The Spia Family Presses On - By Mary Leo Page 0,56

pretended to be fascinated in the pot of mums on the other side of the window.

“Ah-huh. Yes. Sure. But are you okay? You don’t—”

She listened, head down, staring at the table. “Right away, sweetie. Okay. Love you.”

She disconnected.

“I’ve got to go,” she told us, grabbing her bag and standing, a concerned, rushed look on her face.

“Is something wrong?” I asked her.

“No. I don’t think so. I just need to go.”

“Go where?” Nick asked.

“Someplace,” she said. “I, I can’t tell you. Just someplace.”

Nick’s phone rang.

“Excuse me,” Nick said, pulling out his cell and greeting the person on the line with a, “Nick Zeleski.”

Jade turned to me, whispering, “What’s the fastest way to Glen Ellen? I have a GPS in my car, but sometimes it doesn’t tell me the best route.”

“Is that where you’re going to meet Dickey?”

She leaned in closer. “Yes, but I’m not supposed to tell Nick. Somehow Dickey found out he was hanging around here and he told me not to say anything to him about where I was going.”

A little warning flag sprung up in my head as she gathered her things, placed a five spot on the table and stood.

“Where in Glen Ellen?” I stood with her.

“Jack London Saloon. He gave me the street it’s on, London Ranch Road, but no actual address. Do you know where it is?”

I couldn’t let her go alone. “I’ll take you.”

She looked hesitant. “I don’t know if I should. He specifically told me to come alone. That he had a big surprise waiting for me. I couldn’t hear him too well. Our connection was bad. He said he was coming down with laryngitis, so he could only whisper.”

“I bet,” I said.

“Why? Was my honey-bear sick last night?”

“Deadly. I better take you just in case he needs to see a doctor. I know exactly where to find the closest Urgent Care.”

At least this part was true. I’d been to the one in Rohnert Park on several occasions. Mostly brought there by other people who thought I was going to die from all the alcohol I’d consumed.

“Okay, but if he gets mad at me you’ll have to tell him this was your idea, not mine, ya know?”

“Got it covered,” I said.

Nick joined us at the door. “I have something I have to do. I’ll catch up with you later.” And he hurried out.

Ten minutes later, Jade, Lisa and I were in Lisa’s now somewhat oil-free BMW driving up Highway 12 on our way to Glen Ellen. The black leather seats gleamed, and even with the open windows the car still had that lovely musky olive oil scent.

Yet another use for our oils.

Regrettably, not everyone in the car was enjoying the musky moment. Lisa seemed content enough, but Jade still wore a scowl. She had tried to argue away Lisa’s joining us, but there was no way to win an argument with Lisa once she set her mind to something. Besides, her car was much more comfortable than my pickup.

The drive from Spia’s Olive Press to London Ranch Road usually took about twenty minutes in light traffic. I knew this because Jack London Saloon had been my bar of choice since I turned twenty-one. They made a mean Sex with an Alligator. No skimping on the ingredients. The bartenders poured a generous shot of Midori into a shaker along with sweet and sour and ice. They shook that up and poured the chilled mixture into a cold martini glass, and added a float each of Chambord and Jagermeister. I could usually do three or four of these along with several shots of tequila in one night. That was on a good night when I didn’t want to get too drunk.

The taste and sensation of it swirled around in my memory as we drove closer to Glen Ellen. I didn’t like going anywhere near the saloon and usually stayed as far away from it as possible, but there was no way I could let Jade go alone. Way too dangerous for her. I was going for the safety-in-numbers routine.

Besides, I needed to see for myself who had made the phone call. I figured it had to be either the killer, or an accomplice. After all, it took a lot of muscle power to move that millstone, even if the killer used our forklift; it still took a lot of effort.

Of course, I didn’t know exactly what I would do once I cornered the killer, but I figured Lisa would know what to do when the