The Book Supremacy, page 20
part #13 of Bibliophile Mystery Series
“So dramatic,” she said fondly. “Honestly, I’ve missed you dreadfully. Okay, I’ll do it. And keep me posted.”
“I will.”
* * *
• • •
Despite my fears that Derek himself might have become the target of a vicious killer, and my frustration at leaving town while the murders of Ned and Tailor remained unsolved, Derek and I drove out of the city on Saturday. It was time to visit my family in Dharma, the small town in the Sonoma wine country where I grew up.
We had been planning this day trip since we returned from Paris. We had goodies to deliver to our family and friends, as well as several private messages to pass along to Robson Benedict, secretly known as Guru Bob by us kids while we were growing up.
Guru Bob had been my parents’ teacher, guru, and friend for over twenty years. He was the reason my parents left San Francisco and moved to Sonoma with their six children to join his Fellowship for Spiritual Enlightenment and Higher Artistic Consciousness. I was eight years old at the time, so I couldn’t say whether the commune helped my parents become more spiritual or artistic, but I do know that they were happier than they’d ever been in the city. And we kids had thrived, as well.
Guru Bob had started with sixteen hundred acres of land, half of it covered in grapevines. The first thing his followers—and their children—did was plant more grapevines. I remembered that very well. Eventually we began to make wine. We moved out of our campers and built homes. We called our little community Dharma, and over the years it grew and developed into a fabulous destination spot with high-end shops, restaurants, small hotels, and a thriving winery.
These days, my father and brothers ran the winery and sat on the town council. After eschewing their worldly goods all those years ago, my parents had now become the elder statesmen—and wealthy to boot. My father thought that was a real kick in the pants.
Earlier this year, Derek’s brother Dalton had moved to Dharma to be with my sister Savannah. And just last month his mother and father, Meg and John, bought a second home in Dharma, and hoped to split their time between the wine country and Oxford, England. Luckily, our parents got along famously. My mother and Meg had so much in common that I sometimes wondered if maybe they were sisters separated at birth.
As we drove over the Golden Gate and into Marin County, Derek and I talked about our plans for the day.
“We need to stop at Robson’s house for a few minutes,” I said.
“Yes, I made an appointment for ten thirty. He’s expecting us.”
“You’re way more organized than I am,” I said, impressed.
“You’re always organized,” he countered. “But I have Corinne.”
I smiled. “You’re a lucky man. She’s an angel.”
“Yes, she is.”
“Speaking of Corinne,” I said cautiously. “How is she handling it with Lark still around?”
He shrugged and never took his eyes off the road. “She knows there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, so she’s managing just fine. For now.”
I glanced over and saw the tension creep into his jaw. “And how are you surviving?”
He rolled his shoulders and stretched his neck side to side, trying to relax his tense muscles. “The sooner she leaves, the sooner I’ll be able to breathe easier. I just don’t trust the woman.”
I watched him for several more seconds. “Is there something you haven’t told me?”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know how to explain it exactly,” I said, keeping my gaze on him. “But it’s unusual to see you showing signs of stress about work. Or else maybe you just usually hide it better than this. I know her lawyer would love to sue you, but did Lark do something else to threaten you?”
He reached over and took hold of my hand. Bringing it to his lips, he kissed my knuckles. “No, love. No threats.” He turned and gave me a level look. “More like a promise.”
“Excuse me?”
His lips pressed together in a thin, angry line. “She promises to make our lives a living hell if I try to get rid of her.”
My hands turned into fists. I truly wanted to throttle the woman. “She actually said that to you?”
His features tightened again. “Yes, she did.”
I held up my hand. “Wait. You said our lives. She threatened me, too?”
“Oh yes,” Derek said softly, dangerously. “She doesn’t like you, darling.”
“I think I’ve mentioned that to you, so it’s not a surprise.” I tried to keep my tone light. “But it sounds like a really good reason to fire her.”
His mouth was a thin line. “I did.”
“You did?” I was shocked and thrilled all at once. “Is she gone?”
“Not yet.”
“Why not?” I might’ve sounded a bit shrill, but good grief, would we never get rid of her?
“Because Bart got wind of what was happening and came running into my office. He insisted that I keep my word about giving her until the end of the month when the sales figures come in.”
“Oh my God, she’s got him wrapped around her little finger,” I said in disgust. “I know he’s your old friend and I’ve always liked him, too. But he’s completely blinded by her.”
My hands curled into fists again and I imagined pounding her face in. And I added a smack upside the head for Bart, too, while I was at it. And I wasn’t a violent person! But Lark was driving me crazy with her arrogance.
I counted to ten, then backward down to one. “Maybe it’s a good thing that we’re wrapped up in this puzzle over Ned and the book and the list. It’s the only thing that’s distracting enough to keep me from clawing Lark’s eyes out.”
“Good point. We won’t talk about it anymore.”
But I was still so angry, my hands were beginning to shake. I had to close my eyes for a minute and will myself to chill out. If I showed up in Dharma looking tense, my mother would catch my vibe and do a karma cleanse on me. I shivered at the thought.
“I do have one question,” I said.
He reached for my hand. “What is it?”
“Have you explained to Bart that I’m being threatened by this woman?”
“I have.” Derek was clenching his teeth again and I felt bad about that, but I needed to know. “But he can’t believe it. Bart is one of those people who only sees the good in everyone.”
“He might be a danger to himself.”
Derek laughed. “That’s it. No more talk about ‘she who must not be named.’”
“Deal.” But that didn’t mean I couldn’t imagine kicking her bony ass right out the door of Derek’s office and watching her roll down the hill and into the bay. And that possibility cheered me all the way to Sonoma.
* * *
• • •
As we drove up the driveway and parked the Bentley, my mother and father dashed out the front door and onto the porch.
“You’re here!” Mom cried, jumping and waving. “Oh, I’ve missed you so much.”
We hadn’t even left the car yet. As I unbuckled my seat belt, I glanced over at Derek. “I told her we would only be here for an hour. She’s making it sound like we’re staying for a week.”
I sort of wished we were, I thought. Especially with everything that was going on in the city. And watching my parents always made me smile. Mom wore one of her handmade tie-dyed rainbow skirts with a soft-knit sweater and ancient cowboy boots that suited her like nothing else. Dad was wearing jeans and an old rainbow T-shirt that Mom had made him eons ago. If I squinted a little, I could still see them as the adorable young Grateful Dead fans they’d been when they first met all those years ago.
“Your mother is lovely,” he said kindly.
“Yes, she is. Thank you for saying so.” I smiled, leaned over, and kissed him. “She’s also a whack-a-doodle and you know it. Promise me you won’t let her cast any spells on us.”
“Promise.”
We climbed out of the car to hugs and kisses and questions all the way up to the porch and into the house.
“How was the honeymoon?”
“Paris was fabulous,” I said, “and Bordeaux was fantastic. We went truffle hunting and we stopped in Lyon to visit with Ariel and Pascal. And then we drove to La Croix Saint-Just to check in with Robson’s relatives. And because it was so close, Derek took me over to see Oradour-sur-Glane.”
Mom came up behind me and began to rub my shoulders. “Oh, sweetie. That must have been difficult.”
“It’s not an easy place to visit,” I admitted. “But I wanted to see it, especially after we learned the true story of how Robson’s family came here. And La Croix is so close, it didn’t seem right to stop there and then not make the pilgrimage to Oradour-sur-Glane.”
The small town had been completely decimated by the Nazis in World War II. The women and children were rounded up and led into the church, where they were attacked with tear gas and machine guns. The men were gathered together and executed. And then the town was burned to the ground.
And in a village a few miles up the road, Robson’s great-grandparents worried that, because several of the brothers were part of the Resistance, the same fate would befall their town. The family escaped in the night and made the long journey across the ocean and into the United States. Since they were a family of winemakers, they settled in Sonoma with other relatives and grew grapes.
“So we brought back some family heirlooms for Robson,” I said, “along with a letter from one of his aunts.”
“Oh, he’s going to love that,” Mom said, still rubbing my back and kneading my shoulders.
I moaned with pleasure. “Mom, I’m going to give you two hours to cut that out.”
Dad laughed and Mom gave my shoulders one last squeeze. “That’s it for now. I’ve got to clean these breakfast dishes.”
We stayed for an hour, talking about our trip, showing them photos on our cell phones, and asking about the latest happenings in Dharma. Finally, I asked about Derek’s parents.
“You should drive by their new house,” Mom said.
Dad grinned. “It’s a nice one. Just up the next hill. Plenty of room for visitors.”
“I’d like to see it,” Derek said, then glanced at his watch. “We’d better get going. We have to be at Robson’s in twenty minutes.”
“Will we see you later?” Mom asked.
“We’re going to try to have lunch at Arugula if you feel like joining us. After that, we’re driving back to town.”
“If we decide to join you, we’ll call Savannah and let her know to expect us.”
“Good idea,” I said. “I hope we’ll see you, but if not, we’ll be back in a few weeks.”
“And thank you for my pashmina,” Mom said.
“Sorry it’s such a cliché gift.” I gave her a hug. “But I hope you like it.”
“It’s beautiful.” She pushed my hair back from my face, something she’d been doing since I was a little girl. “And you’re sweet to have thought of me.”
“I saw it and had to buy it,” I said. “That shade of blue reminded me of your eyes.”
Those eyes of hers were instantly filled with tears. “You’re going to make me cry.”
I grinned. “Then my work here is done.”
* * *
• • •
We followed Dad’s directions down the hill and then up to the top of the next one, where the view for miles was of rolling green hills covered in grapevines and olive trees. Derek stopped in front of a pretty Craftsman-style home painted sage green with pale yellow trim and with a wide wraparound veranda in front. The house was two stories and was perched on the hill, surrounded by pine trees and a wide, verdant lawn. Pink and red flowers flowed from pots near the front door, which was painted a bright, shiny red.
“Mom suggested that your parents paint the door red to create good feng shui.”
“That’s a must-have.”
“Right. Since the door is facing west, the red color will naturally attract the best chi into the house.”
“Of course it will,” Derek said, laughing as he checked his watch and pulled away from the curb.
I sighed happily. “It’s charming.”
“Yes, my parents chose well. We’ll see the rest of it when everyone arrives next month.”
* * *
• • •
Gracious, come in,” Robson Benedict said, opening the door and stepping aside to let us in.
Guru Bob, despite the silly childhood nickname, was a lovely, serious man with so much knowledge and goodness, I simply loved being around him and soaking up his positive energy.
He was tall, fair-haired, and handsome. Despite the gravitas he exuded, he had a good sense of humor and was as comfortable in a tie-dyed dashiki as he was in a tuxedo. He gave me a hug and pressed his hands to my cheeks. “You look wonderful.” But then he took a closer look. “But something is troubling you. What is it, gracious?”
Another quirk of Robson’s was that he liked to call us “gracious.” When I was little, I assumed it was because he couldn’t remember all of our names, but my mother assured me that it was his way of making us aware of the fact that we were actually filled with grace.
“It’s the same thing that usually troubles me,” I said, trying not to grumble too much.
“Come and have tea and we will talk,” he said, leading the way into his beautiful living room, where we sat and enjoyed a cup of tea and delicate pastry-style cookies. I could’ve eaten a dozen of them, but I stopped at two.
“I brought a few things for you from La Croix Saint-Just.” I put my teacup down, opened the shopping bag, and handed him the first item. “This is a letter from one of your aunts. There’s also something that belonged to one of your great-uncles. I’m not sure which one, but they wrote out an explanation for you. It’s in French.”
He pulled the letter out and read it. “That is very heartwarming,” he murmured. “She says that they received all of their belongings and it was wonderful of me to store them safely.” He gazed at me, shaking his head. “We all know that this is not the true story, but I am grateful to you for going there and making sure everything arrived safely.”
Last year, during the expansion of the wine caves, we discovered a treasure trove that belonged to the families back in La Croix Saint-Just. It had been hidden for decades, and when it was unearthed, plenty of devastating family secrets were also revealed. Along with a poor, dead soul who had been trapped in the cave for all those years.
“Everyone was very thankful,” I said. “They couldn’t be happier now that they’ve got their family heirlooms back. It’s a sweet little town. Have you been there?”
“No,” Robson admitted. “But I have already made plans to visit next year.”
“You’ll love it. They took very good care of us.”
“Yes, they did,” Derek agreed. “They’re quite a generous group.”
“There’s one more thing they sent,” I said. “It’s a gift for you from the entire town.” I had to set the shopping bag on the carpet and lift the box out carefully.
“What is this?” he asked, staring at the box.
I smiled at his hesitation. “You can open it, but be careful. It’s fragile.”
He lifted the heavily wrapped object from the box and set it on the table. Then he slowly unwrapped the packing paper.
“Good heavens, what is it?” He turned it around. “It’s art nouveau, definitely. Porcelain. It’s beautiful.”
It was delicate and dreamy, with a highly glazed lily growing the length of one side of the ten-inch-high pitcher.
“Yes. We were told it had been in the Benoit family for over a hundred years.”
He blew out an unsteady breath. “They are sending a message.”
“A good one, I think. They told us this was a wine jug so perhaps the message is eat, drink, and be merry.”
He was able to chuckle. “I like that.”
“We hope you’ll enjoy it in good health,” Derek said.
Robson nodded his thanks to Derek, then turned his attention to me. “What is troubling you, gracious?”
Where to start? I thought. But I didn’t want to burden him with everything that had been going on with us, so I just told him about Ned. “We recently received word that a friend died, someone we’d just seen in Paris a few weeks ago.”
“I am so sorry,” he said. “He died a violent death.”
It wasn’t a question. Robson just knew.
“There’s more you’re not telling me,” he said cryptically. “Someone else has died? Or someone is in danger.”
I knew Guru Bob could come across as psychic sometimes, but it still startled me to realize how insightful he was. I opened my mouth, then closed it. “Um, well, there are a few other things going on, but I don’t want to trouble you with all that. You’re very kind to care.”
“Of course I care, and you can trouble me anytime you want,” he said, and then smiled. “It pleases me to be able to talk with you. Both of you,” he added, patting Derek’s arm.
He walked us to the door and I gave him another hug. “Thank you for the tea and cookies.”
“And thank you for the gifts from La Croix. I am grateful that you made the trip there.”
“It was our pleasure,” Derek said. “The people in the village were charming. We felt quite at home there.”
We were about to leave when Robson’s expression dimmed suddenly and he clutched Derek’s arm. “Take care, Derek. There are dark forces hovering.”
“Yes, there are,” Derek said with deadly assurance. “And I will protect my own.”
Robson let go of his arm and smiled. “Thank you for coming to visit. Have a safe trip back to the city.”
