Aunt Pearl asked, “Then why did I see Antonio leaving the wine festival this morning right after Richard? He was following so close he was practically tailgating.”
“You saw Richard leaving in his convertible, yes, but not Antonio following him. Instead you saw Jose driving a truck that looked just like Antonio’s. Jose wore a bulky jacket to resemble his stockier older brother. It was easy to mistake one brother for another inside a truck cab.”
Aunt Pearl shook her head. “You think I can’t tell those two apart? I’m not losing my mind, Sheriff.”
“I know you aren’t, Pearl. Though a nearby surveillance camera confirmed that your timeline was a little off. Understandable considering you were multitasking and all.” Tyler raised his brows. “According to the school custodian, when he opened the school gymnasium shortly before 7 a.m., Richard and Desiree were already in the parking lot. They sat in Richard’s Corvette, waiting to be let in.
“He unlocked the gym door, and Richard and Desiree began unloading the wine from Richard’s Corvette and carried it into the gym.
“A short time later, Jose arrived, coming from the direction of Shady Creek. The three of them talked for a few minutes and then drove out of the parking lot in two vehicles: Richard and Desiree in Richard’s Corvette, and Jose following in his rental pickup truck. They headed in the direction of Lombard Wines. Both Richard’s Corvette and Jose’s truck were captured on the Gas n’Go security camera as they drove by.”
Aunt Pearl glowered but didn’t say anything.
Tyler added, “Only Jose knows how he convinced Richard to follow him to the winery. It had to be an important enough reason for him to leave the wine festival. I’m guessing Richard thought it was something that could be done quickly enough that he would be back in time for the start of the wine festival. Maybe that Antonio had reconsidered his options and was now willing to sell to Desiree.
“Once at Lombard Wines, you invited Desiree and Richard down to the cellar, claiming Antonio was there waiting to discuss whether the sale could be completed before the foreclosure. Maybe you even promised a nice bottle of wine to seal the deal.”
“Why would I kill Richard?” Jose asked. “I had absolutely no reason to. He was helping us out of our financial mess.”
Tyler said, “The Shady Creek hotel manager said there was one other thing that was out of the ordinary for you when you checked in last night. That you were alone. Usually you’re with a blonde woman when you stay there. I’m looking at you, Desiree LeBlanc.”
Desiree gasped. Her diamond ring glinted under the lights as her hand flew to her mouth. “That’s a lie! I’ve never been to that hotel.”
“The security footage doesn’t lie, Desiree. The Shady Creek police are going through the last two weeks of video, but they’ve already found the two of you together there on five or six different occasions.”
“Well I wasn’t there last night, Sheriff. Or today.” Desiree rose to her feet and pointed her index finger at Tyler. “You need to focus on Antonio. He didn’t arrive at the wine festival until about 8:30 a.m. That gave him plenty of time to kill Richard.”
“No, actually he left the winery quite early. Before Antonio and Trina arrived at the wine festival, they went out for breakfast, leaving Lombard Wines around 7 a.m. But I think you already knew that because Jose watched them leave the winery. Once the coast was clear, he met you and Richard at the wine festival. You made sure that Richard would be there nice and early before too many people arrived. You didn’t want a lot of witnesses. You and Richard drove to Lombard Wines with Jose following.”
Everyone in the bar sat in stunned silence.
“Why would we do that on the day of the wine festival, Sheriff? We wouldn’t just leave.” Desiree shook her head like she was sorry that Tyler could be so stupid.
Tyler said, “Jose told you and Richard that he had managed to get Antonio to change his mind at the last minute. Antonio was now willing to sell to you, Desiree, to avoid foreclosure. That claim was for Richard’s benefit only, since you were in on the plan. You made a convincing argument about the importance of sealing the deal right away, before Antonio changed his mind.”
Desiree laughed. “You’ve got quite an imagination, Sheriff. That’s the most unbelievable story I’ve ever heard.”
Tyler said, “The medical examiner will confirm time of death when she performs the autopsy on Monday, but based on the cool temperature in the wine cellar and the condition of Richard’s body, Richard had already been dead for longer than a few minutes. I’m guessing at least an hour. Antonio hadn’t been expected to return to the winery all day, but then he had to because of unforeseen circumstances. He ran out of wine.”
Tyler looked pointedly at Aunt Pearl before turning to Jose. He said, “Jose, you never expected Antonio home until late afternoon. Instead, you almost got caught in the act. Your plan was for Antonio to discover Richard’s body in the wine cellar after the wine festival. Everything pointed to him being the killer: putting himself at the crime scene, the cellar that only he could unlock, his anger at Richard, and desperation at losing his business that doubled as his home.
“After Jose killed Richard, he headed out of town to escape suspicion and clean up, change clothes, and get rid of evidence.” Tyler turned to Desiree. “Meanwhile, you, Desiree, drove Richard’s car back to the wine festival and parked in the same parking spot. It was still hours before the wine festival started. The custodian had left after unlocking the building, thinking it was fine to do so because you and Richard were now inside. In fact, it was so
