Soon, guests were lining up at the tables to obtain tasting pours of the wines. Joe quickly spotted a familiar face. “Well good afternoon Roger. Hi Denise, I see that you have the kids in tow. Did you take the train from Sacramento?” Denise was Roger’s wife. “Glad to see that you could make it.”
Roger reached out and shook Joe’s hand. “I love these wine festivals. It’s such a great way to taste so many wines. Plus, the food is always so great.” Roger smiled as he looked down at his children. “The kids really love riding the train. The views as it passes down the Carquinez Straight are pretty cool.”
Denise swirled some of the Old Vines Zinfandel in her glass before checking the nose. “The weather is outstanding. I really am not used to being on the Oakland waterfront in shorts and a halter-top.”
Elise had walked around the table to give Denise a hug. “Did you sign up for some of the cooking demonstrations? Some of the best chefs in the Bay Area are here today.” About that time a Celtic-Bluegrass fusion band started playing on the nearby stage, interrupting the conversation.
Shindo stood with Jorge at the heliport. “The Honolulu is only a few hours away from crossing under the Golden Gate Bridge. The helicopter is loaded and ready to go. Go on my word. I have to go down to the wine festival to meet the Chinese idiots. After that, I plan to go over to our boat to get ready to make sure that Grainger’s people don’t try anything. Are all of our people in place?”
“Yes sir. They are in position. I placed the Saudis and Yemenis in positions right at the dock where they are most likely to caught in the cross fire.”
“Excellent. Before the night is over, I think that we are going to need the terrorism cover. Any idea about the feds?”
“Nothing since they picked up our wounded from last night. The guys they picked up don’t know anything about the big picture. We should be able to do damage control if any of them talk.”
Robert and Juan stood at the dock, ready to board Robert’s PCF boat to go meet the Honolulu. Eric stood with them, staring hard at Robert’s boat. Robert turned to face Eric. “We need you to go down to the dock to keep an eye on your inspectors. We also need another set of eyes down there to keep an eye on what’s going on with Shindo’s hoods. You need to notify us as soon as you see any authorities heading into the dock area.”
“How did you get a hold of this old Navy boat? Wow! Aren’t those machine guns?”
Robert looked at Juan and then back at Eric. “You don’t want to, or need to know. It is best if you do not ask too many questions. Knowing too much could get very costly for you.”
Eric’s left arm began to twitch again. “Alright, well… be careful out there, this northeasterly wind is causing some pretty bad chop on the water. I understand that there are gale force wind warnings.” Eric then got into his Honda and drove off.
Robert’s crew finished topping off the diesel tanks from the drums stashed on the dock. With only quietly barked orders from Robert, they boarded, warmed up the engines, and then cast off, heading towards the Golden Gate.
The Jack London Square Wine Festival was now in full swing. A new-age reggae band was now playing on the stage near the Gambaro Winery table. Joe counted over 120 wineries represented. The luscious smells emanating from the kitchens of the various caterers and culinary schools, wafted over the crowd interfering with those checking the nose of the various wines, but not in an unpleasant way. At least the area was partially sheltered from the winds that seemed to now be creating running seas out on the less protected portions of San Francisco Bay. Joe pitied those who had come to the wine festival by ferry from across the Bay and would have to return that way later in the evening.
Elise grabbed Joe’s upper arm. “Look, over there, isn’t that your friend Ed Knudsen? And who is that striking woman with him?”
Joe’s blood suddenly ran cold. That was the woman he saw during his wine visions! “I am not sure. I have never met her before.” His visions were coming true. He had been hoping that the dark visions would not really happen. Could he change the course of the future?
The band soon took a break. Ed and Pauline then made their way over to the Gambaro Winery table. Ed reached out to shake Joe’s hand. “Hi Joe, I would like you to meet my friend Pauline.”
Joe shook Ed’s and then Pauline’s hands. “It’s great to see that you could make it.”
Ed put his arm around Pauline’s waist. “Pauline works for the Fairchild Group. This festival provides her an opportunity to learn lots more about the California Wine industry.” Continued ...
