Pairing a Deception by Nadine Nettmann

Author:Nadine Nettmann
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: CVR08142017;decant a murder;nadine netmann;nadine nettman;wine;vineyard;sommelier;mystery;mystery fiction;mystery novel;cozy;mystery book;uncorking a lie;decanting a murder;CVR11222017
Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide, LTD.
Published: 2018-04-04T13:03:56+00:00

eighteen

pairing suggestion: pinot noir —casablanca valley, chile

Grown in a cool climate, this wine is very fruit forward.

I didn’t have tickets to a wine dinner so I ate in the cafe at the New Sierra and returned to the Lancaster Hotel. A solitary police car was still parked out front and the stairs to the second level were cordoned off with yellow police tape, but the staff at the front desk were smiling, the bartender was serving drinks, and the attendant at the bell stand was ready to assist with bags. The hotel activity seemed back to normal.

I stared at the bellhop. Even though he wasn’t the same one I had walked past the night before, it gave me an idea.

“Good evening,” he replied. “Are you checking out? Do you need help with bags?”

“No, I’m looking for the bellhop who was here last night. Short dark hair, in his early twenties.”

“Ah, you mean Eddie.” He looked over his shoulder to the open door behind him. “Eddie, you have a fan.”

Eddie walked out of the back room as the other attendant moved away. “Yes?”

“The woman who was found on the second floor …”

“Oh.” His smile disappeared. “I’m sorry, but I’m not allowed to comment on that. All inquires must be directed to our general manager,” he said in rehearsed language.

“No, I’m not asking about that. Sorry, I should have started differently.” I took a deep breath to try and fill my lungs, but they had tightened with my mistake. “Last night I was in the bar with a group, and I walked past you on the way out. Do you remember seeing us?”

“I don’t know,” he said slowly. “I’m not sure what I’m allowed to say. All inquiries—”

“Listen, don’t say anything you don’t want to, but I was over there in the bar with a group of six people that went down to four.”

The bellhop stared at the ceiling as he thought about it. “Yes,” he said as he snapped his fingers. “You were all near the fireplace.”

“Exactly.” I relished in the small victory. “There was a lady with dark brown hair and a black dress with me. Does that sound familiar?”

“I think so.”

“Perfect. Did you happen to talk to her at all yesterday? Perhaps when she arrived or when she met a friend in the lobby last night or maybe even later?”

“No,” said the bellhop as he shifted nervously. “I’m not supposed to comment on our guests’ activities. There’s a whole privacy issue, you know?”

“I completely understand,” I replied, unsure of how to proceed. I decided to go a more stealth route. “I’m just going to ask yes or no questions. All you have to do is reply yes or no and you don’t have to tell me anything else.”

The bellhop hesitated and glanced around, as if looking for an escape. “Yes, but make it quick. I need to be working.”

“Do you know her name?”

“No.”

“Did you see her meet someone in the lobby while we were all in the bar?”

“Yes.”

“Was that person female?”

“Yes.

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