White Cloud Retreat (5 page)

“I’ll see all of you tomorrow. Enjoy
your evening,” Kelly said a couple of hours later when Roxie, Madison, and
Charlie prepared to leave for the day. “Better stay home, if you can. One of
the customers told me they heard on the news that a big storm’s expected
tonight.”

Within minutes after they
left, the door opened and Mike and Rebel walked in. Rebel headed to his old
bed, clearly not happy that Lady was already in it. He tried to nose her out of
it, but the growing puppy stayed where she was, claiming her spot. “Good
afternoon, Love. Coffee still hot?” Mike asked.

“Sure is. I just turned it
off and was getting ready to make a batch for tomorrow’s early birds. Sit down.
I’ll be back in a second with it.” Moments later she set a steaming cup of
coffee in front of him along with some cream and sugar. “There you go. Have you
eaten lunch?”

“No. I’ve been on the
phone most of the morning. If you’ve got something, I’d love it.”

“How about some manicotti?
I was going to bring the last of it home, but if you like, you can have it here
instead.”

“Is that the Italian dish
that has big noodles stuffed with chicken? The one you make with a lot of
marinara sauce and cheese?”

“Yep. I know it’s one of
your favorites, so I figure if it it’s good enough for you, it’s probably good
enough for everyone else.”

“So is that what I’ve
become? The official taster for Kelley’s Koffee Shop? Try it out on Mike first
and see if it’s a go? It’s sort of like what was done in medieval times. The
king had an official taster who tasted all of his food before he ate it to make
sure there wasn’t any poison in it. Things don’t really change with time, do
they?”

“Yeah, you’re probably
right, but I’m not so sure you ever met a food you didn’t like. No, I take that
back. I remember you telling me that even the smell of brussel sprouts makes
you sick. If you’ve noticed, I’ve never tested that theory. I’ll go reheat the
manicotti for you. Cold pizza is good. Cold manicotti not so much.”

A few minutes later, he
pushed his plate back and sighed. “Kelly, I wish you’d make that more often. It
really is one of my favorites.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.
Now tell me about your day. Did you find anything out about Luke and Scott’s
past?”

“Yes, I did, but first I
need to tell you about a weird feeling I’ve had almost all day. I feel like
somebody’s watching me. I’m probably just spooked because of Scott’s death and
imagining it. Anyway, let me get back to your question. They’re from a small
town in Eastern Washington. Scott must have been charismatic from the day he
was born. I spoke with a high school secretary who was just about to retire and
she told me she remembers when he was a student at the high school. He was the
student body president and homecoming king. She said he was very intelligent
and everyone predicted he’d make something of his life, but nobody knew just
what it might be. He was even voted ‘Most Likely to Succeed.’ When she heard
he’d achieved almost an idol-like status in some eastern spiritual circles, she
told me she was shocked because he’d been a real ladies man, even at that young
age.”

“Well, I don’t know much
about Zen Buddhism, but I don’t think you have to be celibate to be a Zen
Master, although I think he’d mentioned that he was. Maybe I’m wrong.”

“I don’t think you are,
Kelly. His website and a number of articles I read about him mentioned that he
was celibate and a vegetarian. Evidently he didn’t believe in eating meat
because he’d taken a vow not to take the life of anything living. Something
else I learned was that alcohol use is not prohibited by the Zen Buddhists,
just excessive drinking and becoming intoxicated.”

“I always kind of wondered
how a Zen Master could drink wine and own a vineyard. Guess that wasn’t an
issue. Any idea when he became interested in Zen Buddhism?”

“Yes, I think so. He
majored in comparative religions in college and from what I found out through
the Internet, he started meditating about the time he graduated. He went to
Japan and studied with several Zen Masters, one of whom gave him a
‘transmission,’ whatever that is, and told Scott he was ready to teach and no
longer needed to have his own teacher. Sounded kind of like a lot of
mumbo-jumbo to me. Anyway, he was a guest teacher at a number of different
spiritual workshops and seminars and eventually gained enough of a following to
open his own retreat center here in Cedar Bay which we know as White Cloud Retreat
Center.”

“Sounds like he was
destined to do this. The one thing I’m curious about is where he got the money
to buy the property. Every time I’m there I have to stop and take a moment to
look at the breathtaking view from the Center’s location. Plus the Center’s
vineyard covers a lot of acres. It must have cost a fortune to buy it.”

“I was getting to that.
Evidently their parents were very wealthy. About a year before Scott bought the
property and moved here, his parents died in an automobile accident. I spoke
with the attorney who handled the estate and he told me Luke and Scott had a
violent argument in his office when the wills were read. Luke was furious that
Scott was to receive half of the estate outright because Scott wasn’t a
businessman and Luke felt he’d squander his inheritance on some fly-by-night
spiritual thing. He thought Scott’s half should have been held in trust for
him. That way he would get a modest portion of it every year instead of one
large lump sum payment.

“From what the lawyer told
me, they had a shouting match right there in his office and he had to step
between them to prevent them from getting physical. Luke left his office,
furious, and told Scott he never wanted to see him again. The lawyer told me
Scott was just as mad. I asked the lawyer if he could tell me how much money
Scott and Luke had inherited. He told me it was approximately ten million
dollars for each of them.”

“Wow, that’s a huge amount
of money! No wonder Scott was able to buy the Center. I understand Luke worked
in the securities business and lived in New York until he suffered a burnout
from stress.”

“That’s partially true,
but there’s a little more to it than that. From what the attorney told me, Luke
squandered away his inheritance by getting involved with a lot of marginal
companies that went bankrupt or had owners who embezzled the company’s funds.
His work history isn’t too great either. There was a scandal when one of his
clients accused Luke of embezzling some of his assets, but it never could be proven.
Nevertheless, the brokerage company he was with let him go and he left under a
cloud of suspicion. That was almost a year ago, about the time he came to live
with Scott at the Center. They must have had some type of reconciliation,
although I couldn’t verify what happened between the two of them.”

“Well, I’m glad. I always
liked Scott so much and I like his brother, too. I remember Scott was so happy
when Luke agreed to come to Oregon and run the business side of the Center so
Scott would be free to pursue the spiritual aspect of his life. He told me he
didn’t enjoy the business part of the Center which had become, in many ways, a
large money-making machine,” Kelly said.

“One of the other things I
found out was that the Center was the recipient of a large number of donations.
One man who attended one of Scott’s retreats and studied with him for a long
time afterwards was so taken with Scott that he donated two million dollars to
the Center. That was just a few months ago. I haven’t been able to look into the
records of the Center, but given the nature of Luke’s suspicious past and two
million dollars of new cash flowing into the Center, it’s on my list of things
to do. If someone had a problem handling money in the past, and had previously
been accused of embezzlement, they might have a real problem with that kind of
a temptation.”

“Mike, you can’t be
serious. Luke? I don’t think so. When I saw him yesterday, he was devastated.”

“He was the same way when
I talked to him right after Scott’s death, but keep in mind the old crime
solving adage. That’s the one that says the majority of people who commit a
murder are often very close to the victim, frequently a spouse or a relative.
In this case, Scott didn’t have a spouse, but he had a brother.”

“I refuse to believe it
could be Luke. From what I saw, they seemed to be very close.”

“Appearances are often
deceiving, Kelly. I’d like to think Luke didn’t do it, but at this point I
can’t rule anyone out. I wish I had some solid motives and solid suspects. So
far Luke seems to be the only one who could be a suspect.”

“Sorry, can’t agree with
you on that.” She stood up and took his plate and coffee cup off of the table.
“To change the subject. With all the talk of the Center and their wine and a
rainy night coming, I’m going to stop by The Crush on the way home and pick up
a bottle of White Cloud Pinot Noir. We can drink it when the storm hits
tonight. What do you think?”

“Sounds great. I need to
go to the office for a couple of hours and then I’ll be home. Rebel, come.” Kelly
was busy writing out the menu on the chalkboard for the next day and pretended
she didn’t see Mike slip Rebel a treat from his pocket. Mike stood up and took
his signature white Stetson hat from the coat rack and gave her a mock salute
as he opened the door with Rebel expectantly following him.

She shook her head.
I
can’t believe he’d think for a minute that Luke did it. Doesn’t make any sense
at all. Maybe I can find out something from Jesse down at The Crush that will
make Mike look in some other direction.

*****

He took out the ledger that he kept
hidden behind the files in the bottom drawer of his desk
.
Probably ought to put
this in a safer place. That sheriff was asking a lot of questions when he
called today. If he decides to get a search warrant, I could be in trouble. The
good thing is that Scott’s dead. I think he was becoming suspicious. Glad I was
able to take that call from the bank manager about him having the checks that
Scott had requested. If Scott had taken the call, who knows what might have
happened. Yeah, sometimes you just have to take fate in your own hands. Once I
get rid of that pesky sheriff and his hash-slinging girlfriend, I’ll be just
fine. A few more weeks here and off to Mexico I go. Little tequila, warm little
Mexican girl, and no rain. I’m just about 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.

“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 into the high end wine market with a new
pinot noir. I haven’t tried it yet. Matter of fact, I really don’t want
anything to do with Dante or Luca. I just don’t care for them.

“Here’s your wine,” he
said, handing Kelly a light brown wine bag with the word “The Crush” emblazoned
in bold black letters on the side. “Enjoy it and tell Mike hi for me. I got the
invitation to your wedding and I’m planning on being there and at the reception
as well. If you’re interested, I’d be happy to bring the wine and provide it at
cost. Call it my wedding present to both of you.”

“That would be wonderful,
Jesse, thank you so much! With everything that’s happened, I haven’t really had
much time to put the final touches on the food and wine. Yes, please, I’ll
definitely take you up on your kind offer. I think we’ll have about one hundred
people, although a number of them probably won’t drink wine. I’ll have some
soft drinks as well. I’ve tried to keep the list down to close friends. You
know, in a town this small, you could end up with everyone in the entire town
coming and that would be a nightmare.”

“Consider it done, Kelly.
Glad I can do something for you. My family has never forgotten when you brought
Dad his favorite foods when he was getting near the end. It was the only thing
he looked forward to.”

“I was happy to do it.
Your father was a wonderful man and every time I serve a customer at the corner
table where he always liked to sit, I think of him.”

“Well, he thought just as
highly of you, believe me. Enough talking. You better get out of here. The
wind’s really starting to pick up and the sky is starting to look pretty
ominous.”

“Thanks, and if I don’t
see you at lunch one of these days, I’ll see you at the wedding.”

She got in her van and put
the bottle of wine on the floor behind her seat. “Okay, Lady, now it’s time to
go home. Better let you out before the storm comes. Wet fur is not my favorite
thing to deal with! Plus I need to get on the computer and find out what
vineyard owners in the region have the first names of Dante and Luca.”