Page 41 of Murder in the Lighthouse

Trish tried to absorb the revelation. “Is this a joke?”

“No joke.” Birk pointed to a location on the map displayed on his screen. “That is wine country. Or what passes for wine country outside Santa Cruz. Kenneth Shepherd owns this vineyard called Noir Hills Estates. Keith’s been working there for his brother under the name Felix Ward. Looks like he thought no one would think of looking for him there.”

“How did you do that?” Trish asked. “Who are you guys?”

Birk traded amused looks with Lucien. “Haven’t you heard? I’m a wizard at finding people.”

“No, really?” Trish said. “How did you do that? I’ve had a team of private investigators looking for him since he fell off the radar. You’re the first person who’s actually located him.”

“I don’t want to give away all my trade secrets, but there’s a system in place when you leave the country and re-enter the US, or sometimes you don’t. I checked that database first. Next, I ran his photo through my own little version of facial recognition. Lastly, I did a background check on his brother, Kenneth. When I discovered he’d bought a vineyard, I checked all his employees. Good ol’ Keith showed up in that sweep as one Felix Ward.”

“I’ll be damned,” Trish stated. “How long has Kenneth owned the vineyard?”

“Ten years. About the same length of time that it took Keith to disappear off the radar. He bought it with his partner Pete Davito but bought Pete out a few years back.”

“I told you Birk was good,” Lucien boasted. “Now all we need is evidence. Maybe one of us should pay the vineyard a visit incognito.”

“How about I schedule a group tour that includes a wine tasting?” Jade prompted. “The winery encourages groups of four or more to call ahead.”

“I can’t go for obvious reasons,” Trish pointed out. “But you guys could.”

“Good thing we love wine,” Brogan touted. “Well, Jade and I do. Lucien will drink it. Birk, not so much.”

Birk shrugged. “To catch a killer, I’ll force myself to pretend to enjoy a mediocre Pinot Noir. That’s what Kenneth bottles. Dry, medium-bodied with complex flavors of forest floor and mushroom. Sounds delish.”

Trish made a face. “Better you than me. That sounds absolutely horrific.”

Jade giggled. “Birk left out the best parts—vanilla and fruity flavors and a blend of cherry and raspberry.”

This time, Brogan made a face. “Both of those are tart as hell and scream acidity.”

“Bingo,” Birk muttered. “Kenneth calls it lively acidity with smooth tannins.”

“I think they say the same thing about Two Buck Chuck,” Lucien decided. “This should be interesting. Have we ever gone on a wine tour with a killer?”

Brogan stifled a laugh. “Not unless you count that time in Tuscany we accidentally booked a tour with an infamous mob boss who ran a counterfeit wine operation out of his villa.”

Trish raised an eyebrow. “You guys have really lived very colorful lives.”

“Unfortunately, the colors are usually bright blood red,” Brogan quipped.

Jade chuckled before chiming in, “I can set up a tour tomorrow if it’s not too soon. It could allow us to subtly investigate the premises and gather information without raising suspicion.”

Trish nodded in agreement. “Sounds like a plan. I’ll use one of my vacation days tomorrow and keep an eye out from a distance in case things go south. Who knows? We might even discover this is where they’ve been holding Bethany.”

A little knot of hope tugged at Brogan’s heartstrings. “Could she still be alive?”

“Without a body, there’s always hope.”

That sense of optimism hung over the group as they finalized their strategy over the last dregs of their caffeinated drinks. If they were lucky, tomorrow meant taking one step closer to a killer. And hopefully bringing him to justice.

13

The next day, the group of unlikely allies found themselves sitting in the courtyard of the same coffee shop, putting the last-minute details together while treating themselves to cappuccinos and freshly baked pastries. If everything went according to plan, the sugar level might keep them from getting too tipsy before noon.

“I might have come up with an angle,” Birk explained before heading to the vineyard. “What if Jade were to set up a meeting with the winery under the guise of doing a feature on their sustainable farming practices? The idea is to pass ourselves off as bloggers interested in wineries that protect the environment with the goal of bettering the life of farmers and communities.”

“Sounds deep,” Lucien joked. “But that’s not a bad angle.”

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