Free A Saucy Murder: A Sonoma Wine Country Cozy Mystery by A. J. Carton

spa.”
    “Oleg?” Piers interrupted. “I didn’t know you were getting all those massages from a guy!”
    “Who’s under investigation here?” Julie shot back.
    “Yeah,” Emma agreed. “Oleg gives a great massage.”
    “Enough from you about massages, Mom,” Julie shuddered. “Anyway, Oleg was full of gossip today about the death last night. He said all his appointments this morning were talking about it. Apparently the debacle was good for his business, unlike mine. Well, Oleg heard that, a few years ago, when Natasha was an Ormon Rising Young Star Fellow at the City Opera, Vera, who was Barry Buchanon’s masseuse, introduced him to her twin sister. That was before Lexie started doing him.” 
    Julie glanced into the breakfast room at Harry. He was engrossed in the film.
    “Literally,” she added. “Anyway, way back then, when Vera introduced him to Natasha, her twin sister, Barry fell head over heels in love with her. But Natasha wouldn’t let him touch her. Apparently that turned him on more. Then Natasha moved to New York and Barry married Lexie, his new masseuse. But a few months ago, when Natasha returned to San Francisco to sing Trovatore , Barry basically crawled back to her on his knees. The more she rejected him, the more he craved her. Well, at least that’s one version. The other is that Natasha was doing Barry all along, and Sacha Kuragin, and every other bass, tenor, alto in the business.”
    “So what does Oleg think?” Emma asked.
    “Oleg worships Natasha. He thinks she’s pure as the driven snow.”
    “Is that it?” Piers asked.
    “I think that’s a lot for one day’s work,” Julie replied.
    “What about Vera?” Emma asked.
    “Nothing. Adoring twin sister. Natasha shared everything with her.”
    “Except enough money to quit being a masseuse,” Emma added.
    Julie shook her head. “The word is Vera was planning to retire once Natasha made it big. I asked about the money. It seems Natasha shared everything with Vera. Oleg said he thought Natasha felt guilty because she got both the voice and the looks.”
    Emma nodded sympathetically.
    “Problem was,” Julie continued, “there wasn’t much to share in the beginning. Natasha’s recordings have just started to pay off. Both girls had taken out enormous loans for Natasha’s lessons: voice, acting, English, Italian, colors, wardrobe, you name it. But this morning, one of Oleg’s B of A executive type clients said that someone had just paid off all those loans. Like last week. Of course, Oleg wouldn’t tell me who that was. But I’ll bet I can guess.”
    “Who?” Piers asked.
    Julie turned to Piers. “Barry Buchanon, duh. So what did you find out?”
    “More than you,” he began.
    Why, Emma thought, did the busiest person always seem to get the most done?
    “I checked out Barry and Chiara, the understudy,” he continued. “Since I really don’t think Barry did it, I started with Chiara. First I called Clare Blumberg.”
    “Madame City Opera Director,” Emma interjected.
    “Mom,” Harry called in from the adjoining breakfast room where he was watching the video. “It’s the scary part. Turn it off. I don’t like it.”  He ran into the dining room and jumped into his mother’s lap.
    “Honey, there is no scary part in Cars, remember?” Julie said.
    “Mom, it’s the mean trucks at night. The Peterbuilt truck.”
    Emma interjected, “I can sit with him, Julie. I can hear Piers from the breakfast room. Besides, I need a snuggle.”
    Julie gave Harry a hug. “Don’t worry. I’ll protect you from those Nonnie Snuggles. You can stay here until the scary part is over, but then you need to go back to the movie. Mommy and Daddy are having a boring grown up talk with Nonnie.”
    Harry squirmed off his mother’s lap. “OK.”
    Emma grabbed him on his way back to the breakfast room and gave him a kiss.
    Piers continued, “I’ll cut to the chase. Otherwise, we’ll be late for the movie. Clare knew exactly