“Guilty as charged,” Hannah said, and both women laughed.
“And you’re getting married tonight and they’re going to televise it on the Food Channel,” the lady on her right stated. And then she started to frown. “There’s nothing wrong, is there, Hannah?”
“Not a thing. I just drove out here to ask a question about red wine for the wedding reception.”
Since the ladies were listening, Hannah didn’t want to mention the name of the wine that Chef Duquesne had consumed right before he’d been murdered, so she turned to Dick and rephrased the question she’d originally planned to ask. “What’s the best red wine you carry? I want to have something special on the head table for Ross.”
“Cabernet, Merlot, or Cabernet Sauvignon?” Dick asked her.
“Cabernet Sauvignon.”
Dick sighed. “Sorry, Hannah. I don’t have any of the really high-end Cab left. I had four bottles of 2008 Hourglass Estate Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. They lay it down for four years before they sell it, and I bought it for a hundred and ten a bottle. Now it sells for over a hundred and fifty. If I had any left, I’d give you a bottle for a wedding present.”
“But you don’t?”
“No, but I do have another Cab that’s really very good. I’ll put a bottle of that on your table.”
“Thanks, Dick. I’m sure it’ll be wonderful.” Hannah felt her excitement build. She was almost sure that the wine in the crime scene photos had been the one from Hourglass Estate that he’d mentioned. “I’m curious, Dick. Who bought those expensive bottles of wine?”
“I sold three bottles to Chef Duquesne. Someone else ordered the fourth from room service.”
“When did that fourth bottle sell?”
“Uh . . . night before last, maybe? Yes, that’s it. It was the same night that . . .” he stopped short, glanced at the ladies who were clearly listening, and turned back to Hannah. “I get it,” he told her. “Someone else took the room service order, but I can find out if it’s important.”
“It could be.”
“Okay. It’ll take a couple of minutes. Do you have time to wait?”
Hannah glanced at the time display on her phone. “I’ve got an hour before I have to get to the church.”
“Good. Jackie comes on in ten minutes and then I’ll get a break. I’ll look it up for you during my break and tell you what I find. Then I have to go upstairs and get dressed for your wedding.” He paused and looked at the empty bar space in front of Hannah. “Would you like a little liquid courage, Hannah? This is a big step for you.”
“I know, but I don’t need courage. I need some liquid that’s not at all courageous. How about something nonalcoholic? Aunt Nancy said you have some really good pink lemonade, and I could use a glass of that.”
“Done.” Dick put ice in a glass and filled it from one of the spigots behind the bar. He added a sprig of mint and handed it to her. “Here you go. Pure pink lemonade. Cheers, Hannah.”
“Cheers!” the two ladies said, raising their glasses as Hannah took her first sip.
“Thank you.” Hannah smiled at them in acknowledgment. It had been a nice gesture.
“So tell us about your handsome groom,” the blonde with the pink streaks said.
“Yes!” her fellow Pretty Girl conventioneer chimed in. “Is he as incredibly sexy as he looked that night on television?”
Hannah managed to keep the smile on her face, but she shot Dick a desperate glance. She couldn’t leave. She needed the information that Dick would give her. But this was going to be a very long ten minutes!
Hannah was right. She made what she hoped was polite conversation for at least twenty-five minutes before Dick came back to the bar. He no longer had on his bar apron, and he tapped her on the shoulder. “Come with me, Hannah. I have something for you.”
“Thanks, Dick.” Hannah got up from her stool, said good-bye to the Pretty Girl conventioneers, and followed Dick to the lobby. When they got there he pointed to a couch in the far corner, away from anyone who could hear them, and Hannah took a seat.
“It was Rodney Paloma,” Dick said.
“Rodney ordered that expensive wine from room service?”
“That’s right. The call came in at midnight. According to room service records, Rodney answered the door himself and asked the girl who delivered it not to open it, but to leave the wine opener with him.”
“And she did?”
“Yes. We don’t usually do that, but she said he gave her a ten-dollar tip and she figured she could replace the corkscrew if he didn’t return it and still keep at least half of the tip for herself.”
“Smart girl,” Hannah said.
“Yes. We tell our staff that the guest is always right, even if they’re dead wrong. Lucy’s very good at following the rules and she had this one covered. She went back to his room later and retrieved the opener. Rodney wasn’t there and his bed hadn’t been slept in. Lucy assumed that he’d taken the wine somewhere to drink it with friends.”