How to Dine on Killer Wine by Penny Warner

Author:Penny Warner [Warner, Penny]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Mystery
ISBN: 9780451237866
Publisher: Signet
Published: 2012-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

PARTY-PLANNING TIP #14

Spitting, swishing…now swirling! Teach your guests the value of swirling the wine in the glass to see whether it has “legs”—how long it takes the wine to trickle down the inside of the glass after it’s been swirled. This also introduces more oxygen into the wine, alters the tastes, and balances out the flavor. Plus it’s fun!

Brad held the door of his SUV open for me, but before I hoisted myself in, I turned to him and asked, “Can we go to the hospital and check on Marie?”

He nodded, helped me into the car, and closed the door. There were several things I could count on from Brad, and one of them was the way he listened to me. Sure, he gave me a hard time sometimes, especially when he didn’t agree with my requests, but he always supported me when I needed him to.

He pulled out his cell phone and got directions to Queen of the Valley hospital—the “Queen,” as Detective Kelly had called it—in downtown Napa. It took only a few minutes to reach the white, flat-topped, fifties-looking structure and find the emergency room entrance. Brad followed me inside and we stepped up to the clerk manning the reception desk just off the waiting room. I asked if we could visit a patient, Marie Christopher, half expecting the woman to say “Relatives only” or “She’s still in intensive care,” but to my surprise she gave us the room number and directions.

As we made our way down the hall, I couldn’t help but peek into the open doors of the patient rooms. It was like being at a car wreck—curious to look but afraid of what I might see. When we reached Room 112, I peered in, then entered quietly in case Marie was sleeping or the doctor was there. I found her in bed, sitting up, her head turned toward the slatted windows that looked onto a lighted courtyard.

She turned when she heard me approach her bed. I was stunned at the paleness of her skin, her unkempt hair, her lack of makeup.

“Presley,” she said, her voice sounding hoarse. Her mouth looked dry and red.

I glanced back for Brad, thinking he was right behind me, but he’d hesitated at the door.

I’ll wait, he mouthed and pointed down the hall toward the waiting room. I nodded and returned my attention to Marie.

“Hi, Marie,” I said. I moved in closer until I was standing right next to her bed. “How are you feeling?”

She shrugged. The shoulder of her loose hospital gown slipped down, revealing more pale skin, and she pulled it up modestly. “Sleepy, but I can’t sleep. My throat hurts.”

I sensed that the sore throat was a result of having her stomach pumped but decided not to mention it. “Do you need anything?” I mentally cursed myself for not bringing some magazines or flowers.

“No. They’re going to let me go home as soon as the doctor finishes rounds and officially releases me. I need to get back to the winery.

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