Murder Uncorked (14 page)

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Authors: Michele Scott

BOOK: Murder Uncorked
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“If your hands aren’t too full, I’ll take whatever you bring out.”
Nikki could be friends with this woman. She was warm, yet conservative enough to give off an air of respectability. Usually people like that intimidated Nikki; however, Minnie Lark did not.
“Sorry that you came here at such an awkward time. It’s been horrific losing Gabriel, and then having to pull this party together. Usually, it’s a mellow scene at the winery, minus all the misfits. I don’t know how Derek does it, and is able to keep the gluttons at bay at the same time.” Minnie nodded her head in the direction of a small cluster of people.
They included Patrice, who was puffing away on her cigarette, and Meredith, as well as a man Nikki assumed to be Cal Sumner. He had his arm around Meredith, and now she could see why Derek’s ex was infatuated with the vineyard owner down the road. He looked a great deal like Johnny Depp, once again affirming Nikki’s findings that the men occupying Napa Valley weren’t passed over in the looks department. She didn’t recognize the other two men, but they were quite a pair. Both handsome and dressed as if they’d stepped out of a Banana Republic ad, the dark-haired one clad in a white silk shirt and khaki pants, his counterpart wearing an olive-green silk shirt and black pants. Nikki thought that they were probably Simon, Derek’s half brother and his partner, Marco.
As she watched the group, Minnie rattled on in her ear about the winery and the types of wines they produced, becoming noticeably quite tipsy. “Gabriel was great. I mean fantastic, you know. He was such a genius with the wines. I can’t believe he’s gone.” Her eyes brimmed with tears.
“I take it that you knew him pretty well?” Nikki got the distinct feeling by the way the woman acted that Minnie knew Gabriel as more than just a friend.
She nodded and sucked back a deep sob, lowering her voice. “I did.” Minnie looked down.
“Minnie, are you okay?”
“No one knows this. I don’t even know why I’m telling you. I shouldn’t tell you. I don’t know you, but you seem like a nice person, and I have to talk to someone.” Nikki gave her an encouraging nod. “Gabriel and I were lovers. We kept it under wraps because it’s not always the best idea to mix love and work, if you know what I mean.”
“I do.”
“I’m sure Derek would’ve been fine with it, but it was kind of fun for us to have a
secret
. It seems silly now that he’s gone. So do the dreams we shared. My idea of going to Tuscany was real. We talked about it one night after we watched
Under the Tuscan Sun
together at my place. Gabriel always wanted to go back to Italy. Get away from here, maybe have our own vineyard.” A tear fell down her face.
Nikki touched her shoulder. “I’m so sorry. I can’t believe that you’re here tonight. Gosh. If there’s anything I can do to help you through this, please let me know.”
Minnie nodded. “Thank you.” She brushed away her tears.
Nikki hesitated for a moment but figured there was no time like the present, since Minnie had been the one to open the door and let it all out. “I don’t want to upset you, but do you have any idea as to who might have done this?”
Minnie looked away from her and out past the dance floor and gazebo. When she turned back to face her, tears had flooded her eyes again. For a second, Nikki was sorry she asked, until Minnie sighed and again nodded. She lowered her voice. “That’s another reason why I’m feeling so horrible.”
“What do you mean?” Nikki asked.
“I, uh, I have a friend, a dear friend. His name is Andrés Fernandez. He’s a winemaker down the road, at Spaniards’ Crest. He’s a good listener, you know?”
Nikki nodded, not sure where this was going, but having a gut-wrenching feeling that it was going somewhere
good
. She didn’t think it was a bright idea to let on to Minnie that she’d already heard Andrés name mentioned more than once in regard to Gabriel’s murder, or the fact that she’d already had personal contact with the man. If Minnie knew this, she might change her mind about telling Nikki whatever it was she wanted to tell her.
“He and Gabriel didn’t get along, and well, they went a few rounds more than once.”
“You mean fighting?”
“They had a few yelling matches. I saw Andrés push Gabriel once, not that long ago at a party. Gabriel went to swing at him, but Andrés’ sister tried to break it up. She actually wound up getting hit by Gabriel, accidentally, because she got in the way, and you can imagine Andrés’ reaction. He pretty much vowed to
get him.
”
“What was the fight over?”
Minnie traced the rim of her wine glass and then took another large gulp before answering. “As much as I loved Gabriel, it was no secret to anyone that he was a womanizer. He tried to tell me that he was changing and he loved me, and you know men, all of that stuff. But, I knew that he loved beautiful women. And, Andrés’ sister is a beautiful woman.”
“Are you saying that Gabriel was also sleeping with Andrés’ sister?” Man, did the guy get around or what?
“No. Isabel, that’s Andrés’ sister, wanted nothing to do with Gabriel. But, according to Andrés, who talked to me about the incident at the party, Gabriel would not leave Isabel alone. He’d call her, and when they’d run into each other around town, come on to her, and this really bothered Isabel, who complained to her big brother.”
“Who reacted like most protective big brothers would.”
“Exactly.”
Aha! The key to the clue as to why Andrés really despised Gabriel so much. Nikki also couldn’t help wondering about Minnie. Why wouldn’t an intelligent, lovely woman like her send someone like Gabriel packing? What wonderful quality did this guy have that everyone around him fell prey to his charms? That is, apparently everyone but this Isabel and her brother. She couldn’t help thinking poorly of the deceased, however; the more she learned about Gabriel, the more she didn’t like about him. “Have you told the police any of this?”
“No. Of course not. Andrés is my friend. I like his sister. They’re good people. There may have been bad blood between him and Gabriel, but I don’t think he could do something like kill Gabriel.”
“But you can’t help wondering, can you?”
She shook her head. “No, I can’t. But I can’t go to the police, and besides I’m sure that they’re aware of the difficulties between them. There were a lot of people at that party, and someone must have said something to the police by now.”
“What was the party for?” Nikki already had a feeling she knew from her earlier conversation with Derek.
“Isabel recently opened a restaurant over in Yountville. It’s called Grapes. It was her opening night.”
Nikki nodded and took a sip of her wine.
“I’m sorry to tell you all of this. I couldn’t take it anymore.”
“I’m happy that you feel you could trust me and I could be here for you.”
Tears streamed down Minnie’s face. “Gabriel really loved me. He did. It wasn’t like with him and Tara or whatever he wanted Isabel for, or Meredith for that matter.” She covered her mouth. “You didn’t hear me say that. Please. That did not come from me. Deal? Besides, I don’t even know if it’s true. Gabriel insisted that the rumors about them were false, but the gossip was brutal. Someone got that idea about him and Meredith, and the stories became more exaggerated with each telling. I’m sure it put a strain on Gabriel and Derek’s relationship.”
Derek was right, the goings-on at the vineyard would have put any and all soap operas to shame. Gabriel apparently had played the starring role as the gigolo. Just like Raoul Bova, who’d starred opposite Diane Lane in Minnie’s favorite flick. Yes, that would’ve been a great role. Bova was luscious and had reeled in Lane’s character, Frances. Granted, Nikki hadn’t seen the movie, but she had read the screenplay and she also knew Bova from
Avenging Angelo
, a Stallone stinker that Nikki had actually enjoyed, mostly because of Bova. Bova’s character in
Under the Tuscan Sun
was the womanizer on screen that Gabriel was in real life. Lane’s character fell hard for Bova and then caught him screwing around. The difference here was Minnie hadn’t been willing to let go of her Italian charmer, and of course, no one was murdered in
Under the Tuscan Sun.
Minnie had been sucked in and romanticized her relationship with Gabriel, excusing his bad behavior.
Minnie wiped the tears from her face. Nikki wanted to ask her more questions, but Derek appeared at her side with a new glass of wine.
“This is our Cabernet Sauvignon. I think this is one of the best we’ve ever produced. Gabriel did a great job.”
Minnie glanced away and then back at Nikki, her eyes pleading with her to keep silent. She wondered if that was what the woman
really
wanted.
“Here, try these. I’m going back in to bring some for you, Minnie,” he said, handing Nikki a plate. “They’re delicious. Broiled oysters with a jalapeño pesto. They’ve got a bit of a kick to them.”
“Don’t worry about me. I think I’ll mingle a bit. It was nice talking to you, Nikki.”
Nikki smiled back at her. Derek looked questioningly at her and led her to a nearby table. She ate one of the warm appetizers before setting them on the table, discovering that Derek was right. They were delicious.
“What was that all about?” he asked.
“She’s pretty distraught over Gabriel’s death.”
“I’m sure she is. We all are. Most of us are, anyway. My brother and his partner, on the other hand, don’t seem to be unhappy.” Derek pointed to the boys of summer doing the swing on the dance floor. “That’s Simon and Marco, and the only pleasure I get from those two is the knowledge that Patrice can’t stand it that her only son is gay. If you look at her right now, she’s trying very hard to avert her eyes from the dance floor. She can’t even admit that Simon is gay. He sleeps in the same room with Marco, they travel together, they kiss in public, I mean
c’mon
. But, because Simon hasn’t come right out and told his mother that he prefers men, then to her he’s just
artsy.
”
“You still think I should move in here?” She pointed to the mansion.
“Yes. They may all be loonies, but they’re harmless loonies. You’ll be safe here, and I’ll feel better about that.”
“If you insist.” She didn’t feel good about it at all, and she wasn’t in the least bit convinced that any of them weren’t capable of murder, as she thought about the cigarette pack she’d found earlier and the charm. It did look more and more like Andrés could be involved in Gabriel’s murder. She wondered what the police had determined in regard to Andrés.
“I do.”
“Here, have another oyster.” He picked up the appetizer and fed it to her.
She was pretty tipsy from all the wine, but not too tipsy to recognize that when a man feeds a woman, it hits a ten on the flirting-Richter scale. The band switched from the big band music and started playing the Rolling Stones’ “I’m Just Waiting on a Friend.”
“I love this song,” Derek remarked.
“Me, too,” Nikki replied as the saxophonist started in.
“Will you dance with me?” Derek stood and extended his hand. Nikki thought she might melt right there. But, before it could get any better, a fortyish woman wearing a low-cut gold-colored gown with a slit up the side that would give even Samantha from
Sex and the City
a run for her money, rudely interrupted them.
She pulled a chair right up to their table and reached for Derek’s hand. The one intended for Nikki. “Don’t mind if I do.” She set her wine down, splashing it around, just missing Nikki’s dress. Brushing back her hair, the same color of the dress, with an exaggerated flip of the hand, the woman batted her thickly coated eyelashes in their direction. She sat down and grabbed an oyster from the platter at the table, tugging at Derek’s hand.
“Sit down, darling. I want to talk to you. You’ve gone over the top once again. What a lovely event. I am blown away. It’s marvelous, absolutely marvelous.” She leaned over and gave Derek a kiss on the cheek imprinting the side of his face with her lipstick. The woman’s raccoon eyes gave Nikki the once-over.
“So anyhoo, darling, I love the new wines and can’t wait to write about them in
Winemaker Magazine
. They’re fab, fab, fab. When are you going to give me a little private tasting, hmm?” She scooted her chair closer, nudging him on the shoulder.
Nikki was sick to her stomach. She had no idea that women could be so totally obnoxious. Well, yes she did. That TV show
The Bachelor
kind of proved it.
“I’m really busy these days, Tara. But it’s nice to see you,” Derek said, obviously as annoyed by her presence as Nikki.
“You can never be too busy for those who help you on your way up the ladder, now can you? And you have to admit I always write a very nice article about you, your winery, your wines—ah. Fab, fab, fab, darling. I simply wish I could say that to Gabriel. We were
so
close. He was such a darling. It is so horrid. I am mortified that anything like this could happen in our quaint little valley. I’ve heard the memorial service is on Tuesday. He deserves a toast. I’d like to give him one, darling.” She sloshed back a gulp of wine, set the glass down, and reached her hand out, sliding her long red nails down Derek’s arm in what could only be construed as a pass.

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