A Taste of Murder by J H Wear

Author:J H Wear
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: murder mystery, crime mystery, suspense mystery, murder suspense, suspense thriller mystery, mystery private investigator, private investigator mystery, wine event mystery

Chapter Twelve

Stone tugged at Roberts arm. “Let’s go this way.” He pointed in the new direction at a path leading toward the back exit.

Roberts looked down the aisle, spotting a blonde woman and her male companion as they slowly walked and sipped their drinks. The woman wore green-camouflage yoga pants and had a slightly exaggerated walk. “Why? Is her strut that interesting?”

“You don’t actually believe I’m influenced by her hips, do you?”

“Do you want an honest answer?”

Stone sighed. “His t-shirt… what’s written on it?”

Roberts took a moment to read it, then responded, “It says, ‘Friends help you move. Real friends help you move dead bodies’. So?”

“It might be a clue. We have a dead body. Maybe we’re not looking for just one killer, but an accomplice as well.”

Roberts rolled her eyes but didn’t say anything. It seemed ridiculous to follow someone because of what was printed on a t-shirt. The problem, however, was that Stone too often solved cases with his hunches and by pursuing leads which didn’t seem to have any bearing on a case. She kept quiet as they trailed the couple, wondering for a moment if he really was following the blonde and had just made up the t-shirt excuse. Roberts also reflected on her own feelings about Stone, unhappy with the way he looked at the other woman. We’re not an item, but I keep acting as though he’s betraying me.

The couple turned down a quieter aisle, talking, drinking, and laughing as they made their way across the red carpet. They stopped to drain their glasses, looked around at the booths, and seemed to pick one out at random. The man produced six drink tickets and passed them over to a red-haired woman who, in turn, poured them each a glass of red wine.

The couple cheerfully waved goodbye to the server and went on their way.

Roberts asked, “Do we continue to follow them?”

“No. They took us to this booth. Let’s chat with the vendors.”

“The next quantum clue lies there?”

“Everything is interconnected. The thread led us to this point, so let’s take the next step.”

Roberts looked at the booth’s blue tablecloth with white lettering that spelled the words ‘Kiwi Imports’. Behind the counter stood the red-headed woman and a taller, older man.

Stone approached and held up his badge. “Do you mind if we ask you a few questions? I’m Detective Moss Stone, and this is Detective Anya Roberts.”

“Sure. How can we help?”

Roberts looked at the woman’s name tag. “Laurie, we’re investigating the death of Oscar Detrick. Did you have any dealings with him?”

“No,” Laurie responded. “I only met him once or twice, and even then it was nothing more than an introduction.” She looked over at her partner before positing, “Jack, you may have had more to do with him.”

“Not much more. I worked next to his table at a tasting at the MacDonald Hotel. I think he was put out that another wine columnist, Nick Lees, was handling the event. It was for a charity, and Detrick wasn’t getting any extra publicity for himself or his wines.

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