Murder Uncorked (13 page)
Authors: Michele Scott
He opened up the door of the Pinto, the rear end bashed in from one of his last ventures out. He shoved her into the front seat, slammed the door to the car, got behind the wheel, and cranked the engine. Before long they were bumping rapidly down the dirt road that led away from their two-bedroom house.
As they sped away she saw a group of five of her siblings walking home. They all watched, and she turned, trying to see their faces through the dirty windows of the car. Penny waved her hands frantically at them, but Daddy didn’t stop. This could not be good.
“You know what, girl? I’ve been hanging on to this year after year, trying to do my best by all you kids, even you. But I get no thanks for being a decent father and husband. None,” he roared.
Nikki recoiled in her seat, trying to get her legs up under her.
“You know where your mama is when she should be home tending to you? You don’t mean nuthin’ to her, and you don’t mean nuthin’ to me, and you definitely don’t mean nuthin’ to that fool she’s been messing around with all these years, kiddo. That’s your daddy.” He weaved back and forth, in and out of his lane. The windows of the car were now down, blowing hot humid air through it. Her lungs burned. She wanted to cry but was too afraid. She didn’t understand him and didn’t want to. His words were too ugly for her.
“I put up with her and her cheating on me for years, ’cause I loved her. But no more. No more. Every time you come home from school, and I gotta look in those eyes of yours and know you ain’t my kid, I about go crazy. You’re just lucky you ain’t no boy.”
Nikki covered her ears.
“Game’s up, kiddo. It is u—” He didn’t finish the word, and Nikki opened her eyes for a split second. In that second she saw a blur of blue coming at them, and then nothing. When she woke up in the hospital, her father was dead. Her mother sent her off to L.A. right before her tenth birthday. She hadn’t been back since.
Her mother had finally given her the gift of having a good life by sending her away to live with her Aunt Cara. Nikki had replaced her mother with her aunt, and was grateful every day for Aunt Cara. Without her love and care, and the offer to raise her, who knew where Nikki might’ve ended up. Aunt Cara had taken her in without bat-ting an eye, and even though her job as a cop with the LAPD was time-consuming and stressful, she rarely missed any of Nikki’s school events or anything major in her life. Yes, her aunt had always been there for her—a willing parent and friend.
Cara had been married once, before Nikki came to live with her, to another cop. He was killed in the line of duty, and her aunt sadly enough never remarried, or dated much for that matter. She’d always wanted a child, but during the five years she’d been married had been unable to get pregnant. So, as much as Cara filled that maternal void for Nikki, it was apparent that Nikki also filled a void for Cara. God, how she missed her, but this was her aunt’s time, and with any luck maybe she would let loose, relax, and even, fingers crossed, find love again.
Nikki stepped out of the shower and dried off, shaking out the demons in her head. How had she made it? A huge part of it was because of Aunt Cara—one of the few sane ones in a long line of crazies.
She tried desperately to push those thoughts away as she slipped into her black dress. It did the trick, making her look sophisticated and showing enough cleavage to sexy her up some.
After applying a bit of nectar-colored lipstick, along with some blush across her cheeks and eyelids and a couple of coats of mascara, she figured she was as ready as she was going to be. Nikki shut the door to the guest cottage behind her and walked out into the chilly evening.
Chapter 9
Nikki tightened her black shawl around herself while waiting for Derek out on the front porch of the cottage to attend the evening’s grand soiree.
“I like a lady who’s on time,” he said approaching the front steps, looking amazing in a charcoal suit, burgundy shirt, and tie. “And one who looks absolutely beautiful, I might add.”
Her face and a few other areas warmed to the compliment. The strange day with its clues, weird interviews, and her hunches all vanished as Derek held out his arm, and she took it.
“Are you ready for this?” he asked.
“Are you kidding? I’m dying with anticipation.”
“Let me assure you then, that if you’ve ever enjoyed a soap opera in your life, and I’m not admitting to anything here other than I did watch an episode or two of
Melrose Place
back in the day, before I turned a new leaf and took a hiatus from the tube, then what you’re about to witness would put that show to shame.”
Melrose Place
back in the day, before I turned a new leaf and took a hiatus from the tube, then what you’re about to witness would put that show to shame.”
“As I said, I can’t wait. And, if what I experienced today was a preview, well I’m certain this will be damn good. However, I’m curious about how you got mixed up with this crowd if they’re as ludicrous as you say.”
“What’s the saying—you can’t choose your family? In my case, I didn’t choose half of these folks to be involved in my life. I am guilty of Meredith, that I will confess to.” He sighed. “But love is blind.”
“You are a man of clichés.”
They laughed together. “That I am, my dear. Hopefully, you’ll find that I am also a man of substance, or at least I like to think so.”
They entered the old mansion that overlooked the vineyard. It was a Tudor straight out of the English countryside. Bach was being played quietly in the background through the house’s sound system. The whole place oozed fancyschmancy. Everything was done in dark woods, fabrics of damask and velvet in burgundy, gold, and hunter green. Apparently no one had told Derek’s step-monster that 1992 was more than a decade past. Someone had spent a lot of money on decorating the house, but someone sure in heck needed to spend some money updating it. Still, the home was remarkable.
The architecture held true to its seventeenth-century English style, with all its charm and beauty, from high ceilings to stained glass windows, and even a turret that surrounded the staircase leading upstairs. “To live in a home like this, if you can call it a home—it’s so amazing. God, how lucky,” she said turning to Derek.
“It used to be. I haven’t lived here since I was seventeen. That’s when I went away to college. When I came back, I moved into the farmhouse. I couldn’t live here. It’d be like
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
Speaking of which, here comes one of the asylum inmates now.”
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
Speaking of which, here comes one of the asylum inmates now.”
She watched as Derek plastered on a phony smile for Botox buddy number one. This close up, and without dust in her eyes, Nikki could really get a good look at just how lavishly paid Patrice’s plastic surgeon must have been. She made Joan Rivers look tame in comparison. Her low-cut black beaded dress showed off what one could only assume were a pair of store-bought boobs. A matching beaded purse hung from her shoulder.
Nikki crossed her arms in front of her, suddenly becoming very aware of her lack of haute couture and the fact that her bra size was a B cup, even with a Miracle Bra.
“Lovely you could make it, Derek,” Patrice cooed.
He leaned in and coldly kissed his stepmother on the cheek. “Last time I checked, Patrice, I was the host. Let’s play nice tonight and remember the reason we’re all here is to battle leukemia.”
“Yes,” she said sounding rather snakelike as she placed a long emphasis on the
s,
her eyes darting around the room. “But I am allowing you to host it in
my
home. By the way, have you seen Meredith? She looks gorgeous, especially on Cal Sumner’s arm. I’m so pleased she’s found someone who can satisfy her.” She leaned in to him and lowered her voice. “Maybe if you could’ve satisfied her, she wouldn’t have wound up in another man’s bed.” She winked at Nikki, who looked away, unsure of exactly what to do.
s,
her eyes darting around the room. “But I am allowing you to host it in
my
home. By the way, have you seen Meredith? She looks gorgeous, especially on Cal Sumner’s arm. I’m so pleased she’s found someone who can satisfy her.” She leaned in to him and lowered her voice. “Maybe if you could’ve satisfied her, she wouldn’t have wound up in another man’s bed.” She winked at Nikki, who looked away, unsure of exactly what to do.
“It’s always a pleasure to see you,” Derek replied, noticeably holding back his anger as his jaw clenched around his response.
“I think I’d like a drink, please,” Nikki said, trying desperately to break the tension between them, and to get as far away as she could from the hideous woman.
“Of course she would like a drink.” Patrice looked aghast at Derek. “Sometimes Derek forgets his manners. It’s something I’ve worked on for years with him, but not even expensive boarding schools helped.”
“Patrice Malveaux, this is Nikki Sands,” Derek said with a nonchalant smile, remaining as cavalier as he could.
“Yes, Nicole, nice to formally meet you.”
Nikki stifled a retort and instead smiled. “Nice to meet you, too, Patricia.”
“Patrice, darling.”
“I’m terribly sorry. Shall we get that drink now?” She faced Derek, who hooked her arm as they walked away from the wretched hag’s piercing eyes, which Nikki could almost feel burning a hole through her back. “I’m beginning to get the picture. Whew. That was ugly.”
“That’s nothing. She was just winding up.”
Nikki glanced back over her shoulder at Derek’s stepmother and caught her breath to see Patrice digging out a pack of Benson and Hedges from her purse.
The smoker
. Could Patrice also be the owner of the “best friends” charm? Nikki doubted it, fairly certain that Patrice’s best friends were diamonds. Derek interrupted the thought process starting to roll in Nikki’s head.
The smoker
. Could Patrice also be the owner of the “best friends” charm? Nikki doubted it, fairly certain that Patrice’s best friends were diamonds. Derek interrupted the thought process starting to roll in Nikki’s head.
“Here, I want you to try this.” He took a glass of white wine from one of the butler’s trays. “This is our latest Sauvignon Blanc. It’s a little young in my opinion, but it’s fresh and tangy.” Taking a pita-type appetizer from another tray, he thanked the waiter, calling him by name. “And it goes nicely with this appetizer,” he said, handing her a pastry tart off the waiter’s tray. “This is a recipe my pal Bob Hurley gave me. He owns one of my favorite restaurants around here. I’ll have to take you there. This is a goat cheese and red onion tart with apple-smoked bacon. It’s delicious. Bob’s a great guy, so I asked him for the recipe. A lot of times at events we do here at the winery, I’ll give the caterers my own recipes to prepare.”
“Your recipes?” she asked, surprised. “Aren’t you talented?”
“I don’t know about that. I like to cook, and I learned a lot from my mom. She was a wonderful cook. In fact, when my folks had parties, she never allowed them to be catered.” Nikki thought she saw him tear up, but the dim lighting made it hard to really tell. “She was funny that way. Fantastic cook, but when she was in a kitchen, or anywhere else for that matter, it was a disaster. Cooking she could do. Cleaning was not her thing. You know how you see characters on TV cooking with flour on their nose, and all over the place?”
Nikki nodded.
“That was my mom. She marched to her own drumbeat. I think that was why she was so special.”
“You really miss her.”
“More than anyone will ever know. We were really close, and that’s why I do this each year, and stay as involved as I am in the foundation. Leukemia is a wretched disease. I want to do what I can to help find a cure. But tell you what, I don’t really want to talk about it right now.”
“I understand.” Nikki wanted to help lighten things up for him, so she decided to talk about what he loved the most. “Pairing the wines can be pretty intricate at times,” she commented.
“You should know. You’ve done a good job yourself suggesting pairings.”
She liked the sound of that. “Thanks.” They finished off their tarts and glasses of wine.
“Hey, there’s Minnie.” He pointed through a pair of French doors at the woman she’d met earlier. “It might be nice for you to acquire a perspective other than mine about the winery.”
A twinge of guilt traveled through her with the knowledge that she’d already gotten another perspective on the winery from Andrés.
They stepped out onto the patio. The area was absolutely glamorous, like something from a movie set. Lanterns filled with candles illuminated the scene, and the scent of orange blossoms filled the air. A group of musicians played big-band music in the gazebo on the other side of a lap pool. The effect was from another era, and far different than the stuffiness in the interior of the mansion.
They walked toward Minnie, who smiled as they approached. “I really think that you’ll like it here. As I explained earlier, I could use some help,” she said, holding out her hand.
“While you two ladies chat, I’m going to head over to one of the bars and bring another wine for you to try. Minnie, anything for you?” Derek asked.
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