Seams of Destruction (3 page)

Mitch followed her out and sat down in one of the lounge chairs. Only the clicking of the spoons against the glass dishes broke the silence.

“What’s on the agenda for this evening?” Mitch asked.

“I have to get my stuff organized for Milan. Which reminds me. Tomorrow when we go to Sorrento’s, I need to go in and get the dresses I’m taking to the fashion show. After all that has happened, I haven’t picked them up yet.”

“How many will there be?”

“Most of them have already been shipped to Milan, so I only have a couple to pick up. The seamstress who was making them took a little longer than usual because Giovanni didn’t like the fit.”

After Jade put the dishes into the dishwasher, she showed Mitch how to use her satellite TV and video player, in case he wanted to watch a movie. He settled down in a comfortable chair and she headed for her bedroom.

“I’m going to bed now,” Jade said a couple of hours later as the movie Mitch had been watching began to run the list of credits.

“Okay. I think I’ll read for a while,” he said and reached for a book on a nearby shelf.

“Don’t you want to handcuff me to the bed?” she asked sarcastically.

“That sounds kinda kinky.”

“I meant, aren’t you afraid I might get away while you’re sleeping.

“No, I’m a light sleeper,” he replied, ignoring her sarcasm.

The next morning, Mitch woke up hoping he would be able to take his morning jog. He had had the dream again and after that had spent the rest of the night tossing and turning. Dressing in a T-shirt and running shorts he sat down to put on socks and running shoes. The apartment was quiet, so he had a feeling Jade was still asleep.

Too bad if she was. He wasn’t here for her convenience.

He opened the door to her bedroom and peeked inside. Jade was sprawled out on the bed in what looked like a pair of cotton pajamas.

He entered the room and gave her shoulder a shake.

“Time to rise and shine,” he said.

Turning over, Jade stared at him out of sleep swollen eyes. “What time is it?”

“Time for our morning jog.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“It’s either that or I handcuff you to the bed.”

“The way I feel, I’ll take the handcuffs.”

“Sorry, it doesn’t look like there’s any place on the bed to fasten them, so you don’t get a choice.”

She struggled to sit up on the side of the bed. “I think you enjoy torturing me.”

He nodded slowly.

“All right. Give me five minutes and I’ll be with you.”

He left the room and went into the kitchen where he looked for a can of coffee.

Great! No coffee.

He couldn’t believe it. By the time he had looked in every cupboard and the refrigerator, Jade had come into the kitchen dressed in a green jogging suit with a matching headband.

“What are you looking for?” she asked.

“Coffee.”

“Since I never drink it, there isn’t any.”

“We’re going to have to change that.”

“Are we going jogging or are we going to stand here worrying because there is no coffee?”

He gave her a disgusted look and headed for the door.

“There’s a Starbucks a few blocks away, so we can jog that way.”

“Well, why didn’t you say so?” he asked, feeling grumpy that he had to wait to have his coffee. “Let me grab my wallet.”

He was back a minute later and they headed for the elevator.

“I heard you moaning and groaning in the middle of the night,” Jade said as they rode down to the ground level. “Did those hamburgers upset your stomach?”

He ignored her question and she didn’t pursue it.

When they walked out of the building Mitch stopped to warm-up. Jade did the same and when they were both ready, she starting jogging toward the ocean.

Mitch followed her out on the street and adjusted his pace to hers. The morning air felt fresh and he took deep breaths as they gradually picked up their speed. There were very few cars on the street and Mitch was beginning to enjoy the run when he looked ahead and saw a Starbucks sign.

“Let’s catch it on the way back,” he said to Jade.

She nodded, turned, then took the steps down to the beach.

“I like to run on the sand,” she said over her shoulder.

As Mitch turned to follow her, a slow-moving vehicle behind them caught his attention and he saw it was the car that had been following them the previous day.

After their run and a stop at Starbucks, Jade and Mitch went back to the apartment for a shower. Mitch called Nick, a man he knew who worked at the precinct nearest Sorrento’s. Arrangements were made to pick him up and take him to the warehouse so he could drive Jade’s car back to the apartment.

While he waited for Jade, Mitch grabbed a piece of notepaper and pen and made a grocery list.

“Do you want to add anything to this?” he asked Jade, holding out the paper to her.

After reading the list, Jade added a couple of things and handed it back. He folded it and stuck it in one of his jean pockets.

Mitch drove by the precinct where they picked up Nick. When they arrived at Sorrento’s Mitch went in with Jade to get the two dresses she needed for the trip to Milan.

She hesitated at the metal doors as though afraid to enter.

“What’s the problem?” Mitch asked.

She shivered, and asked in a low voice, “Do you think all the blood has been cleaned up?”

“Of course,” he replied, waving at the parking lot. “The other employees wouldn’t be here working if it hadn’t been.”

She looked relieved and stood back as he reached around her to open one of the double doors.

Three men looked up from their work as Mitch and Jade walked into the warehouse. Two of them stared sympathetically at Jade but didn’t speak to her.

The third man was the pattern maker, Bennett, an African American who gave Jade an insolent look and said, “Well, you didn’t waste any time, did you?”

“Waste time?” Jade asked in a puzzled voice.

Bennett nodded his head toward Mitch. “What happened to David?”

Rather than explain Mitch to him, she ignored him and walked into the small room where a garment bag hung. She unzipped it to make sure the two dresses she needed were inside.

Satisfied they were, she lifted it down and turning to Mitch, she said loud enough for Bennett to hear, “This is it. Now let’s go grocery shopping.”

“Here, let me carry that for you,” Mitch said, taking the bag out of her arms.

No one spoke to them as they left.

Nick followed them in Jade’s car and when it had been parked in her assigned spot in the garage at her apartment, he climbed into the car with Mitch and Jade. He handed Mitch the keys, and without a glance at Jade, Mitch stuck them in his pocket.

She held out her hand. He ignored it. She glared at him but said nothing. She obviously got the message and dropped her hand down into her lap.

After they dropped Nick back off at his precinct, Mitch drove them to his house.

“Come in with me,” he said, as he got out of the car. “Let’s see if there’s anything you want me to pick up beside the coffee and coffee pot.”

“I wouldn’t think so. We’ll be leaving for Milan in a couple more days.”

“Come in, just in case.”

Jade made a face as she climbed out of the car.

They went inside and while Mitch bagged up his coffee pot and grinder, he gave Chief Castillo a call. Fortunately, he was in his office and Mitch told him they were at his house picking up some things. The gray car was parked a short distance down the street from his house.

“Can you stay there until I can get someone out there?”

“I think I can find enough to keep me busy until you notify me we can leave. By the way,” he stopped the chief before he could hang up. “Did you find Reannan’s car?”

“We did. It was at her condo and the keys were in it.”

“So I guess Jade was telling the truth.”

“Appears that way. Well, let me get off the phone so I can send someone out to your house.”

Jade walked into the living room and looked around. Pictures on the mantel piece over the fireplace caught her eye and she went to have a closer look. There was one she particularly liked and she moved back to have a second look.

Mitch was in military gear sporting a short beard and mustache, with a thick lock of hair falling down over his forehead. On his back he had a bundle of rope, a backpack, and some kind of rifle.

“Where is this picture of you taken?” she called out to Mitch.

He came to the door to see which one she was talking about. “In Afghanistan.”

She followed him back into the kitchen. “What were you doing?”

“I was in the Marines. Six of us were going behind enemy lines, hoping to capture some Taliban we had been told were hiding in a warehouse.” He didn’t tell her it was the warehouse where his friend, Chase, had been killed.

They headed out of the house, after the Chief called and told Mitch one of his men had gotten the number on the license of the car that had been following them. Mitch glanced down the street and saw a familiar car pulled over to the curb. He knew it would follow them when they left. It had been doing so all day.

He was glad the Chief now had the numbers from the plate on the car and they would know before long who was following him and Jade. 

Mitch drove to the grocery store where he usually did his shopping. The car that was following them didn’t pull into the parking lot, but stopped on the street. A large tree almost completely blocked it from view.

“Good morning, Mitch,” the manager greeted him as they walked in the door.

“Morning, Tom,” he responded, as he reached for a grocery cart.

Taking out his list, Mitch headed for the first aisle and pulled a couple of things off the shelf. Jade followed behind him, not really contributing to the shopping. When they reached the meat counter, Mitch turned to Jade.

“I’m getting myself a steak. Do you want one?”

“No, thanks. I don’t usually eat red meat.”

“What would you like instead?” Mitch asked.

“How about salmon?”

Mitch gave the order to the man behind the counter and took the two packages that were handed to him. They headed for the produce area where Jade picked out some vegetables and fruit.

“I think that does it,” Mitch said as he looked over the list to see if anything had been missed.

After they checked out, Mitch rolled the cart to his car and loaded the groceries into the back of his SUV. Looking casually around, he checked to see if the car was still there, as he was sure it would be.

Before pulling out from the curb, the car allowed Mitch to get a block down the street and followed at a distance.  As soon as they reached Jade’s apartment and got the groceries put away, he would call the Chief and see if he had gotten a make on the plates yet. But for now, he didn’t want to alert Jade to the fact that they were being followed.

Chapter 3

Mitch was unable to get in touch with Chief Castillo before he and Jade left for Milan, so he had no idea who was following them. He did notice that they were followed to the airport, but in all the traffic going into parking, he lost their tail.

There was a five-hour layover in New York City before catching their flight to Milan. Jade had slept all the way from LA to New York and when they arrived she said she was hungry. They found a restaurant and took their time eating.

“Can we go to one of the shops?” Jade asked, when they had finished. “I need to get a couple of books to read on the flight.”

They left the restaurant and walked along the concourse and stopped at the first shop they came to. They both picked out a couple of books and decided to go to their gate where they could sit and read.

The flight was finally called and Mitch and Jade boarded the plane. They settled into their seats in first class. If it had been up to Mitch, he would have saved the money for the department and flown coach. But the Chief had told him Sorrento’s had paid for the seats, so he needn’t worry about the cost.

As the jet became airborne, Mitch said, “Since you were busy getting ready for your fashion show the last couple of days, we didn’t have much time to talk. I would like to hear more about you.”

She sighed.

“What’s the problem?” Mitch asked.

“I’m not particularly interested in telling you my life’s story.”

“I guess you haven’t figured out yet that you need to do as I ask.”

“Why is that?”

“I could keep you from modeling in that fashion show.”

“And how would you do that?”

“All I need to do, is make a call to the Chief of Police and we’ll be turning right around and flying back to LA.”

Knowing he probably meant it, she gave only the simple facts and ticked them off on her fingers, saying quickly, “I was born in Denver, Colorado. I’m twenty-six years old. My parents still live in Denver. I had one sister, two years older than me, but she was killed in a car accident when I was nineteen. I’ve had one boyfriend. He was a neighbor and I have gone with him since I was a sophomore in high school. We recently broke up. After I graduated I went to college for one year. However, college wasn’t for me. I wanted to go to modeling school. After graduating I went to work for Sorrento’s House of Fashion.”

“Where did you go to modeling school?”

“In New York City. Oh, yes, now I probably have a rap sheet and I’m scared to death of going to prison.”

His lips tightened in a grim look. She should be afraid of going to prison. Hadn’t she thought of that before she killed Reannan?

“Let’s hear your life story,” she suggested, laying her head against the back of the seat.

Before he could start, a stewardess came by to take their drink order. They both asked for a bottle of water and after it was handed to them, Mitch took a drink, closed his eyes for a moment, opened them, and began.

“I was born in Los Angeles. My father was a cop. My mother was a stay-at-home mom when my father was alive. I have a brother, Matt, who is two years younger than me and he is also in law enforcement. When I was sixteen, my father was killed in a drug bust. In spite of that, my brother and I always knew we wanted to go into law enforcement. After my father was gone, my mother went to school and became a court transcriber. She worked for the Los Angeles judicial system until she passed away a few years ago. After I graduated from high school, I went into the Marines.”

He stopped and took a big swig of water from the bottle in his hand.

“Why the Marines?”

“My mother was against Matt and me going into police work because of what had happened to Dad. She wanted us both to attend college and study for some kind of profession. I knew I didn’t want to go to college, so I enlisted in the Marines. After Matt graduated, he defied Mom and enrolled in the Police Academy.”

“Wouldn’t going into the Marines have been more dangerous than going into police work?”

“Actually it was, but for some strange reason, it didn’t seem to bother Mom as much as if I had gone into police work. I’ve never figured that one out.”

“Did you ask her?”

“I did, but she made some vague reply about it being different.”

“Where were you stationed?”

“I went to boot camp in San Diego, which was a twelve-week basic training course. After that, I did a sixty-five day preparation course to transfer into a Recon Battalion. When I finished with that, I shipped out to Afghanistan. I did two tours of duty in Afghanistan. By the time I was discharged, my mother had passed away. I went back to LA and enrolled in the Police Academy. After I graduated from the Academy I joined the LAPD.”

He wasn’t going to talk about his time in Afghanistan. Or Chase and Lisa.

“Tell me about your brother.”

He was always happy to talk about Matt. He was incredibly proud of him. “Matt worked in the LAPD for several years. One year he took a vacation and went to Colorado. He fell in love with the Denver area and the mountains. Rather than transferring to the Denver PD, he started a consulting business having to do with solving crimes. It wasn’t long until he was working with various police departments throughout the State of Colorado. Right now he is working undercover as a homeless man.”

“A homeless man! What kind of case is he working on?”

“Have you heard about the four university girls in Boulder who were raped and killed?”

“My parents did mention something about that, along with a warning for me to be careful. If they only knew instead of my being murdered, I’m a suspect
for
murder. So far, I’ve been lucky and they obviously haven’t heard anything. When they do, they’re going to be devastated. Fortunately for me, when I tell them I didn’t do it, they’ll believe me.”

“Maybe you should tell them before they hear it from someone else or see it on the news.”

“You’re right. I should, but I’ve been so angry about everything, I didn’t feel like talking to them.”

“If they’re like the parents I know, they will be able to handle it better if it comes from you.”

“You’re right. I’ll call them from Milan,” Jade said. “Finish the story about your brother.”

“I’m sure you’re aware of the homeless in Denver and Boulder.”

“Of course.”

“There’s a group of homeless men that hang out by the Boulder Creek Path, which is where the girls were killed. Our cousin is a makeup artists for one of the movie studios in Hollywood. When he’s not working, he lives in Evergreen, Colorado. He made Matt up to look like a homeless man, long hair, beard, dirty hands, and ragged clothes. Now Matt hangs out with them, hoping to catch the killer. He is using a police woman from the Denver PD as a decoy.”

“That’s so interesting. Do they know who the killer is?”

“At this point, they have no clue. The decoy is dressed as a college student and hangs out around the university and the Boulder Creek Path. Hopefully, they’ll get the killer before he murders another student.”

“Yes, let’s hope so.” Jade shuddered.

Mitch noticed that she had a way of listening that was very flattering. She gave him her full attention and her eyes never left his face as he talked. She made him feel as though there was no one she would rather be talking to. The more time he spent with her and the better he got to know her, the harder it was to believe she was a murderer and the more attracted he was to her. But he knew after what had happened between Chase and his wife, Lisa, he never wanted to fall in love. In his opinion, women weren’t to be trusted. Especially, beautiful ones. Wasn’t Jade a case in point?

The plane landed on schedule in Milan. Gathering up their personal items, Mitch and Jade joined the line of passengers leaving the plane. They walked through the front doors of the terminal to find the limousine Giovanni had arranged for. Mitch was surprised to see a group of photographers. They called out Jade’s name and began taking her picture.

She smiled and waved.

“Jade, who’s the man with you?” one of them asked. “Your amour?”

She merely smiled.

A man in a chauffer’s uniform approached them and said, “Jade, give me the claim checks for the luggage and I’ll retrieve it for you.”

After they were seated in the limousine, Mitch said, “I didn’t realize you were such a celebrity.”

“I’ve been coming to the Milan fashion shows for several years, so I’m quite well known. The photographers and reporters know the schedule of the models flying in, so they’re always here. It’s good publicity for the shows, which they have twice a year. The winter event is held in March and the autumn one is held now, in September.”

Mitch stared out the window. This was a whole new world to him.

“Did it bother you?” she asked.

“You mean the photographers?”

“Yes. I’m sorry, I should have warned you.”

“No problem. It’s not the first time I’ve been photographed,” he said and proceeded to tell her about being photographed with the Chief of Police after he had solved a murder.

The chauffeur returned with their luggage and after stowing it in the trunk, he slid behind the steering wheel and prepared to take them to the Carlton Hotel Baglioni. Sorrento’s had made reservations for a suite for them to stay in during the Milan Fashion Week.

That evening, they chose to eat dinner in the restaurant at the hotel. They had finished eating and Jade was looking around, waving and smiling at some of the models she knew who had also chosen to eat there.

“I’ve been curious about something,” Mitch said. “When we stayed at your apartment why did you want me to stay in what was obviously your bedroom?”

She sighed.

“Unfortunately, when my fiancé, David, called me to tell me of his trip to LA, I made the mistake of telling Reannan,” Jade said. “Reannan could be very charismatic when she chose. And she could act so interested in whatever was going on in a person’s life. At one time or another, even though everyone who worked with her knew how she was, we had all been captivated by her charms. It happened to me often enough. I should have learned my lesson.”

Jade became silent, remembering the look on Reannan’s face when she told her David was coming to LA. It had certainly gone far beyond any interest she had shown previously in the events of Jade’s life.

“Reannan always showed great enthusiasm when a new man appeared on the scene,” Jade said. “Men were a challenge Reannan took seriously. In fact, it appeared to me, men and her work were the only two things that interested her.”

Once again, Jade became silent.

“Go on,” Mitch encouraged her.

Jade continued. “Reannan used her ability at work to give her an edge in attracting Giovanni. He seemed to find her brilliant mind and her photographic memory irresistible. I watched her maneuver herself into a position of importance, a situation that made it difficult to replace her. After that, she manipulated herself into a relationship with Giovanni.”

Jade stopped speaking and took a sip of water. “I couldn’t help but be fascinated as I watched Reannan insert herself into Giovanni Sorrento’s personal world. Expensive gifts soon followed. A beautiful condo on the ocean, a BMW convertible, and trips to the French Riviera.

“I thought she actually couldn’t touch my life in any way, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. When I told Reannan about David coming to LA, something about Reannan’s expression should have triggered off an alarm. But it didn’t.

“I thought I had nothing to worry about. It was my life and my fiancé. We had been high school sweethearts. We had gone to University together. We had skied together. We had shared joys and sorrows over the years. I gave him moral support when his parents divorced. He helped me through the death of my older sister when she was killed in a car accident.”

Jade took another sip of her water as though her throat was dry from talking.

“I was so excited the day David flew into Los Angeles. I was unable to get away from work to meet him at the airport, but he assured me it would be no problem to rent a car.

“Knowing that everyone knew he belonged to me was one of the things I was truly proud of. He was incredibly handsome and I knew he would impress everyone at Sorrento’s. This was his first visit to see me since my arrival in Los Angeles.

“When David arrived at Sorrento’s, I was at one of the sewing shops where I had gone to have a final fitting on one of the garments I was taking to Milan. Some last minute adjustments had to be made and the garment tried on several times before Giovanni was satisfied.

“Much to my disappointment, Reannan was the one who showed David around the fashion house and introduced him to everyone. When I arrived back at Sorrento’s and found David, he gave me a quick hug and continued talking to Reannan. Almost as if I wasn’t there.

“Later, I must confess, I was totally resentful when Reannan said, ‘Oh, David, I know Jade has an appointment during the lunch hour, so please let me treat you at one of my favorite restaurants. Since she and I are such good friends, the least I can do is entertain you while she’s busy.’”

“Were you good friends?” Mitch interrupted Jade’s narration to ask. “Somehow, I had the idea you didn’t like her.”

“No, of course we weren’t good friends,” Jade replied, frowning at him.

“Sorry, go on.”

She waved at someone across the room. Then she frowned as though trying to remember where she had left off in her narration before clearing her throat and continuing.

“Our last night together, we made arrangements to have dinner out. We were to meet at a restaurant downtown after I finished for the day. I waited thirty minutes and when David didn’t show up, I decided he had misunderstood where we were to meet so I drove out to my apartment.”