A Killer Margarita (Nikki Sands'/Wine Lover's Mystery Series) Read online

  “What?” Nikki sat up as well.

  “Check it out. Isn’t that like Eminem?”

  Nikki took a close look at the young, skinny guy loaded with tattoos, his blond hair tucked under a black baseball cap. He was closely followed by a pretty woman—also with a slew of tattoos down her arms and backside. The one that stood out on the woman was of a jade and purple colored hummingbird. Nikki loved hummingbirds. “I don’t know, I don’t think so.”

  “I do. I totally think so.” Simon raised his hand and started waving, then he started singing, “‘I’m friends with the monster that’s under my bed…and you think I’m crazy. Yeah, you think I’m crazy…’” He turned and looked at Nikki. “See, I can do Rhianna in that song.”

  Nikki slapped his hand down. “What the hell are you doing? And you are definitely no Rhianna. Not even close.”

  “I’m hip. I’m a fan. I’m gonna buy him a drink. And, up yours. I am too a good singer.”

  “Oh no you’re not. We can debate your vocal talent later, but you are not gonna go all paparazzi on me.”

  “Oh yes I am.” Simon stood up and swayed.

  Nikki sank back down and took a long sip from her margarita, trying not to watch the spectacle that she knew was about to happen—and sure enough, one did.

  As Simon approached “Eminem,” another guy who was on his way to feeling no pain bumped into Simon, knocking him into the pool. Water splashed everywhere and Simon popped up all wild-eyed and looking more than dazed. He shook his head and yelled, “Excuse me? What are you doing?”

  The beer-bellied, greasy-haired guy turned to the pool, mouth open. “Oh dude, I am so sorry man. I didn’t see you. I am really sorry. Wow, like seriously, dude, I’m way sorry.” He took a sip from a beer he held. “Hey man, you know what, I got one of the villas here. You need to come down to the villa and have drinks with us tonight. I’ll make it up to you, dude.”

  Nikki wasn’t sure how Simon would react. He could go all drama king and start yelling at the man, or he might actually take him up on the offer. She crossed her fingers for drama king.

  “It’s okay,” the drenched Simon replied. “I needed to cool off anyway.”

  Damn. Nikki took another sip of her margarita and then grabbed a handful of chips. So much for the cheap entertainment factor. Simon climbed out and shook the guy’s hand. She couldn’t hear the introductions, but it appeared as if Simon was making a new friend. She did catch the end of the conversation, because the guy wanted to be sure that everyone knew about his villa.

  “I’m serious, dude, bring the family down. I’m having lobster brought down to the villa and my friend Timmy over there…” he pointed to the tattoo guy, “…he and his woman will be there, and I got a new woman who’s coming too. She is hot. It’s gonna be a blast. You seriously need to come and check out the villa.”

  Nikki rolled her eyes. What a blowhard.

  Simon nodded. “Yeah, maybe, dude.” He then walked back over and slunk onto the chaise. Nikki giggled. Oh boy, those margaritas were a tad strong.

  “So hey, dude, why don’t you come on down to the villa and hang out with me, Villa Man, and we’ll like get super wasted, and you can grab my hot chick’s ass, and we’ll have lobster in the villa.” She tried stifling her laughter.

  Simon turned to her, at first just staring for a few seconds. She could feel his eyes on her even though he had his designer shades on, and then he burst out laughing. “Oh my God, I know, and we can do Jell-O shooters with my buddy Tattoo Timmy who looks like Eminem in The Villa. Ooh and we might all get in the private infinity pool in The Villa…because he told me that The Villa had its own private infinity pool.”

  “Ooh, Villa Man is so special.”

  That was enough to send them into a fit of laughter.

  “We are really bad, you know,” Nikki said.

  Simon nodded. “So bad that we’re good. Oh lookie now, I think this has to be Villa Man’s gf.”

  “Wow.” Nikki felt naked for her. The petite, bodacious, platinum-haired blonde slunk up next to Villa Man, who was probably old enough to be her father, and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. Villa Man smacked her bare ass, which had little more than a G-string in between her cheeks. Nikki shivered. “Ooh.”

  “Right! Like really ooh, gross, so not right, um, wow, wow, wow. I need a shot.”

  “No you don’t. You’ll be hung over by the time we go to dinner tonight,” Nikki said.

  “I will not. I’m Irish.”

  “Irish. Smirish. Whatever. I’m cutting you off. Besides, this show is way too good. We don’t need booze.”

  “True.” He patted her hand. “I love you, Snow White.”

  “I love you too, Simon.”

  “I just know this is going to be the best New Year’s ever,” Simon said. “I miss the tiny tot. But we needed this. Best ever.”

  “I think so too. I mean, look at us: we’re in paradise with the people we love. What could go wrong? Everything is perfect.”

  Gourmet Guacamole and the Perfect Margarita

  A little sun, an icy cold margarita, some fresh homemade guacamole, cheap entertainment at its finest, and a best friend by the pool—what more could a girl want? Besides a hot guy to wait on her. Well, Nikki does have that, too. It would appear that everything is as perfect as our Girl Friday would think. However, if you’re a Nikki Sands fan then you know danger is lurking around the corner, and it may turn out she’s going to need more than a Perfect Margarita to get through the New Year. Might as well take a cue from our amateur sleuth and get out the tequila and avocados! Now, find yourself a little Spanish guitar music, download onto the iPod and get your fiesta on.

  Guacamole Ingredients:

  6 garlic cloves

  6 medium-large (2½ pounds) ripe avocados

  4 medium ripe tomatoes

  1/2 cup (loosely packed) coarsely chopped fresh cilantro (thick bottom stems cut off)

  If you like your guac on the smoky side with a tad spicy flavor added, then get yourself two chipotle peppers (canned).

  2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus a little more if necessary

  Salt and pepper

  Garnishes, Chips and Bread

  3/4 cup (about 3 ounces) Mexican queso fresco or queso añejo or other garnishing cheese like salted pressed farmer’s cheese, firm goat cheese, mild feta or Romano, finely crumbled or grated

  3/4 cup (about 3 ounces) toasted pumpkin seeds

  3/4 cup sliced “nacho ring” pickled jalapeños (you’ll need half of an 11-ounce can)

  1/2 cup crumbled, crisp-fried bacon

  1½ to 2 pounds large, corn chips.

  Directions:

  Make the Roasted Garlic Guacamole. In a small dry skillet over medium heat, roast the unpeeled garlic until it is soft and blackened in spots, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool, then slip off the papery skins and finely chop. Cut around each avocado from stem to blossom end and back up again, then twist the halves apart. Dislodge the pit and scoop the avocado flesh into a large bowl. Chop tomatoes. Add the garlic, cilantro, tomatoes, and lime. If you’re adding the chipotles, chop them and add as well. Coarsely mash everything together. Taste and season with salt, usually about 1 teaspoon. Scoop into its serving bowl and cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the guacamole. Refrigerate until you are ready to serve.

  Use garnishes liberally on the chips! Super tasty!

  Perfect Margarita

  Makes 4 generous drinks

  1 cup tequila, preferably a young silver or Reposado 100% agave tequila.

  1/2 cup Cointreau or other orange liqueur

  1/3 cup fresh lime juice, plus a little extra for moistening the rim of the glasses

  1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice

  A little sugar if necessary

  About 1/3 cup coarse (kosher) salt for crusting the rim of the glasses

  About 3 cups medium ice cubes

  In a small pitcher, combine the tequila, orange liqueur, lime and orange j
uice. Taste and decide if you think the mixture needs to be a little sweeter or a little tangier (keep in mind that it will taste a little tangier once it’s been shaken). Add a bit more lime or a touch of sugar, if necessary.

  Spread out the salt onto a small plate. Moisten the rim of four 6-ounce martini glasses with a little lime juice (if you have a cut lime, even an already squeezed one, moisten the rims by running it around them). One by one, turn the glasses over and dip them lightly in the salt, creating a thin, even crust all around the rim.

  Pour half of the margarita mixture into a cocktail shaker, add half of the ice cubes. Shake vigorously for about 15 seconds. Strain into the prepared glasses, then repeat with the remaining margarita mixture. Relax and enjoy.

  Chapter Three

  That evening the two couples decided to take a walk along the beach to a local restaurant that was being heralded as the best-kept secret in Puerto Vallarta. Although it was late December, the temperature sat at a perfect seventy-three degrees, with a slight breeze coming off the Pacific. Derek took Nikki’s hand as the sun faded into a swirl of red, violet and orange spreading out over the ocean. She squeezed his hand back. “It’s so beautiful. Thank you for doing this.”

  He kissed her bare shoulder. “Thank you for being my wife.” They walked along the shoreline, kicking up sand and a little water.

  Simon and Marco were on a cell phone talking to Violet. “Poppy loves you,” Marco said. “We miss you, sweetheart.”

  Nikki glanced at Derek, who said, “We will have one someday.”

  She nodded. God, he knew her so well. Just hearing the boys of summer talking to the toddler over the phone—well, it got to Nikki, and it hurt a little bit. “I know,” she said. “We will.”

  They arrived at the small restaurant, its entrance lit up by candle lanterns out in front and along the sand for its outdoor seating. The cantina was inside. The swish of the ocean and soft acoustic guitar blended together in peaceful harmony. It was hard not to feel like warm butter—relaxed. A sweet, soft-spoken woman who introduced herself as Juanita seated them. The restaurant was called Juanita’s.

  “Oh, is this your place?” Nikki asked.

  “Yes it is. Welcome. I hope you enjoy yourselves and come back often while you are here. We are very happy to have you.”

  “Thank you, señora,” Marco said.

  “My daughter will be out soon to take your drink order. If you need anything at all, please ask. Enjoy.” She lit the small candles on the table.

  “I love this place already,” Simon said.

  “It’s very nice,” Derek added.

  A few minutes later a beautiful, younger version of Juanita arrived to take their drink orders. Just as she was setting them down, Nikki noticed none other than Villa Man, along with Tattoo Timmy and an entourage, sit down at a large table nearby. Nikki nudged Simon under the table and he rolled his eyes. She noticed Villa Man glance over and nod at Simon. Nikki whispered across the table to him, “I thought they were having lobster in The Villa.”

  Simon laughed.

  “What is so funny?” Marco asked.

  “Inside joke,” Simon replied.

  Derek shook his head. “You two and your little inside jokes.”

  Nikki shrugged.

  As the evening wore on it was difficult to ignore the table with Villa Man and crew. First off, it was a strange group. Yes, Villa Man and Tattoo Timmy and their women were strange enough to begin with, but they were also eating with a Latino couple who looked well-to-do. Simon mentioned that the guy, who was graying slightly along his hairline, wore a shirt from Dolce & Gabbana. His wife sported a diamond ring about the size of Mt. Everest. The man was buying drink after drink. After that many drinks the group, except for the Latina woman, grew quite loud.

  “There’s a club in town that Marco and I were thinking about going dancing at. What do you say?” Simon asked.

  “Clubbing? Tonight? We were thinking of having dessert in tonight.” Derek gently squeezed Nikki’s knee.

  “Oh,” Simon and Marco replied in unison.

  “I think that sounds like fun. For you two, I mean,” Simon said. “We were kind of hoping to boogey out of here about now. Get a little more of the local flavor, have a cultural experience.”

  “Sounds fun,” Nikki said. “Where are you going?”

  “Christine’s,” Simon replied.

  Derek chuckled. “Sounds like a definite cultural experience.”

  “I assure you that it will be. Is that cool with you? Then you two can have some alone time. Take a walk on the beach, play From Here to Eternity, dance a cha-cha-cha. Something. Live it up.”

  “Yes, do. You are still on a honeymoon,” Marco said. “And we will go dancing.”

  “Have a blast,” Nikki replied.

  Simon and Marco stood. “Ta-ta, lovebirds,” Simon told them. “See you in the a.m. at the pool, then I thought we’d have a little shopping spree—you and me, Snow White. You know—the Christmas after Christmas sales, Puerto Vallarta style.” He winked at her.

  “Works for me. How about you, honey?” Derek didn’t answer right away and Nikki noticed he was eyeing Villa Man’s table. “Honey?”

  “What? Oh I’m sorry. I just was watching the um…”

  Nikki turned to see exactly what he was watching. Villa Man’s girlfriend was doing some kind of strange gyration thing on the lap of the Latino man. His wife sat looking horrified while the men whooped it up. Villa Man yelled out, “Now that’s how a salsa dance is done, right, Ricardo?”

  Ricardo was pretty much salivating as blondie went to town. His wife then stood up and stomped away. After a few seconds, old Ricardo realized that his wife was leaving. He pushed Villa Man’s girlfriend away and went after her. Villa Man and Tattoo Timmy laughed. Tattoo Timmy’s girlfriend looked perfectly annoyed and said something to the pair. She also stood up and left. Blondie looked dazed and confused. Villa Man pulled her down onto his lap and handed her a shot of tequila.

  “Have this, Dream,” he said. “Damn, I love your name. It’s so fitting. Dream!” Villa Man looked over at Nikki’s table and yelled, “Her name is Dream. Isn’t she a dream?”

  Nikki felt dirty all over. No one responded to his comment. “We’ll get the check, guys, and see you in the morning.”

  “Thank you, Sweetie.” Simon kissed her cheek. Marco took his hand and they walked out of the restaurant.

  The remaining wild bunch at the other table quieted down a bit. Derek smiled at Nikki. “All alone. Do you want some dessert?”

  “What about the heathens?” She nodded toward Villa Man, who now leaned in to have a low-toned conversation with Tattoo Timmy. Dream didn’t exactly look too happy.

  “I don’t care about them. I can drown out anything as long as I’m with you. Besides, I bet that they’ll be heading out of here soon. This isn’t exactly the party scene type of place. If they want to continue the drinking and being assholes, I’m sure they’ll head into town.”

  “I’m stuffed after that meal though.” She had ordered grilled seafood in what was called a mojo de ajo sauce—garlicky and buttery and extremely delicious. “Maybe by the time we walk back to the hotel, I’ll be ready for dessert. Maybe room service.”

  “Sounds perfect to me,” he replied and took her hands. “Have I told you today how beautiful you are and how much I love you?”

  “Hmm, maybe once or twice.”

  “Not enough. I need to work on that. I really don’t know what my life would be like without you, Nik. I love you.”

  She squeezed his hands back. “I love you, too. More than anything.”

  They stayed lost in their own world for a few seconds, until they were startled by Juanita’s daughter Susannah hollering in Spanish at the imbeciles next to them. From her tone, Nikki was pretty sure it wasn’t a “thank you for coming and have a great evening.”

  Juanita came running from the kitchen. Nikki looked at Derek, who knew Spanish better than she did. The guitar player set
his instrument aside and also hurried over.

  Villa Man’s girlfriend stood up, shouting, “You’re a prick! And I also know other things about you! You’ll pay for what you did!” She tossed her last tequila shot on him.

  Villa Man laughed. “Thanks for the compliment, bitch. Pay for what I did? You’re not just a bitch…you’re a crazy bitch. If anyone will be paying for anything, it’s going to be you! Now get out of my sight. You can figure out your own way to get back home. I think I like this one here.” He pointed at Susannah.

  Tattoo Timmy tried to quiet him down. “Hey man. Take it down a notch.”

  Susannah nodded. “Sí. He bad man.”

  The guitar player stepped in and said, “It is time for you to leave, señor.”

  Dream staggered out in tears. Nikki went to help her get a cab or something, but when she gently grabbed her by the shoulder, the girl screamed, “Get the hell away from me! Trust me! You don’t want to be seen with me. Not now.”

  “I’m just trying to help.” She didn’t understand what the woman meant.

  “I don’t need your help, do-gooder chick. I don’t need anyone’s help.”

  “I think you do.”

  “No. I don’t. Really I don’t. I’ve lost everything anyway.” Dream was in tears and Nikki could see in her eyes that she probably did need some help.

  “You son-of-a-bitch!”

  Derek’s voice, Nikki realized. The sound of breaking glass and more yelling followed, and she looked back to see what was going on. This did not sound good. She started walking in that direction then turned back to the woman, who was no longer there. Nikki spotted taillights of a car as it turned out onto the main road.

  Nikki ran back into the bar, where Derek looked to have the best of Villa Man. Tattoo Timmy stood to the side, apparently not getting involved. The guitar player, Susannah, and Juanita all looked surprised. Nikki watched Derek throw a left hook, which connected to Villa Man’s chin; the guy couldn’t help but go down.