Nico muttered something under his breath.
“What was that?”
“I’m going to tell Drew he should look into Charles Baur anyway.”
“Whatever you want to do. I’m sure Drew is taking this very seriously.”
“He’s not.”
Apparently having his supersecret project sabotaged turned Nico Dusi into Negative Norman. “Nico, they must have had a dozen cops out here earlier, taking pictures and talking to people and looking at surveillance. You said they took castings of the truck tires.”
“Yeah, and they’re gonna give it their full attention until there’s a drug case or a hit-and-run or something more important than plants,” Nico said. “Trust me, I could see it in his eyes. I’m not saying Drew’s a bad guy or a lazy cop. I know he’s not. But he does not understand how serious this is.” The man set down his mug but shook his head when Megan lifted the bottle.
“You sure?”
“I better not.”
Nico stretched his neck, and Megan tried not to notice the lean line of muscle that stretched from his jaw to his shoulder. His skin was tanned from working in the sun, and the deep olive tones contrasted with his vivid smile and silver-flecked beard.
His mouth would taste like bourbon and honey if you kissed him.
Lord, she really needed to get laid. Her mind was a one-way street right now. She’d had an active sex life with Rodney despite his assholery. Going from sixty to zero was not her style. She needed her back stretched out something awful.
She could have a fling with Nico…
Wow, that was such a bad idea.
Focus on the vine theft, Megan. Grapes. Detective Drew finding Nico’s grapes.
“Not that we planned it or anything,” Megan started, “but Katherine, Toni, and I have gotten to know Drew pretty well the past couple of years. I think he’ll be able to find your vines.”
“That’s the problem though, isn’t it?” Nico’s smile was rueful. “You see it the same way Drew does. It’s the same for everyone, you know? To most people, it’s missing grapevines. But to me it’s three years of work, Henry’s family legacy, and potentially thousands of dollars in sales and a hell of a lot of personal pride and accomplishment.”
Well, Megan could definitely relate to losing something she’d poured her heart into. Her marriage. Her business in Atlanta. “It was your passion project.”
“It was a challenge and we were winning,” Nico said. “They were going to produce. We could have made something amazing.”
“I don’t like to hear you just give up like this. You have to give Drew some time.”
“We don’t have much time. These are young plants. Unless they’re going to someone who knows how to take care of them, they’re going to die.”
Megan blinked as Katherine’s earlier words clicked into place. “It’s not a theft. That’s what she meant.”
“What?” Nico looked exhausted.
“I was on the phone with Katherine—who gets this, by the way. She was very clear on that. She sounded like someone had kidnapped one of her octopuses… octopi?”
“I think it’s octopuses.” He narrowed his eyes. “Why are we talking about this?”
“Right before I got off the phone with her, Katherine said it wasn’t really a theft, it was a kidnapping. Or… I guess a vine napping. The point I’m making is, these are living things that need certain things to survive. Like a person or an animal was taken. Like a kidnapping.”
“You’re assuming that whoever stole the vines wants to grow them,” Nico said. “What if they just wanted to keep me from growing them?”
“Then why not just tear them up? Pour poison on them or something, you know? That would have to be less trouble than stealing them from the greenhouse and risk getting caught. I’m assuming they would have had to break in and they’d need a truck or something to transport them. All that must have taken planning and money. So they must not have wanted to damage the vines.”
He nodded. “Okay. So whoever took them must want to grow them.”
“Which means that you need someone who knows just as much about plants as you and Henry do. And they’ll need the right environment to harden them. Did I get that right? Hardening the vines?”
“Yes.” His eyes turned from frustrated to focused. “That narrows things down. There are only a few people who know about Poulsard grapes. Most people would have no idea what they are or why they’re even significant. So it has to be someone who recognized them. Someone…” He huffed out a breath. “I keep coming back to who? No one but me and Henry even know about these vines.”
“Well, someone knows, you just don’t know who. Maybe it was a note you forgot or someone overheard something. But someone knew those grapes were special. This is the kind of thing you need to tell Drew if you haven’t already. He needs to know.”
Nico was staring at her, his eyes riveted on her lips.
Was there something on her mouth? She glanced at the mirrored picture frame she’d strategically placed on her desk. Sure, it held a particularly cute picture of her, Katherine, and Toni at the beach, but it was also useful for quick lipstick checks.
Her MAC Velvet Teddy nude lip was still on point. What was Nico staring at?
“You.” He pointed at her and nodded. “That’s what we need.”
Yes! Sugar started doing the Electric Slide.
“I…” Megan blinked. “Pardon me? You need—”
“You. And Katherine and Toni. All of your…” He waved a hand. “You know, the psychic friends. The girl squad. The Super Friends. The—”
“I get it.” Calm down, Sugar. “Nico, I’m flattered you think we can find your grapevines, but I really don’t think—” A knock at the door cut her off. “Come in.”
Henry poked his head in the door. “Nico, there’s something at the greenhouse I wanted to show you.”
“Cool.” Nico sounded distinctly more upbeat. “And I’m hiring the girls to find out who took the vines. We’re not leaving it up to the cops.” He rose and walked to the door.
Henry frowned. “What girls? We’re hiring who?”
“The girls.” Nico nodded at her. “Megan, Toni, and the professor. If anyone can find those grapes, they can.”
Henry’s face went from concerned and friendly to “try me” in a split second. “Are you talking about hiring my very pregnant girlfriend to find a criminal? You’re joking, right?”
“Toni’ll be fine,” Nico said. “Dusi women are tough. She’s probably bored out of her mind right now, not being able to work a normal schedule. This problem—”
“You have got to be fucking kidding me” —Henry looked like he was about one step away from losing his shit— “if you think I’m going to be okay with this little scheme. You’re out of your damn mind.”
Chapter 5
Henry and Nico were still arguing on the walk to the greenhouse.
“It’s not up to you,” Nico was saying. “I’m not hiring you, I’m hiring Toni. And Megan and Katherine. They’re the ones with the psychic abilities, so they’re the ones—”