| Mystery and Crime Fiction posted August 17, 2021 | Chapters: |
...23 24 -25- 26... 
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Cynthia has a talk with Darryl
A chapter in the book Secrets in the Wind
Secrets in the Wind - Chapter 25
by Begin Again
| Background Jack McKinley's recent death appears to be suspicious. The investigation of one crime leads to another and so many other secrets in the wind. |
Rows of oak barrels, stacked ceiling-high, lined the interior walls. An open barrel filled with wood chips greeted Cynthia as Darryl escorted her through the door. Several more matching barrels sat throughout the area.
"Oh, Darryl, it smells so good in here." Cynthia inhaled deeply, drawing the aroma through her nostrils and into her lungs. "There's no smell of over-ripened grapes. It's heavenly!"
"So, you like the surprise?" Darryl grinned as Cynthia inhaled the air once again.
"Like it! I love it." She closed her eyes and let the aroma drift past her nostrils. "It’s vanilla. Vanilla mixed with a smoky oak from the barrel, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is. It’s the first step a guest will take in their introduction to the winery.” A look of pride swept across Darryl’s face. “It was Jack’s idea, and I’ve followed through with his wishes.”
“Well done, I must say. The fragrant smell is so unexpected.” Cynthia looked around the barn at all the barrels. “You mentioned guests, Darryl. Not much for anyone to see. Are you expecting someone to stand and admire the rows of wine barrels?”
“Come on, Cyn. You should know Jack would dream bigger than that. Come on and take a walk with me.” Even Liz hadn’t seen all the work he’d put into the winery because Jack had planned to surprise her when he finished. Strutting like a proud peacock, Darryl wrapped his arm through Cynthia’s and walked toward the rear of the barn and two large oak sliding doors.
“What? Now we are going to gaze upon the vineyards. I think you’ll need much more than that to attract visitors to the winery. Neither you nor Jack dreamt very big, I am afraid. Tables, chairs, and a bar for wine tasting should fill the barn.” Cynthia loosened her arm from Darryl’s and spun around, spreading her arms out wide. “You need display shelves with wine bottles and engraved glasses for sale.” She turned back toward Darryl and smiled. “The vanilla scent filling the room is a charming start, but I could dream of so much more.”
“I can see your dream, Cynthia.” Darryl slid the barn doors aside. “But Jack wanted so much more.”
The doors opened, exposing a vast glass atrium filled with stacked tables, bar tables, assorted chairs, huge cabinets and shelving, lush greenery, and boxes and boxes of items for the wine tasting room.
Cynthia closed her gaping mouth. “Oh, Darryl, I never would have guessed this existed here. It’s beautiful.”
“It will be when it's complete. It’s a secret, Cynthia. Promise you won’t say a word till it’s finished.” Darryl was regretting his spontaneity in showing his endeavors. “Promise me.”
“Of course, I promise.” She offered a big smile. “Can we sit out here and enjoy the coffee you promised me? It’s going to be breathtaking, Darryl.”
Beaming, he lifted a table from the stack and set it near the glass windows. He grabbed two chairs and offered one to Cynthia. “Here, sit down and enjoy the view while I get us two mugs of coffee.”
Darryl hurried toward his office and the brewing coffee while Cynthia’s wide eyes took in the atrium and the bones of a future garden. Enormous planters and colorful structures filled the area. A large pergola shaded one area, and built-in bench structures lined the row of boxwood hedges. A stream meandered down the hillside. A waterfall trickled over boulders in the corner of the garden. The tall grass fields and trees added a beautiful scenic view.
Cynthia expelled a loud sigh.
Now you’ve really messed my world up, Darryl. How do we get Liz to sell the winery after she sees Jack’s dream? There’s nothing like it around this area. You’ve discovered a gold mine, but not the one I had in mind.
The furrows on Cynthia’s forehead and her frown screamed dissatisfaction to Darryl as he placed the coffee mugs on the table.
“Something wrong, Cyn? I thought you’d be ecstatic when you saw it.”
Jolted from her thoughts, Cynthia jumped at the sound of Darryl’s voice. “What? I’m sorry. I didn’t hear you come back. Guess I was lost in thought.”
“And they didn’t look like happy ones. Don’t you like the atrium?”
“Of course, I do, Darryl. It’s fantastic.” Cynthia patted his hand and smiled. “I was thinking about a research paper I’ve been working on. It’s turned out to be far more work than I expected.”
“Research? I’ve never seen that bother you before. You’re a bloodhound when it comes to finding the undiscovered secrets of this town. I am amazed I’ve kept the atrium a secret for so long.”
“While digging through boxes of old dusty books and newspapers, I found a crude map of the territory. I’m not even sure it's anywhere around here. But the head librarian and the mayor got all excited and wanted me to research it.”
“What’s so special about the map?’
“I don’t really get it, Darryl, but the mayor believes that there might have been oil or even gold mining around Hayden. He thinks it would be a tourist attraction if we could say our town was connected to the California Gold Rush.”
“Sounds feasible, I guess.”
“That’s the thing. I can’t find any information about mining. It’s always been grape country. Jack was a historian too. Did he ever mention anything about the gold rush or anyone discovering gold around this area?” Cynthia studied Darryl’s face as she waited for his answer.
“Gold? Nah, he was only interested in the vines. He’d hoped to add more vines and different wines as time went on. He walked every inch of this land at one time or another.”
“I’m sure he did. Did he ever mention a young girl or a dog? Michael said he thought he saw them running through the tall grasses when he was walking one of the trails.”
“Maybe we’ve gotten new neighbors on the other side of the fields.” Darryl shrugged. “I rarely get up that direction since I’m tending the winery so much. I’ll ask Miguel if one of his workers has a child who went exploring.”
“Sure, I never thought of the workers.” Cynthia drank the last of her coffee and stood up. “Well, I better let you get back to work, young man. It seems you have a lot to keep you busy.”
Cynthia admired the space one more time and then headed toward the front of the barn, with Darryl following close behind.
She stopped to inhale the vanilla before she opened the door.
“Oh, I forgot. You know me, curious all the time. What was with all the cars?”
“Cars?” Darryl scowled for a moment. “Oh, one of the cargo trucks broke down, and we had a rush shipment. They didn’t have another truck, so they sent out several smaller ones to pick it up. Crazy, huh?”
“Yeah, crazy. Can’t imagine wanting a shipment of wine that bad, especially in the middle of the night.” Cynthia shrugged her shoulders and waved. “Takes all kind to make the world go round, I guess. See ya later.”
***********
Darryl watched Cynthia walk down the driveway, waving at Poppa and Tango as she headed home. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialed.
As soon as someone said hello, Darryl spoke into the phone, “We need to talk.”
Summary... Cassidy is framed for murder. Allie goes undercover to protect Cassidy, but they are both stabbed. Cassidy's life is threatened again in the hospital, and she is pronounced dead (but actually in protective custody). Mason Caldwell runs many illegal businesses, including drugs and human trafficking. Jon, a priest and Cassidy's brother, has sold his soul. Mary, a caregiver, discovers her child she gave up for adoption thirty years ago. Cynthia and Michael are searching for gold on Liz's property. The mysterious woman (Faith) is dying from cancer and lives in a secret cottage with her daughter, Annie, Sebastion, and Mary. Darryl runs the winery, and Miguel is in charge of the vineyards. Garth and Hank are trying to solve the cases.
 Recognized |
Theodore (Ted) and Meredith Cranston - previous owners of Sweet Haven Estates
Jack McKinley - present owner of Sweet Haven Estates - deceased
Elizabeth (Liz) McKinley - Jack's widow and owner of Sweet Haven Estates
Alyssa Shelton - (Allie) Liz's best friend and an Investigative Journalist
Darryl Pennington - Estate Foreman for past and previous owners
Mary Hunter - Retired nurse and current caregiver of Faith and Annie
Faith Cranston-Newton - daughter of the Ted and Meredith Cranston
Annie Cranston-Newton - Faith's daughter
Sebastion - the lovable St. Bernard and Annie's companion
Dr. Eugene Copeland - the local physician
Sofia Sanchez - Mason Caldwell's housekeeper
Miguel Sanchez - vineyard supervisor
Jon Saladino - Priest and much more
Cassidy Rotello - assistant of Mason Caldwell
Mason Caldwell - rancher and owner of a gambling casino
Garth Woodman - (Jeremy) Undercover FBI
Hank Armato - Private Investigator
Emmy Armato - Hank's wife and also retired detective
Cynthia - librarian, historian, town gossip, and wanna-be detective
Michael - realtor and Cynthia's nephew
Tango and Poppa - FBI agents
Pays
one point
and 2 member cents. Jack McKinley - present owner of Sweet Haven Estates - deceased
Elizabeth (Liz) McKinley - Jack's widow and owner of Sweet Haven Estates
Alyssa Shelton - (Allie) Liz's best friend and an Investigative Journalist
Darryl Pennington - Estate Foreman for past and previous owners
Mary Hunter - Retired nurse and current caregiver of Faith and Annie
Faith Cranston-Newton - daughter of the Ted and Meredith Cranston
Annie Cranston-Newton - Faith's daughter
Sebastion - the lovable St. Bernard and Annie's companion
Dr. Eugene Copeland - the local physician
Sofia Sanchez - Mason Caldwell's housekeeper
Miguel Sanchez - vineyard supervisor
Jon Saladino - Priest and much more
Cassidy Rotello - assistant of Mason Caldwell
Mason Caldwell - rancher and owner of a gambling casino
Garth Woodman - (Jeremy) Undercover FBI
Hank Armato - Private Investigator
Emmy Armato - Hank's wife and also retired detective
Cynthia - librarian, historian, town gossip, and wanna-be detective
Michael - realtor and Cynthia's nephew
Tango and Poppa - FBI agents
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