More than I wanted to know, and more than I wanted to share with Tyler. People were attracted to Desiree’s charisma and magnetic personality. She was generous with compliments and friendship, and she made everyone feel special. As long as they did what she wanted, that is. If not, her friendship turned to betrayal, and her compliments to accusations. Desiree was calculating in her friendships, choosing those who moved in the right social circles, lived in classy neighborhoods, and shared her expensive tastes. The town was divided between those who loved her and those who despised the very sight of her. Her gossip and lies turned friends against one another and some even into enemies. At least one man, Richard, had turned into a cheating husband. But I had to stick to facts, not feelings.
I took a deep breath. “Desiree moved here about five years ago. She moved from Seattle, claiming she made a fortune in real estate as a top realtor. She’s definitely got money.”
“She told you that?” Tyler asked.
I shook my head. “Not me directly, but that’s the word around town. She also spends a lot. She bought Verdant Valley Vineyards for cash and has put a lot of money into it. She claims her winemaking is only a hobby, but rumor has it she’s been importing expensive grapes to gain an edge over the other local winemakers. She claims her wine is estate grown, but her winery sales are about ten times the amount she could grow in her own vineyard. She’s obviously buying more grapes beyond what she grows. She denies it, of course.”
Tyler scratched his chin. “Hmm…so Antonio’s claims are true.”
I nodded. “Desiree and Richard started their affair soon after she moved here. Desiree even bragged about it, saying Richard gave her ‘more than a mortgage’. Word got around pretty quickly. I understand why Valerie wanted a divorce. She must have found it humiliating.”
“Is Desiree’s wine any good?” he asked.
I shrugged. “It’s not bad. But it’s not special enough to win first place every year. It doesn’t stand out as superior over the other local wines. I don’t think she has a motive to kill Richard, though. She benefits much more from him being alive than dead. Being his girlfriend meant that he fixed the wine judging every year so she won Wine of the Year. They seemed happy together.”
“Maybe she wanted more from him than first place in a wine contest,” Tyler said. “Surely she wanted him to leave Valerie. Five years is a long time to date someone. Maybe their relationship soured when he promised to leave her but never did.”
“True enough, but Desiree was about to finally have Richard all to herself if Valerie went through with the divorce.” Tyler and I had dated for almost a year now. “What’s the right amount of time to date someone?”
He blushed. “I don’t know exactly, but there comes a time when you just know you are either with the right person or you’re not.”
“Am I the right person?” I blurted the words out before I realized what I was saying. I wanted to take it back immediately. What if he didn’t feel the same way I did?
“Most definitely.” He leaned in for a kiss. “Mmm, Cen…I knew the moment I met you. I doubt that Richard’s the best thing that has ever happened to Desiree, though. She strikes me as an opportunist. She wasn’t only in this relationship for love. Or even to win the wine contest. He manages the bank, so maybe there’s something there.”
“She’s already rich,” I pointed out. “Five years is a long time to wait for Richard to leave Valerie. Maybe she gave Richard an ultimatum and he ignored it.”
“Or…” Tyler paused as he searched for words. “Maybe Desiree only claimed that she wanted Richard to get a divorce but didn’t really mean it. When Valerie set the wheels in motion by filing for divorce, Desiree could be with Richard all of the time. If she had just been using him for favors and didn’t truly love him, that would be a problem for her.”
I shook my head. “If Desiree didn’t want Richard anymore, she could simply break up with him and simply walk away. She had no motive to kill him.”
Tyler nodded. “She also has an ironclad alibi. Dozens of people saw her at the wine show at various times throughout the morning.”
“She could have gotten someone to kill him,” I said. “Except she didn’t have a need to do that.”
Tyler checked his watch. “She’s also half an hour late for her appointment.”
As if on cue the precinct office door slammed and a woman called from the outer office. “Yoo-hoo! Sheriff Gates? Anybody here?”
It was Desiree LeBlanc. Probably hoping to make a grand entrance but it fizzled.
I was secretly glad there was no one there to greet her. I stayed in the small room adjacent to the interview room, unseen, while Tyler stepped into the outer office to greet her.
They exchanged hellos as Tyler directed Desiree to the interview room and motioned for her to take a seat.
“I came as soon as I could.” Desiree smiled at Tyler. Her lower lip trembled as she said softly, “I still can’t believe it…my Richard gone. Just like that.”
I assessed Desiree through the one-way mirror. She wore burgundy suede boots, matching tights, and a long designer sweater accented with an expensive-looking gold and amethyst pendant. And she had doused herself in perfume. It tickled my nose, even though I was in the next room.
Desiree had taken the time to change her clothes, pick up a takeout coffee, and even restyle her hair. Her long blonde hair was now in an updo, tendrils framing her face and accentuating her deep blue eyes. “The wine festival was a disaster this year. Without Richard judging there was no—” She stopped herself mid-sentence, put her head down and sobbed.
Such a manipulator! Was Tyler
