Silenced By Syrah (6 page)

“Who doesn’t Derek get along with? Of course they did.” She tightened her arms around herself. She didn’t tell Robinson about the book Derek and Georges worked on together, or for that matter, her part in writing the notes and putting them in order. If he was such a big-time detective, let him figure it out. It wasn’t as if it would have anything to do with the murder anyway. “As far as I knew, the partnership between them was smooth sailing. Derek gave Georges carte blanche with the restaurant. Basically, Derek fronted the money to have the restaurant and the rest of the resort area built. Georges paid rent on the restaurant and used his name for promotion. I know that Simon and Marco also have the same arrangement with Derek in regard to the hotel and spa. Derek runs the winery and vineyard. He stays involved, but he knows that the people working for him, like Georges, were . . . are competent. I never heard of any hassles between them.”

“Uh-huh. And, what about Simon Malveaux and his friend, Marco Contiello?” He uncrossed his legs and leaned in, as if ready to force some hard information.

Nikki wished he’d put his glasses back on. Those eyes had gone from mesmerizing to disconcerting. “They didn’t have much contact with Georges. I mean, the restaurant, as you’ve seen, is a separate entity from the hotel and spa. Georges did his thing. Simon and Marco theirs. Simon runs the spa. Marco oversees the hotel operations. I believe the only contact they have with the restaurant is making reservations for guests.”

“How many rooms are in the hotel and also in the spa?” he asked.

“Thirty rooms in the hotel, and ten treatment rooms in the spa, along with a locker room,” Nikki replied.

“The hotel is at full capacity this weekend, I assume?”

“Yes. Well, I did hear that one couple didn’t make it because they missed their flight and were due in tomorrow, and another couple left because of a family emergency. So there are twenty-eight rooms occupied.”

“Are they all couples?”

“I wouldn’t know. You’d have to ask Marco. I do know there are no children. That’s the policy.”

“Gotcha.” He winked at her.

Or was that something caught in his eye? Did he actually wink? Nah.

“And as for you? Any problems with Mr. Debussey?”

“No.”

He went over all of it again until Nikki wanted to scream at him and pull her hair out.

“All right. I think we’re done for now. But I know where to find you, and I know you know the protocol. Stay close to home. We may need to talk again. Soon.”

“Sure.”

Detective Robinson stood up and started back toward the spa. He turned around before he reached the corner, and put on his glasses. “Remember what I told you. Your name is Nikki, not Nancy. I hope you really told me all that you know.”

She smiled at him. A sarcastic smile, to be sure, but a smile. Okay, so maybe there were a few things that slipped her mind when speaking with Detective Robinson. Like the fact that she was wondering about how close Janie and Georges were, and the nature of the relationship between Georges and Lauren—if it really was all just business. Oh, and there was also another small tidbit tucked back in her memory that she hadn’t mentioned to Robinson. The designer who’d tried so hard to make the restaurant look like a Tuscan villa and who Nikki thought only a week ago could snap under Georges’ pressure.
Had she?
Hey, if Detective Robinson was such a big-city cop and
with
it, then he’d find out all of this info on his own. Nikki would’ve freely given it up, but one thing a man—any man—should never say to a woman is, mind your own business
. Please. I’ll mind my own business like an old woman with new neighbors next door.

Chapter 5

Nikki walked up her front porch steps to find Andrés seated on her wicker outdoor sofa with Ollie, the vineyard Rhodesian Ridgeback, lying at his feet. Well, in reality Ollie had been Derek’s dog, until Nikki had come on board. Now the dog spent his time between master and mistress. The caramel-colored beast thumped his tail at the sight of her, and Andrés stood. He walked over to her and pulled her close. “I heard about what happened. When I tried to come onto the vineyard tonight to meet you for dinner, the police had everything roped off.”

“How did you get in then?”

“Derek was down near the entrance with the police and he told them I was okay. They let me in and I’ve been here waiting for you.”

Derek had let him in? She pulled away from Andrés and yawned. “It’s been a long day. You shouldn’t have waited.”

He took her hand and led her to the sofa. She sat down and found a bottle of Pinot Noir on the coffee table in front of her, along with a plate of food. Her stomach growled. Andrés laughed, and she cracked a smile.

“That’s why I waited. We had dinner plans, and I had a feeling that you’d be starving when I finally saw you.”

She hadn’t realized it until now, but she
was
starving. “What is all this?”

“I put together some Thai chicken wraps, a little ceviche, and some Spanish cheeses I had sent to me from friends in Spain. I know it’s a strange mix, but it’s a warm night, and once I knew what was going on here, I headed back to my place to pick up our supper. I’d been marinating the ceviche for a day, had the chicken and cheeses in my refrigerator, and knew that you of all people would have the lettuce for the wraps. I didn’t think you’d mind me getting into the refrigerator.”

He was right. Salad didn’t stick to the hips like her favorites—bread and cheese—so she made it a practice of stocking the fridge with rabbit food versus fun food. “How did you get in?”

He smiled. “You are not particularly cautious about where you hide your front door key. Come on, I thought for sure it would take me at least five minutes because I know what a smart woman you are. But”—he held a finger up—“in this case, not so smart.”

“What?”

“That’s right. Under the front doormat? What would your aunt Cara say?”

“I get your point. I’ll be sure to put it under a flowerpot next time.” They both laughed and the release of tension from the day felt good as it dissipated into the warm, musty air. Nikki could see Derek’s lights on across the pond that separated their two cottages. How was he doing? And, Simon and Marco? She’d wanted to call all of them and ask them to come over to be with her. At a time like this a woman needed her pals. Then, she looked at Andrés, his eyes lit by the candlelight from the table as he poured her a glass of the Pinot, and decided that sometimes a woman just needed one man.

They drank their wine and ate the wonderful food Andrés had made. She told him the horror of the day from pretty much the beginning to the end, sans the gut-wrenching feeling that welled up in her when she’d spotted him and Derek together. But everything else, including Detective Robinson and his weird behavior.

“He does have a point, Nikki,” Andrés said. “You do seem to get yourself mixed up in these things and it worries me. Maybe you should listen to the detective.”

She set down her dessert, a churro, which Andrés had also brought with him—her favorite dessert. “You’re not siding with him, are you?”

He touched the side of her mouth with a finger. “You have some sugar there. And, no, I’m not siding with the detective, but I don’t want you to get into this murder case. I think you should let the police handle it. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

Stubborn hairs stuck up on the back of her neck. “I’m not going to get hurt.”

He set his wine glass down next to hers and caressed her face with one hand. That started to melt the freeze that had come over her seconds before, when her defenses had gone up. He then kissed her gently on the corner of her mouth. “You still had some sugar there.”

“Mhhm. I did?”

“Yeah, and here, too.” He kissed her lips. Her body warmed. “Yummy.”

“Yeah,” she said almost breathless, when he pulled away.

“I have something to tell you.”

She sat up. Uh-oh. “Okay. But wait, weren’t we just kissing? Do we have to talk now?” She giggled.

“Yes, but this is on my mind, and especially with what happened here today, I want to talk to you about it now.”

Hmmm. “All right. What’s this about?”

“You know the business I had in the city today?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“I was meeting with my financial advisor, and I’ve built a bit of cash flow. Quite a bit, and I’ve invested in a vineyard.”

“You have? Wow. That’s wonderful. Where is it? Here in Napa, or Sonoma, or wait, did you find something up in Healdsburg? I know you love that area.”

He took her hands. “I don’t have quite that much to invest, Nikki. My vineyard is back in Spain.” His hands tightened around hers.

“Oh. Well, that’s great. Spain is your homeland, and I know you still love it, and you know the people there who can grow your grapes and manage the vineyard. I think that’s wonderful!”

“
Sí
. I do know the people who can help, but I need to go back for a while, and make sure things are operating smoothly and are underway.”

She slumped into the sofa. “Oh.” She tucked back a piece of stray hair that had fallen out of the ponytail she’d tied earlier. “For how long are you going back? When?”

“Probably six months. I’d like to see the first planting done, and make certain I have the right people for the job there. I didn’t plan to go until next month, but I need to settle some of the transactions with the bank in Spain and I have to be present to do that. I’m leaving Saturday.”

“You’re what? That’s only a week away. What about Spaniard’s Crest?”

“I have an excellent assistant. You’ve met Samuel. He can handle it while I’m gone. And, the staff knows what needs to be done.”

“So, you’ll be back?” Her heart raced.

“Of course. As I said. I haven’t made retirement money. Spaniard’s Crest pays well, and when I do go back to Spain I’ll have the recognition here in America to promote my wines from Spain. I’m hoping my employers at Spaniard’s Crest will want to do a joint effort with the wines.”

“Then you plan on eventually moving back to Spain?” Not only was her heart racing, but she could hear the blood flowing through her ears, as if trying to drown out his words. He nodded slowly. “What about Isabel?” Nikki asked, referring to his sister, one of her closest friends, who lived in Yountville a few miles away and owned the five-star restaurant Grapes.

“My sister is independent now. She doesn’t always need a big brother hovering over her. You’ve heard her tell me that over and over. Besides, I won’t be leaving for Spain for good for two or more years. You know as well as I do that it takes vines several years to produce wine-making grapes, and it’ll take another couple of years to get our first vintage. Sure I’ll have to go back and forth to make certain things are running right. But my loyalties for now remain at Spaniard’s Crest.”

“Oh.” It was all she could think of to say.

“Nikki, I want you to come to Spain with me for the next six months.”

“What? I can’t do that. My job. It’s here.”

“I know. I spoke with Derek today, this morning before everything happened, and told him I wanted to ask you to come with me, but that I knew what this job meant to you. He said that he felt he could spare you for six months and that you would always have a job here. He won’t replace you.”

“He told you what? You did
what
? Wait.” She stood up and crossed her arms.

“What’s the matter? I thought I was doing the right thing. I want you to come with me, and I thought you would want that, and so I spoke to Derek.”

“To get his permission, like he’s my father? Did either one of you factor me into this? What I might want or think?”

“That’s why I’m asking you now.” Andrés stood and walked over to her. She moved away from him and turned her back to him. He moved in again and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Nikki, I’m falling in love with you. I am not afraid to tell you that. We have been friends for some time now, and dating for almost three months.”

“Two.”

“Three.”

Had it been that long?

“I want to take our relationship further,” he continued.

“No. You want to take me to Spain.”

“Yes. I do. I want to show you my culture. Where I’m from. My dreams. I want you to be a part of those dreams. Won’t you come with me?”

She turned around to face him. Hot tears burned her eyes. She didn’t even quite understand what they were all about. All she could say was, “I don’t know.”

He shrugged. “At least it’s not a no. I’m sorry I went behind your back to talk with Derek. I wanted to surprise you, have everything taken care of.”

Her tone softened. “Andrés, I don’t need anyone to take care of everything for me. I actually like doing things on my own, for myself. And, talking to Derek about a decision like this would have been one of them.” It bothered her that Andrés had done this. What were his motives, really? Were they as simple as he claimed? That he was trying to make it easy? For whom? Himself? Did he feel Derek a threat, and did jealousy come into play? And, what about her boss? Being so willing to let her go for six months? Ugh. Men.

“I know you don’t need me to take care of things for you. Maybe I wish you did. I’m sorry. Will you think about my offer?”

“I’ll think about it.”

He kissed her again, only this time on the cheek. “I know after today you must be tired. Please keep your doors locked, and find a better place to put the key.”

“I will. Besides, I have a bed buddy to take care of me.”

Andrés raised his brows. Nikki pointed at Ollie.

“Let me clean up for you.”

“No.” She almost said it too curtly. “I mean. I’m tired and I really kind of want to settle in. There isn’t a lot to pick up. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

He nodded and she watched as he went to his car, his head low. Maybe she should have been nicer, but dammit if she wasn’t peeved at both him and Derek. And, Derek . . . Now really, what was up with that? Saying she could take off for six months. She managed this place. They needed her. Didn’t they? Maybe Derek didn’t need her after all. And, Spain? Beautiful country. She’d never been there but had heard, and Aunt Cara was on her extended tour through Europe. The tour that was only supposed to last six weeks, but had now lasted two years and a handful of boyfriends. Yes, her aunt was enjoying retirement, and she could see her if she went to Spain. She missed her something terrible.