabilitation, their father should be able to walk again but may have a limp and may need the use of a cane. He was stable but for now it was wait and see.

  Tarin had stayed optimistic and positive throughout the six hours of waiting, but burst into tears at the news. Graham took her into his arms and rocked her back and forth.

  Tijan felt very left out. She knew she should feel something about the fact that her father was going to be okay but all she could conjure was numbness. Seeing the love between Graham and her sister did stir up feelings that someday that was what she wanted. It was also what her mom had. Thinking of her mom made her wish that she was there so she could talk to her about all that had happened. But really, she just wanted her mom to take her in her arms and hold her. It had always made Tijan feel better. It had been her cure-all for everything. But if her mom had been there, Tijan would be firing questions at her faster than a torrential rain. She’d always thought her mom had never lied to her, but this omission was a whopper. The answers were undoubtedly needed but not something she was likely to get soon. In fact, she was a little too raw to even talk to her mom.

  Why her dad hadn’t been a part of her life bothered her a lot, despite knowing he wasn’t a nice man had made it a little easier to handle. But not having her sister? She wasn’t sure she was going to be able to forgive her mom any time soon. As she realized she didn’t know her father, it dawned on her that Tarin didn’t know their mother.

  So much was wrong with all of it.

  Tears leaked from the corner of her eye. She turned only to find August there. He reached out and put his hand on her shoulder. It was that awkward moment where she knew he could see her hurt but was unsure what to do with it. Compassion was written all over his face but also the barrier of two strangers. She could tell he wanted to give her a hug but didn’t step over that invisible line.