Sour Grapes

gave him a warm smile that made the young man blush with pleasure. “What can you tell me about this transaction that took place between you and the fellow in the picture Tammy showed you?”
    Todd wiped the sweat off his face with a red rag, then stuck it back into his pocket. “I remember it so well because it was weird,” he said. “This guy in this gorgeous Beamer came in here and said he wanted to swap out his tires. I tried to talk him into some good recaps, but he said, ‘No, they’ve gotta be used. The more used the better.’ Now, that’s weird. I’ve been selling tires here with my dad, Todd Sr. for years, and nobody ever said, ‘The more used the better.’ And folks don’t buy old tires when the ones they’ve got are in great shape.” Savannah mentally crossed her fingers for luck, and said, “Tell me that you still have the tires, Todd, that you haven’t sold them yet.”
    Tammy wriggled all over with delight. “He’s got them! I already asked.”
    “Yeah,” Todd replied. “They’re so nice that I saved them for myself. They’re out in the yard.
    “Fantastic!” Savannah slapped them both on the back. That’s just friggin’ fan-tastic! Let’s see ‘em.”

    Savannah found it embedded in the tread of the third tire that she examined. Within seconds she had Dirk on the phone.
    “Get over here right now, Todd’s Tire Emporium on East Maple. There ain’t no West Maple. Haul butt, will ya?” She glanced over at Tammy, who could hardly contain her glee. They loved getting one over on Dirk. “Let’s just say... I’m looking at four tires off a certain person’s BMW. And from the pattern, I’d say they’re a dead ringer for that plaster cast of yours... and... on one of the four tires, we found a wedge of gray plastic stuck between the treads.”
    She replaced the phone in her purse and grinned. “Needless to say, he’s on his way. It’s about a twenty-minute drive.” She snickered and gave Tammy a high five. “He’ll be here in ten.”

Chapter

24

    S avannah felt his presence, even before she saw Anthony Villa standing near the center of the cavernous aging room, surrounded by endless wooden barrels and stainless-steel tanks, holding the fruits of his artistry. Unaware of her entrance, he swirled a glass beaker in his hand and gazed into the contents that were a beautiful golden coral. His face had the look of tragedy, an expression Savannah had seen on too many people, when they were going through one of life’s worst cycles.
    On the Wheel of Fortune, she knew that Anthony Villa was right there at the bottom of the rotation. And, considering that he seemed to have aged a decade in the past twenty-four hours, she was sure that he knew it, too.
    She didn’t know what he was looking for in the beaker, but he seemed to find it. A slight smile softened some of the dark concern on his face, as he lifted it to his lips and took a sip. Holding it in his mouth for a long time, he finally swallowed, and she saw the contentment, the pride on his face. Apparently, the master winemaker of Villa Rosa had done it again.
    The underground room was chilly, and she was grateful for the thick, oversize Aran sweater she was wearing. Or maybe it was what she was about to do that gave her the shivers. She couldn’t recall when she had experienced so many conflicting emotions when cornering a criminal. It just wasn’t nearly as much fun when you liked the person.
    As she walked closer, he saw her and gave her a casual nod hello. She watched for any sign of surprise, but there was none. If she didn’t know better, she would say that Anthony Villa had been expecting her.
    “Good evening, Savannah,” he said, then took another sip from the beaker. “How nice to see you.”
    She doubted that, but replied, “How kind of you to say so. What are you doing, tasting your wares?”
    “I am. I knew this white zin wasn’t ready, but I had to see how it was coming along. That’s the hard part, you know, the waiting. We wait for the grapes to grow, we wait for them to ripen, we wait during the fermentation, we wait during the aging.”
    “It sounds like you have to have a lot of patience in your business.”
    “Or like me, you may not have it in the beginning, but you learn, just like you learn everything else.” He held out the beaker to her. “Would you like to sample it, tell me what you think?”
    She walked over to him and took the beaker. His hand brushed hers as they made the