Velocity (Karen Vail #3)(30)

“But Mayfield didn’t have one. At least not both times we saw him at the gym. What if the one at Mayfield’s house is Cannon’s, and they’re more than just workout partners. They’re killing partners. Or mentor/mentee.”

“Whoa. No offense, Karen, but you’re grasping—”

“At straws. Yeah. I’m scooping up the whole pile. I’m desperate.”

“I think we’re close to getting some answers. We’ll be there in a few minutes.”

Vail started bouncing her knee. “A few minutes” wasn’t soon enough.





20


Herndon Vineyards was located in the hills above St. Helena, in the Spring Mountain district. Tucked away off a winding, ascending road that rose two thousand feet above the valley floor, the area was known for its rich volcanic soils that made it particularly favorable for producing exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon.

Dixon stopped the car a dozen feet before a metal security gate fitted with an electronic keypad-speaker device. Brix pulled in behind them. He raised them on the radio.

“I don’t think a straightforward approach would be a good idea,” Brix said.

“Agreed,” Dixon said. “Let’s go in as inspectors with TTB, to do a routine check of the facility. You should take the lead. If Cannon’s in there, he’s seen us; he knows who we are.”

“Copy that. Pull back.”

Dixon moved her car aside and parked; then she and Vail got into Brix’s Crown Victoria. Brix maneuvered beside the intercom and pressed the button, then explained the purpose of the visit. There was some hesitation, followed by a “Let me check” comment.

“And we’ll need to speak briefly with your wine maker. Is he in?”

Another pause. Then, “Yes. He’s here today.” The metal gate swung inward.

“You want me to go in, scout the place, feel out the owners?” Brix asked as he drove down the eucalyptus tree-lined, hard-packed gravel road that curved gently up a steady incline. Young, well-tended grapevines rose and fell on the rolling land.

“No,” Vail said without hesitation. “We go in strong. Roxx and I know what the guy looks like. I say one of us hangs back. That should be you, Roxx, since you’re the most mobile of the two of us. Brix, you should fast-badge them and ask a lot of wine-related questions TTB inspectors might ask, to keep them off balance. I’ll stay right outside until I can be sure Cannon’s not there—or until you’ve engaged him.”

Vail swung her head in all directions to take in the landscape. Atop the mountainous countryside, redwoods in the distance framed the symmetrically planted vines that undulated with the terrain. It’s gorgeous around here. She turned back. “Looks like there’s only one road in or out. If he goes on foot, it’d have to be through the vineyards. Easy to see a huge guy running through small grapevines. Good?”

Dixon seemed to be mulling Vail’s comment.

Brix slowed the car to 5 miles per hour as he approached the building. “How sure are you that Cannon’s affiliated with Mayfield? As a killing partner or a mentee or anything like that?”

“We’re not,” Dixon said. “I’d call it an educated hunch.”

“An ‘educated hunch,’” Brix repeated. “That’s a new one on me.”

Vail crept forward in her seat to get a look at the building as Brix swung left into a parking spot. “I’m pretty damn sure Cannon is wrapped up in this.”

Brix slipped the gear shift lever into park, then shook his head. “That’s great. I’m glad we’re in full agreement here.”

He slipped the keys above the driver’s visor, then grabbed his phone, which was vibrating. “It’s Gordon.” He turned on his Bluetooth device. “Go ahead, Burt. Got you on speaker.”

“We’re at Cannon’s. Nobody’s here. We were able to grab a look through the kitchen window. Dishes in the sink, that’s about it. But a quick canvass of the property brought us to a shed he had out back. We found blood, so we went in.”

“Blood? How much?” Brix asked.

“Enough,” Mann said.

Vail gritted her teeth and closed her eyes.

“But here’s the thing,” he said. “There’s a few matted-down fibers stuck around the edges of the puddle. One of the NSIB guys here’s a hunter. Says it looks like it’s from a deer.”

Vail grabbed the seatback and pulled herself forward. “A deer? You think a deer was killed in that shed?”

“Looks that way. Fairly recently. Within days, would be my guess. But we’ll know more once we get a CSI out here. I made the call. He’s a half hour out. The guys just cleared the house. We’re gonna go through it now.”

Brix said, “Keep us posted,” then ended the call.

“That would fit the profile,” Vail said. “If he was learning from Mayfield, he decided it was time to try one himself. Started with an animal to prove he could actually kill something, to see how it felt. I wouldn’t be surprised if he started with something smaller, like a squirrel or a dog, but that deer could’ve been his first.”

“Hopefully he’s here and we can find out once and for all what the deal is.” Brix unholstered his SIG, checked it, then shoved it back into its leather pancake. “Roxx?”