The building was deserving of the title "the big house." It was a beautiful three-story craftsman, with redwood siding and deep porches supported by pillars made from local rock. Large Boston ferns hung under the deep eaves. Bright red geraniums lined the wide front steps and the cobblestone drive that bisected an immaculate lawn.
The drive split into two. Steve followed the lane to the right, which curved around the house and led to the winery and tasting room. Both were built in a similar style. The entire property was stunning, particularly the view from the rear of the house, which looked down over a deep green expanse to the vineyards in the valley below. Mike let out a low whistle. Steve agreed with his partner. It was quite a set up.
Steve looked at Mike and joked, "This place just might be worth murdering for."
"It's really something, isn't it."
After parking in the lot behind the winery, they exited the car. A tall man in his late thirties-early forties came up behind them from the vineyard side. Steve turned, and panicked. He looked like the suspect that fled from Natalie Thompson's apartment. He reached for his gun, only to find an empty belt. His weapon and badge were still locked in the glovebox.
Mike saw Steve's reaction and tried to get the man's attention to cover Steve's conditioned response.
"Hi. I hope we are in the right place."
"Welcome," The man called. "I'm Pete Garrod. Are you the folks that Kate sent up?"
"Yep! I'm Mike, this is Steve we're here to book my granddaughter's birthday party." Mike saw Steve let out a held breath in relief.
Garrod shook both of their hands and led them around the building and up on the porch. "I'm sorry about the delay, but I'm doing double duty with my brother being out of town so much. Unfortunately, that's the way it goes around here sometimes. If you have a seat, I'll go inside and grab a contract."
Mike and Steve sat in two of the comfortable porch chairs that circles a table on the veranda. Steve whispered, "He looks just like the other one, Georg. I thought we had been made for sure."
Mike shushed him as Peter backed out the door with a tray containing not only papers and a pen but three wine glasses and an emerald green bottle.
"As an apology, I'd be happy if you join me in a glass of our '71. That was the last vintage before the blight and my person favorite." He poured three glasses from the bottle.
"Cheers!" Peter lifted his glass and took a sip. "Oh yeah," he smiled as he held the glass filled with pale yellow liquid up to the light, "Still the best ever."
00000
Norm walked down the steps to the car. He really needed a phone rather than the radio. He waved over one of the patrol officers.
"You know where there's a payphone around here? I don't want this to be on the radio yet."
The officer directed him to a mom and pop corner store a few blocks down.
Norm jumped in the car and k-turned in the street, heading for the store. When he arrived, the phone was in use. He flashed his badge and the young woman quickly ended her call. He dropped several coins in the slot, dialed Bryant Street, and then had the operator connect him to Captain Sills in IA.
"This is Sills."
"Captain, this is Sgt. Haseejian from homicide. We have a situation that you need to roll on."
"If it's a police-involved shooting you need to get in touch with the Sargent Barnes and the shoot team, not me. I think you jumped the food chain a little bit."
"It is sir, but this is something you will want to be in on." Norm was attempting to be diplomatic. He didn't want to put the potential murder or suicide of a cop in the neighborhood out in the open yet. That would be Sills' call.
"Are you trying to be cryptic, Sargent?"
"Yes sir, I am. I'm calling from a public phone. All I'm saying is that you NEED to get out here."
"All right, give me the address. You know you just got out of hot water, this better be worth my time."
"Yes sir" Norm responded before dictating the address."
His next call was to the direct line on Mike's desk. After several rings, Bill Tanner answered the call.
"Hey what's up Norm?"
"Mike not around?"
"Nope. He and Steve took off shortly after you did."
"Super. I tell you what, I need you to come down to the scene Healey and I rolled on. I think my presence here poses a problem. Sills from IA is on the way."
"What's going on."
"Not on the phone, you'll see when you get here."
"Okay, I be there in 15 or so."
"Good. One more thing. Go down to records and pull Dan Morgan's print card. We're gonna need it sooner rather than later."
"I don't like the sounds of this."
"Neither do I, it's a bad scene. Do me a favor, leave a note on Mike's desk with the address. I think he's going to want to be in on this one, too."
Norm hung up the phone and drove back to the scene. Bernie had arrived, along with Charlie from the crime lab. He was surprised to see the heads of both departments on the scene.
"Gentlemen." Norm said in greeting, as he walked behind the coroner's van and out of ear-shot of the officers monitoring the scene.
"What do we have?" Bernie asked.
"Body, couple of days old. Looks like a suicide, or maybe a staged suicide, but that's your call. Over and above that, we have a problem. Victim might be a cop."
"Who?" Charlie asked.
"Dan Morgan, IA. A couple of things: We looked around, but Dan and I didn't touch a thing. I want pictures first. Bill is on his way with Morgan's prints. So, after the photographer's done, ID has to be our next priority. Tanner will be taking over for me, I just had a run-in with Morgan, so I need to be out of this. Also, his boss, Captain Sills is inbound, he had an APB out on his guy. Last thing, this might be tied into the Steiner and Thompson cases. So, we will definitely need a tox screen asap. I left a message for Mike, but he and Steve are in the field."
Both men nodded and Charlie walk around the truck to give instruction to his assistant. After several minutes, the assistant jogged up the stairs lugging a large camera bag.
Another vehicle pulled up. Sills from IA exited and strode over to Bernie and Norm.
"Where's Haseejian?"
"That would be me, sir."
"What's the big mystery. I had to cancel a meeting with the chief."
"We have a body upstairs, several days old. We are pretty sure its Dan Morgan."
Sills reeled slightly, "What?"
Norm gave him a few moments to recover himself before he continued, "At first glance it looks like a suicide, but Bernie will have to make the call on that. Before you ask, I have called in another Homicide Inspector to take over for me. With our recent history, I can't continue on the case."
"You absolutely correct Sargent. And thank you for your discretion, you made the right call keeping this quiet."
"Thank you, sir. The photographer's up there now. As soon as he's done you can go up with the ME. My replacement is coming with Morgan's prints for an ID. Just a warning, he's been up there a few days."
00000
Mike looked at Steve who shrugged. They both picked up their glasses and took a sip. Peter Garrod put down his glass and picked up the pen and the contract. He slid it over to Mike. "I assume you are the man with the wallet?"
Mike smiled and put down his glass. "Yes sir, nothing is too good for my little Jeannie."
"Then how about if you fill out the top part of this. I need to run in and get my calendar so we can see what's available."
"Do you mind in my Son-in-Law does that?" I left my glasses in the car."
"No problem." He slid the documents over to Steve.
"I have one more question, if it's not too much of an imposition, do you have a restroom I could use. San Francisco was a while ago."
"But of course, follow me."
Mike followed Garrod into the house. It was just as opulent on the inside as it was on the exterior. They cut through the kitchen, down the hall and into a study with en suite powder room. "Here you go. I'm going to grab the calendar off my desk head outside. Do you think you can find your way back?"
"Sure, no sweat. And thank you again." Now was Mike's opportunity to get a little "lost" and take a look around the house.
00000
After the two men left, Steve took another sip of the Riesling. He had to agree with Garrod, it was excellent. He picked up the contact and started filling out the form, using Police HQ on Bryant Street for the address and phone number. While he was writing, another vehicle pulled down the road, but it disappeared around the winery to the lot below. He assumed it was someone visiting the tasting room.
As quickly as he had left, Garrod came out of the door and sat down opposite Steve. He opened the calendar and began to rattle off available dates. Steve chose one at random and finished his section of the contract, sliding it back over the table. Pete filled in the rest and laid down the pen.
"All we need now is a signature. But if your Father-in-law is paying, he'll need to sign." Garrod pick up his glass and took a deep drink. "What do you think of the wine?"
Steve picked up his glass and raised it to his host, "You were right it's magnificent, we might have to stop in at the tasting room and pick up a few bottles before we head home. Plus, you can't beat the setting. What a view!"
Garrod nodded. "You bet. Buying this place ten years ago what the best decision my parents ever made. We grew Riesling at our place in Argentina but it doesn't hold a candle to what we grow here."
"Argentina? Wow. Is that where you are originally from?"
"Not originally, my parents are from Europe. My brother and I were born there, too, but we grew up down in South America, although I did go back for college."
"That's really interesting. I'm a California boy, born and bred. I even went to college in the Bay Area."
"That's just as unusual, isn't it? Whenever I talk to someone, here they are always from somewhere else."
"Very true. So, where in Europe did you go to College?"
"University of Vienna, if fact I hung out with a couple from San Francisco when I was there."
"Wow, small world?" Steve replied. The casualness of the conversation led Steve to believe that Peter Garrod was either the world's best actor or was blissfully ignorant of the whole scheme. He contemplated dropping Steiner's name, but dismissed the idea in case their host was, in fact, giving an Oscar caliber performance.
"So, do you and your brother go back to Argentina much?"
"Georg always went more than I did. But neither of us go very often since my mother passed away."
"I'm sorry for your loss."
"Thank you. My Father's actually here now. He's talking about making the move permanently. He really likes the weather up here."
"Who can blame him. I don't think I'd ever want to leave this place if it were mine."
A few minutes went by before Garrod muses, "I wonder what happened to your father-in-law?"
Steve laughed nervously wondering the same thing, "Who knows. But to be honest, I've never met a man who could get lost so easily."