Intimate Relations: Awakened Part 12

"I already conceded." He walked over to the window and pulled the blinds up as he dialed Nate's number. Saw him reach into his pocket and answer the phone.

"Hey man. What's up?"

Marc chuckled. "Other than watching you do your manly ch.o.r.es?"

Nate turned and waved at him, and then walked across the yard separating the two houses. "How about I meet you on the porch?"

"I'll be right there."

Mandy kissed him. "You go. You really do need to tell Nate. Your father is absolute slime, ya know?"

"Believe me. I know."

Marc opened the door as Nate walked up the steps. He was talking on the phone. "Yeah. Marc had something he wanted to chat about. I'll be home in a few minutes. I love you, too."

He ended the call and stuffed the phone in his pocket. "What's going on?"

"I sure as h.e.l.l hope you don't regret taking this job from me. This may be a totally false alarm, but I just got off the phone with Ted Robinson."

"I remember him. The FBI agent. He made a trip up here shortly before he left for Virginia. Is there a problem?"

"I told you about the issue with my father, but what I didn't tell you is that we had a run-in today when he broke into my office. Theo had him cornered just before Mandy and I arrived. I don't know what happened, but my father got in my face, started poking me in the chest and I went ballistic. I told him I knew about his trip out Rockpile Road, that I remembered him burying something the night my mother disappeared. He lost it, shoved Mandy out of his way, and left. When Ted found out what happened, he was, to put it bluntly, extremely p.i.s.sed. Says I painted a bullseye on my a.s.s and one on Mandy, you, and Ca.s.sie, too. I am sorry, Nate. I was so stupid, but the guy is psychotic. Ted thinks he may have killed before, not just my mother, but others who've gotten in his way. Right now, I'm the one in his way, but I want you two to be extra careful. Lock up at night, make sure the gates are locked, and stay as close to Ca.s.sie as you can. If you wouldn't mind the intrusion, I'll hire security for the property until this is settled."

Nate planted a steady hand on his shoulder. "Thank you. For now I'd prefer not to have to deal with security-I think that would be more unsettling to Ca.s.sie than not having someone here, but I'll check. And I'll make sure Ca.s.sie's aware of the danger." He paused, shook his head. "Lately she's been going into the cellar early to get work done before the tasting room opens. I'll be sure to go with her. If you can, get a picture of him for me so we know who to watch out for."

"I'll see if I can find one. Picture an older, totally dissipated version of me-jowly, bags under his eyes, about seventy pounds heavier. Hair going gray." He laughed. "Not a promising future look for me, that's for sure."

"One other thing," Nate said. "Ca.s.sie's already got a call in to the county sheriff's office. She knows a lot of the guys, and wanted to let them know about the investigation at this point. I'll make sure she updates them."

"Give them Ted's phone number, the one I gave to you earlier. He's going to be handling the investigation for me. And if they want to talk to me, just tell them to let me know when and where."

"You'll get through this, Marc. Thanks for the warning."

"I'm just sorry I have to warn you at all. G'night, Nate."

He watched Nate walk away. Then he turned and went back into the little house. Walked through the kitchen and down the short hallway, straight to Mandy. Everything always looked better when she was in his arms.

She must have known what he was thinking. She was already in bed, naked, arms held wide. There was a large pile of condoms on the bedside table.

CHAPTER 9.

There was a breakfast place on the old highway into town that Mandy had spotted on their way in the day they'd stopped to pick up Mexican food, and that's where Marc took her. It was after nine and the place was fairly quiet on a Thursday morning. Marc found a table near the window in front and led Mandy to it.

He checked his phone and found a text from Jake. "This is good," he said. Mandy raised her head from the menu and smiled at him.

"Music is settled," he said. "That band you found on YouTube, the one up in Mendocino County that does a great combo of jazz and bluegra.s.s? I sent the link to Jake and Kaz yesterday and just got a text from Jake with a thumbs up."

She crossed the others off with a flourish. "Excellent. Cheaper than flying a group in from New Orleans, too."

"Very true."

"We might actually get everything done today."

"That would be good. I still want to go out Rockpile Road at some point."

"I know. I'm sorry I didn't want to go this morning." She reached across the table and took his hand. "Last night with you was wonderful." Her cheeks turned pink. "This morning was even more fun. I wanted to pretend that we were just a normal couple without so much bad stuff hanging over our heads."

"I know. And I think it was an excellent idea." Mandy was the one who'd convinced him they needed to get some of the stuff done for Kaz and Jake, which had been the original reason for the trip. She'd also suggested that it would do him good to get a little distance from all the c.r.a.p going on, and he'd had to agree with that, too, but it wasn't easy. He wasn't used to having someone looking out for him, someone putting his happiness ahead of everything.

As much as he loved it, it wasn't all that hard to accept, and definitely worth it.

The food came, huge plates of hash brown potatoes and eggs, sausage for Mandy, bacon for him, a big bowl of fresh fruit to share. He dug into his meal while Mandy looked over a few more things. "Eat," he said.

She raised her head, blinking. "Sorry. Got sidetracked." Laughing, she set the notebook aside. "At least we've settled on the caterer. The Thai place. There are enough vegetarian dishes that we can keep the vegans happy while still not allowing the carnivores to starve."

"Excellent. Starving carnivores are dangerous in a mixed group. They tend to feed on the vegans." He took a big bite of bacon.

Mandy nodded. "That would not go over well. Must remember to keep carnivores well fed. One other thing. Ca.s.sie said we could hire Lupe and Josie Medino to tend the bar. They'll be serving your wine and a craft beer from a local brewery. Lupe's free that weekend to work."

"They're still living in that little house on the back end of the property, aren't they?" He'd met Lupe when he first bought the Tangled Vines vineyards-the young man had taken on the demanding job as Ca.s.sie's vineyard manager when he was barely out of high school, after her father's health had declined. He was a good kid, now studying viticulture at UC Davis, and Nate was managing the vineyards.

"Ca.s.sie said they're in the place part time and have an apartment in Davis as well. Josie stays here a lot on her own and helps Ca.s.sie in the tasting room. Ca.s.sie's hoping Lupe will want to come back to work here. He's really sharp and they work well together."

"Well, if we make it attractive enough, we could probably convince him. He's got family here in the valley and so does Josie. They're all really close." He thought about that, about the fact that Lupe and Josie had worked so hard to send Lupe to school, and how they helped their family members as well. There was a lot to be said for family. The more he saw of loving, functional families, the more he wanted one of his own.

He finished off the rest of his breakfast, his mind going from the trip out Rockpile Road to the list Mandy was working on. List now, Rockpile later.

As long as he remembered priorities, he was okay. Mandy was his number one priority. "Okay," he said. "That leaves security. That's especially important the way things are now. d.a.m.n, I wish he were behind bars right now. I hate that he's impacting our friends' lives, too."

"I hate that you don't even have to mention his name, and we both know who you're talking about."

Raising an eyebrow, Marc smiled at Mandy and deadpanned, "Sort of like Lord Voldemort?"

"Exactly. We shall henceforth refer to that man as 'he who shall not be named.'" Mandy covered her eyes with her hand. "That's just horrible, Marc." Then she snorted, laid her head on her arms, and laughed.

She was still laughing-and so was Marc-when the waitress came to collect their plates and leave the bill. When she gave him a quizzical look, Marc just shook his head. "You really don't want to know."

Mandy had originally felt guilty about dragging Marc into town when she knew he was anxious to follow the lead on Rockpile Road, but they'd both needed to step back a bit. The fact his father was growing more desperate was scary and important, but Marc's life was important, too. She wanted him to experience normal things once in a while.

She didn't think he'd had much normal in his life.

"Okay," she said, buckling her seat belt after leaving the Thai restaurant a little while later. "The paperwork and payment are all taken care of for the catering, and that leaves security. I talked to Ca.s.sie last night and mentioned that we needed someone. She texted me a few minutes ago, while you were dealing with the caterer, and said Nate's already arranged for the security guys they use for events-they're legally armed, bonded, and insured, and we can make them aware of any potential for risk."

"Excellent. I didn't even think about asking Nate. Shows you how little I actually do with the winery. Nate and Ca.s.sie definitely run the show up here. So, what kind of flowers does Kaz plan to carry?"

She gave him the raised eyebrow. "That's not a guy question. You do realize that, don't you?"

He turned on Dry Creek Road and headed out of town. "Actually, I was thinking of a couple of the pictures that Jake took out here when they did that first shoot for Intimate. Kaz had a bouquet of wildflowers in her arms, but she looked naked behind the blooms, with the slightest hint of the jewelry. The flowers were so pretty, and in the picture, her eyes are sparkling. I think she'd be perfect with wildflowers."

"Marc." Mandy raised an eyebrow and studied him. "No matter what flowers she carries, she will not be naked behind the blooms."

He turned to her with a stricken look. "Really?"

"Really."

He sighed most dramatically. She punched him in the shoulder.

"Ow." He rubbed it, but he was laughing. "It is so easy to get you going."

"And that, dear man, is why you love me. Because I'm an easy target."

"Well..." He flashed a bright smile her way. "Among other things." Then he wriggled his eyebrows and she laughed.

This was really enjoyable, she thought. Relaxed, talking, laughing about silly normal things. They needed times like this. Time to kick back and not worry about all the serious stuff they'd been dealing with.

Of course, before she was ready, they were climbing the road at the west end of the dam and the bridge that would take them out Rockpile Road.

Marc had entered the address he'd recovered from his session with Alden Chung into the car's GPS system, and it wasn't long before he knew he was close. It had been dark that night so many years ago, but the moment he saw the dirt road leading off of Rockpile toward the lake, he broke out in chills.

For whatever reason, even though he hadn't even noticed it when they were here on Tuesday, he knew exactly where to turn without looking at the GPS screen. There was a gate that would close off the road when locked, but it was standing wide open at the edge of the pavement just before the road turned to dirt. The open gate was practically an invitation to drive past the 'no trespa.s.sing' sign. The steel post on the left where the gate would lock had metal numbers screwed into it.

Marc stopped and stared at the post. The gate and the post might be new, but the numbers hadn't changed. Just to be sure, he pulled out the piece of paper he'd written them on when he and Mandy had gone to see Alden. "New post," he said, holding the paper up for Mandy. "Same old numbers."

He stared at the post, the road stretching on ahead, and felt a deep sense of time and place that left him almost dizzy with antic.i.p.ation. He wanted to get out and walk, but he wasn't certain how far in they'd find the rock, maybe even the tree, if it was still alive.

He was close. Very close. He knew it.

A truck pulled in behind them, just off the main road, and a man a little older looking than Marc got out and walked over to his car. Instead of just rolling the window down, Marc got out. "h.e.l.lo." He held out his hand. "Is this your property?" The man shook hands and nodded toward the dirt road that eventually led down to the sh.o.r.eline of Lake Sonoma.

"Good afternoon. It is. This is a private road. I'm sorry, but you can't go down there. I was just getting ready to lock the gate."

"That's exactly why I'm here. I'm Marc Reed. I own Intimate Vineyards. Used to be Colonel Mac Phillip's place, Tangled Vines."

The rancher immediately smiled, and his entire demeanor changed. "Good to finally meet you, Marc. I've heard of you, met your vineyard manager. Nate's a font of knowledge in this business. We've all learned to rely on him. I'm Jeb Barton. I knew Colonel Mac from the time he first developed that vineyard. Beautiful spot. Really something, what happened to him, though. The man went out a d.a.m.ned hero, but we were all real sorry to lose him. His daughter Ca.s.sie's still winemaker there, right?"

Marc laughed. "Of course. Only a d.a.m.n fool would take her out of that job. She's good. Of course, she's also six months pregnant, so we're all hoping the timing works out. You know how we need our winemakers during harvest."

Jeb smiled and nodded. Then he glanced out over the rolling hills that sloped down toward Lake Sonoma. "This property isn't for sale, Marc, if that's why you're up here looking."

Marc shook his head. "I wish that were the reason, Jeb."

Mandy had gotten out of the car, and now she slipped her arm around his waist. "This is my girlfriend, Mandy Monroe. Mandy, Jeb Barton." She shook his hand, but didn't say anything beyond a soft h.e.l.lo.

"Jeb, I have reason to believe my mother is buried somewhere along this road."

"Buried?" He shook his head. "There's no cemetery out here that I know of. We've owned the property since the early 1980s and I've hiked or ridden most of it. Can't recall a marker of any kind that would denote a grave."

"No formal grave. I've recently learned that my father most likely murdered her in 1984. There wouldn't be any marker. I was a four-year-old kid and recall a nighttime ride down this road in the back seat of my dad's car. I remember him digging a hole, saw him carrying a large bundle wrapped in my mom's favorite comforter. We believe my mother was wrapped in that blanket. I know that the grave was close to a big rock-well, big to my four-year-old self-with an oak tree growing out of one side. What I'm hoping to do is find the location. I don't want to do any digging. I just want to find it and turn all the evidence we have over to the sheriff's department. My father has been a free man much too long."

Jeb stared, open-mouthed. "How did you find out...?"

Jeb glanced at Mandy. Marc hugged her close. "I was having some unsettling dreams. I was able to get through the meaning of them with a hypnotherapist. That's how I got the address. I saw the numbers on a wooden post. They were that reflective stuff, which is probably why I even noticed them."

Jeb was shaking his head. "I think I still have that original post, and that's the kind of numbers on it. And if you'll follow me, I can show you a rock with a big tree growing out of one side. Might be the same one, but d.a.m.n." He was still slowly shaking his head. "That's hard to believe. C'mon. It's not all that far."

If Mandy hadn't been holding on so tight, Marc might have gone over. He actually felt as if he needed to orient himself before he climbed back into the car. He pulled far enough ahead that Jeb could get by him. Then he followed Jeb's big Ford pickup along the well-maintained gravel road.

"You okay?" The soft touch of her fingers against his forearm, the concern in her eyes warmed him. He'd lived his entire life without this kind of support, had never realized quite how empty it had been. How much he needed someone, anyone, to believe in him.

Now that he knew, he realized he'd never survive without it. Without Mandy. "I'm better than I might have been. Babe, I am so glad you're here with me. Thank you. I can't imagine doing this on my own."

"I'm glad I'm here. Though I honestly wish you didn't have this to deal with at all."

"Don't we both."

Jeb pulled to the right and parked. Marc pulled in behind him and got out of the car. Chills raced along his spine, the powerful sense he'd been here before.

With Mandy hanging on to his hand, Marc met Jeb between the vehicles.

"It's over here."

Marc and Mandy followed him around a slight curve in the road. Marc stopped. Stopped dead in his tracks and stared at the ma.s.sive old live oak tree with a twisted trunk, growing so close beside a huge rock that it looked as if it grew directly out of the rock itself.

"It's the same tree." He walked forward, tugging Mandy along behind him. "No wonder it seemed so big to me. I remember that the rock was taller than me, and the tree was huge." He laughed. "The rock's even taller than you, Mandy."

"And the tree is still huge." She stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. "Where were you parked?"

"Right here. He must have turned the car around while I was still asleep. I got out of the door on this side and walked about three or four steps to the rock and peed on it." He stared at the huge piece of stone he knew as serpentine by its color. It wasn't actually a single boulder as he'd remembered, but instead part of a larger outcropping of the same blue-green stone with darker striations, the glossy, almost waxy look to it he'd learned to recognize. He glanced at Mandy. "I remember that I felt terribly manly, peeing outside on a rock."

She squeezed his hand. "That is such a guy thing. I had no idea it began so young. So where do you think your father was digging?"

"Over here." He held on to her hand and they walked in the opposite direction, away from the big rock.

Jeb had been standing quietly to one side, but then he followed. "Be careful," he said. "There was a slide here a few years ago. I don't know how stable the ground is."

Marc glanced at Jeb, let go of Mandy's hand. "Wait, please?"

She nodded. "Be careful."