Seams of Destruction

by Alene Anderson

  Jade led Mitch to a table. Mitch pulled out a chair for her and then seated himself across from her where he could watch the action on the water. A gondola floated past and he could hear the gondolier singing a song in Italian.

  Jade’s green eyes sparkled in the candlelight as she smiled at him. She leaned across the table and rested her hand on one of his.

  “I’m so glad it was you the Chief of Police chose to come with me,” she said.

  He turned his hand over and clasped her hand in his. Mitch had never felt more romantic in his life but when he would have said something, the waiter stopped by their table with menus.

  After their choices had been made, they turned their attention to the canal where a vaporetto was making its way up the water way with a group of chattering, laughing people.

  “Are you having a good time?” Jade asked.

  “The best ever,” he said.

  “Me, too. Having you with me helps me forget all the bad stuff that happened in L A.”

  “I’m glad,” Mitch said, reaching across the table to take her hand in his once again.

  She stretched her other hand across the white table cloth and knowing what she wanted, he took it in his hand and they sat holding hands until their dinner was served.

  Mitch put his arm around Jade as they walked back to the hotel. When they came to a dark, narrow alley, he stepped into it, taking her with him. He put both arms around her and pulled her tight against him.

  “I think I’m falling in love with you,” he whispered as he lowered his face to hers. “You’re such a kind, caring person.”

  Jade held her breath, knowing what was going to happen next. Her heart pounded so loudly, she was sure Mitch must hear it. Raising her arms, she put them around his neck and pulled his face closer until his lips were touching hers.

  He kissed her slowly until the sounds of Venice disappeared. He buried one hand in her hair and pulled her head back and his lips moved down the smooth texture of her throat. When they finally broke apart, they were both breathing hard as though they had just come back from a run.

  They stared at each other for a long moment until their breathing slowed and then, by unspoken consent, they continued their walk to the hotel.

  “There’s a game room here,” Jade said as they entered the building. “Let’s go check it out.”

  The first thing they saw was a game of table tennis going on between two young boys.

  “Game’s mine,” one of the boys said as they both laid their paddles on the table, the white ping pong ball caught between them.

  “Let’s play a game,” Jade said. “I love table tennis.”

  Mitch agreed and after a few practice shots, he said, “Let’s volley for serve.”

  He won and he began to serve. He had a spin on his serve that made it hard for Jade to return it. But after a few times, she was able to hit the ball with a back hand that landed it on his side of the table.

  They found they were evenly matched and played three games. Mitch won two of them and Jade won one. They were laughing as they finally laid the paddles down to call it a night and Mitch came around the table to give Jade a hug.

  “Are we going to run in the morning?” Mitch asked.

  “Of course. Let’s ask for a wakeup call so we can get an early start to the day. We’ll have to catch an evening train to Milan so I can make my photo shoot the next morning.”

  Their room was a single room with two queen-size beds. Not as convenient as their suite in Milan but since Mitch was paying, it was more economical. They took turns undressing in the bathroom. After all the walking they had done that day, they were both tired. Neither one of them had mentioned the kiss in the alley. It was as though it hadn’t happened.

  Jade lay awake listening to Mitch’s even breathing. She could still feel his lips on hers. She had to admit he had aroused feelings in her much stronger than any she had felt with David.

  Was it being in Italy? Would it be the same when they returned to LA?

  She finally fell asleep and morning came all too soon. She groaned as the phone rang for their wakeup call.

  “Let’s skip our run and stay in bed a little longer,” she said.

  Mitch wasn’t in his bed. She wondered where he was until she heard the bathroom door open and he came out in his running clothes.

  “Come on, sleepyhead,” he said. “Get a move on you. Remember it’s a day of shopping and a gondola ride.”

  She groaned again and sat up, swinging her feet over the side of the bed. She felt like she was staggering as she headed for the bathroom. She splashed cold water on her face and felt a little better. She found her running shorts and top where she had laid them the previous night and slipped into them.

  Once they were out on the street and doing their stretches, she began to feel better.

  “Let’s do it,” Mitch said and they started off in a slow jog.

  The street past their hotel was deserted and as they ran, they picked up speed. When they had run for thirty minutes, they found a shop where Mitch could have his morning coffee and Jade her juice.

  “There’s a couple of stores I want to go to today,” she said as she sipped her juice. “Vittorio Costantini sells beautiful glass and we can probably find a wedding gift for Matt and Amanda.”

  “What’s the other store?”

  “Actually I’ve just thought of two. Gualti and Otto Fabricatore. They both have elegant Italian styles including dresses, handbags, sunglasses, and jewelry.”

  “Let’s get back to the hotel and shower and then we can go shopping.”

  They found a piece of glassware that Mitch liked and he paid to have it shipped to his house in the states. Jade found a pair of shoes and a handbag she wanted. After trying on sunglasses, she chose a pair that Mitch said was very attractive on her.

  They spent the morning shopping. Mitch was happy to follow Jade around, giving advice on her purchases. He wanted to have lunch before they dropped Jade’s bags back at the hotel. They had agreed not to take anything on the gondola ride. They found a restaurant where they ate a leisurely lunch.

  “Jade, you haven’t said anything about my kissing you last night,” Mitch said, staring thoughtfully at the model.

  “I know. I think it shouldn’t go any farther until we get back to LA and find out what’s going to happen to me. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to be visiting me in prison.”

  “It’s not going to come to that, I promise.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “I know you didn’t do it and they’re going to find the real killer. I’m sure it has to be someone who works at Sorrento’s.”

  “What makes you say that? Maybe Reannan brought the killer in with her.”

  “I don’t think so. Whoever did it would have to know their way around. How else would they be able to get out of the building in the dark?”

  “I hadn’t thought of that,” she admitted.

  “Earlier we talked about the sewing contractors. Would any of them know their way around the warehouse in the dark?”

  “I wouldn’t think so. As far as I know, none of them ever come to Sorrento’s. Reannan and Giovanni always go out to their shops. And when I have to be fitted, I always go to the shop that’s making the dress.”

  Mitch was silent. As soon as they returned to Los Angeles, he was going to have a meeting with the Chief of Police. He had to somehow convince him of Jade’s innocence and get his permission to investigate Sorrento’s employees.

  It was the middle of the afternoon before they got back to the hotel to leave Jade’s bags.

  “We had better hurry if we want to get in that gondola ride before we have to catch the train,” Jade told Mitch.

  “I don’t want to say I came to Venice and d
idn’t get a ride in a gondola.”

  “Me, either. I’ve been looking forward to it. I think we can find a place nearby. Let’s ask at the desk where the nearest one would be.”

  After getting instructions, they hurried out of the hotel and headed toward the area where they had been told they would find gondolas. They were soon seated in one and gliding smoothly over the water.

  The gondolier steered the boat into a narrow canal with tall buildings on either side. They were told for a few extra euros, they could be serenaded. Mitch had paid the required amount and now they were enjoying the tenor voice of the gondolier as he sang an Italian love song.

  Jade and Mitch caught the train to Milan with only a few minutes to spare. Once they were settled into their seats, she fell asleep, her head falling over on his shoulder. He put his arm around her and shifted her into a more comfortable position.

  He thought about reading a book, but decided he would just enjoy the feeling of Jade cuddled into his side. In spite of his resolve to not fall for Jade, he knew he was. Chief Castillo would be unhappy if he ever found out about Mitch’s feelings and he couldn’t help but wonder if he would replace him with someone else when they returned to LA.

  Dusk was falling and it was soon too dark to see anything but the lights that twinkled sporadically throughout the countryside.

  He began to make a plan of action for talking to Castillo, the LA Chief of Police. He had to convince him that Jade was not the killer. Now that the autopsy had been done on Reannan, there were several things that he wanted to know. He wished he had something to write on so he could make a list. He knew the model had paper and pencil in her bag, but he didn’t want to disturb Jade in order to find them.

  She was sleeping so soundly that when the train pulled into the Milan station, he had to wake her up. She stared at him with sleep glazed eyes and it was all he could do to keep from leaning down and pressing a kiss on her lips.

  “Sweetheart, we’re here,” he said gently.

  She gave him one of the sweetest smiles he had ever seen. He hoped she was beginning to feel about him the way he felt about her. He was sure she was innocent of the murder of Reannan and he wanted so much to have a future with her. He only hoped she didn’t feel he was too old for her or object to him being a cop.

  Mitch gathered up her shopping bags and making sure she had her hand bag over her shoulder he took her by the hand to lead her off the train.

  “You take such good care of me,” she said, as he turned to help her down the steps to the ground.

  “There’s nothing I’d rather do,” he said and knew he was telling the truth.

  They found their way to the underground that would take them to the hotel. In a short time, they had reached their stop. They climbed the steps to the ground level, coming out on the Plaza Reale.

  Mitch was happy to walk into their suite and lay Jade’s bags down in her bedroom. She had bought a lot of things in Venice and the bags were beginning to feel heavy. He couldn’t remember what all she had bought but he was sure the fashion conscious Jade wouldn’t forget a single thing.

  He helped himself to a bottle of water from the mini frig, offering one to Jade. She took it and they stood in silence as they drank them.

  “What a great trip,” she said. “Did you enjoy it?”

  “You bet. Well, I’m off to bed. Do you want me to ring the desk for a wakeup call?”

  “I’ll do it. I have to look at my schedule and see what time the photo shoot is.”

  Mitch nodded and went into his bedroom, leaving the door open. It didn’t take long for him to drop off to sleep. Sometime later, he heard the door to the suite open and he shot out of bed sure that Jade was leaving.

  Chapter 7

  Mitch stormed out into the sitting room and was surprised to see Jade holding the door open while a uniformed man pushed a cart into the room with several dishes on it.

  “Grazie,” she said, handing the man a bill.

  “Prego,” he answered and walked out, closing the door behind him.

  “Did I wake you?” Jade asked as she turned to see Mitch standing in the doorway.

  “What are you doing?”

  “After my nap on the train, I was having trouble getting to sleep. I remembered we hadn’t had dinner and I decided to order something from room service. Would you like to share?”

  Mitch nodded. “Let me get a robe on.”

  As he went back into his room, he breathed a sigh of relief. For one heart-stopping moment, he had thought Jade was leaving the suite alone.

  The next morning after their daily run, Jade told Mitch she was excited about the photo shoot that was scheduled to take place on the Plaza Reale. The photos were being taken by Jarod Stanton, a photographer from Vogue.

  When Jade came out of her bedroom, she was wearing a sleeveless top which was half black and half white with a strap of white crisscrossing over her breast and up over one shoulder tucked into a pair of black slacks accented by narrow red rectangular fake pockets. Wide black bracelets fit snuggly on both wrists and were held together with silver fasteners. The tips of black heels peeked out from below the hem of her slacks. Her hair was pulled up into a knot on top of her head, accenting her delicate features.

  As they left their suite, Mitch grabbed his camera. He wanted to find someone to take a picture of him and Jade together. He knew he was looking his best. He wore a short-sleeved black knit shirt with a pair of black dress pants. He had a couple days growth of whiskers as was the current style.

  “I may not be a professional but I would like to have some pictures of my own,” he said.

  “Whatever for? You can buy the magazine when it comes out.”

  He smiled. “One more memento of my trip.”

  Jade said nothing more as they rode down in the elevator together. As they walked through the lobby of the hotel, Mitch saw people staring at Jade. His chest swelled with pride. He wasn’t sure why, since he was only with her because he belonged to the LAPD.

  Jarod was waiting for them when they arrived at the plaza. As they approached, he began taking pictures of Jade and Mitch together.

  “What’s that all about?” Mitch asked her.

  “Because you’re so handsome. You look like a model.”

  It was the first time Jade had indicated that she found him attractive and a feeling of warmth spread throughout his body.

  “Am I going to appear with you in Vogue?”

  “Who knows?”

  “Well, I hope they pay me the going rate,” he teased.

  “Okay, Jade,” Jarod said, “let’s get started. First, I want to take some shots of you in front of the cathedral.”

  They walked toward the cathedral and when the photographer felt they were close enough to the magnificent building, he began shooting. Jade followed his instructions, turning this way and that as he took numerous shots. Mitch stood back and took a few. Jarod was wearing a loose fitting jacket and he reached into one pocket and took something out of it.

  “Open up your hand,” he said to Jade and deposited a handful of seeds onto her palm.

  “What’s that for?” she asked, a puzzled look on her face as she stared down at her hand.

  “The pigeons,” he replied.

  Jade smiled. “What a great idea. This is what the tourists like to do,” she turned to say to Mitch.

  He watched, curious as to what was coming next.

  Jade held her hand into the air, palm up, and a pigeon landed on it and began eating the birdseed. The photographer immediately began clicking his camera circling slowly around Jade to catch her and the bird at different angles.

  Mitch quickly snapped a couple of pictures on his camera and then clicked back to examine them. He was pleased. He had to admit Jade was very photographic. She
made even his attempts at photography look professional.

  When the photographer told Jade he thought he had enough shots, Mitch walked over to him and asked if he would mind taking a picture on his little digital camera of him and Jade together.

  “I’d be happy to,” Jarod replied.

  Mitch walked over to Jade and put his arm around her, pulling her close.

  After Jarod had taken a shot, he said, “Now one of you smiling at each other.”

  They did as they were told and after clicking the camera a couple more times, Jarod handed the camera back to Mitch. When he checked the photos the photographer had taken, Mitch liked what he saw and showed them to Jade. She smiled and agreed they were great.

  “You should be a model,” she told Mitch. “You take fabulous pictures.”

  “You mean you’re not?” Jarod asked in surprise.

  Mitch shook his head. Before the other man could ask him what he did, he said, “Nope, just a friend from LA who accompanied Jade to Italy. My first trip and I’m loving it. We just spent two days in Venice.”

  Jarod smiled and Mitch was relieved when he asked no more questions. “I have another appointment so I need to leave. It was great meeting you both.”

  “I’ll change and then we’ll go for lunch,” Jade told Mitch as they walked back toward their hotel.

  “I know what let’s do today,” Jade said at breakfast, the following morning.