Murder Makes a Toast Read online

  Murder Makes a Toast

  Rooftop Garden Cozy Mysteries, Book 10

  Thea Cambert

  Summer Prescott Books Publishing

  Copyright 2021 Summer Prescott Books

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication nor any of the information herein may be quoted from, nor reproduced, in any form, including but not limited to: printing, scanning, photocopying, or any other printed, digital, or audio formats, without prior express written consent of the copyright holder.

  * * *

  **This book is a work of fiction. Any similarities to persons, living or dead, places of business, or situations past or present, is completely unintentional.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Also by Thea Cambert

  Author’s Note

  Contact Summer Prescott Books Publishing

  Chapter 1

  As newlywed Alice Maguire-Evans stood on the balcony of the inn where she and her husband, Luke, were honeymooning, she thought she might actually be in heaven. A warm spring breeze blew her red curls out of her face and she sighed, deeply contented. The view through the huge trees that surrounded the gracious old inn was of the yard, which was scattered with tucked-away park benches, small tables and chairs, and mini gardens featuring blooms in every color. The lake lay over to the right, robed in the glistening hues of the sunset. The huge, organic garden that supplied the kitchen with fresh produce lay to the left, and past it were the orchards, showing the first tender apple blossoms of the season. And beyond all of that, in every direction, were rows upon rows of grapevines. A couple hundred acres of them. It was as though this magical spot, surrounded by the ancient Smoky Mountains, had been one of God’s own favorite places, and Alice felt she could stay here forever.

  It had only been two days since she and Luke had arrived at the Emmerson Estate Farm and Vineyard, which lay just outside of Little Bavaria, Tennessee, but those two days had been sheer bliss.

  Alice turned and smiled at her husband, who was seated in a chair nearby, reading. “Can you believe this place is only two hours from home and neither of us had ever heard of it?”

  “It’s got to be one of the best kept secrets in the state,” said Luke, closing his book and joining Alice at the balcony railing. He took her hand and kissed it. “I’m glad we made the time to get away.”

  The two had gotten married just before Christmas, and it had taken them until late April to come on this honeymoon. They’d meant to do it sooner, but there were the holidays to celebrate first, and then there was time spent moving Alice into Luke’s lakeside cabin in Blue Valley, where Alice owned a bookshop on Main Street called The Paper Owl, and Luke was the head—and only—detective on the Blue Valley police force.

  Now that they were married, they’d be splitting their time between the cozy apartment above The Paper Owl, and the peaceful cabin on the lake, which were only about ten minutes apart. The two locations were equally charming in their own ways. The bookshop apartment was perfect for weekends and festival days, and its French doors opened out onto an amazing rooftop garden that overlooked Main Street.

  They shared the garden with the other inhabitants of the building—who also happened to be Alice’s dearest friends. Owen James, who owned the bakery, Sourdough, lived on one side, and Franny Brown-Maguire, who owned the coffee shop, Joe’s, lived on the other. Fate had been especially kind to the three friends through the years, because now, they were also neighbors out on the lake.

  Franny had married Alice’s older brother, Ben, just under two years ago, and the previous summer, they’d welcomed baby Theo into the world. Ben had lived in the little house next door to Luke’s cabin for years, so now Franny lived there too. Then last fall, Owen had moved to the lake as well, into a charming old cottage just around the shore from Luke and Alice, which he’d lovingly renovated. As it stood, the group of friends were neighbors both on Main Street and at the lake, and that suited them all just fine.

  “I wish Franny and Ben and Owen could see this place,” said Alice. “Someday maybe we can all come back here together.”

  “That’d be great,” said Luke. “I mean, we never would have found this place if it weren’t for Owen.”

  Owen, who was the biggest romantic fool of the bunch, had written down the story of Alice and Luke’s meeting and subsequent love affair and had entered it in Fabulous Bride Magazine’s Dream Honeymoon contest—and had won. As a result, Alice and Luke’s weeklong stay at the luxurious Emmerson Estate Farm and Vineyard was an all-expenses paid extravaganza that included fun activities every day. The only catch was that Alice and Luke had been required to agree to attend each and every fun activity and have their picture snapped for an upcoming Fabulous Bride Magazine spread—a small price to pay, in their estimation. So far, they’d hiked to a beautiful waterfall, eaten at a gourmet restaurant in Little Bavaria, and visited an old German bakery, where they’d feasted on flaky almond croissants and iced bear claws.

  “I’d call Owen right now and thank him again if we had cell phone reception,” said Alice with a chuckle.

  “We’ll have to walk over to the rise and call him tomorrow,” said Luke. “But meanwhile, it’s awfully nice that our phones can’t ring.”

  “Agreed,” said Alice.

  When they’d wanted to call Alice’s parents to let them know they’d arrived safely in Little Bavaria—and found they had no reception—the staff had directed them to take a stroll into the vineyard, where there was a small rise between fields that was pretty much the only place on the grounds from which to make calls. Alice had already noticed the occasional Emmerson staff member hurrying out to that very rise on their break time, and now it all made sense.

  “Night’s falling fast,” said Luke, picking up their honeymoon information packet and checking the schedule. “Time for our romantic walk under the stars.”

  Alice smiled and took her husband’s hand. “Duty calls,” she said. “Don’t want to keep the photographer waiting.”

  Chapter 2

  “Hurry, we’re going to be late,” said Alice the next day, as she and Luke followed a stone path that led from the inn to the huge barn that had been converted into an event venue.

  “Nope,” said Luke, taking Alice’s hand and pulling her into his arms. “There’s no hurrying allowed on this honeymoon.”

  The previous night’s walk under the stars had been amazing. The Emmerson Estate was far enough outside of town that there was little to no light pollution, and the canopy of sky overhead seemed to have layers and layers of stars—millions of them. Even after the photographer had gotten his shots and left, Alice and Luke had walked on for at least another hour, talking and laughing and making plans.

  They’d slept late and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at the small dining room downstairs, then taken another walk, followed by an indulgent nap before lunchtime. Now, they were about five minutes late for the first official event of the day, a mini wine festival hosted by the Emmersons. The fest was to include the three principle vineyards in the area: the Emmerson Estate Farm and Vineyard, Clear Creek Cellars, and the Waxing Moon Winery.

  “I feel kind of bad that I know nothing about wine,” Alice said in a low voice as they walked along toward the barn.

  “Me, too,” said Luke, chuckling. “I know less than nothing.”

  “We can’t let anyone kno
w,” said Alice. “We have to act sophisticated and knowledgeable. We have to learn the lingo.”

  When Luke laughed at this, Alice stopped walking. “Seriously! Okay, listen. I learned a new word,” she said. “Oaky. We’re supposed to say wine is oaky if it tastes like an old barrel. Something like that.”

  “Oaky,” Luke repeated.

  “Good,” said Alice, and they walked on. “Oh—and when they hand us a glass of wine, we’re supposed to look straight down into it first, then hold it up to the light, then tilt the glass around a little, then smell it.”

  “Got it,” said Luke. “Thank goodness I married a woman of wisdom.”

  “Well, in this case, a woman pretending to be wise,” said Alice with a snicker. “Ooh—hold up.” Alice grabbed Luke by the arm and pulled him behind a large flowering bush.

  “What—why? Alice, if you want some time alone with me, let’s go back to our room.”

  “Shh! Look over there,” said Alice, peeking out from behind the bush to a spot at the side of the barn, where two men stood conversing.

  “Okay . . .” said Luke. “What am I looking at?”

  “Those two men. Over there. Having a secretive discussion!”

  “Alice, you’ve solved one too many mysteries,” said Luke.

  It was probably true. Alice, along with Owen and Franny, had helped the police get to the bottom of more than one mystery. Luke and Ben, admittedly, had appreciated their help, but were forever worried about the three amateur sleuths’ safety.

  “I know body language,” said Alice. “And I sense that this is a clandestine meeting. Those two don’t want to be disturbed.”

  “Then let’s disturb them and see what happens,” said Luke, pulling Alice out of the bush and walking on toward the barn.

  By the time they got there, the two men—who didn’t look surprised or run off in different directions—simply nodded and kept right on talking as Alice and Luke walked by.

  “See?” said Luke. “Nothing secretive about that. Sounded like they were talking about—wait for it—wine. Shocking!”

  “Okay, okay,” said Alice, rolling her eyes. “Let’s go inside. We need to pose for a few pictures looking like we love wine.”

  Maybe Luke was right. Maybe Alice was starting to see mysteries where there were none. Maybe it was time to tone down her constant state of skeptical suspicion. And finally, maybe bad guys weren’t actually hiding around every corner, waiting to jump out.

  “Alice! Luke! Over here!” Suzie Young called from where she stood next to a long table that had a large banner bearing the Emmerson family crest and distinctive purple lettering.

  Alice and Luke had met Suzie and Sam Young on their first day at the inn. The Youngs, also newlyweds, were honeymooning right alongside Alice and Luke, but since they’d bought rather than won their honeymoon package, they weren’t required to go to every single fun activity and have their photo taken . . . having fun.

  “Hi, Suzie. Sam.” Alice nodded at the couple. “Did we miss anything? We’re running a little late.” She waved at the photographer who smiled and waved back.

  “No, they’re just getting started. This is going to be so much fun. I can’t wait to start tasting the wines.”

  “Do you know much about wine?” Alice asked casually, hoping Suzie would say yes. Alice figured if Suzie knew about wine, it would be easy to follow along and do whatever Suzie did.

  “As a matter of fact, I do,” said Suzie. “We both do.” She tilted her head toward her husband.

  “You could say wine is our thing,” agreed Sam. “We’re here to learn everything we can about winemaking.”

  “Because we’re starting our own vineyard!” said Suzie, bursting with excitement. “We already bought some land about an hour from here.”

  “We gambled everything we have on it. Invested our life savings,” added Sam.

  “Wow,” said Alice. “A true leap of faith, then.”

  “We want to collect every scrap of information we can find. That’s why we chose Emmerson for our honeymoon. They’re the best.”

  “Oh, yes, they are wonderful,” said Alice. “We tried their, um, I believe it was their Riesling, last night.”

  “The Emmerson Riesling is lovely,” said Suzie. “Just sweet enough without being too sweet. You know?”

  “Very blowsy,” agreed Sam.

  “Yes,” said Luke nodding, a twinkle in his eye as he looked at Alice. “That’s just what we were saying. Very blowsy.”

  “So, what all is happening here at the wine fest today?” asked Alice, changing the subject to keep herself from laughing.

  “Start with these,” said Suzie, handing Alice and Luke each a very small wine glass engraved with the Emmerson crest. “Now, this table features the Emmerson Estate wines. You can go down the row, read the descriptions, and ask for a taste of any you choose. Then you move on to the next table, which is Clear Creek Cellars, and then finally, to the next one, which is the Waxing Moon Winery.”

  “You have to pace yourself, I guess,” said Luke, raising his eyebrows as he looked down the row of shining bottles.

  “Most definitely,” said Suzie. “And here.” She handed Luke and Alice each a small bottle of water. “Between tastings, sip a little water and eat a cracker, to cleanse you palate.” She laughed. “But I’m sure you already know all that.”

  “Well, we don’t get to that many wine tastings,” said Alice.

  “Just be sure to save room for the gourmet lunch they’re serving. Oh—and the grand finale, of course.”

  “What’s the grand finale?” asked Alice, hoping it involved chocolate.

  “Well, the essencia, of course,” said Suzie.

  “Oh, good! The essencia. That’s amazing,” said Alice, getting the sense that she should really know what an essencia was.

  “At eight hundred dollars a half-bottle, it should be,” said Suzie under her breath.

  Alice took a sip of water and sputtered a little. “Eight hundred—I mean, yes, but I bet it’s going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience to taste it.”

  “Once in our lifetime for sure,” whispered Luke.

  “Look!” said Suzie, nodding toward the Clear Creek Cellars table. “There’s Forrest Sloan!”

  “Oh,” said Alice, recognizing the man as one of the two she’d seen talking outside. “I take it he’s in the wine business?”

  “Are you serious? He’s practically a celebrity,” said Suzie. “Just as gorgeous in person as he is in the magazines,” she whispered, nudging Alice. “He is the grandson of Clear Creek’s founder, Elizabeth Emmerson-Sloan.”

  “Emmerson? As in, these Emmersons here?” asked Alice, pointing at the Emmerson table.

  “The very same family,” said Suzie, nodding and holding her glass out for a taste of the Emmerson Estate Merlot.

  Alice did the same. “So they’re all related?” she asked as the attendant poured a sip-sized portion of the deep burgundy liquid into her glass.

  Suzie lowered her voice as she swirled her merlot around. “The Emmerson Estate vineyard was founded by a brother and sister. Elizabeth was the sister. I’m not exactly clear about why she split off on her own, but she started Clear Creek just a few miles from here. We’ll be over there on Sunday evening, for their annual family festival. It’s on your itinerary. ”

  “And so the Emmersons at this table are related to the Sloans over there?”

  “That’s right,” said Suzie. “But while these two vineyards may act like they get along just fine, they’re actually arch rivals in the business world.”

  “What about Waxing Moon over there?” asked Alice, holding her merlot up to the light and peering at it.

  “Waxing Moon has a lot of really good offerings,” said Suzie. “But they’re a distant third. They’d need to come up with something stellar to pull ahead.”

  “Which is what we’re planning to do at our vineyard,” said Sam, taking a sip from his glass.

  “That’s right,” s
aid Suzie, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. “We’re going to make only a few wines, but make them the best in the industry. We’ll be like a boutique vineyard.”

  Alice took a sip of her wine and coughed a little. “Ah!” she said, recovering quickly. “Very woodsy.”

  “It is woodsy,” Sam agreed.

  Alice grinned at Luke, who gave her a wink. “Suzie, what is that beautiful jewel I keep seeing on people’s lapels?” she asked, nodding toward a young woman at the Emmersons’ table, who was chatting with a guest.

  “That’s the Emmerson crest pendant,” said Suzie. “Isn’t it glorious? Diamonds and rubies, mostly. Only the family members and a few of the high-up staff get them.”

  “Gorgeous,” said Alice. “So that woman is an Emmerson?”

  “Yep. That’s Helena. And the man just down from her is her older brother Maximillian. Can you imagine growing up here—being raised in a vineyard? They must know everything there is to know about winemaking. Their grandfather, Walton Emmerson, was the founding brother of this whole estate.”

  Alice thought about this for a moment. “So they’re cousins with the Clear Creek guy? Forrest?”

  “Huh. Yes, I suppose they are,” said Suzie, holding out her glass to request a taste of the chardonnay.

  The tasting went on for the next hour or so, and then everyone was seated at a long, rustic wooden table for a chef-prepared lunch featuring fresh produce from the garden. There were pan-seared scallops with spring onions, baby artichokes, and mushrooms, alongside salads dressed in wine-laced vinaigrette and sprinkled with toasted nuts and goat cheese, and for dessert, crisp pavlova smothered in cream and berries.