The Villa

as he watched the evening newscast. Absolutely perfect. They'd scramble, of course. Already were scrambling. But what would the public hear?
    Giambelli. Death. Wine.
    Bottles would be poured down the sink. More would sit unsold on the shelf. It would sting quite a bit and for quite some time. It would cut into profits, short- and long-term. Profits La Coeur would reap.
    That alone was a great satisfaction. Professionally and personally. Very personally.
    It was true a couple of people had died. But that wasn't his fault. He had nothing to do with it—directly. And when the police caught the one who did, the damage to Giambelli would only be compounded.
    He'd wait awhile. Bide his time. Watch the show. Then, if it seemed advantageous, there could be another anonymous call.
    Not to the media this time. But to the police.
     
    "Digitalis comes from foxglove." Maddy knew. She'd looked it up.
    "What?" Distracted, David looked over briefly. He had a mountain of paperwork on his desk. In Italian. He was much better at speaking it than reading it.
    "Would they have grown foxglove near the vines?" Maddy demanded. "Like they grow mustard plants between the rows here? For nitrogen. I don't think they would because they'd know foxglove had digitalis. But maybe they made a mistake. Could it infect the grapes if the plants were grown there, and turned into the soil?"
    "I don't know. Maddy, this isn't for you to worry about."
    "Why? You're worried."
    "It's my job to worry."
    "I could help."
    "Honey, if you want to help, you could give me a little space here. Do your homework."
    Her lips began to pout. A sure sign of personal insult, but David was too distracted to notice.
    "I've done my homework."
    "Well, help Theo with his. Or something."
    "But if the digitalis—"
    "Maddy." At his wits' end, he snapped at her. "This isn't a story or a project. It's a very real problem, and I have to deal with it. Go find something to do."
    "Fine." She shut the door of his office and let the resentment burn as she stomped away. He never wanted her to help when it was something important.
    Do your homework, talk to Theo, clean up your room. He always fell back on those crappy deals when she wanted to do something that mattered.
    She bet he wouldn't have told Pilar Giambelli to find something to do. And she didn't know squat about science. Music and art and looking pretty, that's all she knew. Girl things. Not important things.
    She stalked to Theo's room. He was sprawled on the bed, his music blaring, his guitar lying on his belly, and the phone at his ear. From the dopey look on his face it was a girl on the other end.
    Men were so lame.
    "Dad wants you to do your homework."
    "Beat it." He crossed his ankles. "Nah. It's nothing. Just my idiot sister."
    The phone knocked hard against his jaw when Maddy launched herself at him. In seconds Theo was dealing with the shock of pain, the squeals in his ear and the pummels and kicks of a furious Maddy.
    "Ow! Wait! Damn it, Maddy. Call you back." He managed to drop the phone, and in the nick of time protect his privates from a knee jab. "What the hell?"
    After a long, sweaty minute, he managed to flip her—she didn't fight like a girl, but he still outweighed her—and pin her down. "Cut it out, you crazy little bitch. What's your problem?"
    "I'm not nothing!" She spat it at him and made a valiant attempt with her knee again.
    "No, you're just nutszoid." He licked the corner of his mouth, cursed at the unmistakable taste. "I'm bleeding. When I tell Dad—"
    "You can't tell him anything. He doesn't listen to anybody except her."
    "Her, who?"
    "You know who. Get off me, you big, fat jerk. You're just as bad as he is, making gooey noises to some girl, and not listening to anybody."
    "I was having a conversation," he said with great dignity to counter the gooey snipe. "And if you hit me again,
    I'm hitting you back. Even if Dad grounds me for it. Now what's your problem?"
    "I don't have a problem. It's the men in this house making asses of themselves over the women in the villa that's the problem. It's disgusting. It's embarrassing."
    Watching her, Theo wiped the blood from his mouth. He had a very creative fantasy life going where Sophia was concerned. And his baby sister wasn't going to spoil it for him.
    He shook back his mop of curly hair. Yawned. "You're just jealous."
    "I am not."
    "Sure you are. 'Cause you're skinny and flat-chested."
    "I'd rather have brains than breasts."
    "Good thing. I don't know