“That went well,” Theo said as soon as I ended the call. “Good thing it’s almost closing time at our wineries because Catherine’s probably driving her tasting room employees nuts.”
“My gosh. You’re right. About closing time. I can’t believe we’ve been gone so long.”
“I can. And Don’s most likely pitching a fit by now, too. I told him I’d be a half hour. Forty minutes max.”
“He’ll understand once you explain about the body, and Deputy Hickman.”
“I suppose. Geez, I really hope that guy doesn’t turn out to be one of her employees. Face it, cause of death wasn’t natural.”
“No kidding.”
“You can drop me off on the driveway as soon as you pull onto Two Witches Hill. I’m sure you’ll want to check in with your tasting room manager before you close for the day.”
“Okay. I’ll call you later. And thanks, Theo. I really mean it.”
“No problem. I’m getting used to this kind of thing.”
A few minutes later I parked the Toyota in our lot and went inside the winery building. A handful of customers were milling around the wine racks and two were in front of Lizzie waiting for her to ring them up. The tables had been cleared of wineglasses, bottled water, and cracker trays. Roger, Glenda, and Sam were all busy wiping the tables with cleaner so everything would be all set for tomorrow morning.
I gave them a wave and walked into the kitchen, where Cammy was fast at work emptying the dishwasher.
“You won’t believe this,” I said, “but Theo and I found a dead body in that bushy wooded area across from Lake View Winery.”
She put a wineglass on the nearby mat and wiped her hands on a dish towel. “Holy cannoli! Lizzie told me about those two boys but I was positive what they saw was nothing more than a big log that resembled a body from a distance. Yeesh. Not to get too graphic, but how long do you think it was there? I mean, was it all rotted out with worms and stuff?”
“No. It was pretty recent. Maybe a day or two at most. Flies were milling about. No gross maggots yet.”
Cammy shuddered and I continued to talk. “It was a man. Thin with dark hair. Oh, and he was wearing a polo shirt with the Lake View Winery logo on it.”
“That would explain it.”
“Explain what?”
“Sorry, I should have mentioned it when you walked in. Catherine Trobert called a few minutes before you got here and left a message. Said to tell you all of her employees showed up for work today. By the way, she sounded as if she just completed a fifty-yard dash. Kept gasping for breath.”
“Yeah. Theo and I called her when we found the body since it was on her property. At least it wasn’t one of her workers. Fifty-yard dash, huh? I hate to see what she’ll be like when Deputy Hickman goes over there to speak with her.”
“Do you think it was foul play?”
“For sure. Theo’s convinced it was a hit-and-run and I agree with him. No bullet wounds that we could see or puncture wounds. And nothing to indicate he was strangled. Good grief. It’s like I’m a forensic pathologist without the degree.”
“I wouldn’t go that far.”
Just then Glenda breezed into the kitchen with an armload of towels for the washing machine. “I heard puncture wounds and strangled. What’s going on?”
Cammy took another wineglass from the dishwasher. “Norrie and Theo came across a dead body across from Lake View Winery in the woods. Long story.”
“We think it was a hit-and-run and someone dumped the body. There were drag marks on the ground.”
Glenda put her hands to her mouth and closed her eyes. “You and Theo should partake in a ritualistic body purifying exercise to be on the safe side.”
“The safe side of what?” I all but shrieked.
“Victims of foul play or sudden death carry a dark aura that can attach itself to you. And restless spirits can linger indefinitely.”
I should have expected something like that coming from Glenda. Half the time I wasn’t sure if she or her wacky friend Zenora functioned in the real world or the spiritual one.
“It’s Catherine Trobert’s problem, not mine,” I replied. “The body was on her property.”
“What body?” This time it was Sam who came into the kitchen.
I looked at Cammy and rolled my eyes. “Lizzie’s probably locked up the place by now. How about you tell Sam and Roger what’s going on and I’ll mosey to the bistro to give Fred and Emma the lowdown.” And to see if there are any leftover sandwiches I can take home. I’m starving.
By ten minutes to six I was back home, having informed everyone in our tasting room about the recent discovery down the road. I didn’t think I needed to involve our winemaker or our vineyard manager, since the grim discovery had nothing to do with Two Witches. But I did need to call the Speltmores and hopefully say something that would lessen whatever punishment they were going to dole out on Eli once Deputy Hickman made an appearance.
I put the two mixed cold cut sandwiches Fred had given me into the fridge and poured a cup of kibble for Charlie. Then I got the Speltmore’s number from the winery list Francine had posted over the pantry door and called. A woman answered the phone and I prayed I wouldn’t louse things up.
“Uh, hi! This is Norrie Ellington from Two Witches Winery. I was hoping to—”
“Yes, this is Delia Speltmore and I’m sure you want to chat with my husband. Unfortunately, Henry is tied up at the moment. He’s dealing with a management issue regarding the seasonal workers and he’s been having an awful time trying to reach his wine publicist regarding the new tawny port that we’re about to release. Can I have him call you back later?”
I gulped. “Er, uh, well, this isn’t exactly winery business. I mean, it does involve a winery but not a Seneca Lake Wine Trail issue.”
I knew at that moment I was going to blow it so I did the best I could. “I met your son, Eli, a few months ago and he’s a wonderful kid.”
“Oh, no. Just tell me what he did.”
“He and his friend Stuart stopped by our winery early this afternoon to ask if I’d check on something for them. It seems they came upon what they thought was a dead body in the wooded area across from Lake View Winery.”
“A dead body? Lake View Winery? That’s way down the road from us. This can’t be right. I can see them right now from the porch. They’re tossing a Frisbee to the dog.”
Whew. They got home all right.
“Uh-huh, but like I said, they thought they saw a body and it turned out they were right. Deputy Hickman will most likely pay you a visit this evening. Eli’s a great kid but kids don’t always use the best judgment.” Oh, brother. Like I would know. “I really didn’t want to call and get him in trouble but I thought I’d give you a heads-up regarding the sheriff’s office.”
“I’m glad you did. This is all his father needs on top of the wine trail issues he’s dealing with. I’ll say one thing—Eli’s sorry little butt will be firmly planted on our property until he turns twenty-one. I don’t care what anyone says. That boy will be under house arrest until he can vote! Oh, no!”
“What?”
“A sheriff’s deputy is on his way to the door. I was so busy talking I didn’t hear him pull in.”
“Older man? Big and gruff-looking?”
“No, round face and young.”
Must be Clarence. Thank your lucky stars. Grizzly Gary’s probably still at the scene.
“Um, guess I’ll let you get going. By the way, if it wasn’t for Eli, that body might not have been found for months. And he did the right thing by telling someone. All in all, that should even things out.”
I tried my best to lighten the consequences for the kid but I wasn’t sure of the results. “One more thing, Mrs. Speltmore. Eli and Stuart don’t know yet that it was a body.”
“Oh, they’ll know, all right. I just wish I could keep this from my husband. Oh, and thanks for letting me know.”
“Sure.”
When I ended the call, I felt like Benedict Arnold and Judas Iscariot rolled into one. I literally tattled on an eleven-year-old boy. On that sour note, I took one of Fred’s sandwiches out of the fridge and choked it down with a Coke. I wasn’t in the mood to work on my screenplay and it was too early to settle on the couch and channel surf.
With at least another two and a half hours of daylight and a Plott hound that was getting lazier by the minute, I did the only sensible thing—I took Charlie for a long walk through our vineyards, unaware that he’d pull up a piece of evidence that would link the body in the woods to more than Lake View Winery.