Sour Grapes

after what happened yesterday, so she went back home.”
    “Who was that?”
    “Francie Gorton.”
    Savannah sighed as she watched Marion Lippincott walk away with her determined stride, and she felt a bit relieved that the girl was no longer on the scene. It was probably better that way.
    She’d feel much better once they were all home, safe and sound. And especially one little lady from Georgia.

    Savannah found Dirk hanging around the now-empty breakfast tables. He was shoving a banana into his mouth with one hand and poking muffins inside his jacket with the other.
    “You better watch that excess fiber, boy,” she told him. “You know what it does to your digestive system, and you’re going to be in the genteel company of ladies all day.”
    “Oh, yeah, you know all about it.”
    “Unfortunately, I do. I’ve sat on all-night stakeouts with you. I know you far too well.”
    “And familiarity has bred contempt?”
    She grinned at him. “Naw, not contempt... maybe momentary disgust, but—”
    “What have you got for me? Have you been layin’ around in bed, eatin’ bonbons, or have you been workin’?”
    “Bonbons, I wish. You’ll want to check out Barbie’s shampoo, the bottle there in her room. Word has it, it’s spiked with drain cleaner. The bottle probably has prints on it that belong to a sweet little darlin’ named Desiree Porter. And she may have slashed Barbie’s evening gown, too.”
    “Mmm... do you suppose she did more than that?”
    “It’s a possibility. But then, at this point, there are so many possibilities.”
    “How’s that precious sister of yours this morning?”
    “The one I’d like to hog-tie and send back to Georgia in a burlap bag?” “ That’s the one.”
    “She’s getting her picture taken with the rest of the girls. They are getting ready for the interview judging this afternoon, and then the talent show and the awards tonight.”
    “So you figure they’ll be heading out of here tomorrow morning?”
    There’s some sort of good-bye breakfast, and they’re supposed to be gone by noon.”
    Savannah felt the cell phone in her purse buzz. She took it out, looked at the caller ID, but didn’t recognize the number.
    “Hello. Yes, this is Savannah.”
    She glanced over at Dirk, who was all ears. “ Yes, Francie, I’m glad you called. How can I help you?” She nodded. “Of course. I’d be glad to. I’ll be right there.”
    Dirk tried to lean closer and listen, but Savannah nudged him away.
    “All right. I understand. I’ll wait until after eleven. Yes, I’ll see you then, and thank you for calling.”
    “Well? What did she want?” Dirk was practically dancing. “Did she say anything about her brother? Did she say he was there at the house?”
    “No, she didn’t mention Trent, but she did say that she’s decided to talk to me, to tell me what was going on just before Barbie disappeared.”
    “Hey, that’s great! But she doesn’t want you to show up until after eleven, huh?” “ That’s right Her mom will be going to work then, and she said she wants to talk to me alone.”
    Dirk’s face fell. “I guess that answers my next question.”
    That’s right, big boy. You don’t get to go this time. It’s a girl thing.”
    “After hanging around here, I’m gonna have to watch football games, chew tobacco, and belch for a week to get all this estrogen out of my system.”
    Savannah patted him... hard... on the chest, right about where she figured one of his stashed muffins was. She felt it mash very nicely.
    “I’m going to go tell Atlanta that I’m leaving the winery for a while. I’ll have Ryan keep an eye on her for me while I’m gone.” “ Yeah, and I will, too. Let me know right away if the Gorton gal tells you anything good.”
    “I will, sugar. I surely will.”
    As Savannah turned to leave, she thought she saw a movement among some oleander bushes only a few feet away. But the brush was extremely thick, and she couldn’t see if it was a person or maybe a bird or—
    No, she knew it wasn’t a bird, or a gopher, or a stiff breeze; that was wishful thinking. It had been a person. Someone had been standing there. The question was: How much had they heard?
    And the other question that nagged at Savannah long after she had left the pool area was: If they heard everything—would it matter?
    She had an uneasy, almost sick feeling, deep in her guts that it would. She just wasn’t sure how.

    Savannah didn’t need to see the