Murder in the Lighthouse (Beachcomber Mystery #4)

15

W hen Lucien pulled into the driveway at their house, he was surprised to see Theo leaning up against his squad car, arms crossed, waiting.

“How did you know we were on our way back?” Lucien asked.

“I had a lengthy conversation with Sergeant Trish Vosberg from the sheriff’s office. I didn’t join your little band of merry men, so you enlisted another cop to play your games. Very clever of you.”

“We wanted results and found someone willing to listen,” Brogan said, standing her ground. “Did Trish happen to mention her sister’s murder? Did she happen to say how she had been leaving posts on blogs for the past ten years, hoping she’d come across someone who knew about Jill Vosberg’s murder or a clue to solving it herself? We realized she might possess insider information that could help us. At the time, we didn’t know Trish worked for the sheriff’s department…not until later when we met her in person. That was a plus. For us.”

She hesitated to go on, not wanting to let on that Birk had been the one to discover Trish’s occupation. She didn’t want to drag him into a messy predicament with the cops. Instead, she chose her words carefully. “Have you seen the storage locker?”

“I’ve studied the photos Trish sent me. Yes.” Theo let out a sigh and shoved off the car. “And no, she didn’t mention the blog posts. Her call was more about joining forces, hoping we might turn up something more serious than switching labels on a bunch of wine bottles. Your escapades weren’t enough to locate Bethany. But your venture did lead us to suspects.”

“And you’re here to rub our faces in what we didn’t get done. Is that it?” Birk replied. “At least we’re doing something to find Bethany. She’s out there somewhere, and the people she trusted the most are letting her down.”

Lucien spoke up, his voice firm. “With all due respect, Theo, we’ve seen the slow progress from law enforcement. It’s tough to watch from the sidelines with nothing getting done. And we weren’t sure what we’d find when we decided to check out the winery.”

Theo held up a hand. “I’m not here to rub your noses in anything. I’m here to help. After speaking to Trish, I’m convinced you’re on the right track. I discovered a lead that came in on another missing person that ties back directly to the Shepherd brothers. Something that happened more recently, back in 2023, when a man went missing after visiting Noir Hills Estates. In fact, the person who called in the missing person report lives here in Pelican Pointe. Savannah Quinn has been looking for her brother, Owen, for almost two years.”

“Wait a minute,” Jade said, snapping her fingers. “I know that name. Savannah Quinn is the person who bought Tazzie’s house on Beacon Lane, the person Nick had already approved for the loan.”

“That’s weird,” Brogan stated. “Where did she move from? And why is she moving here now?”

Theo shifted his posture. “She filed the report from San Diego when her brother failed to show up for their parents’ fiftieth wedding anniversary party, a party scheduled for months. She probably wants to be closer to where he disappeared. And Pelican Pointe is far more affordable than Santa Cruz.”

“Hmm. Under what circumstances did Owen go missing from a vineyard?” Brogan asked. “Did he drop in to pick up a case of wine for his parents, and the Shepherd brothers killed him?”

“Who knows? Maybe,” Theo responded. “The report says that Owen Quinn is a wine connoisseur and a freelance journalist who writes for a wine magazine called Cork & Yield . He did wine reviews on the side but mostly featured local wineries up and down the California Coast that specialized in making red wines.”

Lucien exchanged a look with the others. “Maybe Keith and Kenneth didn’t like Owen’s review of their precious Pinot Noir. The entire staff seems convinced it’s the best wine since the dawn of mankind.”

“Again, all I know is what’s in the report. Owen’s last stop before he quit answering his phone was Noir Hills Estates. I confirmed that. I know that because he texted his location to his partner in Cupertino. After that, nothing, no texts or messages or phone calls of any kind. It takes his partner and his sister eight days to convince law enforcement that something is wrong before two uniforms go to the vineyard to talk to the staff. They all say the same thing and stick to their stories. Owen left around six o’clock after spending most of the afternoon in the tasting room. They don’t know where he went after that. Law enforcement never located his Acura SUV. With no way to prove they were lying, the sheriff’s department decided that Owen had disappeared voluntarily.”

“They do that a lot,” Birk complained. “Have you noticed? They love to use that as an excuse.”

“Yes, but Cupertino is only fifty minutes away,” Brogan reasoned. “Could Owen have returned home to where he and his partner lived, and the partner did something to him later that evening?”

Theo shook his head. “His sister hired a private investigator. The PI used GPS data. It said Owen’s phone never left the area around the winery. The device was still working until it ran out of juice around midnight that evening.”

Brogan nodded. “If the sister is serious enough to hire a private investigator, she must not believe her brother left on his own.”

But Lucien had something else on his mind. “If the winery only makes one kind of wine, though, why does it take all afternoon in the tasting room?”

“I can answer that,” Jade provided. “Noir Hills makes different blends using the same red grapes. They use six different processes to make wines for different palates. Some are more acidic than others. Some sweeter, some with less tannins. I still have the brochure Maryann handed out. It explains the different varieties in detail. It’s reasonable that this guy would spend all afternoon tasting all the blends, especially if he considered himself a wine connoisseur.”

“That’s the same thing I thought,” Theo reasoned.

“Are we allowed to ask if you’re making progress on Sam’s murder investigation?” Lucien prompted.

“Let’s just say I realize the two cases are connected. I also realize the benefit of pooling my resources with Vosberg. And she believes you guys offer a layer of technology we could use.”

“Like syncing Keith Shepherd’s cell phone with Bethany’s,” Birk offered. “The only problem is a warrant. While Keith Shepherd is living under an alias, Bethany’s disappearance is handled by another investigator, who is not Trish Vosberg. And that investigator has zero interest in pursuing Shepherd as a suspect.”

Theo took out his phone. “Then I guess I have good news. Eastlyn came through with the search warrant from a local judge. She used that detail—the one where Keith Shepherd became Felix Ward without a legal name change in court—that gets a judge’s attention when you become a murder suspect. The obvious question is, why start using another name unless you’re hiding from something or someone? And since he’s now my prime suspect in Sam Heywood’s murder, we have the legal right to check his phone records.”

Birk grinned. “I might learn to like you yet.”

Theo’s face split into a rare smile. “Same here. Right now, I need to get to the forensic lab.”

“Any reason you can’t share how Sam was killed?” Lucien queried.

“He was shot at close range with a forty-caliber bullet, probably from a Glock 29, that went straight through the heart.”

“That’s a whole lot of power for an up-close murder,” Lucien said.

Birk turned to Lucien with a nod. “But lots of law enforcement agencies carry the Glock 29.”

“You’re both right,” Theo asserted. “A powerful weapon with a helluva kick used by FBI tactical teams and Special Forces. But if you use the right ammo, you’ll get less of a kick. ”

“Which even an ex-cop in retirement like Keith might know about,” Lucien proffered.

Brogan rolled her eyes. “When you start talking about guns, my eyes glaze over. How can we help, Theo? What do you want us to do while you’re at forensics?”

“I need to know, while you were at the vineyard, if you were able to spot any areas where bodies could’ve been buried.”

Lucien shook his head. “Brogan and I were in high-traffic areas most of the time. We never got any further than thirty feet from a building.”

“Same here,” Jade said. “Birk and I were with a tour group. They kept a tight rein on us until we reached the tasting room. When we saw our chance to bolt, we took it.”

“If you were to go back, do it when you can search the grounds better. You won’t be able to use the dogs in a formal search—”

“There are dogs on the premises already,” Birk provided. “I spotted two purebred Japanese dogs in the main house.”

“Shiba Inus,” Brogan added. “I saw one from a distance. They’re feisty and loud barkers.”

“Our search would need to be tonight,” Birk pointed out. “But Trish said we should wait for word from her.”

“This comes straight from Trish,” Theo offered. “Even with the search warrant, which we’ll execute tomorrow morning between six and eight a.m., it would help to have a heads-up about any area outside that is suspicious in nature. Kenneth owns almost a hundred acres filled with grape vines. I don’t have the manpower to cover that much land unless I know where to start looking.”

Lucien exchanged looks with Birk. “I say we get there around eleven-thirty and walk the fields. If they killed two people on or near the premises, they would likely bury them in an insignificant corner of the vineyard.”

“Or toss them in a vat of fermenting grapes.”

“Either way, they’d need to dispose of the bodies nearby, thinking no one would ever come looking on their land.”

“Then they won’t expect you to show up at all,” Theo remarked with a wink. “Surprise them by finding out where the bodies are buried. I don’t want to look like a fool when I show up with the warrant. Are we good?”

“Yeah. We’re good,” Lucien confirmed. “Let us do some research on our end before we head out.”

“Keep me updated,” Theo said. “Especially if this mission ends up like your last. If you find nothing, I’ll probably postpone the warrant.”

“No pressure on us,” Birk grumbled as Theo returned to his cruiser.

“I don’t know why we’re still standing outside,” Brogan said, shuddering in the cool night air. She ushered Birk and Jade into the house and headed to the kitchen. “Jade should plan to stay overnight. It just so happens that the guest house is available. And if you guys are planning a midnight raid, you’ll need a Thermos of coffee. Better make that two.”

“You aren’t coming with us?” Lucien questioned. “Why not?”

Everyone trailed after Brogan into the kitchen. “Because you don’t need us traipsing behind you in the dark, making unnecessary noise and risking another failure. I can see you both wearing all-black with your night-vision goggles and binoculars, peering out into the rolling hills while Jade and I chat in the background.”

Birk laid a hand on Jade’s shoulder. “If you want to stay behind, just say so.”

“I’ll do whatever Brogan does. She has a point about you two going alone.”

Brogan laughed as she went to the cabinet and took out two large travel mugs with lids and a large Thermos. “We’re staying here because you two are the experts in the field. Besides, it will allow us time to research the property and hand off any updates we find while you’re there. That land must have a history, anomalies in the ground, and so forth, along with all kinds of nooks and crannies that outsiders wouldn’t know anything about. I want to know every inch of that place before you go there. Google Earth is one way to do that.”

Lucien leaned against the counter. “Like a cellar or a basement. That’s good thinking. And if we find anything suspicious, we’ll flag the spot so when Theo and the others arrive in the morning, they can focus their search on those areas first.”

“Besides, I need to call my grandmother and apologize. She’s three hours ahead. I want to call before it gets too late in Connecticut.”

“Thanks for the warning,” Lucien muttered, grabbing the coffee beans from the pantry. “I don’t want to be around when Cordelia is in gloat mode.”

“She’ll revel in that for a while before she realizes her daughter lied to her,” Brogan replied, taking the bag of beans out of Lucien’s hand. She measured enough for the mugs and the Thermos, then poured some of the freshly ground coffee beans into the machine for the first cycle. “I’m brewing enough coffee for the mugs. You can use the Thermos for refills. It should be enough to get you through the night.”

“How can you be so calm about calling your grandmother?” Jade asked. “What if she disinherits you?”

“If she does, so what? I’ll get bounced from a job I never wanted in the first place. And I’ll take that risk because I deserve to know the truth. When Cordelia settles down, she’ll realize she wants the same thing, too. Right now, we should worry about these two trespassing on winery property without getting shot.”

“She’s right about that,” Jade remarked, turning to Birk. She grabbed him by the shirt. “Don’t go getting shot just as we’re planning to move in together. That would ruin everything. Got it?”

Birk frowned. “I don’t like the idea of getting shot. If we do this right, they’ll never know we were there. I’m a former Navy SEAL trained in recon. I don’t intend to get caught. And if I do, I’m packing my Sig Sauer.”

Brogan bobbed her head toward Birk. “I’m counting on you to keep Lucien out of trouble. That means making sure he doesn’t need a weapon.”

“For God’s sake, I may not be a Navy SEAL, but I’m not a novice at this,” Lucien protested. “If Birk takes his, I’m taking mine. I don’t need a babysitter to keep me out of trouble. You send us everything you learn about the property, and I promise we’ll use it to our advantage.”

She heaved out a sigh, hoping to soothe the male ego. “I’m certain you can handle yourself. But after seeing the brothers up close, I worry. Sue me. Okay? We are talking about former cops who know every trick in the book. Should I remind you that we suspect these guys of killing defenseless men and women? I’d feel better if we take a deep breath and formulate a plan.”

“A plan sounds good to me,” Jade reiterated. “Let’s all sit down, do a little research, and get on the same page.”

After a thorough discussion and planning session, they devised a solid strategy. Lucien and Birk would head to the vineyard equipped with their expertise and the information Brogan had compiled. The goal was clear: to search for any signs of buried bodies or areas that looked suspicious, marking them for further investigation by Trish and Theo.

If all went as planned, they would be home before sunrise

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