A Vintage Murder Read online

  She waved a hand at him. “No charge for the tasting. But you have to buy a bottle of wine.” She winked at Nikki. “For your girl.” Derek agreed to her terms and she started pouring.

  “This is my Sauvignon Blanc. Good stuff. Not too much grapefruit flavor like so many of them. I think it has a crisp pear flavor myself.”

  Nikki swirled, sniffed, and did the whole wine-expert thing, which was funny, because although she sold it for Derek and helped manage his winery, she never really considered herself an expert. There was always more to learn and discover about growing grapes and making wine, and about what people enjoyed about wine. “It is good. I can taste the pear.”

  “You’re from the States,” Sarah said.

  They nodded. “Napa.”

  “Ah. So are you here for pleasure, or is this a business trip?”

  “Both,” Derek said and left it at that.

  “We’ve had some meetings with the Hahndorfs,” Nikki added. Derek nudged her. Oops, she hadn’t realized she wasn’t supposed to say anything.

  Sarah didn’t respond for a second, her face shadowed by what looked to be anger. “I see. Yes, well, I can warn you that you don’t want to be involved with that family.”

  Nikki glanced at Derek, who looked down. He sighed, knowing she would take Sarah’s bait. And she did. “Why do you say that?”

  Sarah poured herself a full glass of the Sauvignon Blanc and then poured them each a taste of a Viognier. Before expanding on her opinion of the Hahndorfs she gave a brief description of the wine. Nikki sipped it and thought it okay, but wanted this Sarah lady to continue her story.

  After another sip of wine, Sarah said, “Liam is a decent man. Quite the entrepreneur in these parts. Rumor has it that he’s planning to make a deal with Derek Malveaux. I’m guessing that’s you.” She raised an eyebrow and Derek nodded, not looking exactly pleased.

  Maybe Nikki should’ve kept her mouth shut. She knew he didn’t care to gossip, and she was probably going to catch an earful.

  “But I’m telling you the one behind that empire is Grace. She is a control freak and neurotic as hell. Liam doesn’t jump unless she tells him to.”

  “I didn’t get that feeling. We’ve been at their place. Grace Hahndorf seems like a nice woman, and I got the impression that she was hands-off with the business,” Nikki said. True, but she did think Grace had some oddities about her.

  “Oh no. She puts on a good show. Liam goes right along with it. She’s quite the scam artist, I tell you. For Grace it’s all about appearances.” She leaned in. “Don’t you think for a minute that this idea of you labeling his Australian wine in California was his idea. Not at all. Liam is simple folk, like most of us. Grace is a snob. She runs the show. Watch out for her. Such a shame things didn’t work out the way Liam wanted twenty years ago.”

  “What do you mean?” Nikki asked.

  “Liam should have wound up with Elizabeth Wells. She was his first and only true love, but she died.” Sarah shook her head.

  Derek was frowning.

  “How did she die?” Nikki asked.

  “Fluke. Elizabeth was a zoologist and conservationist. She was trying to save a sick baby koala out in the bush. Guess the mother had died. Anyway, nasty story, but a crocodile got her.”

  “Oh my God!”

  “Yep. Here the poor girl was trying to save one animal only to slip and fall near the river, where the croc got her.”

  “That’s awful.”

  “Yeah, I know, and then poor Liam winds up with Grace, which is even worse.”

  “I don’t know what you mean about Grace. She really does seem lovely.”

  “Looks are deceiving.”

  Derek cleared his throat and set his glass down. He took out a twenty-dollar bill and handed it to Sarah. “That should cover our bottle. Nikki. We gotta go.”

  Uh-oh. He was not happy.

  Sarah called out to them as they left. Derek didn’t look back. Nikki turned and shrugged, giving her a smile. She was pretty sure that Sarah Fritz would have some opinions about the two of them to share with the locals.

  Nikki followed him back to the car. He didn’t say anything for a few minutes as they pulled out of the winery. Finally he spoke: “Why do you always do that?”

  “Do what?”

  “Ask questions. Buy into what people are saying.”

  “I didn’t necessarily buy into what she was saying.”

  He laughed. “Sure. What you do is open yourself up to all sorts of B.S. That woman makes shit wine. You tasted it. And she’s jealous of Liam and Grace and their winery. That would be my guess. If that story she told were remotely true—and I doubt it—well, it’s nobody’s business but the Hahndorfs. And you just kept egging her on.”

  “I didn’t do that.” Nikki shrank back in her seat. Okay, so maybe she had. But it wasn’t like she went looking for gossip.

  “Yes, you did, and you do it all the time. It’s why you always wind up in trouble, looking and asking where it isn’t your business.”

  She started to say something. He held up a finger. “No. Listen this time. I can see the wheels churning in that brain of yours.” She frowned. “Which means you’re already willing to listen to the town gossip, see what you can find out about the Hahndorfs. And, whether or not you have consciously realized it or not, I think—no, I know—you’re doing it because you want to learn as much as you can, because you have this horrible habit of playing Nancy Drew. And sure as shit, you’ve already convinced yourself that Lucy Swanson was murdered and you want to get to the bottom of it, which honestly, I don’t know why. Even if she was murdered, why do you want to go looking for the answers?”

  She sat back, trying to be pissed off at him. She didn’t like his tone or his accusations, but dammit, her mind was racing with the knowledge that Derek spoke the truth. She had no real answer to his question. The only thing she could say was the first thing that came to her mind, and she knew it was her truth.

  “Because I care. It might sound stupid and, I don’t know, maybe crazy, but you know what, we live in this insane world. People typically only think about themselves. I think that TV and pop culture has caused an entire generation to become numb to the violence and chaos of the world, and I’m sorry, but I refuse to become a zombie, to not feel when a woman dies, and especially when she’s murdered. And yes, I do believe Lucy was murdered. And so what if she was obnoxious and had her issues, she was also a human being, and the thing is, Derek, we all have our bullshit. We all act like morons sometimes, but on the flip side I think most people are decent at their core.”

  She sighed and looked out the window, tears stinging her eyes. She hadn’t realized that these feelings were who made her who she was until that very moment. For some strange reason she’d gone through life trying to convince herself, and even others, that she didn’t really care that much—caring meant you usually wound up hurt—but the truth was, she did care.

  Derek pulled the car off the road. Was he going to kick her out? Maybe her impassioned plea had convinced him that she was certifiably insane. Instead he grabbed her left shoulder with one hand and touched her cheek with his other, leaned in, and kissed her hard. It took her breath away. They kissed for several minutes and her world went from sitting in the little coupe on the side of a country road in the Barossa Valley to one of a warm, floating cloud in the middle of what had to be heaven. When Derek pulled away from her, it took her a few seconds to open her eyes. When she did, he was staring at her. “What?” she said, nearly breathless.

  “And that is why I love you. But what I don’t love is your poking around in this type of thing, because what I don’t want is for you to get hurt. Promise me that you will drop this Lucy Swanson thing and let the gossip you heard back at Sarah Fritz’s place stay there.”

  Hell, after a kiss like that, she was willing to concede anything. She nodded and whispered, “I promise.” She said a silent prayer that she’d be able to keep that promise.

  C
hapter 10

  Nikki and Derek completed the afternoon window-shopping in Tanunda, the town where they were staying. They’d changed their minds about going to Eden Valley. Derek wound up buying her a pair of Australian sapphire earrings, which she immediately put on. They made it back to the hotel right before sunset. Derek led her to the hotel bar. “What do you say we have a glass of champagne?”

  “Sure. Are we celebrating?”

  “Yes.”

  “Really? What?”

  “That Simon has not been around all afternoon to bother us, and if we’re lucky, he’s found another room.”

  She laughed. They sat down at a window table. The room was quaint, with everything in white and wrought iron—again that old-world feel. Nikki finally started feeling like they were actually on a vacation, despite the nagging fact that Lucy Swanson had died so recently. Since making her promise in the car, neither one of them had mentioned it again. But it still bothered Nikki, who really wanted to know what in the world was going on back at the Hahndorfs’ place.

  Derek ordered a bottle of champagne and a traditional Australian appetizer—Oysters Kilpatrick. After ordering, he got up to wash his hands. Nikki intended to ask him again about what he and Liam had been keeping so private about their business dealings.

  Derek reappeared just as the waiter did, the latter with a bottle of Dom Perignon. “The best for you,” Derek said.

  “Thank you. That’s really sweet.”

  “You’re really sweet.”

  Wait a minute. When a guy starts in with the “really sweet” thing, doesn’t that usually preface a “but” . . . ? And a “but” usually means that something isn’t kosher. She eyed him. “Thanks.”

  Before he could reply, Kane Ferriss and Nathan Cooley walked into the bar. They spotted Nikki and Derek and approached their table.

  Derek stood. “Hello, gentlemen.”

  “Derek,” Kane said. “Sorry, looks like you’re celebrating and we don’t want to intrude, but we need to talk to you.” They both looked at Nikki.

  A pit in her stomach tightened into a knot. She had a feeling she was not going to get it untied anytime soon. How often did two powerful Hollywood types storm in on your little evening nip with the one you love and want to talk with you? Not often.

  “I apologize again,” Kane continued. “Today has been awful. That’s an understatement, actually.”

  Nathan nodded sadly. “Miserable, but Kane and I have hashed it out, and we’ve put too much time and money into this thing to just let it go. Sure, we could take the insurance money and split, but this movie needs to be made. We thought about seeing if we could get another big-name actress in here. Lucy had been a compromise really, because the leading actress calls for someone who is a little bit . . . older. But we couldn’t get it done, timing wise, so we kind of settled for Lucy.”

  Kane nodded. “We started brainstorming about who we could get and then we remembered that you . . .” He pointed at Nikki and the knot grew tighter. “You are an actress. I was able to find some clips of your old show on the Internet and let me tell you, honey, how you didn’t get swooped up and put on the big screen is beyond me. You’re fucking brilliant, baby.” Nikki cringed at his choice of words. “And we need you. We need you to play Lucy’s part in what could be a huge hit.”

  “So? You’ll do it, right?”

  Oysters Kilpatrick with Champagne

  Oysters Kilpatrick is a traditional Australian dish, and as with all oyster dishes, they pair wonderfully with a bottle of champagne or sparkling wine. Obviously, Derek had romance up his sleeve when he ordered food and drink considered by many to be aphrodisiacs, but his plans don’t seem to be working out. Nikki was also probably on the same wavelength and not expecting Kane and Nathan to show up with their proposition. Will Nikki take the bait or chow down on the oysters and hightail it back up to the room with her hot guy?

  24 fresh oysters, in their shells

  rock salt

  1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

  ⅛ cup butter

  4 slices bacon, rind and all fat removed, finely diced

  sea salt, to flatten leaf parsley taste

  fresh ground black pepper, to taste

  2 tbsp leaf parsley, chopped

  lemon wedges, to serve

  Preheat the grill to the highest temperature.

  Arrange the oysters on a bed of rock salt in a large, shallow, ovenproof dish.

  Combine the Worcestershire sauce and butter in a small saucepan and heat the butter until it melts and the mixture begins to bubble around the edges of the saucepan. Remove from the heat.

  Spoon a little of the Worcestershire sauce and butter mixture over each oyster, and top evenly with the diced bacon and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.

  Cook under a preheated grill for 3-4 minutes, or until the bacon is crisp.

  Sprinkle with parsley, and serve with lemon wedges.

  Serves 4-6.

  Chapter 11

  The next hour was like TiVo. Nikki went from fast-forward to rewind, pause, and then play again. After Kane and Nathan begged her to star in their movie, Derek invited them to sit down and have a drink and share the oysters with them. She was unable to find her voice for several moments, or what felt like an eternity, but Derek jumped right in.

  “That sounds wonderful.” He patted her knee. “Doesn’t it, Nik?”

  “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance,” Nathan said. “You know, timing and luck have a lot to do with success and this may be your time, Nikki. I know it’s come out of horrible circumstances, but the show must go on. And we’re willing to pay you nicely.”

  “Wait a minute, what about Lucy? I mean, did the police leave yet? Have they determined what really happened to her?” Nikki asked.

  Both men stared at her. Kane said, “What do you mean what really happened to her? That snake of Andy’s bit her and she died. And did you not hear the part about getting paid to star in a major motion picture, and with Shawn Keefer no less?”

  “I just think there is more to it than that. And yes, I heard your offer.” But come on, where were the ethics here? An actress had died and these guys were insisting that the show go on.

  “Nikki,” Derek said. “You promised.”

  “I’m sorry. I have an active imagination.” She tried to smile, but it came out more like a grimace.

  They all continued staring at her. Men were so stupid sometimes.

  “It was a fluke. An accident,” Nathan said. “Look, I know the timing sucks, but, Nikki, we have to have an answer. Will you do this movie with us?”

  Okay, she was either in someone else’s dream or nightmare—which one she could not be sure—but all the same, this proposition simply did not seem real. And, how about Derek getting so excited? What was up with that?

  “Nik, I think this is something you might really want to consider,” Derek said. “This was a dream you once had.”

  She was pretty sure her jaw dropped. She could find no words. Her brain and vocabulary didn’t connect. “Dumbfounded” was the only word that came to mind to describe the feeling. She turned and faced Derek, finally regaining some composure. She placed her hands on his knees and leaned in close to him. “You know, this is a bit overwhelming and, um, probably not something I want to commit to in a matter of minutes, or even in an hour. Maybe we could discuss this alone?”

  Kane stood up, Nathan following. The producer said, “Sure, yeah, no problem. I can see that. But look, we have to have an answer either by sometime tonight or, at the latest, early in the morning. I’d prefer you called me tonight.” He handed her his card. “Call the cell number there. I’m up late, so let me know ASAP. It’ll cost me way too much to keep everything up and running without us going forward. If we have to can this thing, then I have to know as soon as possible.”

  “Fine. I’ll get you an answer ASAP.”

  “Amazing,” Derek said after they left.

  “Um, yeah, amazing. W
hat the hell was that about?”

  “What do you mean?” Derek asked, shifting in his chair.

  “First of all that entire situation was completely bizarre. Two Hollywood bigwigs practically beg me to star in their epic in which the former leading lady has recently passed away. Then you invite them for drinks so I can hear them out, and you suggest that I take their offer. Why? What the hell is up with you?”

  He sighed. “When we met, when you first took the job at Malveaux, you had been trying to make it as an actress. Like I said, this was a dream for you.”

  “No, Derek, I’d stalled out. I left the dream behind.”

  He shook his head. “I know you don’t think you had what it takes to be a great actress. But I disagree. I always have. What you don’t know is that not long after we met, I got ahold of all of the episodes you’d done as Sydney Martini, and I have to tell you that I thought you were real good.”

  “Oh my God! You watched those? Why didn’t you tell me? I am so embarrassed.”

  “That’s why I didn’t tell you. I knew you’d react like this, but you’re wrong. You have no need to be embarrassed, because you really are good. And, I know there are other people who think so, too. I believe what happened with your acting is what happens to so many people out there chasing a dream. They give up just a little too soon. They don’t stick it out.”

  She wasn’t sure how to take that. “Wait a minute, I had to pay the bills. You know, I’m no spring chicken.”

  “You’re what, thirty-two?”

  She laughed. “You know how old I am.” She was nearing her thirty-seventh birthday.

  “Well, you look twenty-five.”

  “Sweet talker.” For a minute she almost forgot they were arguing. “But I did, you know. I had to make ends meet, and the TV thing wasn’t doing it for me. It was cable after all and I took the rock bottom fee, thinking it was my big break. What it turned out to be was my big demise, with no money to continue acting classes or to maintain the look and the whatever it takes to be all Hollywooded out.”