"Corked by Cabernet" - читать интересную книгу автора (Scott Michele)

Six

NIKKI spied Detective Jonah Robinson before he saw her. He was talking to the uniformed police on the scene who were having people sit down and go through the interviewing process, which would be quite lengthy considering all the people who had been on the train. When he looked her way and locked eyes with hers, he shook his head. She mustered a weak smile.

He sauntered over to her. There was no other word to describe the way Detective Robinson walked, other than possibly strut. She couldn’t help spotting Simon and Marco, slack-jawed and wide-eyed. They’d seen the detective before, but he was one of those men who took the breath away each time you saw him. He didn’t possess drop-dead gorgeousness like Derek or Marco did. Hmmm-Nikki was a lucky girl. But the thing about Jonah Robinson was that he exuded mass sex appeal. Still there had been no love lost between Jonah and Nikki on their first encounter, despite his good looks. What Robinson had in the way of “hotness,” he lacked in charm. Nikki first met him when Georges Debussey was murdered at the hotel, and they hadn’t cared much for each other from the moment Robinson started questioning her in an accusatory tone.

But because of that case, they’d found a mutual respect for one another, and there was no denying it: whether or not you liked the detective, he was sexy. Lenny Kravitz sexy with mocha skin, deep green eyes, and a lanky leanness that reminded her of a cat on the prowl. And over time, Nikki had learned to like Robinson.

“Why is it that when a murder happens around here, you seem to be close by? Every time,” he said.

“Hey, I’ve been trying to stay out of trouble. It’s been what, a year or so? I’ve been good. Honest.”

“I doubt that. You want to tell me what you know about the victim, what happened, what this thing on the train is all about? Someone said it’s some cult group.”

“Oh, my God, no. Who said that?”

“I’m not telling you, and…” He raised a finger. “Don’t get messed up in this one. Don’t, don’t, don’t.”

“I don’t plan on it.”

“Sure you don’t,” he said. “ Sonoma County is lucky I transferred here instead of staying in the city, so you don’t need to be doing none of that snooping you’re famous for.”

She crossed her arms. “I resent that.”

“It’s true. Now, you ready to tell me what you’re doing hanging out with a bunch of Hare Krishna types?”

He took out a small notepad and pencil. She explained to him who the group really was and why they’d all been on the wine train. “I had just met Mr. Yamimoto today and then he was at our table for a bit tonight. From what I gathered, he’s a publisher from Japan wanting to publish Alan Sansi’s books in his country. But Sansi didn’t seem all that interested.”

“Uh-huh. What else do you know?”

Nikki had learned from her past dealings with Robinson not to keep anything from him, and although she was notorious for crime solving, she didn’t think she wanted to take a stab at this one. She told him what Iwao had said about Alan Sansi’s system being horseshit and she also told him she thought the dialogue between Iwao and Juan Gonzales had some kind of hidden message in it.

“What do you mean?” Robinson asked. “What kind of hidden message?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. It was weird, though. Iwao was talking about some note that Juan left for him earlier, and then made a comment about him being a funny guy. I don’t know… it struck me as odd.”

Robinson wrote this information down. “Which one is this Gonzales cat?”

Nikki pointed him out. He was seated, speaking with one of the cops.

“I think I better talk with him, and we need to get access into Iwao Yamimoto’s room. I doubt that will happen tonight. There’s a lot of witnesses to go through, so I’d appreciate it if you got it locked up tight.”

“Sure. His wife is also staying in there. She doesn’t seem to speak any English.”

“His wife?”

Nikki pointed to Mrs. Yamimoto. The woman was crouched against the chair she’d been sitting in at dinner-time. She was as silent as she had been earlier. The only sound she’d made was when she realized what had happened to Iwao, and she’d let out a cry so animalistic and pain filled, Nikki’s heart literally felt a deep pang and ached for her. Now she seemed to be in shock. Initially Nikki had sat down and tried to speak to her, but she got no response and ultimately decided that the woman wanted to be left alone. Even if she didn’t, the cops showed up quickly, before there was any real time to comfort anyone. Everyone sort of had that dumbstruck look on their face.

“I better find out. I may have to get an interpreter here.”

Nikki nodded. “What do you plan to do with all of these people?”

“I don’t know yet.”

“I’m sure after this, they’ll all want to go home,” Nikki said.

“No.” Alan Sansi had come up behind her. “No one is going home. This, this situation… Iwao’s death is something we need to deal with as a group. We all signed up for this journey and I think we need to see it through.”

“Mr. Sansi, I assume?” Robinson asked.

“Yes.”

“You do realize that one of your followers-”

Alan interrupted him. “I don’t have followers. They are members seeking a path of enlightenment.”

“Right. One of your members may have killed one of their own tonight. It could have been someone on staff on the train or a passenger not associated with the group. We’ll be checking all angles. The way Mr. Yamimoto was murdered was violent and malicious. I think you may want to reconsider continuing on with your week. There may be a killer amongst you.”

Alan didn’t respond for several seconds. His happy-go-lucky demeanor had changed since earlier that day. He was subdued and even strained. “I agree with that. But as I said, this is what we all signed up for. Is there a problem if we do continue with the program?”

Nikki found his choice of words strange. She knew she certainly hadn’t signed up for murder on the Napa Express.

“The police department should not have a problem with it, but I think regarding the program for the week, well, that would be something for Ms. Sands and Mr. Malveaux to decide,” Robinson said.

Oh no. Derek. Robinson had to remind her that her partner in love was currently radio silent-on a plane to New York City. How was he going to take this? She knew the answer to that. She glanced at Simon, who was seated next to Marco. They were both watching them.

“Derek is on his way to New York.”

“I guess it’s up to you then. I would suggest if you’re going to continue, then you should hire extra security. I can place a uniformed officer at the hotel but, I have to tell you, with the cuts the department has recently taken, I can’t afford any of my men to play rent-a-cop.”

“All right. I’ll see what I can do,” Nikki replied. “If you really think we should and can continue, then I’ll do my part, Alan.”

With a nod of his head, Alan quipped, “Yes. I do.”

“I’d like to speak further with you, Mr. Sansi. Ms. Sands, if you’ll excuse us and maybe help calm nerves. I know murder doesn’t get under your skin the way it does others.” Robinson smiled slightly. “Right over there, Mr. Sansi. I’ll be with you in a moment.” He turned back to Nikki. “I’m probably going to regret this, especially since it’s not exactly by the book, and I’ve already adamantly warned you away, but right now I could use your eyes and ears. You’re actually above suspicion this time, I think.”

“What are you asking me for, Robinson?” She placed a hand on her hip and tossed back her dark hair.

He sighed. “I’m short on staff like I said, and you did solve Georges Debussey’s murder. You’ve got good instincts. I don’t want you snooping per se, but I could use you to listen to your gut on this and tell me anything you might think or feel, even if it sounds whacked out. I think this group is probably pretty kooky.” He spun a finger in circles around his right ear.

She smiled. “Let me get this straight. You’re asking for my help?”

He studied her. “Kind of. But don’t let it go to your head.” He sighed. “I’m sure that I’m going to regret this. Don’t cross the line, though. You know what I’m talking about. None of that breaking and entering you’ve done in the past, or following people in cars. None of that. All I want from you is information. You hear someone tell someone else something that don’t sound right, you call me. You see something strikes you as odd, you call me. Your gut screams at you about something, you call me.”

“All right, I got it. I’ll call you.”

“Good. You really okay with these folks staying at your place?”

“I’ve got a big dog, remember?”

“Oh yeah. The ridgeback.” He laughed. “Good. Keep him close by. I’ll be by your place tomorrow. I think you and I are through tonight. Like I said, play hostess for now. And keep your ears and eyes open. I’m going to talk to the rest of these people.”

“Hey, Robinson, I forgot to mention to you that I saw a heated conversation between Sansi and the deceased earlier today at the hotel.”

“Know what it was about?”

“No clue. But it looked like Iwao Yamimoto was trying to hand something to Sansi, like a DVD or maybe a small case of some sort. I don’t know, but he told Iwao to mind his own business.”

“That’s what I’m talking about. Little gems like that.” He pointed a finger at her.

She saluted him and he shook his head walking-sauntering-over to Alan Sansi. It was strange, she knew it was-a man had just been murdered and she felt rotten about that, but she couldn’t help feeling a rush of adrenaline when Robinson asked for her help. Who would have ever thunk it? Things had certainly changed. Then again, things always change. Nothing ever stays the same. Jeez, now she could probably sell that to a ton of people and make millions just like Alan Sansi, who was now standing in the corner of the train being questioned by one intense detective.