Thelma poured two cups of Java-Java-Doo and let me add milk and sugar to mine while she got my donut. I left my shopping basket on the counter by the cash register next to her collection of Christmas snow globes and followed her over to the circle of rocking chairs.

She settled herself in her favorite Lincoln rocker. I sat in the bentwood rocking chair I’d come to think of as mine. Thelma took a demure sip of coffee and then plunged right in.

“There’s talk that you and Prescott Avery were alone in his wine cellar just before he died.”

There was a subtext in her words that made me squirm.

“That’s right, we were,” I said in an even voice.

“So what did you two talk about?”

At least she wasn’t going to beat around the bush.

“Wine,” I said.

“Wine?” She seemed surprised.

“Yes. Prescott wanted to buy some of my wine for a party he planned to throw. Which won’t be taking place now. That’s it. That’s what we talked about.”

That wasn’t it by half, but at least it was all true.

“Must have been pretty special wine for Prescott to take you away from that party, so it was just the two of you having a private conversation.” She gave me a sly look. “I’m sure you wouldn’t mind telling me what kind it was, now would you?” She smiled, all guileless innocence and sincerity.

Thelma could be like a dog with a bone.

“He was hoping to buy some Madeira that my father used to own. Very old Madeira. Unfortunately, Leland must have sold it because I didn’t know anything about it,” I said. “That was the end of the discussion.”

“Madeira?” She sat up straight, her eyes sparkling with interest. “Isn’t that the wine you can practically boil and it still tastes good? Folks used to put it in wooden caskets and send it around the world on ships in olden times.”

It was my turn to be surprised. “Ah … yes. They did. How do you know so much about it?”

“Because I know about that Madeira, that’s how. Your great-uncle Ian told my daddy about it.”

“He did? Why? When?”

“I was just a little girl, Lucille. But I remember because Daddy was so excited when Ian decided he was going to open a bottle so’s the two of them could try it. Find out if it was as tasty as they thought it would be. Jock Avery had wanted to buy it but Ian wanted to hold on to it. First, though, he needed to make sure it was good.”