The Villa

handling the problem quickly and decisively. This should cut down on any potential legal actions against the company. You may be looking at some suits here. You need to be prepared for that. I'll get what I can from the police. Unless it's substantiated that the chemical was in the wine prior to it being opened, you've nothing to worry about other than damaging publicity. If Giambelli is found liable through negligence, we'll deal with it."
    "Negligence isn't my concern, James. If the wine was tainted before it was opened, it wasn't negligence but murder."
    "Right now that's speculation. From the questions the police asked you, and you, Tyler, they're speculating as well. They don't know when the digitalis was added to the wine. From a legal standpoint, this keeps Giambelli one very vital step back from the problem."
    "The problem," Tyler said, "is a woman's dead."
    "That's a problem for the police. And while you may not like it, I'm going to advise you not to answer any more questions from them without counsel present. It's their job to build a case. It's not yours to help them."
    "I knew her."
    "That's right. And she had prepared a cozy and romantic dinner for two on the night she died. A dinner you didn't attend. Right now the police wonder just how well you knew her. Let them wonder. And while they're wondering, we'll look into Margaret Bowers. Who she was, who she knew, what she wanted."
    " Hell of a mess, huh?"
    Sophia glanced up at Linc. "I have a feeling we're going to be sweeping it up for a long time."
    "Plenty of brooms. You've got Dad, so you've got the best. And no way Mom'll stay out of it. Then you've got me."
    She managed a smile. "A triple threat."
    "Damn right. Moore, Moore and Moore. Who could ask for anything—"
    "Stop. I'll have to hit you." She finished proofing the release on her screen, then faxed it to P.J. "Better if this comes out of the San Francisco office than here. I want it personal, but I don't want it to look like a family cover-up. I've started these follow-ups and story pitches. Why don't you take a look, put your legal mind to them and see if I've covered my ass."
    "Sure. Always liked your ass."
    "Ha ha." She got up to let him take her place at the desk. "How's the doctor?"
    "Cruising right along. You ought to snag a date and meet us some night. We could hit some hot spots, have a few laughs. You look like you could use a few laughs."
    "More than a few. My social life doesn't exist these days, and that looks to be the pattern for the foreseeable future."
    "This from the party queen?"
    "The party queen's lost her crown." Since he was using her computer, she grabbed the phone to check in with P.J.
    "You ask me, you could use a little break, Sophie. You're edgy. Were edgy," he added when she shot him a look, "before this last flurry of crap hit. All work and no play and yadda-yadda."
    "I don't have time to play," she snapped. "I don't have time to think past the next move, or take a breath without worrying what's going to jump in my face next. I've been putting in twelve-hour days, minimum, for nearly three months. I have calluses on my damn hands, had to fire a top staff member, and I haven't had sex for six goddamn months."
    "Whoa. Ouch. And I didn't mean the calluses. I'd offer to help you out there, but the doctor's liable to object."
    She blew out a breath. "I think I'm going to take up yoga." She dragged open her desk drawer, pulled out her aspirin as P.J. came on the line. "Fax come through?" She listened, nodded as she worked off the top of the bottle. "Get it out on the wire ASAP, then… What? Christ, when? All right, all right. Get the release out. Get me the information, word for word. I'll work up a response. Don't give any comments, just use the release. See that all department heads, all key personnel have a copy of it. That's the company line until further notice. Keep me updated."
    She hung up, stared over at Linc. "It's out. It's already leaked."

 
    CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
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    GIAMBELLI-MACMILLAN, THE GIANT OF THE WINE INDUSTRY, HAS SUFFERED ANOTHER CRISIS. IT HAS BEEN CONFIRMED THAT A TAINTED BOTTLE OF WINE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEATH OF MARGARET BOWERS, AN EXECUTIVE WITH THE COMPANY. POLICE ARE INVESTIGATING. THE POSSIBILITY OF PRODUCT TAMPERING IS BEING CONSIDERED, AND GIAMBELLI-MACMILLAN IS RECALLING BOTTLES OF CASTELLO DI GIAMBELLI MERLOT, 1992. SINCE THE MERGER OF THE GIAMBELLI-MACMILLAN WINERIES LAST DECEMBER…
    Perfect, Jerry thought