No wonder Antonio had no wine. It wasn’t that he had forgotten it. It was that Aunt Pearl had commandeered it. Now I understood why she had been so eager to help bottle the wine. It was so she could sell it at a profit at Antonio’s and Mom’s expense.
I sighed. “She’s at it again.”
Tyler sighed. “This is the second time she’s broken the law. She doesn’t have a license for a roadside bar.”
Trina craned her neck as we passed the RV. “That’s our wine! Pearl took it right out from under us.”
“I’m sorry, Trina. She’s completely out of control.” I sighed, knowing that nothing could shut her down.
“Not much I can do about it right now,” Tyler said. “I’ll have to deal with her later.”
Though it was still morning, it was promising to be a crime-filled day.
Chapter 11
Antonio stood outside Lombard Wines. He was soaked from the rain, his hair plastered against his flushed face. He paced back and forth, mumbling incoherently.
His white shirt was bloodstained across the front and on the rolled-up sleeves. His hands and forearms were stained a bright crimson color as he waved frantically at us.
Tyler pulled to a stop in front of Antonio’s truck.
Trina jumped out of the Jeep and ran to Antonio, arms outstretched.
“Trina, stop. This could be a crime scene.” Tyler sprinted after Tina and grabbed her forearm to prevent her from touching Antonio. He placed a hand on each of her shoulders and restrained her as she extended her arms to embrace Antonio. “Don’t touch him, please.”
“Oh, okay.” Trina’s shoulders slumped and she lowered her arms. She stepped back. “Antonio, what happened? Are you okay?”
Antonio shook his head. His whole body trembled. “Richard’s in the wine cellar. I don’t know how he got in there because we locked it yesterday and haven’t been back there since.”
Trina nodded. “I don’t understand how Richard got in…I saw Antonio lock the cellar and the building, Friday afternoon, Tyler. Antonio even double-checked the locks.”
Tyler frowned. “What time was that?”
“Around dinnertime Friday, after Cen and Pearl left,” Trina said. “The wine had already been loaded in the truck last night, so we didn’t need to go in the building this morning.”
“What time did you leave, Trina?”
Trina blushed. “I didn’t. I stayed overnight and was with Antonio the whole time. I’m absolutely positive the winery and cellar doors were locked. I even heard the wine cellar lock click.”
“Antonio, what happened?”
“I-I don’t know. I went downstairs into the wine cellar and unlocked it with my code and fingerprint scan like I always do. I went inside and that’s when I found Richard.”
“The cellar door was closed when you got there? You’re positive it was locked?”
Antonio nodded.
“Does it automatically lock when you close the door?” Tyler asked.
“Yes. You only need the code and fingerprint to unlock the door. It locks automatically when you close the door.”
Tyler nodded. “Okay. I’ll talk to you in a couple of minutes but right now I need you to stay here until I get back.”
“Where are you going?” Antonio asked.
“To the wine cellar. Is the door open?”
“Yes,” Antonio said in a low whisper. “The door’s propped open with a wine barrel.”
Standing near Antonio were two volunteer fire fighters. Their fire truck was parked a few feet from Antonio’s truck. The volunteer fire department attended both fires and medical emergencies. Clearly, the emergency had passed.
Tyler motioned the two men toward the Jeep where they would be out of earshot of Antonio and Trina. I followed. Tyler didn’t object.
The older firefighter, Mark, spoke in a low voice. “He’s inside, downstairs in the wine cellar, multiple stab wounds to the chest and neck.”
“You’re sure he’s dead?” Tyler asked.
Mark nodded yes and swallowed hard. “Nobody could survive that. Richard’s dead alright. There was so much blood that I couldn’t even recognize him until Antonio told me it was him.
Everybody in town had dealings with Richard. As the head of the only bank in town, he decided whether your mortgage or small business loan was approved or declined. He wielded a lot of power in people’s lives and often not in a good way. I didn’t know who would want him dead, but a lot of people didn’t like him much. Antonio had a motive, but he certainly wasn’t the only one.
I wanted to know more about Richard’s injuries, but it was Tyler’s investigation, not mine, and I didn’t want to compromise it. It was a big story for my newspaper, but I had to be patient. I would know more soon enough.
Some things were pretty obvious though. Antonio was a prime suspect since he had discovered the body. That put him at the crime scene which also happened to be his property. Also, Richard was found dead in a wine cellar that could only be unlocked by Antonio himself.
Antonio had the means, motive, and opportunity.
Front page news was happening right in front of me, and it was hard not to ask questions. The story wouldn’t write itself though, so I wanted to get as much information as I could. I had to report on it before the town gossip mill did.
Tyler called to Antonio. “Antonio, don’t talk to anyone or touch anyone or anything.”
“Am I under arrest?”
“Not at this time,” Tyler said. He turned to the two firefighters. “Don’t let Antonio out of your sight. Keep him here till I get back. The Shady Creek CSI’s will be arriving soon to assist. In the meantime, I’m going to have a quick look inside. I’ll be back in a minute.”
Tyler had an impossible choice as the lone cop in town since he couldn’t simultaneously investigate the crime scene and interview a suspect. Because that’s what Antonio was, a suspect. I hoped there was another explanation but it didn’t look good for Antonio.
Trina and Antonio stood close together and talked in low voices, already ignoring Tyler’s instructions.
