there. Even if someone discovered
that money was missing from the Center’s bank account, don’t think Mexico
abides much by that extradition treaty they signed with the good old U.S. of A.
Just as well. A person can get real lost in Mexico when they have enough money.
So long, little brother.
CHAPTER 11
“Come on Lady, time to go. One stop
and then we’re home to snuggle in for a rainy night.” Lady got up from her bed,
wagged her tail, and pranced to the door. I swear that dog understands
everything I say!
A few minutes later she
pulled into the parking lot at the rear of The Crush. Kelly had always loved
the simplicity of the name and thought it reflected the man who owned the shop.
Jesse was unpretentious and so was his shop. There was an old wooden bar where
twelve bottles of wine were always available for tasting. Several wooden chairs
and tables also provided a comfortable place for customers to sit while they
sampled some of the wines that were being featured that day. Although The Crush
had wines from all over the world, the main focus was on the wines of Oregon,
particularly the pinot noirs. Photos of the annual fall wine crush were
prominently displayed on the walls, several dating back to the prior century.
This part of Oregon had been growing grapes for a long time and was just now
becoming known for the excellent quality of its pinot noir wines.
“Hi, Jesse. How goes the
wine business?” she said to the tall man with his grey hair pulled back in a
ponytail and a diamond stud in his left ear lobe. She noticed he was dressed in
his customary jeans and blue denim shirt. “Sorry I didn’t have a chance to talk
to you when you were in the coffee shop last week, but I trust Roxie took good
care of you.”
“Absolutely. She always
knows what I want to eat before I know what I want. What can I do for you
today?”
“I’d like a bottle of the
White Cloud Pinot Noir. Scott Monroe gave me a bottle a few months back and it
was delicious. I understand a big storm is coming, so I thought Mike and I
might hunker down for the night and enjoy a good bottle of wine.”
“Perfect choice for this
kind of weather. I heard about Scott’s murder and I’m sure sorry. He often came
in here and we’d talk about wine. Scott was a lot more knowledgeable about his
wine than some of the other vintners who grow pinot noir grapes. Matter of
fact, I’m sure a couple of them are hoping his death might put a stop to the
Center’s ability to produce the top selling pinot noir in the region. It’s one
of the most popular wines here in the shop and from what Scott told me, all
over Oregon.”
“I’m surprised to hear
that there were bad feelings among the wine growers as it relates to Scott. I
don’t know much about the wine industry, but I always had the feeling the
vineyard owners were kind of like a brotherhood that all shared information and
helped one another.”
“Most of them do. I only
know of two who don’t and they’re brothers. Their vineyard is next to the
Center on the south side of the county road. They’ve got about thirty acres
planted with vines. I’ve never liked them. They’ve been in here a number of
times and said things about Scott, the Center, and the wines produced there
that were not very complimentary. Matter of fact, they even tried to bribe me
once. Offered to pay me quite a bit of money if I would sell their wine instead
of his, but I refused. I told them Scott’s White Cloud Pinot Noir was a big
seller for my shop and their pinot noir couldn’t match it. They weren’t very
happy about that.”
“I’m sure they weren’t.
Jesse, do they produce other kinds of wine besides pinot noir?”
“No, their vineyard is
planted exclusively with pinot noir grapes. I hear they do a pretty good
business selling to a lot of the discount stores at cheap prices. I was talking
to one of their employees who stopped in to see what other pinot noirs I sold
and he said they were trying to break
that money was missing from the Center’s bank account, don’t think Mexico
abides much by that extradition treaty they signed with the good old U.S. of A.
Just as well. A person can get real lost in Mexico when they have enough money.
So long, little brother.
CHAPTER 11
“Come on Lady, time to go. One stop
and then we’re home to snuggle in for a rainy night.” Lady got up from her bed,
wagged her tail, and pranced to the door. I swear that dog understands
everything I say!
A few minutes later she
pulled into the parking lot at the rear of The Crush. Kelly had always loved
the simplicity of the name and thought it reflected the man who owned the shop.
Jesse was unpretentious and so was his shop. There was an old wooden bar where
twelve bottles of wine were always available for tasting. Several wooden chairs
and tables also provided a comfortable place for customers to sit while they
sampled some of the wines that were being featured that day. Although The Crush
had wines from all over the world, the main focus was on the wines of Oregon,
particularly the pinot noirs. Photos of the annual fall wine crush were
prominently displayed on the walls, several dating back to the prior century.
This part of Oregon had been growing grapes for a long time and was just now
becoming known for the excellent quality of its pinot noir wines.
“Hi, Jesse. How goes the
wine business?” she said to the tall man with his grey hair pulled back in a
ponytail and a diamond stud in his left ear lobe. She noticed he was dressed in
his customary jeans and blue denim shirt. “Sorry I didn’t have a chance to talk
to you when you were in the coffee shop last week, but I trust Roxie took good
care of you.”
“Absolutely. She always
knows what I want to eat before I know what I want. What can I do for you
today?”
“I’d like a bottle of the
White Cloud Pinot Noir. Scott Monroe gave me a bottle a few months back and it
was delicious. I understand a big storm is coming, so I thought Mike and I
might hunker down for the night and enjoy a good bottle of wine.”
“Perfect choice for this
kind of weather. I heard about Scott’s murder and I’m sure sorry. He often came
in here and we’d talk about wine. Scott was a lot more knowledgeable about his
wine than some of the other vintners who grow pinot noir grapes. Matter of
fact, I’m sure a couple of them are hoping his death might put a stop to the
Center’s ability to produce the top selling pinot noir in the region. It’s one
of the most popular wines here in the shop and from what Scott told me, all
over Oregon.”
“I’m surprised to hear
that there were bad feelings among the wine growers as it relates to Scott. I
don’t know much about the wine industry, but I always had the feeling the
vineyard owners were kind of like a brotherhood that all shared information and
helped one another.”
“Most of them do. I only
know of two who don’t and they’re brothers. Their vineyard is next to the
Center on the south side of the county road. They’ve got about thirty acres
planted with vines. I’ve never liked them. They’ve been in here a number of
times and said things about Scott, the Center, and the wines produced there
that were not very complimentary. Matter of fact, they even tried to bribe me
once. Offered to pay me quite a bit of money if I would sell their wine instead
of his, but I refused. I told them Scott’s White Cloud Pinot Noir was a big
seller for my shop and their pinot noir couldn’t match it. They weren’t very
happy about that.”
“I’m sure they weren’t.
Jesse, do they produce other kinds of wine besides pinot noir?”
“No, their vineyard is
planted exclusively with pinot noir grapes. I hear they do a pretty good
business selling to a lot of the discount stores at cheap prices. I was talking
to one of their employees who stopped in to see what other pinot noirs I sold
and he said they were trying to break
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