7 Kills + An Apple

Five: Simple Test

Brandon Prince

Security is insane. I have never seen anything like this. They have MRIs, and they scan each person's belongings. I'm guessing many of the goons used to work for armies, intelligence agencies, and private contract firms. A visitor's badge clings to my suit jacket, noting every single one of my footsteps. It is scary how much security there is at a single micro-winery.

I learn the difference between a micro-winery and winery overnight. A winery has the typical works—a vineyard of grapes, wine barrels, and equipment. A micro-winery doesn't have a vineyard. Instead, they source grapes from local vineyards. Or in this case, they actually ship grapes from vineyards all of the world. Capello Wine Company's micro-winery loves to ship grapes from Italy to San Francisco. Overnight shipping costs must be steep; FedEx must be earning lots of money.

Instead of Kalypso Queen waiting for me in the labs, a tired man in his late thirties sleeps over the counter. I gently touch him at the shoulder and let him wake up.

"Are you Mekal Price?" he yawns, his words muffling.

"Yes. I'm here for the test."

"Good." He rubs his eyes. "I'm James Worth. Your test for today is to determine the status of"—he taps on the corked test tube—"this vial. You check from the simplest things like pH value to..."

Then he sighs and falls asleep.

"Hello?" I poke him again.

This time he doesn't wake up. I check his airways. Good, still breathing.

I grasp the vial, pulling it out of its holder. A simple vial. Something to test. Good thing I have a professional vintner in my ear. "Hey, guys. Want to tell me what I'm supposed to do?"

"pH test is easy," says Brigham, over the comms. "You need one of those little strips. It should be somewhere in the lab."

I press on the button camera. "Can you see?"

"We see," says the vintner. D'Arcy is getting paid for this "consulting" session. She takes a moment and orders, "I need you to do a three hundred and sixty degrees turn for me."

"I'm all ears," I whisper. I spin slowly.

"Stop!" D'Arcy laughs. "Oh, wow. They have a machine? This is a stupid test. All you have to do is empty the vial in its container, and it will analyze the contents immediately."

Feeling very stupid, I ask, "Which machine?"

"It is called—"

Softly, I hiss, "I don't need to know the name. Just which one it is."

I'm seriously unprepared for this.

***

Holding my breath, I hand the report to James Worth. He puts on his glasses. Absentmindedly, he scratches at his chestnut mustache while he reads.

He smiles at me. "Good! You passed. I'll tell Lindsay."

"Why are you tired?" I inquire.

"Kalypso Queen has me taking over Manuel's work pile." He adds, "Manuel is—was—the vintner you're replacing. He went missing two weeks ago. Poor man, but Kalypso Queen is a good businesswoman. She doesn't stop for anyone."

I lower my voice. "Why is everyone so wary of Kalypso Queen?"

He stays silent, for a brief moment. Then his eyes flicker around, as if expecting Kalypso Queen to appear out of nowhere like a ghost from a horror movie. "Kalypso Queen has been with Capello Wine Company for years. Everyone knows she is vying for her father's job as CEO. She is twenty-three years old—will twenty-four by the end of March. Do you know who is Grayson Matthews?"