Murder in the Wine Country by Janet Finsilver

Author:Janet Finsilver
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Published: 2020-01-16T03:32:45+00:00

Chapter 15

I sat on one of the shabby wooden kitchen chairs and didn’t have long to wait for Cassie to return. I could see her approaching through the back window and wondered how she’d gotten away without being seen.

She opened the door. “The police want to see me as soon as possible. I’m supposed to meet them at the community center and take them to where Julie and I parted company to be sure that’s the same place her car was…just like you said. I…I checked out of here. I want to be in town helping to find Julie as much as I can.”

The tears had stopped streaming, but her eyes remained red and swollen. She opened the grocery bag she’d just emptied and began filling it with the food she’d put away.

I stood. “Let me do that. You can work on getting your things together.”

“Thanks. I don’t have much. It won’t take long.”

She disappeared into the bedroom and came out with a duffel bag. Working her way around the room, she picked up her belongings and stuffed them into the black canvas tote.

This was a good time to ask her the question that had been bothering me. “Cassie, no one at the community center saw you drive out. How did you manage that?”

“There was a bit of a traffic jam the day the chefs arrived for the introductory meeting. One of the veterans pulled me aside and told me about a road through the trees that circumvents that area. At one point I could take a left and pull into the main parking lot or a right and head straight out for the main road.” She crammed a fleece into the now-bulging duffel. “You know which way I went. There was a brief moment when Ian would’ve been able to see me, but I decided to take the chance.”

The grocery bag was full. “Is your car unlocked? I’ll take this out.”

She opened the door. “Yeah. I’ll come with you and put this tote away.”

I opened the passenger side door and placed the food on the floor.

On our way back to the cabin, I asked, “Did anyone else know you were doing this?”

She shook her head. “I was so scared of Ian finding out, I didn’t talk to anyone but Julie.”

“Weren’t you worried about losing your job?”

“Not really. I’ve known the restaurant owner for years. He’s been hinting that Ian needed to be reined in. I felt he’d be supportive of my trying to work it out.” She shrugged. “And if he fired me, I’m fortunate enough to be well respected in the culinary community, and I don’t think I would’ve had any trouble getting another position.”

She disappeared into the bedroom again and came out with a black coat draped over one arm. “That’s it.” Cassie put the cabin keys on the table. “This place served its purpose in terms of being remote and isolated, giving me a good hiding place, but I can’t say as I’ll miss it.”

I stood next to her vehicle as she got in.

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