IN GOOD TASTE. IN BAD COMPANY.
Good wine.
Bad alibis.
Two wives. One excellent palate for trouble.
Some mysteries need a fresh pair of eyes.
Ours come with a corkscrew.
DECANTER DETECTIVES — DISCRETION, DECANTED.
WHERE EVERY GOOD INVESTIGATION BEGINS.D✦D01 / THE AGENCY
It started with
“He definitely did it.”
Two wives. A shared obsession with true crime. An even more serious relationship with wine.
After years of solving every documentary from the couch, the partners reached a conclusion: the world had enough unsolved cases and not enough properly chilled evidence.
So they opened an agency. Impeccable instincts. Generous pours. Absolutely no patience for a plot hole.
The Palate
Reads people like a wine list.
Can spot a bad finish a mile away.
The Plotter
Never misses a continuity error.
Or a suspicious second glass.
Murder at
the Yacht Club.
LOCATION The Harbor Club
OCCASION Commodore’s Cup after-party
VESSEL The Alibi
VICTIM Jerry Hargrove
The wine was vintage.
The alibis were not.
Jerry Hargrove: longtime member, worse listener, and the man who always brought a slightly too-expensive bottle. Found on the afterdeck of The Alibi, the club’s flagship motor yacht.
Official story? He slipped.
Our detectives would like a word.
The last toast was a 1996 Pomerol. Jerry insisted on opening it himself. The bottle on the table was empty. The glass in his hand was still half full.
03 / PERSONS OF INTEREST
Everyone has
something to hide.
Members-only club.
Not-so-exclusive motives.
Select a dossier to read between the lines.
DOSSIER / 01 +D✦DianeTHE COMMODORE’S WIFE“I was only being hospitable.”READ DOSSIER ↗
Motive An argument with Jerry over next year’s membership list. Someone wasn’t making the cut.
Opportunity Seen leaving the bar with two glasses.
Alibi Says she went to find the Commodore. An excellent story. Short on witnesses.
DOSSIER / 02 +M✦MarcusTHE BARTENDER“Same again, Mr. Hargrove?”READ DOSSIER ↗
Motive Jerry knew the wine inventory didn’t quite add up.
Opportunity Poured the last round. Carries a key to the wine locker.
Alibi Behind the bar all evening. Except, apparently, when he wasn’t.
DOSSIER / 03 +C✦ColetteTHE BUSINESS PARTNER“Jerry never knew when to stop.”READ DOSSIER ↗
Motive Their charter company. Jerry wanted out; Colette preferred things as they were.
Opportunity Knew his routines, his boat, and exactly which bottle he’d choose.
Alibi Claims she was taking a business call. The exit papers in his jacket remained unsigned.
DOSSIER / 04 +T✦TheoTHE CHARMING STRANGER“Have we met before?”READ DOSSIER ↗
Motive Unknown. Which is either intriguing or deeply inconvenient.
Opportunity Visiting from a yacht two slips over. Nobody agrees when he arrived.
Alibi Chatting to, well, everyone. His timeline has rather more charm than precision.
DOSSIER / 05 +N✦NolanTHE CLUB TREASURER“It’s a rounding error.”READ DOSSIER ↗
Motive Jerry had asked to see the books “as a friend.” Not the sort of friendship Nolan needed.
Opportunity Club access, dock access, and a nervous interest in the evening.
Alibi Reconciling receipts in the office. Somehow the figures still didn’t balance.
04 / THE EVIDENCE ROOM
Small details.
Long finish.
A little sediment in the story.
Inspect each clue. Nothing is quite as poured.
05 / RECONSTRUCTING THE NIGHT
A toast.
A tide.
A loose end.
The detectives’ working reconstruction.
Club time. Give or take an alibi.
The after-party begins.
The Commodore’s Cup is over. The competitive drinking is not.
A conversation turns sour.
Diane and Jerry disagree about the membership list. It isn’t a quiet disagreement.
The good bottle appears.
The 1996 Pomerol leaves the locker. Jerry insists on doing the honors.
One last toast.
Marcus pours the final round. Conversations drift toward the docks.
A watch stops.
Jerry’s watch marks a moment no one can quite account for.
The tide is going out.
Jerry is found on the afterdeck. The mooring line has a very fresh end.
06 / YOUR WORKING THEORY
Go on.
Pour a theory.
You’ve met the company. Inspected the vintage.
Who left the worst taste?
Choose a suspect to open the detectives’ private notes.
Contains revelations. Best enjoyed after examining the clues.
Your instincts, on the record. Our notes stay sealed until you choose.
A LITTLE DISCRETION. A DECENT BORDEAUX.
Have a mystery?
Pour us a glass.
Missing heirlooms. Suspicious stories. A dinner guest
who knows a little too much. We’re listening.
EVERY GREAT CASE STARTS WITH A CONVERSATION.