The next morning dawned sunny and dry, a good omen for the day ahead. Helena drove. They cranked up the volume on the radio and opened the car windows. Daisy navigated from a winery map Helena had brought. Their first stop was at a winery outside Alexandria. They were among the first customers of the day and the winery had hired a jazz band that was setting up on the hilly lawn next to the tasting room.
Helena and Daisy each paid for a flight and sat at a table on the tasting room’s patio overlooking the valley nearby. Daisy took a sip from the first glass and settled back into her chair with a contented sigh. “I love this,” she said.
“It sounded to me like you needed a break this weekend,” Helena said, taking a sip from her first glass. “Work not going well?”
Daisy let out a sigh. “It’s not so much work as all the extra drama that comes from knowing the people at work. If I had never met any of them I wouldn’t be so worried about who killed Mark John’s wife or her lover.”
“You’d still be trying to help Grover, though,” Helena pointed out.
“That’s true,” Daisy conceded.
“And if you didn’t know the people at work, you wouldn’t be in such a great position to help him,” Helena continued.
“Also true, though I don’t know how I’m supposed to help him. Then there’s the whole relationship between Mark John and Jude. That complicates everything,” Daisy said.
“Are they kissing and stuff in front of people?”
“No, nothing like that.”
“Then what are they doing?”
Daisy should have known Helena would press for details. “I can’t really explain it,” she said, talking into her wine glass. “Let’s talk about something more pleasant.”
Helena told Daisy all about the project she was working on—she thought she might get a trip to Colorado out of it.
“I would love to go there,” Daisy said wistfully. “Do you need a traveling companion?”
“I suppose so,” Helena said. She suddenly found the jazz band set-up enthralling and stared at it for several long moments.
“I get it. Bennett’s going, isn’t he?”
“Well, we talked about it. I’m not even sure I’m going. But yes, if I go he’s planning to go with me.”
Daisy nodded and took another, rather large, sip of her drink.
“You’re supposed to sip wine, not gulp it,” Helena said, pointing to Daisy’s glass. Daisy looked. It was almost empty.
“The samples are small.”
“You know, why don’t I just tell Bennett we can go to Colorado anytime? I’d like you to go with me,” Helena said. Daisy felt a twinge of guilt and knew it would grow into a crippling sensation if she didn’t nip it in the bud.
“No, you go with Bennett. You and I can go some other time. Like you said, you don’t even know if you’re going yet. I’m just feeling sorry for myself. I don’t mean to ruin your day.”
Helena put her glass down and leaned forward. “You want to tell me anything else?” she asked in a quiet voice.
Daisy sat back and watched the puffy clouds drift by as she gathered her thoughts. “There’s nothing besides everything I just told you.”
“Well, as far as Mark John and Jude go, I wouldn’t worry about it. They both sound like pretty nasty people,” Helena said.
“That’s just the point—how can two people who aren’t very nice find each other when it’s so hard for nice people to find someone?” Daisy asked, her hands gesticulating.
“I don’t know. It doesn’t seem fair. But the good news is that when the mean people find each other, the rest of us don’t have to worry about them. Sounds like that’s the silver lining in the whole Mark John-dating-Jude thing.”
“You’re right.”
“Come on. The band is starting. Let’s take the rest of the wine and go down closer where we can hear them better.” Helena picked up her tray of three glasses and Daisy followed suit, then they went and found a place to sit on the grass. Couples and families were starting to arrive with beach towels, blankets, picnic baskets, and lawn chairs. Some people went up to the tasting room and returned with bottles of wine and the good cheer started flowing. Helena and Daisy enjoyed the music and the atmosphere while they finished their wine, then just as it was getting a little too crowded they got in the car and drove to the next stop on their itinerary.
Daisy was glad Helena was driving because she was enjoying the scenery of the northern Virginia countryside. She was also enjoying her fair share of the wine, so at the second winery Helena decided she would be the designated driver. She only had small sips of wine after that, whereas Daisy had decided it was her duty as an oenophile to sample as many kinds of wine as possible.
After the second winery Daisy’s tongue loosened just a bit. The third winery was farther along the Virginia backroads, so the women had plenty of time to talk in the car.
“I haven’t talked to Grover in a while. How’s he holding up?” Helena asked.
“As well as could be expected, I guess” Daisy replied. “I know he’s worried, and I’m worried about him.”
“Me, too,” Helena said.
“I helped him out at a party Thursday night and the host was asking all kinds of questions about Walt’s murder. Word is getting around that Grover was questioned by police.”
“Being questioned isn’t the same as being arrested,” Helena said.
“Right, but people always have a morbid curiosity when it comes to murder. They don’t seem to realize that asking questions is very nerve-wracking.”
Daisy was starting to feel the effects of the alcohol.
“I got that host out of Grover’s hair and he seemed to be glad. At least he finally apologized for being such a jerk lately.”
“I’m sure Grover appreciates your help.”
Daisy smirked. “Yeah. He appreciated it so much that he and one of his employees had dinner together the next night.”
Helena turned away from watching the road to stare at Daisy for just a moment. “You’re jealous! Is that why you’re so grouchy today?”
“I’m not grouchy,” Daisy said with a scowl. “I’m just tired. And I’m not jealous, either, so stop saying dumb things.”
“You are, too, jealous,” Helena said, laughing and shaking her head. “I didn’t know you like Grover that way, though I think I may have suggested it once or twice before.”
“What way? I don’t like him any way except as my friend!” Daisy protested loudly.
“Okay, okay,” Helena said, lifting her fingers from the wheel in surrender. “My mistake. So how do you know Grover went out to dinner with some woman who works for him? And is he out of his mind, dating a woman who works for him?”
“I ran into them at a bakery I stop at on Friday afternoons. They have half-price bread and it’s really good. They were in there acting all lovey-dovey over sandwich fixings.”
“That doesn’t sound like something Grover would do,” Helena said. “He should know better than to date an employee. Plenty of men have learned that the hard way.”
“It’s really dumb,” Daisy said, leaning her head against the passenger window. “I’m just going to close my eyes for a few minutes.”
Helena knew the conversation was over and that Daisy wouldn’t wake up until she stopped the car at the next winery. Daisy started to snore and Helena smiled. She drove in silence for almost an hour, then pulled into the small parking lot at the next tasting room. She shook Daisy’s shoulder gently. “Daisy, we’re here.”
Daisy blinked twice and sat up, her hair matted on one side of her head and a small bit of drool on her cheek. She wiped her face with the sleeve of her shirt. “Did I fall asleep?”
“Snored the whole way here,” Helena said with a laugh.
“You lie,” Daisy said, but she knew Helena was telling the truth. It wasn’t the first time she’d been told she snored. She joined Helena’s laughter. “Sorry about that. All you had to do was push me and I would have stopped.”
“Then I wouldn’t be able to tease you,” Helena pointed out.
They went indoors, where it was dark and cool. Daisy ordered a flight of white wines and Helena ordered a glass of seltzer water. “You’re so nice to be the driver today. And it was your idea to come here,” Daisy said apologetically. “Next time I’ll drive and you can do the drinking. I promise.”
“I’ll be taking you up on that offer, believe me,” Helena said. “As long as I’m the designated driver you should enjoy yourself. Seems like you could use it.”
“I sure could.”