“Carneros,” Dixon said, holding a hand against her forehead to shield the sun. “And the Napa Valley. Off in the distance is San Francisco.”
Vail followed suit and brought up a hand as if ready to salute. “Stunning.”
Dixon tapped her on the shoulder. “The view gets better as we go up.” She led Vail up the four flights of cement stairs, which featured a trickling waterfall along its centermost rim. At the crest of the top step was a short landing and another flight of stairs. But just ahead was a cement bridge that featured an expansive pool on both sides, with water jets that shot bursts of narrow water streams at a 45 degree angle.
“Impressive,” Vail said, slowing to watch the water arc through the air.
In front of them was the winery—and their appointment with Marc Benezra. The building was completely enveloped by clumps of wild grasses, save for the glass-walled entrance and a large V-shaped windowed bay jutting out by the left side of the mound.
They walked through the doors and found a richly appointed wood entry with freestanding metal and blown- glass artwork. They moved past the gift shop into the tasting room, an irregularly shaped area sporting smooth columns and floor-to-ceiling windows. Seated at one of the small tables on the far side of the room was a dark- suited man. He rose and buttoned his coat.
They approached and introduced themselves. Benezra was a shade over six two, with horn-rimmed glasses and a sharp-featured face that was all business. “Thanks for switching our meeting place,” he said. “One of the employees here is a client I’m meeting at ten thirty, so this gave us more time to chat.”
Vail took a seat in one of the ultramodern wood and metal chairs. “No big deal. This is my first time here, and if we hadn’t met here, I probably wouldn’t have gotten the chance to see it.”
Benezra took his seat. “Quite the treat, isn’t it?”
Vail looked behind Benezra at the wall of glass and the view beyond.
“We’ve got some questions,” Dixon said. “About Isaac Jenkins and the lawsuit he and Victoria Cameron were discussing with you.”
Benezra’s face widened into a smile. “You must know I can’t talk about that without my client present.”
Dixon nodded, as if she agreed. But then she said, “Sorry to be the one to tell you this, but your clients are dead.”
Benezra’s mouth dropped open ever so slightly. “When? How?”
“Very recently. As to how . . . we can’t say just yet. But their deaths are being kept quiet. For now. I’m going to have to ask you to respect that.”
Benezra’s eyes narrowed. “Why? What’s—” He stopped, revelation relaxing his facial muscles.
Vail nodded slowly. He had just put it together. Cops coming around to ask about two clients who are suddenly dead. She figured he had realized there were suspicious circumstances surrounding their deaths.
“So,” Vail said, “I’d strongly suggest you help us. That’s all I can say.” Benezra still looked stunned by the news. “I still can’t discuss anything to do with Isaac’s business. Does Todd know?” He reached into his inside jacket pocket and removed his phone.
Dixon placed a hand on Benezra’s. “You can’t discuss this with Mr. Nicholson.”
“Excuse me, Ms. Dixon. Remove your hand.”
Dixon kept it there. “This is a very serious matter, Mr. Benezra. Lives are at stake. This is much larger than your deceased clients.”
Benezra sucked on the inside of his cheek, then nodded and dropped the phone back in his pocket. “I’m listening.”
“Actually,” Vail said, “we need to listen and you need to talk—”
“Agent Vail, I told you. I can’t—”
“Let’s do it another way. We’re going to tell you some things and you’re going to nod or shake your head. Don’t say a word.”
Benezra looked away. “This just isn’t right.”
“If I told you your life was in danger, would that change your attitude?”
The attorney’s head whipped back to Vail. They locked eyes. “Are you saying—”
“We need to be asking the questions. First one. You were discussing a lawsuit to remove Crystal Dahlia from the Georges Valley board.”
Benezra sat there a long moment, then nodded.
Vail continued. “You’d also been working with Victoria Cameron on the same issue.”
Benezra’s eyes wandered the room.
Vail rephrased: “You had some discussions with Victoria about this.”
Nod.
“Okay,” she said. “Did Victoria or Isaac say anything that might’ve led you to think they feared for their lives?”
Benezra shook his head.
“Were there any concerns about Superior Mobile Bottling, that maybe they were doing something illegal?”
Another shake.
Vail sighed and looked at Dixon. “Anything you want to ask?”
Benezra leaned forward. “Agent Vail, you’re in the wrong forest. You understand what I’m saying?”
“I do. But I really need you to talk. We need to know what you know. I respect your legal responsibilities. But we’re up against the wall here. We’re trying to save lives. I promise you we won’t disclose where we got this info. We’re not interested in building a case against a suspect. We’re just trying to catch a—a very dangerous person. Before someone else gets hurt. But we just need some answers. Tell us what you know.”
Benezra sat back, then rubbed his face with both hands. A moment later, he said, “Let’s go outside, take a little walk.”
They rose from their chairs and pushed through the nearby glass door, which spilled out onto a long patio with multiple round aluminum tables and matching seats. The vista was clear and the hills rolled on for miles into the distance. A small, blue body of water was visible less than a mile way.
Benezra walked a dozen feet, then stopped and leaned his forearms atop the metal railing. Dixon and Vail did likewise. “I’m not telling you this. Right?”
“Right,” Dixon said.
Benezra nodded slowly, then said, “Isaac and Victoria were very upset because of the AVA issue. You know about it?”
“The 85 percent minimum?” Vail asked.
“Apparently, someone from Congressman Church’s office was involved. He was speaking in favor of the other members of the AVA board, trying to influence the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax Trade Bureau. The TTB. Familiar with it?”
“Yeah, it’s come up before.”
“Well, it was improper, to say the least, for the congressman’s office to take sides. It had nothing to do, really, with his district. No reason for him to come down on either side of the issue unless he was politically motivated to do so.”
Vail felt a pang of disappointment. While there could be the seeds of something underhanded—or merely politics as usual—it wasn’t the smoking gun for which they were hoping.
“Interesting,” Dixon said.
But Vail sensed the same emotion in Dixon’s voice that she was feeling herself.
“No,” Benezra said. “What’s interesting is what my PI found out. I hired an investigator to look into it. It just smelled foul. I mean, yeah, could’ve just been political horse-trading, but Victoria and Isaac were convinced something wasn’t right. And what my guy discovered was worse than what they’d envisioned.” He stopped, ran a hand across his forehead. “If I tell you what we found, everyone will know it came from me. I really can’t—I need to talk with Todd.”
Dixon pushed away from the railing. “Call him. Keep it short. Just tell him I’m investigating something regarding one of the congressman’s advisors and I’m offering to exchange some information that you think’ll be
