“What have you got there?” he asked after swallowing another sip of tea.
I grinned. “A suspect list. So far we’ve got Elizabeth Trent and Noland Garrity. Any or all of the Frenchmen, but especially Henri. And I’d love to add Darlene and Shawn, but I have a feeling they’re long gone. But I’m adding Josh Atherton because he asks too many questions and he’s probably going to go out with Annie. So of course, we need to investigate him.”
“Of course,” he said, smiling.
“Darlene and Shawn are the perfect suspects,” I said sentimentally. “Alias Smith and Jones. Even their name sounds criminal.”
“And they’re quite friendly,” Derek remarked. “They could easily have struck up an acquaintance with Trudy and finagled an invitation into her home.”
“Wow, that’s true.”
“But they’re so easily recognized with all that bright red hair,” he said. “They’d be taking a big chance showing their faces in Dharma again.”
“It could be worth it to them.”
Derek’s mouth twisted into a frown. “And they did have all those lock-picking tools. Although, truth be told, they couldn’t have broken into the caves with those tools. Gabriel would’ve been after them in a heartbeat.”
“But somebody got into the caves, right? Maybe they snuck in while the door was open. Could one of the winery workers have gone in there and left the door open for a minute or two?”
“Anything’s possible,” Derek said. “But Robson announced that the caves were off-limits, so I can’t imagine anyone in Dharma going against his edict. Although it’s conceivable that an employee would have to go in there for some legitimate reason. Even if they were locked and secured.”
Something occurred to me. “My brothers probably have the security codes to the doors.”
“And it’s quite possible that they’ve gone inside once or twice in the last week or so.”
“And if some felonious critter has been watching the doors, he could sneak in behind them.”
Derek smiled at my words, but he quickly sobered. “That might indeed be the way Garrity obtained entry.”
“Sneaky bastard,” I muttered, and stared at my list of names. “Does Gabriel’s security system make a note each time the doors are opened and closed?”
“Yes, of course,” he said, contemplating the possibilities. “And the closed-circuit cameras record everything. It all shows up on an elaborate printout.”
“Can we get a look at it? I’d like to create a timeline for all these suspects and add the security information to it.”
“Excellent idea, darling.” He pulled out his cell phone. “I’ll set up a meeting with Gabriel first thing tomorrow morning.”
Chapter Fourteen
Bright and early Thursday morning I followed my doctor’s advice and took the last of my bandages off. I was giddy with relief that I could finally take a real shower and wash my hair. By the time we left for our meeting with Gabriel at eight o’clock at his house, I felt as fluffed and fresh as a pretty flower.
Derek drove for a full mile up a winding road high in the hills above Dharma. When he came to a stop, I was mystified. I hadn’t even known this place existed until that moment. I’d grown up in Dharma and was familiar with most of the town’s nooks and crannies and hideaways, but I’d never realized there was a beautiful home tucked away at the tip-top crest of Dragon Valley Road.
As I gazed down one side of Gabriel’s steep mountain, the view was of green terraced vineyards with grapevines that seemed to spread out forever. On the other side of the hill, I could see the ocean in the far distance as the marine layer was beginning to break up.
His home was a modified log cabin, similar to Austin and Robin’s alpine home, only bigger. There was a pool in back with a good-sized patio deck, and along the side of the house were three large satellite dishes. These were the really big ones, the kind found at television studios and around airports.
What in the world? Maybe Gabriel really loved television, but this was ridiculous. Then I remembered how he talked about his drones and wondered if there was a connection between the drones and these dishes.
“Brooklyn,” Derek said, “are you coming?”
“Yes, but did you see those dishes? They’re huge.”
“Gabriel does a lot of communicating by satellite.”
“Oh.” I didn’t even know what that meant.
Gabriel met us at the door, looking impossibly sexy in a black T-shirt and stonewashed jeans. “Hey, babe,” he said, giving me a hug. He smelled delicious and made me wonder how a simple citrus-and-spicy scent could be so dangerous.