Chapter 1
There are three certainties. Death, Taxes, and the Postman ringing twice when he brings the mail in case you missed his ring the first time.
I needed a break from the traffic and noise so decided to take a drive out of the city, unaware of the trouble that had been brewing in the lives of Lana and Cecil, a married couple who ran a quaint winery up the canyon and who’s lives would soon be forever changed with the help of a drifter with a past named John.
John sped away from the vineyard and down the winding canyon road gazing over each corner to see signs of a car leaving the highway and crashing over the 100 foot cliffs below. As he neared a sharp 90 degree turn in the road he thought to himself; “this must be the place.” But when he pushed hard on his breaks to slow down, sudden panic set over him as the brake pedal went soft to the floor. He pumped again and again but it was obvious his brakes were completely gone. He tried to think of what to do but it was too late as the car left the road and flew over the edge of the cliff becoming airborne. John knew it would only be moments before it hit and exploded on the rocks below bringing his life to an end in a fiery ball of flames and twisted burning flesh and melting metal.
They say just before death your life flashes by in slow motion and as his life slowly flashed by he remembered the first time he saw her. Lana was coming out of the pool, her naked body glimmering in the evening light from the house, unaware he was watching she slowly dried off and then wrapped the towel around herself. Unexpectedly a voice from the side interrupted his gaze by saying.
“I told you she is hot.”
John turned to see his old accomplice Cecil. “Yes, she certainly is.” John replied as he reached out and shook Cecil’s hand.
“It’s been a while.”
“Yes it has.
Thanks for coming.”
“So this is your new con?”
“Yes. It took me almost two years to get a ring on her finger.”
“Well you made a good choice; Beautiful and some spread you have here too, nice winery.”
“Yes, but wine is hard work and a labour of love; neither of which I am interested in.”
“Which is why you brought me here.”
“Exactly.”
“When I first came up here I could see a gold mine tearing down the winery and putting in a subdivision of weekend getaway mansions for rich city people then use profits to invest in clubs, booze and guns. So I stopped in and found out it was a young single attractive gal who owned it and the rest was history.”
“Sounds like a hell of a good business plan, which of course she doesn’t know about and would never agree to, which is why you brought me here?”
“Exactly. She loves the winery and hates development. So I thought you could make it look like an accident. Maybe a drowning death or something, you are the hit-man, you decide.”
“I can make that work. What is my stake in the deal?”
“When we got married we each got an insurance policy worth $200,000 so I will give you $50,000 cash out of the life insurance policy which leaves me $150,000 to live on till the subdividing goes through in a year or two. Then when I am set up in the city, you can help protect my guns and clubs and booze.”
“25%… You always were fair to deal with Cecil.”
“No one else is around right now and it is off season, so I want it to happen when I am gone to the city tomorrow on business.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“Now how about coming over to meet my beautiful wife.”
The two of them walk over to the edge of the pool where Lana is by this time drying herself off.
“Lana meet John, John meet Lana.”
“Pleasure to meet you John.”
“Likewise Lana.”
“Funny that Cecil never mentioned you before. Have you known each other long?” “Yes, we go way back.”
“What is it you do for work?” Cecil interrupts by saying,
“He doesn’t like to talk about that Lana. He is very private. In fact he is on a bit of a business vacation right now and asked if he could stay for the night without anyone knowing he was here?”
“Yes of course. Mum’s the word. Everyone needs some privacy and time away.”
“What about that friend of yours who lives up the Canyon unexpectedly stopping by?”
“You mean Debbie? I think she is still on vacation and won’t arrive home until late tonight or tomorrow. Anyway she generally calls first before she stops in.”
“Well that works out perfectly then.” Cecil said smiling at John.
“Why don’t you show your friend around a bit and I will go make us dinner.” Lana said as she stumbled on the edge of the pool causing her beautiful breasts to fall out of her robe. Embarrassed, she quickly cover them over again and continued walking.
“What can I say. A dumb country girl, but a reasonably good lay.” Cecil said to John as the two of them watched her walk away.
“We can get her drunk and have a little fun with her later tonight before I go.”
“Sounds like a plan to me,” John replied.
CHAPTER 2
As I rounded a 90 degree corner in the winding road I could see what looked like a set of car tracks leaving the road. I pulled over, got out of my car and looked over the edge to see a mangled wreck about 100 feet down below. I was obviously first on scene and there is no way anyone survived that crash, so I opened my trunk, pulled out a rope, tied it to my car and made my way down the cliff to the site of the crash.
Inside the car I could see the charred remains of one person but it was impossible to tell if it was a male or female. Walking around the back of the wreckage I could see what looked to be a second charred and mangled body which I expected had been thrown out one of the smashed windows and then oddly landed at the back of the car next to the opened trunk. Whatever the case was it felt somehow out of place.
I crawled back up the rope to find the local Sheriff directing a tow truck. Both had arrived at the scene after I had climbed down and were getting situated to let a cable down that would pull the wreck up.
“Detective Noir. I saw someone climbing up the rope. Surprised to see you here.” The local Sheriff said to me.
“Must have been a good tip for you to get here so fast?” Actually I thought I would get out of the city and go for a drive up the canyon to clear my head. I saw tire tracks leaving the road so pulled over to have a look.”
“Well wrong place at the right time I guess. At least you saved me a trip down the rope. So how does it look down there?”
“Well there are two bodies, one in the drivers seat and another one oddly lying outside the car by the back trunk.”
“Any idea who’s car or bodies it might be?”
“Not yet, but I was hoping you could try to get me a serial number once you had the car pulled up and maybe I can help you look into a bit.”
“Sure. Two heads are always better than one.”
I tipped my hat in thanks to the Sheriff and then made my way back to the car. I had dealings with the Sheriff in the past. He was old but tough and in many ways had the same viewpoint I did on crime and criminals.
There was a definite black, white and grey area in the law, and sometimes going into the grey area was the only way to protect the citizens of an area. It was because of his old fashioned views there was very little crime in the canyon as drifters looking to create a problem usually ended up never to be seen or heard from again.
During one of my investigations a few years ago I had stumbled upon one of those missing drifters in the form of a corpse buried beneath an large oak tree. Considering the the drifters past and the future safety of the citizens, I felt it best he stay right there in that resting place under that big old tree and for that agreement the Sheriff respected me.
I decided to continue to drive up the canyon, as it made more sense to try to find out where the car was coming from than where it was going. Driving up the hill I came to a vineyard. I stopped at the front gate and then decided to drive in. It was a beautiful setting with grape vines lining the hillsides and apple trees growing over the winding driveway.
I got to the house which was nestled into the hills, parked my car and walked to the door. I rang the bell and a young woman answered. She had short brunette hair, a thin figure and a very pretty face, much like you would see on the catwalk of some fashion company but in a country girl sort of way.
“Are you the owner of the house?” I asked.
“No, the owner is in the shower. Can I help you?”
Deciding it best not to start too abruptly I continued. “I was driving by and saw the vineyard and thought I might inquire about a bottle or two of wine if that is okay.”
“Well it is the off season and we are closed this time of year, but why don’t you come in and wait until Lana is finished.”
“I would love to thank you.”
“My name is Debbie by the way”
“I am Dick. Very nice to meet you Debbie.”
I followed Debbie into the house where we sat down in a comfortable and quaint room with a bar and large table set with wine glasses. Debbie poured me a glass of red wine and then continued.
“This is the wine tasting room where we entertain guests and allow them to sample the various wines we create.”
“We have a guest?” A beautiful blonde woman said as she walked in dressed in a bathrobe and still towel drying her hair.
“Hello, how are you?” I said as I stood up to greet her.
“I am well thank you. I am Lana, and of course you have already met Debbie.”
“I am Dick. It is a pleasure to meet you both and sample one of your fine wines.” I held up the glass I was drinking. “This is excellent. Medium dry. Aged in what I am guessing is an American oak because it is a bit too pronounced for a French Oak barrel.”
“Very good, yes aged in an American oak barrel with a medium roasting. We prefer to age our heavier reds in an American oak which accentuates the tannin’s. Goes very well with roast beef or steak, heavy gravy, steamed vegetables and garlic and chive mashed potatoes.”
“Sounds delicious. You are speaking directly to my heart.”
“Well looking at you, I am guessing you are a meat and potatoes no nonsense kind of man.”
The two women looked at me in a familiar way that made me feel oddly comfortable.
“So what brings you up the canyon Dick?”
“I just needed a break from the city. Saw the winery and thought I would pull in hoping there was a chance I could buy a couple bottles of good wine.”
“Well there certainly is. Would you would like a quick tour of the winery while you are here?”
“Yes very much so.”
“Well then let’s go.”
I followed the two women out of the house and up a quaint winding path to the winery. Inside Lana took time to show me where they brought in the grapes and put them into large wooden vats to be pressed which forced the juices down and into the processing area. There the juice is then mixed with the proper amount of sugar and yeast to begin fermentation and then put into the appropriate oak barrels for ageing. The gal certainly knew and loved her vineyard and the fine art of wine making as next she took me for a walk through the Vineyards.
“We plant them so they get the most exposure throughout the day as the sun travels from East to West. We carefully prune the vines to ensure the plant puts the majority of it’s energy into producing the fruit and also so the fruit gets the opportunity to be ripened properly by the sun as well.”
“This is a beautiful spot and operation you have here. “Yes this vineyard was always a dream of mine. An old couple owned it before I did and I helped them with it for the summers when I was growing up. They gave it to me on the promise I would keep it a running vineyard and never let it get broken apart or developed.”
“Wow. What a gift. What about your husband, is he around this evening?” I said looking at the tan line where her wedding ring had been.
“No Cecil is away in the city on business right now. Meeting the city banker over some new development idea.”
“Oh, he is a businessman and developer?”
“Of sorts I supposed, but we unfortunately don’t see eye to eye on this vineyard. He would like to develop it, which I of course would never agree to.”
“Well I am sorry to hear about that.”
“I would instead like to buy up some more land and expand it if I could procure the additional money. Protecting more of the canyon from getting developed by rich city folk looking to build a weekend getaway mansion.”
Lana stopped and looked over at Debbie and then back to me. “Sometimes when you are young and naive you make the wrong choices. He is from the big city and I am from the country and he came in a couple years ago and swept me off my feet with his big city charm, but it soon became apparent that we are from completely different worlds with completely different viewpoints and I don’t think he is very happy here.”
I could sense the underlying regret in her voice and decided to change the subject as we continued our tour.
“Well at any rate you are right, it would be nice to protect more of this canyon from developers and add it to your winery. I probably should buy a few bottles of wine and get going.”
We walked over to the wine cellar where I chose a couple of bottles of red aged in American Oak, and a couple bottles of red aged in French Oak. The ladies walked me back to my car as Lana continued,
“Thank you for stopping by Dick, you seem like a very smart and understanding man. We hope to see you again.”
I tipped my hat and drove off further up the canyon but found nothing else but lakes and trees and one small cottage with no one at home, so decided to go back down to the city and see the banker.
“No Detective, Cecil Turner hasn’t come to see me. He was supposed to yesterday morning but never showed up which was a bit odd as it isn’t like him to miss an appointment.”
“Any idea what he wanted to talk to you about?”
“Yes, he wanted to discuss the possibility of the bank helping him fund the ground work for developing his wife’s vineyard into a high end subdivision.”
I stood there for a moment scratching my chin. “Well that doesn’t make sense because I just spoke with her and she seemed intent on not selling out nor subdividing.”
The banker looking back at me equally puzzled. “Yes that is odd indeed because he was very confident on the phone 2 days ago that his wife was ready and willing to sell.”
“What kind of guy is Cecil if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Well I only met him a couple of times, but he seems well travelled and sharp with business. In fact I was a bit surprised he settled for a girl like Lana out in the country like that on a vineyard of all places when he definitely is a city boy.”
“Does vineyard make money?”
“It turns a mild profit, but vineyards and wine making are not a cash cow, they are a labour of love and a lot of hard work. Unfortunately Cecil is right when it comes to business as the real value in that vineyard is subdividing it. Subdivided it would be worth a fortune.”
“If the winery doesn’t make much money why doesn’t Lana consider developing it?”
“Because from what I have heard she absolutely loves owning and running it. She lost her parents in a car crash when she was young. She somehow ended up working for an old French couple who owned the winery. One day they up and gave it to her and moved back to France to live out the rest of their days close to their family.”
“Wow that is quite the gift.”
“Yes well Lana is a good girl. Kind, down to earth, a hard worker.” The banker got up and walked over to the window to look out.
“Do you know if they had a prenuptial agreement?”
“It would only cover their earnings after they were married, because the vineyard is considered an inheritance so it stays in Lana’s name even in the case of a divorce. It would only pass to him if she were to die and had no children or heirs to contest ownership of the vineyard.”
“Which sounds like she doesn’t have.” I pulled out my card and left it on his desk. “Well thank you for the information. If Cecil comes to see you can please call as I would like to have a word with him afterwards.”
“Will do,” the banker said as he walked me out of the office.
I turned to ask him one last thing. “Do you know Lana’s friend Debbie? Pretty short haired brunette thing.”
“Know of her only through Cecil. He has complained on more than one occasion that he thought Debbie was sweet on Lana. Apparently they met a few months after he and Lana got married and share a kinship over their love of wines and vines. Another dumb country girl as he would say. I had hoped he never talked like that in the presence of Lana. It would hurt her so much.”
“Did he ever mention how much he loved Lana?”
“Well does any husband ever say it enough?” He laughed and then continued. “He wasn’t too vocal about it if that is what you mean. He is all business and doesn’t come across as the affectionate type. Like I said, I was surprised the two were married considering they are complete polar opposites.”
“Do you know if the two of them have an insurance policy?”
“Well now you would have to ask their insurance broker down the block.”
I again thanked him and walked out and down the street to the insurance broker.
I found the insurance office and opened the door and walked in. It was a quiet one room office. Behind the desk sat a pudgy insurance salesman. Sweat beading off his balding forehead, tie undone and shirt soaked in body persperation.
“Hello can I help you?”
I showed pulled out my Private Detective Badge and then continued “I am just wanted to inquire about a couple potential clients of yours. A Cecil and Lana who own a vineyard up the valley.”
He carefully studied my badge and handed it back to me. “Yes Mr. Noir, Cecil and Lana are clients of mine. But I am not at liberty to talk about clients personal insurance matters with the general public.”
“I do understand, but this is a serious matter so please if you could.”
“It wouldn’t have anything to do with the accident would it?”
“It seems word gets around fast and that would be a question.”
“Do they know who it is or what happened?”
“Well I don’t think the Sheriff has any leads yet.”
“Is Lana okay?”
“Yes. I just stopped by there.
“That’s good news. I have known Lana for years. Lana is a good girl. Hard worker. Has insurance on both the buildings and vines, but never had a life insurance policy and didn’t want or need one. Then a few months after they got married, the two of them suddenly came in and got life big insurance policies. 1 million each.”
“1 million is a hell of a lot of insurance.”
“Yes, normally most policies are only $250,000 or so and I could tell she was not happy about it, but he seemed intent on ensuring they both had good life insurance policies so she finally consented and paid the premiums.”
“She paid the premiums?”
“Yes which surprised me too. Cost her a pretty penny for the premiums but I got the distinct feeling that he has nothing of his own and couldn’t pay them.”
As I left the insurance broker I got a call from the local Sheriffs Office. They had done me a favour and put out an ‘APB’ on Cecil’s car and found it parked downtown by a hotel. I went to the hotel and talked to the front desk. Seems Cecil had booked a room but had not checked in. His car was found outside. He had also missed the appointment with his banker to discuss subdividing the vineyard that his wife would never agree to. Things were not making much sense.
CHAPTER 3
Lana had woken up to find herself in the wine tasting room blindfolded and tied to the tasting table. She felt weak and dizzy but could not figure out why. She remembered making the men dinner and having a glass of wine afterwards with the two of them in the pool, but she did not remember having more than a glass of wine. As she continued to pass in and out of delirium, she could hear the men talking. “She should be drugged for hours and won’t remember a thing when she wakes up.” “Well enjoy the bitch, because it is her last night on earth. I put two wasted years of my life getting a ring on her finger only to find out that I have no rights to the winery if we get a divorce because it is considered an inheritance so I can’t even force her to sell and take my half. I will leave tomorrow morning to drive to the city and check into the hotel and go see my banker to discuss the subdivision while giving myself a good alibi. Then after I am gone you decide how you want to get rid of her. But again make sure it looks like an accident.” “What about the staff?” “It is off season so no one is around this time of year but her friend Debbie who lives in a little cottage up the canyon and who like she said is still on vacation. I think she has a thing for Lana. Stupid country girls, both women deserve each other.” “Any idea how you are going to do it?” “Well I did notice you have a very steep and treacherous road coming up here, which I am sure there has been the cause of more than a few fatal accidents over the years with vehicles losing their brakes and careening over the cliffs.” “Not bad, not bad. Yes I heard there has been a few crashes in the past. Whatever you do just get it over with quickly and cleanly and make it look like an accident.” Now lets give this bitch one last run for my money. Cecil ripped her panties off and the two men then pulled out their cocks and began taking turns fucking Lana as Cecil remarked. “Make sure you don’t cum in the bitch. I don’t want her waking up dripping wet in the morning and wondering what the hell happened.”
Lana woke up the next morning to a pounding headache and a slight remembrance of strange and erotic dreams. She was not one to hold her liquor and for that reason rarely drank. She looked over to find her husband gone and a note he had left for her which read.
My Darling Lana
I am sorry I missed you. Seemed the wine got to your head last night so I carried you to bed. Like I told you, I am going to the city and will first check myself into the Hotel in the morning then go see my banker about a development opportunity. Be back in a couple of days.
Love Cecil
John woke up to find a smell of breakfast cooking. Lana knocked on his door. “John, breakfast is ready.” John got up to a delightful breakfast made by Lana. “You went to bed early.” “Yes the wine got to me I guess.” “You were like a rag doll in Cecil’s arms last night when he carried you to bed. Are you feeling better now?” “Yes, I don’t remember much, but I am feeling much better now.”
“So what is on your plans for today.” “After breakfast I was planning to drive down the canyon to visit my friend Debbie who apparently came back from vacation late last night.” “What were on your plans for the day?” “Well if you don’t mind I thought I would take a quick dip in the pool and then head down the canyon myself and go see a friend in the city.”
As the car flew through the air John remembered taking turns fucking Lana, then Cecil carrying Lana to bed while he went out and crawled underneath her car and loosened off the line just enough so that with a bit of mild use it would spit out the brake fluid causing the brakes to fail. He remembered hearing Cecil’s car start early in the morning and looking out the window to see it leave down the driveway. He remembered how refreshing the pool water felt as he swam in the cool morning air and taking his time getting out of the pool and drying off on the easy chair in the morning sun while watching Lana get into her car and pull out of the driveway to head down the canyon to visit her friend Debbie. And finally he remembers getting into his car and heading down the winding driveway through the apple trees to the valley road and carefully stopping and looking around to make sure no one saw him leave the vineyard as he turned onto the road going back down the canyon.
CHAPTER 4
I stopped in at the Sheriff’s but he was out of the office so I told his secretary I was going for a drive up the canyon to look over the accident scene one more time and would stop in on my way back.
I was overlooking the spot where the car had left the canyon road and gone over the cliff when the Sheriff pulled up. “Dick, lucky meeting you here. My secretary said you were going up to take another look. The two bodies were confirmed as male but both are burned and mangled beyond recognition and without dental records there is no way of ever identifying them. As for the VIN number, the car was stolen from the city a couple days ago.” “Any reports of two people in the community missing?” “No. But Lana called this morning and said her husband never came home last night and she was a bit worried and asked me to look into it.” “Yes his car is parked at the city hotel which he never checked into, and he missed an appointment with the banker. So what are the chances one of those bodies in the wreck is her husband?” “Well what would her husband be doing in a stolen car coming down the canyon with someone else when he his car is parked down in the city?” “Yes that is the part that does not make sense. And according to the broker they both had a life insurance policy, a couple million each at her husbands insistence.” “Yes, but everyone knows Lana doesn’t really need the money as she has the vineyard. If anyone would be under suspicion it would have been Cecil had she been the one killed.” The Sheriff got back in his car and then said, “We are over-thinking this. I believe it is two completely unrelated incidences. Two thieves steal a car and take a joy ride up the canyon and on the way down crash and burn. In the meantime Lana’s husband tires of living the country life and realizing she has inheritance rights to the vineyard which give him nothing in a divorce, lies to his wife about going to see the banker and then runs off with a city girl.” In any event, as far as I am concerned both cases are closed.” The Sheriff starts his car and then says. “By the way, I was hoping you could stop in and check on Lana before you leave as she is probably in a depressed mood with her husband running off like that.” “Sure, I could do that.” I said to the Sheriff as he drove off.
I got in my car and drove up the hill and into the Vineyard. I went to knock on the door but was interrupted by what seemed to be the erotic sound of distant moaning coming from the winery area. Confused I quietly walked up the path to the winery and gently pushed open the door and looked through the crack where I could see Lana holding onto a wine barrel while Debbie kissed the back and sides of her neck. Slowly her hands unbuttoned Lana’s sundress and let it fall to the ground then pulling Lana’s bra off she began to kiss her naked back and down to her bum. Removing Lana’s panties and letting them drop to her ankles, Debbie spread her legs and began to lick the full length of her ass crack and down onto her vagina. Lana leaned forward and arched her back to give Debbie fuller access to her anus and cunt as Debbie took full advantage to thrust her tongue deep into both of Lana’s holes. It wasn’t long before Lana came while loudly moaning and jerking. Lana turned around as Debbie came up and the two continued to kiss passionately. Then Lana started to undress Debbie kissing down her neck and onto her breasts until she reached between her legs. Spreading them widely she began to run her tongue up and down Debbie’s cunt stopping to tickle her clitoris. Debbie orgasm-ed into Lana’s mouth and I could see her cum dripping down Lana’s lips and chin and onto her breasts.
Cecil suddenly waking up in the trunk of the car and banging wildly to get out brought John back to reality. “What the fuck is Cecil doing in the trunk of my car” he thought. And as the ground approached him the last thing he would remember was Cecil saying “Her friend Debbie who lives up the canyon.
Watching the two women, it seemed they had waited a lifetime to make love like this, locked in complete passion in the middle of that beautiful vineyard. Considering the most unlikely, improbable and unprovable scenarios I decided to turn around and quietly walk back to my car and leave them to their moment. Lana already knew and was obviously celebrating the fact that her husband was never coming home and after 6 months of no report would get the 2 million in life insurance which she could use to expand the winery or buy more land for vineyards.
As I drove away I could not help but think of how the Postman does ring twice giving the two women an unexpected happily every after.
The End