Crush - Alan Jacobson [138]
“Okay.”
Vail flashed on the letter the UNSUB had sent them. “He knew about the historic wine cave where we found Ursula Robbins.”
“Who, James Cannon knew?”
“No, no. Our UNSUB. I’m thinking out loud. The letter the UNSUB sent to me a couple of days ago. He knew about that vintage wine in the cave that had collapsed a hundred years ago. And he talked about ‘the crush of grapes.’ He might be someone who’d know his way around a wine cave like the one at Silver Ridge.” She stopped a moment. “I—I didn’t think of this before, but he’s dumped his bodies in vineyards and wine caves. Maybe there’s some significance to that. A guy who’s spent years plying his trade in vineyards and wine caves is comfortable there. I kept thinking it had to do with access, but . . .” She thought a second. “I don’t know. Maybe this is bullshit.”
“I’m looking up Herndon now. I don’t see anything. No press releases, nothing online in public sources. That’s not unusual, though I’d think they would’ve issued a press release either announcing the winery, or the purchase of land and their business plans. I’ll have to do some more digging in the law enforcement databases.” Vail could hear the clicking of keys. “Zippo on a James Cannon. I’ll run him, too. I should have something in an hour or two, definitely by the time you get back here.”
“Thanks, Ray.”
Vail put her phone back in the locker and took a deep breath. It was probably nothing. But they were desperate, grasping at things they may not normally give any serious attention. Working out often helped clear her mind, got her thinking in ways she couldn’t do in the stress of the moment. She grabbed her towel and headed back out to the elliptical.
DIXON, AT THE FAR END of the gym, worked her lower body with the assistance of her new workout partner, George Panda.
Vail approached, dabbing a towel at the perspiration rolling off her reddened face. “Hey, George. Didn’t realize you were here.”
“Roxxann texted me, told me she was here. I’d been chained to my desk all day and hadn’t gotten in my workout, so she did me a huge favor. My office is only a few minutes down the road.”
Vail tilted her head back and appraised Dixon. “Now I know why you wanted to ‘squeeze in’ a workout today.”
Dixon blushed. “Karen—”
“Just giving you shit,” Vail said. She stole a look around. “Jimmy with you?”
Panda glanced at the wall clock. “Should be here in a little bit.”
“I’m gonna go shower and dress. I’ll call in the pizzas so we can grab and run. Meet you out front.”
“I’ll catch up with you,” Dixon said as she bent over to wipe the bench with her towel. “I’m just gonna snag five minutes in the steam room.”
As Vail headed toward the lockers, Panda said, “You doing upper body tomorrow?”
“Who knows.” Dixon tossed the towel across her shoulder. “Work has a way of interfering. But if not tomorrow, maybe the day after.”
Panda pulled a plate off his bar and set it down. “Last minute works, too.”
Dixon’s conversation with Agbayani flashed through her thoughts. She pushed it aside. She needed to find out if there was anything in George Panda worth pursuing. “You know,” she said as she tossed her towel into the hamper, “we should schedule a time to go to dinner. I may not be able to commit to a full evening until this case breaks, but I’m sure I can get away for an hour or two.”
Panda grinned. “I’d like that.”
AS EVENING FELL ON NAPA, it was a common time for people to get in their exercise after leaving work. But John Wayne Mayfield was heading to work, in a sense—a swing shift of sorts.
He stood outside the women’s locker room, his pulse pounding. Killing someone in a public place, where anyone could walk in on you, at any time, was the ultimate challenge. The ultimate thrill.
But he would have to be careful—being discovered in the ladies’ shower and dressing area, if there were women in there, was risky at best—and irreparable at worst. If caught,