Mischief, Murder and Merlot by J.C. Eaton

Author:J.C. Eaton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: amateur sleuth, fraud, blackmail, women sleuth, wine mysteries, dog mysteries, small town upstate new york, food mysteries
Publisher: Beyond the Page Publishing

Chapter 21

I interrupted Sam from his tasting before I charged out the door. Thankfully, the five guests at his table had just begun to try our semidry Riesling and were otherwise occupied.

“Psst, I need to ask you a quick question,” I said. Sam stepped away from the table and we moved toward a corner of the room. “When your friends found that pashmina last night, how far into the woods was it?”

“Maybe eight or ten yards in. Sorry if it got all wadded up. I was in a hurry so I stuck it under my coat.”

“Did you guys find it on the ground?”

Sam shook his head. “That’s the odd thing. It was hanging over a tree branch. But like I said before, the wind picks up everything. It didn’t get ripped or anything, did it?”

“No, just dusty. I was curious, that’s all. Thanks. You’d better get back to your table. Looks like your guests are ready to try the next wine.”

I asked myself what the odds were of a long pashmina found draped over a branch and not on the ground. Wind, my foot! That pashmina would have needed a hurricane. Besides, we haven’t had any wind here in days. Cold air, maybe, but no wind.

Flashing a quick wave at Lizzie, I flew down the steps and pretty much power-walked my way up the hill to the side of the house where I’d parked the Subaru. A few minutes later I was headed north on Route 14 and over to Gable Hill. Less than six minutes according to the screen by the steering wheel.

Not sure of what I’d see, I took my time studying the ground where Stephanie’s road ended at the woods. No tire tracks whatsoever, but I really didn’t expect to see any. Not with what I thought happened. And now I knew I was on to something. Had Adrienne been abducted and forced into the woods, it wasn’t by car. And while it was quite possible she had Whitney’s pashmina with her on Saturday, I doubted she was the victim in this game.

Given the short distance into the woods, anyone could have spotted that pashmina on a branch. The thing is long. Not some measly neck scarf. That pashmina was planted. Adrienne knew about the bonfire Saturday night and knew Whitney would tell someone she left her silver wrap in Adrienne’s rental. So why did Adrienne want everyone to believe something happened to her? Unless she was the one who planted it in order to cast off any suspicion she was responsible for her boss’s death.

Too bad none of this explained why she hadn’t been seen since Friday night. My gut feeling was that she was laying low until the right moment, when she’d appear and claim she was kidnapped. Yep, I’ve read enough of those novels, not to mention the TV crime shows I watched.

I got back in the car and took off for the winery with one quick stop—home. It was approaching four and I was famished.

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