Seams of Destruction (11 page)

“After this ride, let’s go to the shooting gallery. With your experience as a cop, I’m sure you’ll be able to win a prize for me.”

Mitch had to smile to himself. He knew there was no doubt about that. His experience as a cop and his time in the Marines would serve him well. Jade was delighted when he hit every target and won a big stuffed bear. When he handed it to her, she hugged it to her body and reached up and gave him a kiss.

“Okay, I’ve worked up an appetite, so let’s go find something to eat,” Mitch said.

Jade led him to the River Belle Terrace. She had a salad with a bottle of water and he had a roast beef sandwich with chips and a Coke
.

They spent the rest of the day riding Peter Pan’s Flight, the Mad Tea Party, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the Haunted Mansion.

“What a wonderful day this has been,” Jade said as they headed for the gate.

“Would you like to eat dinner at one of the restaurants before we go home?”

“You have spent enough money today. Let’s go home and I’ll fix us spaghetti and a salad for dinner.”

“Yes, we’d better save our money for shopping at Bare Threads in Boulder,” he teased.

Mitch glanced down at his cell phone as it began to ring. The caller ID said it was Grant Castillo. Not wanting to talk in front of Jade, Mitch went into his bedroom and shut the door.

“Koehler,” he said.

“Matt,” Grant said, “I’ve gotten all the charges dismissed against Jade, but as I told you earlier, I want you to continue to stay with her. Only now, it’s for a different reason. It’s for her protection. I’m worried that the person who has been following you is looking for a chance to hurt her, perhaps even kill her.”

“I’m afraid you’re right. She did pick up today on the fact that someone was following us. So I had to admit to her that they had been doing it since the very first day.”

“It’s probably good that she found out. It will make her more careful.”

“Do you still want me to keep quiet about your getting the charges dropped?”

“Yes, I really think it’s Stephenson’s responsibility to tell her. After all, he’s being paid a big fee. As soon as I get the documentation on the dismissal, I’ll send it over to his office. That way it will be official and he can handle it with Jade the way he wants to.”

“Okay. I won’t say a word. But Jade is nobody’s fool and she tends to ask a lot of questions. What am I supposed to say when she asks if I can tell her what we’ve discovered?”

“Just say no.” Castillo laughed, quoting from an advertising campaign used in the War on Drugs back in the eighties and nineties.

“Easier said than done,” Mitch growled.

“This should be a piece of cake after all the tough jobs you’ve handled.”

“You’re right. Don’t worry, I’ll deal with it.”

“Just remember. Don’t let her out of your sight. Don’t let your guard down for a minute. And last but not least,
don’t fall in love with her
.” He emphasized the last six words.

Castillo broke the connection and Mitch walked out into the kitchen where Jade was preparing dinner.

“Who was that?” she asked.

Mitch noticed Jade always seemed comfortable in asking him any question she wanted.

“Castillo,” he said and waited for her next question.

“Anything new?”

“Not much. Just wanted to talk about my next assignment.”

In effect, that statement was true. His next assignment after the charges had been dropped was to protect her from whoever was following them.

“Is this one about over?”

“The Chief’s working on the information I gave him, so I’m hoping. But there’s still a certain amount of investigation, which only Castillo can do.” He glanced at his watch. “I need to call my brother and get all the details on the wedding.”

“Good idea. Then I can call my parents.”

Mitch punched the number that would automatically dial his brother’s phone. It was answered immediately.

“Matt, do you have the information on the wedding for me?”

“I do. It’s going to be Saturday, which is five days from today. Are you and Jade going to be able to make it?”

“Yep. Got permission from the Chief today.”

“Great, we’ll be looking for you. Amanda has room for you to stay at her house. Did I tell you I’m selling my house and moving to Boulder?”

“No, you didn’t. Does that mean you’ll also be moving your office?”

“Yes. Amanda is putting her house up for sell and we’re going to buy one together. Then I’m going to rent some office space in downtown Boulder. The Chief of Police here in town was happy to hear about my relocation. He said he would like to use me more in the future.”

“You certainly haven’t wasted any time in making plans. How did you get Amanda to agree to such a quick wedding?”

“It’s not all that quick. We’ve been working on the plans for a few weeks, but everything just now fell into place.”

“Here’s our schedule,” Mitch said. “Jade’s parents live in Denver so we’re coming out a day early. We’ll spend a day and a night with them. Then we’ll come up to Boulder Friday morning. That will give me time to rent a tuxedo before the rehearsal dinner. Also, we’ll need to make some time for Jade to visit Amanda and Charlie’s stores. I should warn you, she loves to shop.”

“What woman doesn’t? I’ll let Amanda know your schedule. Then she can figure out the best time for you to take Jade down to the Pearl Street Mall. Can’t wait to see you and meet Jade. Anything settled there?”

“Afraid not, but hopefully I’ll know one way or the other before long.”

They talked for a few more minutes and then with a promise to see him on Friday, Mitch hung up.

“The wedding’s going to be on Saturday with the rehearsal dinner on Friday night,” Mitch told Jade. “So we will need to fly into Denver on Thursday morning if we want to spend some time with your parents.”

“I’ll call them after dinner and let them know. Right now, I’m just about ready to serve it up. Do you want to eat on the deck?”

“Sure. I’ll set the table out there.”

They ate their dinner and watched the sun go down over the ocean. Mitch loved Jade’s apartment. The view, the amenities, the arrangement of the rooms. If things worked out between him and Jade, maybe he would buy an apartment in the building. He wondered if it would bother her to remain there.

While Mitch did the dishes, Jade sat in the living room and called her parents.

“Good news, Mom,” Jade said.

Chapter 11

“Are you no longer a suspect?” her mother asked.

“No, unfortunately that’s not why I’m calling. But we are coming to Denver and we’ll be able to spend some time with you and Dad.”

“When you say ‘we,’ do you mean you and Mitch?”

“I do. Mitch’s brother is getting married in Boulder and Mitch’s boss has given us permission to attend the wedding. We’re going to fly in Thursday morning and spend the day and the night with you. Friday morning we have to go to Boulder, rent a tuxedo for Mitch since he’s going to be his brother’s best man, and go to the rehearsal dinner that evening. Saturday’s the wedding.”

“Oh, darling, I’m so excited. Your dad is going to be happy to see you. He’s been so worried about you.”

“I can’t begin to tell you how much I’m looking forward to the trip. I’m anxious for you to meet Mitch.”

She looked at Mitch and smiled when she said the last words.

When Jade hung up the phone she said, “Well, that’s all settled. My mom is excited at the prospect of our visit even if it’s only for a day and a night.”

She stood up and walked to the counter.

“I think I’m going to go pack,” she said, setting her cell phone on the counter.

Mitch couldn’t help but wonder what exactly Jade had meant when she said she was anxious for her parents to meet him.

Did she feel something for him or was it just because he had been assigned to guard her since Chief Castillo considered her a flight risk?

He made sure she was in her bedroom and then he picked up her cell phone, turned it off, and slid it in behind some odds and ends in one of the drawers.

He hoped in the excitement of leaving the next day she would forget about her phone. There was no way he wanted her talking to Stephenson before they left for Colorado. Who knows? Castillo might not wait for the documents to be mailed to the attorney. He might call the attorney to tell him the papers were on their way and to be on the lookout for them.

Hiding the phone was just a safety precaution, he told himself. Who knew what Stephenson, Jade’s attorney, might find necessary? He might feel Jade should come into his office immediately and sign the papers. Who knew with these attorneys? And knowing how bad Jade wanted the charges to be dropped, there was no way she would go to Colorado if Stephenson wanted her to come in and sign papers. Not if it meant she was free of any chance of indictment for murder.

They would be back on Sunday.

No big deal. That was only four days away.

His conscience nagged at him as he went to pack his suitcase, but he tried to ignore it, thinking instead of the great time they were going to have in Colorado. He started whistling in an attempt to drown out his thoughts.

“You sound happy,” Jade commented from her bedroom across the hall.

“Just thinking about our trip to Colorado. It’s going to be great fun.”

Mitch looked up to see Jade standing in the doorway.

“I think so, too,” she said. “Maybe by the time we get back, Castillo will have some good news for us.”

“Maybe so. But I can’t help but think part of the good news for you will be the fact that you’ll be getting rid of me.”

“How can you say that? You know I’ve enjoyed having you around. Look how much fun we had in Italy. And now that we’re back in LA, I have someone to keep me company in the exercise room and when I go jogging. It’s been so great. Maybe we can keep it up, even after I’m proven innocent.”

As the passenger jet flew over the foothills of the Rockies before beginning its final descent into the Denver Airport, the air became quite rough.

“It’s usually bumpy like this,” Jade said. “Something about the air currents over the mountains.”

“I remember that when I flew into see Matt.”

Mitch had rented a medium-size sedan and when the van dropped them off at the car, he unlocked the trunk to put their two suitcases inside.

“You’ll have to direct me,” he said. “I’m not very familiar with Denver. I’ve only flown in once before and that was to visit Matt.”

Leaving the airport, Jade gave him directions to reach her parent’s home in Lakewood. The house was in an older neighborhood with large trees and well-kept yards. She suggested he park on the street in front of the house.

“I’ll get our suitcases later,” Mitch said. “After I meet your parents.”

Before they reached the front door, it flew open and a tall, slender woman who could only have been Jade’s mother, hurried out of the house with outstretched arms. While her hair was shorter, it was much the same color as her daughter’s, and her eyes were the same color of green.

“Darling, I’m so happy you’re here,” she said, giving her daughter a hug.

Turning to Mitch, she said, “You must be Mitch.”

He smiled and nodded.

“Well, come in. Jordan’s dad isn’t home from work yet, but he’ll be here in a couple of hours. He’s so anxious to see you, Jordan. It’s been too long.”

Mitch had become so use to thinking of the model as Jade, that for a minute he wondered who Jordan was.

“I know. It’s a busy time of the year for me, what with the fashion show in Milan and all.”

“Did you have a good trip to Italy?”

“We had a wonderful time,” Jade said. “Mitch had never been to Italy so it was fun to show him around. We went to Venice for a couple of days between shows and the last day we were there, we went to Verona.”

“Someday when your father retires, we want to go to Italy. It’s been a lifelong dream of mine to go to Venice. Mitch, did you enjoy the trip?”

“I did. The world of fashion was totally new to me, so I found it pretty interesting. Have you ever seen your daughter in a fashion show?”

“One time. After she graduated from Barbizon before she went to work for Sorrento’s House of Fashion, she was in one in New York City. We flew out to see her.”

“She was absolutely magnificent in Milan,” Mitch said, as he smiled down at Jade. “Have you seen any of the pictures of her in the photo shoot on the Palazzo Reale?”

“No, but she promised to send me the magazine once it’s published.”

“I took some pictures if you would like to see them. Of course, I’m not a professional, but I think you’ll enjoy them.”

“I would love to,” Mrs. McDermott said. “Jade will show you to the guest room. I need to get back out to the kitchen. I’m in the middle of making a dessert for dinner.”

Mitch could see where Jade got her height when he met Jade’s father. He was several inches taller than her mother. As soon as he walked in the door he grabbed Jade in a big bear hug.

“Jordan, it’s been too long,” her father said, repeating the words her mother had said earlier. He released her and turned to Mitch.

“Mitch,” he said, holding out his hand. “Jordan has been telling us what good care you are taking of her. Her mother and I really appreciate it.”

Mitch smiled and felt ashamed that he had hidden Jade’s phone and she wouldn’t be able to tell her parents that the charges of Reannan’s murder had been dropped.

Whatever had possessed him?

In all his life, he hadn’t done anything so devious. Maybe, he should call Castillo and tell him Jade had misplaced her phone and he should give Stephenson Mitch’s phone number.

He dismissed that idea as soon as he thought of it. It was one thing to turn off her phone, but it was another thing to out and out lie about it to his boss.

After dinner was eaten and the dishes were done, Mrs. McDermott said, “Mitch, I would love to see the pictures you took in Italy.”

“I took a lot of photos, so maybe you’ll just want to look at the ones of the photo shoot on the Palazzo Reale.”

“Let’s look at those first and then we’ll look at the rest.”

As Jade’s mother and father looked at the photos of the shoot her mother beamed and her father had a proud smile on his face.

“Mom, is there a picture of Mitch and me walking across the plaza?” Jade asked. “The photographer took it and he was so surprised when I told him Mitch wasn’t a model.”

She leaned over her mother and flipped through the photos.

“Here it is,” she said, holding it up.

“I can see why the photographer thought you were a model,” Mrs. McDermott smiled. “You certainly make a handsome couple, don’t they?” she asked her husband as she handed the photo to him.

While the McDermott’s continued to pore over the photos, Jade asked Mitch if he would like to go for a walk around the neighborhood before her mother served dessert. He agreed it was a good idea after all he had eaten.

They had walked a few blocks when Jade suddenly slipped her hand into Mitch’s. He looked down at her in surprise, but she was staring straight ahead at a man walking a dog toward them. The man’s face lit up when he saw Jade.

“Jordan,” he exclaimed. “I didn’t know you were in town.”

“We stopped in to see my parents,” Jade replied. “Let me introduce you. This is David, a neighbor of ours. David, this is Mitch Koehler.”

Mitch knew immediately David was Jade’s ex-fiancé. He had to admit he was handsome with his blond hair and blue eyes.

Was Jade still in love with him?

He couldn’t understand how David could have been unfaithful to Jade. Not only was she beautiful, but she was kind and loving to those around her.

Look how she had insisted on helping that one model with the back payments on her mortgage.

“Jordan, I wonder if I could talk to you while you’re here,” David said.

“We’re only here for the evening so I’m not going to have the time. Besides, anything you have to say to me can be said in front of Mitch. I’m with him now and we have no secrets from each other.” Jade looked up at Mitch and gave him a look that made him tingle down to his toes.

“I was hoping I could talk to you in private,” David said.

“Sorry, David, that just doesn’t work for me.” Turning to Mitch, she said, “Darling, we’d better be getting back to the house or we’re going to miss dessert, which would upset Mom.”

Jade moved away from David, taking Mitch with her. They walked a short distance in silence.

“I hope you didn’t mind what I said to David about us being together. I guess I just wanted a little payback.”

Mitch smiled down at Jade. “Actually, I was flattered.”

“Flattered?”

“Yes, to know you wouldn’t mind people thinking we were a couple. You know it’s going to get back to your parents and your mutual friends.”

“Would that be so bad?” she asked, a flirty look in her green eyes.

“Not for me,” he said, putting an arm around her and drawing her close.

She surprised him once again when she slipped her arm around his waist as they walked the short distance to her parent’s house. He wondered if she was doing it for effect. He certainly hoped not. Besides David had probably walked on, so it would have been pointless.

“I can tell my parents really like you,” Jade said, breaking the silence.

“I like them, too. They certainly are crazy about you.”

“I’m so lucky. In spite of being accused of killing Reannan, they totally believed me when I said I didn’t do it.”

A feeling of guilt came over Mitch. He knew he shouldn’t have taken her cell phone, turned it off, and stuck it in a drawer in the kitchen. But he hadn’t wanted her talking to Stephenson until they returned from Colorado. He had been afraid she wouldn’t go to Colorado with him if she knew.

He had wanted her to meet Matt, the only family he had left, and he had wanted to meet her parents. He would get her phone out of the drawer when they returned to Los Angeles. It would only be a couple more days. He hoped he wouldn’t regret his decision.

Jade was eager to meet Matt and his fiancé, Amanda. As they left her parents’ house, she was almost bouncing on the passenger seat of the rental car in her excitement. Mitch had to smile at her enthusiasm.

They arrived in Boulder and drove directly to Amanda’s house where Matt had told them he would meet them. They had made plans to have lunch together with Amanda and Matt at her house. After lunch, Matt was going to take Mitch to rent a tuxedo while the two women spent time together getting acquainted and shopping.

Mitch and Jade took turns telling Amanda and Matt about their trip to Italy. They both appeared to be fascinated and poured over the photo’s Mitch had taken.

“Jade is right,” Amanda said. “You could be a model. Look at this one, Matt.” She held up the photo of Mitch and Jade walking across the plaza that Jarod, the photographer for Vogue, had taken.

“What is this?” Matt asked, holding up a picture of Mitch with his hand on the breast of a woman statue.

Jade immediately began to laugh and she had to tell the story of Romeo and Juliet and how putting your hand on Juliet’s right breast was supposed to bring you luck in finding your true love.

“I can’t believe you did that,” Matt told his brother.

“I didn’t want to, but Jade insisted. She’s pretty hard to resist when she wants something,” Mitch said, smiling across the table at Jade.

After lunch, the two men left and Amanda and Jade cleared the table and did the dishes.