“No mistake,” Aunt Pearl turned to Desiree. “It’s Ruby’s Witching Hour Red Merlot, alright. If I were you, Desiree, I would go back to your table now.”
Desiree started to object, but when she saw Mom on stage, she changed her mind. She turned and stepped down off the stage and retreated to her table.
Aunt Pearl handed the mic to Mom. “Acceptance speech time!”
Had Mom won fair and square, or had she had help from Aunt Pearl’s wine enhancement spells? Her wine was good, but was it truly better than no-expenses-spared Desiree’s wine, or Antonio’s smooth syrah?
If Aunt Pearl had in fact enhanced Mom’s Witching Hour Red Merlot with a spell, then Desiree was right. There had been a mistake. I had no idea whether or not my spell had been strong enough to cancel the effects of Aunt Pearl’s enhancement spell.
Maybe it had even had the opposite effect. Canceling a spell sometimes made the original spell twice as strong. I had only cast that particular spell a couple of times, so I wasn’t entirely confident about my abilities yet. What if I had accidentally made Mom’s wine better? That also amounted to cheating, even if it was done unintentionally.
Maybe I would never know. At any rate, Mom was well-versed enough in witchcraft to detect any of Aunt Pearl’s shenanigans, or mine, for that matter. If Aunt Pearl really had played a role, she most certainly would have taken credit for the win, and she hadn’t done that.
Mom beamed as she addressed the room. “I can’t believe I won! But most of all, I’m glad people like my wine. This win isn’t just mine though…I have a co-winner. Antonio Lombard and I made the wine together.”
Antonio and Trina were seated a few tables away from where we stood. Trina had picked him up in Shady Creek after he was released by the Shady Creek Police without charge.
Antonio smiled and gave Mom a wave.
“Get up here, Antonio!” Aunt Pearl, ad-hoc witch that she was, suddenly had a second trophy in her hand. “Come accept your award!”
Antonio rose to his feet and walked to the stage.
“Oh no, you don’t!” Desiree pointed at Tyler. “Sheriff, aren’t you going to arrest this man?”
A loud murmur went through the crowd. Despite the long day, Richard’s murder hadn’t reached the gossip mill yet. Valerie was at home and presumably hadn’t talked to anyone. Neither had Antonio or Trina. Desiree and Aunt Pearl had kept quiet about it too.
Tyler cleared his throat. “It’s an active investigation, Desiree. But we’re about to make an arrest.”
Antonio was on stage by now. He looked uncertainly at Aunt Pearl, who shoved the trophy into his outstretched hand. To the bar patrons, it looked like stage fright. Antonio might well be centerstage and about to be accused of murder in front of the whole town.
Tyler walked over to the stage, grabbed the microphone and called for everyone’s attention.
Antonio slunk back to his seat, Desiree stormed after him, and Earl and Mom stood silently by the stage.
Aunt Pearl had just stepped offstage when the bar’s door flew open.
Moonlight spilled into the Witching Post as a shadowy figure darkened the doorway.
Chapter 27
Jose Lombard strode inside and paused momentarily as if looking for someone. His eyes darted around the room before resting on Antonio and Trina seated at their table. He stormed down the aisle to their table almost knocking over Mom and her drinks tray as he barged past her. “You’ve reached a new low, Antonio.”
Antonio’s posture stiffened.
Trina bolted from her chair and intercepted Jose before he could reach the table where Antonio sat. “Jose, I don’t think you should talk to Antonio right now.”
Jose’s mouth dropped open at the sight of his brother. He turned to Tyler on stage and yelled. “Sheriff! You’re letting a killer run free?”
Tyler said in a low voice. “Don’t stir things up.”
“What’s going on, Sheriff?” An older man in the crowd asked.
“What’s he talking about?” Lacey Ratcliffe shouted.
Everybody started talking at once. Soon the voices were so loud that even a voice over the microphone was hard to hear.
Tyler turned the mic up and said, “Everybody quiet down and go back to your seats. Jose, back off. Take a seat at the bar.”
Jose stood his ground, hands on his hips. “You want me to back off? You want me not to stir things up after my brother just killed somebody? After he bankrupted our winery, I might add. You think it’s business as usual?”
Tyler raised his hand in Jose’s direction. Then he turned to face the crowd. “I’m sorry to announce that Richard Harcourt has died. His death was a homicide.”
A collective gasp erupted from the crowd.
Tyler continued, “Richard’s body was discovered this morning. He was targeted and he knew his killer. Nobody else is in any danger.”
“Is that why he wasn’t at the wine festival?” asked a woman.
“Yes,” Tyler said. “I want you to know that there is an active investigation underway, and I’m about to announce an arrest.”
“It’s about time, Sheriff,” Desiree cried. “My poor Richard, gone!”
She collapsed into her seat and sobbed uncontrollably.
Nobody rushed over to console her.
Jose had ignored Tyler’s instructions and remained by Antonio and Trina’s table. He looked down at his brother. “It’s not too late to sell, Antonio. Might as well do it before you’re locked up. Put the money toward a decent defense attorney.”
He dropped a letter-sized manila envelope on the table in front of Antonio.
Trina opened the envelope and scanned the contents. Then she pushed the papers back across the table and looked up at Jose. “He’s not selling.”
“Stay out of this, Trina. This is none of your business.”
Trina stood. “It is very much my business, Jose. I’m just as invested in Lombard Wines as both of you are. Remember the money I loaned the winery last year so it could stay in business? Well, I haven’t gotten any
