Ray made his way downstairs after planning the trap, with Liam behind him, and found Elise and Elijah in the kitchen.

“We need to speak to you.”

“Can it wait? We are in the middle of something.” Elise looked testy when she spoke to him.

“No, I’m afraid it can’t. Captain Ferguson and I have a plan.”

“Would you keep it down? There are guests all over the house and grounds.” Ray cleared his throat, and Liam slipped his hand into his, which startled him.

“Of course, Elise. Our apologies for not keeping up appearances. It’s just, we have a few questions for you, and we have an idea on how to find the missing bottle.” He gave her a smile that was all teeth and no warmth.

“Questions for me?” She put her hand to her throat.

“Yes. We’ve been wondering why such a young, driven woman like yourself would be content working to run someone else’s business.” Ray glanced up at Liam. He was playing hardball.

“I…I just graduated, and I need a place to start. Elijah has been very good to me. What does this have to do with anything?”

“Tell us, Mr. Montgomery, who is set to inherit the business in the event that anything should happen to you?”

Elijah looked pale as he looked at Elise. “Officers, I want you to know that Elise has my utmost trust and confidence. I don’t think she had anything to do with this.”

“Please just answer the question, Elijah.” Ray made sure his voice was kind and reassuring. Elise looked like she was about to storm off despite the other guests throughout the house.

“I had made Elise the beneficiary if anything were to happen to me, but when she expressed her true desire is to go into business someday as an olive gardener, I changed it. The farm will now be auctioned off to benefit a charitable foundation.”

“And you didn’t feel cheated out of acquiring such a large estate, Ms. Bianchi?” Liam looked at her directly. She looked livid.

“What kind of question is that?” She looked around to see if anyone else was listening, but they were the only ones in the kitchen.

“I’d say a fairly legitimate one, Elise.” Ray responded.

Elijah looked between the three of them. “Officers, please!”

“I know this is tough, Elijah, but I think they are necessary questions.” Liam still didn’t look at him, but kept his gaze on Elise, rooting her to the spot. It was a look he had used for years that quelled even the most hardened criminals. But Ray had to hand it to her. She notched her chin up a little higher, despite the demeaning nature of the inquiry.

“It didn’t bother me. I come from a large, Italian family with property in Italy and here in California. I decided at a young age I was going to follow my Nonna’s footsteps and harvest olives. She had a farm in Italy, and it has been my dream since I moved here when I was five to return to Italy, where my cousins run the farm, or to start one of my own.”

“That’s understandable. But you could have used this farm as a starting point to begin an olive farm. You might have thought that, as recompense for all of your hard work, Elijah owed you, even if it was something as simple as a bottle of wine.”

“Please, now you insult me, Captain. Do you have any idea of the capital it would take, as well as how long it would take, to transplant olives onto this farm? It would almost be costlier to convert it due to the soil composition and how it would need to be treated with minerals and nutrients that would sustain the olive trees and not grape vines. Every farmer knows the acidity levels in the soil vary depending upon the crop they choose to harvest. It would take years to make the soil correct for the best olives.”

“I was unaware there was that much conversion in that process.”

“Yes. It is why farmers alternate fields every year. Mostly that is done with smaller crops, but there are things farmers do with larger crops such as vines and trees. Take for example maple trees. Maple syrup harvesters never tap the same tree two years in a row. They let the tree rest and heal and alternate. Every crop is different.”

“Alright, that makes sense. But you still could have felt cheated for not getting anything, or at the least, like he owed you.”

“Detectives,” Elijah tried to protest, but Liam held up his hand.

“Last question, Elijah, and then we will fill you in on the plan.”

“Mr. Montgomery compensates me well for my efforts. I lack for nothing, and I enjoy running things so diligently. I am confident if there was anything I requested from my employer, he would make sure I get it to successfully do my job.”

Liam stared at her a long moment, and despite her bravado, her lip trembled a little as she tried to keep it together. Ray nudged Liam in the side. He had a pretty good instinct when it came to people, and despite Elise having some strange habits, he wasn’t getting the “vibe” from her.

“Alright, Ms. Bianchi, thank you for your cooperation.” Liam finally said. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and Elise turned and blinked rapidly for a moment before taking a deep breath.

“I appreciate your dedication to this, Captain Ferguson. I want you to know that.”

“We are happy to help. So here is what we are going to do. We want to let it be known that Elijah mixed up the bottles. We want the thief to think he got a bottle from the first barrel of wine, but not the first bottle that was ever corked. There is a difference between the two, and we think this will matter to the thief. We believe the thief will feel cheated and come back to the cellar to either replace the bottle or steal the second bottle.”

“Captain Ferguson, you said that you think the thief is a he. Why, then, would you question Elise?” Elijah asked, glancing at her. It was obvious he didn’t want to upset her, but it was a glaring observation.

Ray didn’t want Liam to divulge the note delivered from the SSK, so he lightly nudged Liam again, but he probably needn’t have, because Liam responded, “It is always possible the thief has an accomplice. It was obvious when Ms. Bianchi showed up moments later behind Ray in the barn that she wasn’t the assailant, but we needed to make sure the man who fled wasn’t working with someone. Only a few people have access to that alcove, so we needed to cross all of our T’s”

“And dot your I’s.”

“Precisely.”

“Okay.”

“Speaking of assailants, how’s the head? How is Noah?” Ray glanced at his head. He had a small bump on the back of it, which the paramedics had iced for him.

“It’s sore, but it will be alright. Noah is a little worse off. He looked a bit pale, and I think he might have laid down, so I will check on him later and let him rest for now. So I spread the rumor and then what?”

“Then you report back to us if anyone seems suspicious about it, although as tipsy as I have seen some of these guys already, they will probably start talking from the alcohol long before we have to catch one in the act. Drunk men like to talk. Tonight, Ray and I will keep a lookout from the balcony and wait for whoever to go down there.”

“And if that doesn’t work? The trap, I mean.”

“Then we will have to wait for fingerprint analysis that I sent via the mobile unit to the lab and we will have to wait for the results of the truck’s partial plate and the analysis on the piece of the cloth. Unfortunately, it’s all circumstantial evidence, so I won’t lie to you, the probability that it would lead to anything after that is not good. This isn’t like TV, Elijah. It takes months for stuff like that to come back, and I’m sorry, but a bottle of wine is low-priority compared to some of the cases on the lab’s docket.”

“I understand, Captain. I really appreciate all of the effort you have made already.”

Liam smiled at him and then gave a friendly smile to Elise to try to make amends for the harsh way he had questioned her. Ray understood the urgency. They had to get back to San Francisco to head up the case for the SSK. Liam had dispatched officers to Alcatraz to search the premises, despite the evidence suggesting nothing was there yet, but he couldn’t afford to be away any longer than the night ,and then he needed to return for the debriefing. Ray was hoping he wouldn’t keep him in the dark on this case. They hadn’t discussed it yet, but Liam had tried to shut him down the last time a note had appeared, despite the note being delivered directly to Ray. Even if he was the police captain, Ray was going to put up a fight about being benched this time.

Elijah finished reviewing the dinner menu with Elise, and then they wandered off to mingle with the crowd. It was a torturous day for Ray as he and Liam had to pretend to be a happy couple, mixing and meeting the other singles. They were easily explained, and the crowd seemed to accept them readily enough. Ray was developing a headache by midday having to listen to the “my fish is bigger than your fish stories” about the accomplishments of the men in attendance. He hadn’t actually heard a single story about fishing. It was more about money, relationships, companies, and acquisitions. Ray wanted nothing more than to take a walk outside in the vineyard. He had yet to properly explore it and take in the vast beauty of it. He enjoyed being outside. He had been a fool to think that he might actually get a moment to admire the vineyard, though.

He supposed the cellar itself had been interesting to see. If there was one success story he hadn’t minded hearing, it was Elijah’s. He wondered about Elijah’s past. He wasn’t a native San Franciscan. Ray could tell that based on his accent alone. He pegged him for somewhere back East, but Elijah was also the kind of man to keep things close to the heart. He wondered at the lack of Noah’s presence if he and Noah had talked things out about the lie Noah had arrived on. He sincerely hoped they had, because it seemed to Ray like those two had an instant connection, even though they had just met. He remembered the first day he met Liam at the training academy. He had just finished his master’s degree in criminal justice and was beginning the physical training portion of the program. He could have taken the two-year program and become a rookie right away, but he had wanted to give the study his entire focus and really dig into learning the system, so he had opted for as much education as he could get.

Ray had been sitting in the locker room surrounded by a dozen other men, probably more. Per his usual habit, he had his nose buried in a book, looking up the different trajectories for shot angles on the shooting range and memorizing the mathematical principle of it all, the angles and wind trajectory and all of that. He had always been the bookish type, the man who learned it from the page and then applied it to his life. He had been deep in the theory of velocity compared to the different types of ammunition and the effects the weight and composition of the slugs played on the shot when Liam had sat down beside him on the bench and winked at him.

“What are you reading?” Ray had gone momentarily stupid as he held up the book for the stranger to see. Liam nodded and then took a peek at the page Ray was on and frowned. “You aren’t going to learn how to shoot from a book.”

“How do you know? These equations make perfect sense.” Ray was affronted. Who was this man, despite the instant physical reaction he felt for him, to tell him what he would and wouldn’t learn? He held up his hands.

“I mean no offense. My dad was on the force. He used to tell me stories all the time about being on the job. He used to say, ‘Liam, it’s not always what’s in here.’ Liam pointed to his head. ‘It’s what’s in here.’ He placed his hand over his heart. Ray didn’t understand this until later, when they were working the beat together in downtown San Francisco at night. Where Ray was prone to be suspicious of most people at two in the morning, Liam took the time to learn their names and their stories. Ray asked him about that as well, and he said, just because you see the night owls, doesn’t make them bad people. They just see a different side of San Francisco than the daytime people. Ray could see reason within this. He himself preferred the night and the hours just before dawn. He found them the most peaceful.

After Liam explained about his dad, Ray asked, “What do you mean the decision to shoot is in your heart? I don’t understand that.”

“Have you ever just looked at someone, and you knew? You know who this person is and what they’re all about? My dad used to know. Whenever he faced off with a perp, he said there was that moment he looked in their eyes, and he knew if they were going to pull that trigger or not. He lived for the ones that didn’t pull the trigger. He said in his heart, he saw something deep down in them that was still good. He said it helped him cope with the bad ones.”

Ray understood this at last. He had known the second Liam had sat down that he was crazy about him.

“How do you apply that to training though?” Ray asked. Liam helped him the next lesson they had. They got to partner up, and from the moment Liam had touched him, straightening his elbow, drawing his shoulders back, the shiver that ran down his spine at the contact, he had just known. They had been partners ever since then.

Ray brought himself back to the present and thought about Elijah and Noah. He really hoped they could work through whatever issues they had that had arisen because of this mess. He had enough to work through with Liam when all was said and done. He didn’t think the hand holding was going to cut it, and he might have to volley for something a bit more meaningful to Liam, but he wasn’t sure he could do it, not with the SSK back in the mix.

Liam was chatting with everyone amicably, and Ray felt like they were back on the beat, and he was viewing everyone with suspicion in his eyes. Had this person left the message? What about that one? He didn’t think the SSK would allow himself to be directly involved with anything they were doing. He felt like he was a shadow cast over them, on the outside looking in. Especially since the criminal profilers had profiled him to be a man in denial about his sexuality. Ray hated feeling like a sitting duck, though, waiting to be blasted out of the pond whenever the SSK decided it was time.

“Can we take a walk in the vineyard? I need some air.” Ray tugged at his collar as he spoke under his breath, and Liam frowned at him.

“Sure.” He guided him out the back door with a hand on his back. They both astutely ignored the activities taking place in the hot tub. Ray was pretty sure it qualified as fornicating in public, this being a place of business and all. But it was also a residence, so the line was shaky on that. If they started making arrests now, it was sure to send the thief or the SSK running.

As they walked to the back of the vineyard, they passed the different vines which held a mixture of different grapes. There were purple and green grapes, and pale ones that Ray had never seen before. He breathed deeply, allowing himself to smile slightly for the first time.

“What’s so funny?” Liam nudged him, and he stumbled a little in the rut where the machines drove through.

“I was just thinking that the grapes are like cows.”

“Come again? I’m not following that one.”

“Misha’s youngest boy, Dante, has grown up in the city and never seen a cow.”

“That’s sad, but I can see it’s understandable. But what has that got to do with grapes?”

“He once told me regular milk comes from black and white cows, and chocolate milk comes from brown cows. I was just wondering if Elijah gets red wine from purple grapes and white wine from the pale grapes.”

“How do you explain the green grapes then?”

“You’re Irish. Just think of drinks on Saint Patrick’s Day. They’re always dyed green.”

“Point made. I think you have a valid theory.” They both laughed as they crested the farthest hill and looked down over the valley. Elijah certainly had succeeded. The whole other side of the hill was the vineyard in development. He had a solid revenue on the viness he harvested already, but with this side added to it, he was going to have no problem going global for the next season. There were hundreds of rows of vines that were growing. The sight was breathtaking, and Ray stopped to stare for a moment as he took it all in. He didn’t even think about it when he did it after a moment, but he turned to Liam and grabbed his face. Probably rougher than he had intended to, but he kissed him hard and possessively. Before Liam could say anything, he put his finger to his lips and in a rough voice he whispered,

“I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t know what is going to happen. I do know I can’t pursue this until after the SSK is caught. It isn’t your fault, but you would be a distraction for me during the case. It isn’t fair, and I get that, but I can’t ruin the good thing we have right now. I want you to stay at the house for as long as you like. I won’t be awkward about it, but please try to understand this?” He searched his gaze, knowing his own eyes were pleading for Liam to understand him.

“Ray. Don’t shut me out. What happened with the SSK scared the crap out of you. It scared the hell out of me too. We need each other, now more than ever. If we’re going to catch this guy, we need to be in it together. I’m not going anywhere, but I stand by what I said before. I’ll wait for you to decide, but what if we never close in on this guy?”

“We will. Whatever he’s planning is the end. We will catch him. But don’t you dare try to keep me off this case, Liam. I mean it. If you bench me again I’ll…”

“Build a secret case room in your home and work from there and think Misha and I don’t know about it?”

“What did she tell you?” Ray narrowed his eyes at him.

“Oh, if only you knew the things. Smart phones really are an investment, Ray. You should think about getting one and staying in tune with the rest of the world.”

“Hmph.”

“There’s the Ray I’m crazy about. Technology be damned if you can’t learn it from a book.” Liam’s eyes were bright in the sunlight, and Ray squinted as he stepped closer. “I’ll give you your space Ray. But in exchange I need one more…” He lowered his head and brushed his lips over Ray’s. Ray’s whole body shuddered and convulsed as his tongue darted in between his lips. He grabbed the front of Liam’s shirt to hold on and keep himself from sinking to his knees. He had always scoffed at the idea that a kiss could leave anyone weak in the knees, and yet here he was, feeling like he had the worst case of jelly legs.

“Just to get me through until you come to me.” Liam finished the sentence. Ray staggered back when he broke off the kiss and rubbed his lips together. He hoped he never forgot the feel of that kiss for as long as he lived. If it was to be their last kiss, he was going to cherish it forever. Ray had a nagging feeling, like somehow he or Liam wasn’t walking away from the SSK unharmed this time. It was a doubt he had been trying to suppress and instead remain optimistic that they would eventually outsmart this guy and catch him. But the SOB always seemed to be one step ahead of them every time. For once, Ray felt like there might actually be someone smarter than he and Liam working together as a team in their unique styles.

Ray cleared his throat and felt the flush rise from his neck to his cheeks as Liam closed his eyes and swayed towards him, like he was restraining himself from chasing after him. Ray felt like his feet were cement as he took first one step, then another, and gave them both some distance to collect their thoughts. It was going to be a long, painful night trapped in that bedroom with Liam with nothing to do but casually watch the cellar entrance.

Liam shook his head to clear his mind and then did it again. Ray didn’t need to look down to know how very aroused he was, as he himself was struggling with the constant state whenever Liam was around. The ante was upped now, though. Now he knew the feelings were reciprocated by Liam.

“We’d better head back. The sun is going down, and we don’t want to miss dinner.”

“No. We don’t want to miss tha,t do we?” Liam murmured. Ray turned and walked back towards the house, pointedly not looking at the fellatio occurring in the hot tub, because it gave him erotic flashes of exactly what he wanted to be doing with Liam at that very moment.

Ray and Liam played the part well for the rest of the evening, and as Elijah eventually said goodnight at the end of dinner, they also left the raucous party behind with a haggard looking Elise to manage it. Liam nodded to her, and she followed them to the foot of the stairs before they went up.

“If you need anything, come and get us. If they get to rowdy, we are still, above anything, law enforcement, and we will break it up if it’s too much, okay?”

“Thank you, Captain. That means a lot.”

“You’re welcome.”

Before she turned to leave, Ray tapped her arm. “Has Elijah received any threats from anyone recently through social media or business dealings?”

“Only the usual. Mostly from the radical groups, but they target everyone. They claim the manufacturing of wine is causing the pollutants that kill the rain forest and all that nonsense. They usually picket at the front gate just off the driveway. I pointed out to them if they come on the property it is trespassing, and one of the little shits tried to claiming it was a business and therefore commercial property. I asked him how he would like to take it up in court, seeing as businesses could have no trespassing rights too.”

“It makes sense. If tonight’s plan doesn’t work, we will look into them and see if they own a truck.” Liam tapped a note on his phone and hit save. Ray wondered if maybe he should get a smart phone where he could keep all of that information.

“I wish I could be more help, but he really hasn’t been harassed by anyone too much unless you count the investor. Not Noah, the one who offered Elijah a deal to invest in the farm if he also took on the disposal of some questionable materials. Elijah was polite in telling him no, but I was the one who called the police and warned them about this guy. He was pretty pissed off when he found out about the retreat, and he messaged on social media and for a week or so was pretty rude, but he settled down. Elijah never heard about him because I didn’t want to stress him with something I could take care of. I’m sorry I didn’t think of this guy earlier.”

“What’s his name?” Liam thumbed on his phone again.

“Taylor Fredrich, I think. Yeah, that’s him.” Elise watched as Liam took down the name, and then she turned to the dining room where the noise had risen. “I’d better get back there.”

“Like I said, if you need help, we are right upstairs.”

“Thanks, but I got a few of the field guys to come in for some overtime and keep an eye on things with me. We should be all set.” She turned, straightened her shoulders, and marched back in the dining room.

“If she is anything like her Nonna, running an olive farm all on her own in Italy, she is going to be one hell of a woman here in the states.” Liam commented. Ray couldn’t agree more. They climbed the stairs together and for a while sat in comfortable silence, occasionally standing and walking towards each other, so the shadows the lights cast on the curtains appeared as if they were embracing. A couple of times they staggered out onto the balcony, laughing and acting like they were crazy about one another and sneaking glimpses at the cellar, but most of the time was spent watching the camera that Liam had set up on the balcony in a shrub that was pointed directly at the cellar entrance. The only time things grew uncomfortable was when the obvious moans started coming from the room next to them. It appeared as if Noah was up, and so was Elijah, and in more than one way.