Stepford USA (Jade Snow International Adventure #1)

by Lada Ray

  Lily obviously enjoyed the game. “See, how easy this is,” she seemed to be saying, gazing at me with her two shimmering turquoise eyes. “C'mon, don't you have a more difficult trick up your sleeve?”

  “Okay, Lily,” I rose to the challenge. “Let's see whether you can catch this curve ball, I mean, this curve thread. Are you ready?”

  “Mrrreow!” she responded, and I could've sworn she has just said, you betcha! in a mocking sort of tone. Hmm... have I just discovered another talent of mine? Am I starting to communicate with animals now?

  Princess Lily sat on the floor in her famous snow-white pedestal statue pose. Her narrowed eyes followed my movements carefully, while her tail twitched, readying for a strike. I played with the piece of thread for a moment or two in front of her nose, but she staunchly refused to be distracted by my diversion tactics. The next moment, I brushed the thread by her paws (another pitiful attempt at diversion). Then, I unexpectedly made it jump as high as possible. In a flash, Lily lowered her supple body to the ground. Next, she jumped almost as high as my shoulder and snatching the thread out of my hand, did a spectacular somersault, landing nimbly on her feet. A moment later, she was gone, carrying her trophy with her.

  “Wow,” I said, mesmerized. “Lily, you are such an acrobat. You win!” I yelled after her. “Just don't eat the thread, darling!”

  “Tea is ready,” said Adelaide, who's been standing in the back of the room, watching us play.

  “Did you see her jump?” I asked. “Absolutely amazing!”

  “Yes, she is very talented,” Adelaide said proudly and with relief, I noticed that a smile was back on her face.

  We sat down to have tea and biscuits and I decided it was time for a talk.

  “Adelaide,” I started. “I want to ask you something.”

  “Sure, dear, anything.”

  “Well,” I said, “I couldn't help but overhear your mentioning that Chief Nordini would want to keep Jason in jail, just like his father.” I noticed her protesting hand and hurried to finish. “Before you say anything, I want to tell you that I have my suspicions about Chief Nordini's role in Rebbecca's tragedy. I also am not so sure the official story of what had happened back then holds water. But I have no proof. If you and I put our heads together, we may be able to get to the truth and prove Jason's innocence.”

  “Please,” I added in response to her shaking head, “I want to help!”

  “You can't help,” she said sadly. “Believe me, when I say this: whatever you do, stay away from this whole thing. Your baby must be your absolute priority. This is too dangerous.”

  “But if you have any proof, any at all...” I started again.

  “I have no proof. They'd been very careful getting rid of the evidence,” she said bitterly.

  “They? Who do you mean? At least tell me who you suspect!”

  “Jade,” she said, frowning resolutely. “I love you and I feel that I should be the mother figure in this case. Please, promise me you'll stay away from all this. Promise!”

  “But I could help you!” I almost cried out in frustration. Boy, but this woman was just as stubborn as her son! “We could get to the bottom of this much faster if we worked together, don't you see?”

  “I am tired,” she said dismissively, ignoring my last outburst. “It was a trying day and I am going to bed.” Then she looked at me imploringly. “I beg you, please stay away. You can't help, trust me.”

  Well, what could I say? Of course I humored the old lady, seeing how agitated and ill she looked. I let her believe that I'd stay away from Rebbecca's case. But as a result, my burning desire to dig out the truth got only stronger.

  Chapter 11

  “Hello,” I mumbled into the phone, still not fully awake. Blinking, I tried to focus my sleepy eyes on the clock. Eight in the morning. Who would be calling at such hour?

  “Hello,” I repeated automatically.

  “Jade, this is Karen,” said the voice in the phone. “I hope I'm not waking you up.” A pause – waiting for reassurance, no doubt.

  “No, of course not, I was already getting up,” I chimed in obligingly, stifling a yawn. “So, what's up?”

  “Haven't you heard? Jason's being released from jail today. Chief Nordini refused to press charges and they are letting him go!” Karen fired all this information out in one breath.

  “Wait,” I said, finally waking up. “What? They are letting him go? No bail or anything? Is that really true? Are you sure?”

  I certainly didn't expect that.

  “Of course, I'm sure,” said Karen impatiently. “My husband works at the County Court.”

  “I see.” No surprise there. As usual, the Gossip Central was well connected. “This is great news, Karen! We need to tell Adelaide. She'll be so happy!” Now I was definitely fully awake.

  “That's why I'm calling.” responded Karen. “Several of us are going to stop by Adelaide's to let her know and to offer our support. D'you want to come?”

  “Of course,” I said enthusiastically. “Count me in!”

  “All right then,” said Karen. “How about we stop by your place while you are getting dressed and then we can all go together, since you are only a few blocks away from her house.”

  By eight thirty, my knitting club buddies were knocking at the door: Karen, Shawna, Maria, Beth and Cathy.

  “We called our bosses and told them we'd be late for work today.” As usual, Beth provided an explanation for both her sister and herself.

  Full house - well, almost - I thought, while passing tea to everyone. Except Anne, who's been M.I.A. since the Jason and Nick fight.

  Karen seemed to have read my mind. “Unfortunately, I couldn't reach Anne. She seems to have disappeared. Too bad. Wouldn't it be nice if all of us together came to support Adelaide at such trying time.”

  “I just can't get over how noble our Chief Nordini is,” all of a sudden pronounced the usually silent Cathy, sipping her peppermint tea.

  “I know,” agreed Shawna. “I was so shocked when Karen called me this morning. Letting Jason go and refusing to press charges after how Jason punched him and insulted him in public. That's just unbelievable!”

  “He's a very good man,” nodded Beth sagely. “We are so lucky to have him.”

  “And poor Adelaide, having to deal with Jason and all of his problems,” meanwhile went on Cathy. “She is such a nice lady and it's just so unfair that she has to suffer like this because of this good for nothing son of hers.”

  “That's true,” said Beth. “I'm sure, after everything he's done, not a single soul would support him, not even those who used to give him the benefit of the doubt. I bet he has no friends left whatsoever. Certainly not amongst us!” She circled the room with her beady eyes, fishing for confirmation, as Cathy, Karen and Shawna nodded in agreement, while Maria just sighed regretfully.

  It occurred to me that Beth was right and it indeed would be very hard for Jason to find a real friend in these parts. Public opinion was firmly against him. I guess it was my turn to shake things up a bit.

  “That's not true,” I said. “He has at least one friend.”

  “He does?” said Beth, knocked off her high horse for a brief moment. “Who?”

  “Me!”

  The next thirty seconds resembled the famous closing scene from Gogol's Incognito from St. Petersburg. Utter shock, lots of open mouths and popped eyes, all that accompanied by deadly silence. I enjoyed the scene for a moment or two and then decided on my further course of action.

  “Excuse me, ladies,” I said. “But I'll have to take a rain check on visiting Adelaide. Please give her my best and congrats on Jason's release. And tell her I'll stop by later today. Right now, I have to attend to another urgent business.”

  The knitting club filed out of my house, still in shock, while I headed to the police station to visit Anne. I had two goals. First, I wanted to see what I could snoop out about the miraculous turnaround of Jason's situation and second, I needed to ask
her about the mysterious DNA samples the surreal voice in the library whispered to me about.

  I waved to Anne, who was seated inside the police station's dispatch area, behind the familiar giant bulletproof divider.

  “Hello,” I greeted her cheerfully. “You are working too hard lately. Everyone at the knitting club seems to think you are missing in action. So, I thought I'd surprise you today. Buy you a cup of coffee?”

  “Thanks.” She smiled despite herself. Although she hesitated, I could tell, her heart was melting from a bit of attention and kindness, things she probably scarcely saw in her line of work. “I don't know if I can leave now...”

  “Well, don't you take coffee breaks? Besides, your assistant could cover for you, right?” I winked to the blond girl I met last time. “Oh c'mon, Anne, just for a few minutes!”

  “Um... if only just for a few minutes...” She still wasn't sure.

  “It's okay, Anne,” the blond girl came to the rescue. “You need a break, you haven't taken one in ages. I'll cover for you.”

  “All right then,” reluctantly agreed Anne. “I'll be back in fifteen minutes.”

  “Take your time,” said the girl magnanimously. “No rush.”

  “So, how's life?” I said, as we walked to the coffee shop two blocks away. “We’ve missed you at the knitting club, you know.”

  “Yes, I know,” said Anne. “It's been crazy lately, ever since...”

  “Ever since the fight,” I finished for her. “Speaking of which, do you know that Chief Nordini is not pressing charges and they are letting Jason go?”

  “I've heard,” nodded Anne, as we picked up our coffee and sat down in the coffee shop's private garden.

  “Why d'you think that is?”

  “Why? Oh, I don't know,” she started evasively. Then paused, took a deep breath and looked me straight in the eye. “Look, Jade, I like you. And I think I can trust you, so let's not play games. I know why you are here today and why you are asking all these questions.”

  She's right, time to drop the games.

  I produced a smile. “I'm glad that you want to be straight, Anne. I appreciate that and I know I can trust you, too. You are right, I'm here because I want to find out more about this whole story with Rebbecca. And I feel that Jason and Nick's fight is connected to it. I believe a grave miscarriage of justice happened here twelve years ago and an innocent man had been sent to jail. Can you help me prove it?”

  I fell silent, my heart beating hard amidst total silence.

  “I appreciate your candor,” finally said Anne. “Look, I want to help, but I don't know if I can.”

  “If you are concerned about your job, in case they found out...” I started.

  “No, it's not that,” she shook her head. “Although I think we are dealing with some smart, and probably ruthless, people here. ”

  “Then what is it?”

  Anne threw a sharp glance around the deserted courtyard. “Can we walk?” she said. “I should be getting back and I'd also feel more comfortable if were moving when we talk.”

  “Sure,” I said.

  “See,” she continued, as we took the round about route back to the police station, “after our last talk and after the fight, I started thinking. I'd told you that I was working at the department at the time of Rebbecca's case. I guess, some kind of doubt about the official story always remained in my mind because of some things that happened and some things I’d observed. They didn't add up. But it was a very vague feeling and since everyone in town was pretty much convinced about Jason's guilt, I just brushed my suspicions aside and forgot about them. But his return and also, something Adelaide had said, reawakened it. Adelaide is very smart and I've known her for many years. I know, she would never say anything idly.”

  “What did she say?”

  “Well, I don't know if I should tell… it was said in private.” She paused, deliberating. “But, since you are a friend and trying to help... I guess it's all right. See, a couple of months before Jason's return, the old Chief Nordini had a heart attack, his second. He was just released from the hospital and was supposed to stay in bed, based on strict doctor's orders. Instead, he unexpectedly showed up on Adelaide's doorstep. She told me the whole story later. Walking and breathing with great difficulty, he said that he came to her because he may not live to see the next dawn, but before he died, he wanted to apologize. She asked him what for and he said that he begged her forgiveness for himself and others who'd done her and her son wrong. She stood there, stunned, and before she could say another word, he turned around and was gone. He died that night, while purportedly sitting at his desk and writing a letter. A fresh ink stain was found on his index finger and it matched the ink in the pen found next to him. However, there was no letter. The official conclusion was that he died of another heart attack, because he had failed to stay in bed, despite doctor's orders. Adelaide never told this story to anyone, but me. She added that she always suspected the truth and that the chief's conscience didn't let him live to look Jason in the eye.”

  “When did you have this conversation?”

  “When? A couple of days before Jason's fight with Nick.”

  “It makes sense,” I murmured.

  “So you see, when you told me that you doubted the official version of events and later, when we witnessed the fight, I made up my mind to help uncover the truth. I volunteered to improve our archive storage system and started working to re-organize police archives going back fifteen years. It proved to be a hell of a job and in order to move at a decent speed, I had to work literally day and night.”

  “That explains why you stopped coming to the knitting club meetings.”

  “Right. I was rushing to see if I could help free Jason. I'm really glad he is out, so I can pace myself a bit more leisurely.”

  “But what is it that you're looking for?”

  “I'd rather not say right now. What if I'm wrong? I need to organize my thoughts first. I'll tell you as soon as I can, if you don't mind.”

  “Okay,” I agreed. “But you know, it would be easier to work together if we both knew the whole thing. I could stumble on something that helps you in your search and vice versa. For example, I actually came here, among other things, to ask you a question, which might help clarify a lot.”

  “Sure, what is it?”

  “Well, the other day I was thinking about the story you told us at the coffee shop, the first time we were all going to visit Adelaide. Remember?”

  Anne nodded, as I went on. “So, I recalled your saying that DNA samples were taken from Jason's car and they proved that both his and Rebbecca's blood was present there. But then, I remembered something else. I'm no expert, but in cases of rape, wouldn't they also take semen samples from the assaulted woman and then compare the DNA with that of the alleged rapist?”

  “That's correct,” confirmed Anne.

  “So, I am right!” I exclaimed. “Yet, no one had ever mentioned that. Do you know whether those samples had been taken and tested. And if yes, what happened to the results?”

  “You are amazing,” murmured Anne, stopping dead in the middle of the street.

  “I am?”

  “Believe it or not, that's exactly what I've been searching archives for: those missing DNA samples!”

  “So, what happened to them?” I said in anticipation of an important revelation... Warmer, much warmer.

  “Well, since you've spotted the problem all by yourself,” said Anne, “I'd better tell you. See, the semen samples were indeed taken and supposedly sent to the lab for DNA analysis. However, the next day they allegedly disappeared. Initially, the lab tried to cover up their disappearance and it only came out two weeks later. Obviously, by then, nothing could be done.”

  "In other words,” I uttered excitedly, “if Jason was telling the truth, then someone eliminated the only real proof that he didn't rape Rebbecca!”

  “Exactly,” said Anne. “And it also means that someone else's DNA would have been
found in those samples. That's why they had to be destroyed.”

  “Which in turn means that someone, connected to the crime or to the criminals, had unencumbered access to evidence and knew the inner workings of the investigation. And who would have known it better than...”

  “Chief Nordini, Senior!” Finished Anne triumphantly.

  Chapter 12

  A shiny red Prius whirred to a stop in the driveway. Rachel's sunshine face smiled at me, as I opened the front door and the next few minutes were spent with hugs, followed by squeals of unadulterated joy, accompanied by a fair amount of juvenile hopping like bunny rabbits while holding each other's hands. Ah, innocence! It was like freshman year all over again.

  I couldn't wipe the happy grin off my face as I got busy making tea and breakfast, which we would enjoy on the veranda. Rachel was such a sport, she had said she'd come today and didn't waste any time fulfilling her promise. It was still bright and early, eight thirty to be exact, and she was already here. Efficient as ever, she must have been on the road before six to get here at this hour. Now, that's what I called a real friend!

  Rachel's glance swept appreciatively over the plush Oriental rug and the mahogany furniture of the living room, at the same time duly noting my feng shui improvements to the space.

  “Does the place meet with your approval?” I asked her, smiling.

  She nodded. “Not bad, not bad at all. Our Feng Shui Master would be proud of you.”

  “Thanks.”

  “There's just one thing.”

  “What?”

  She pointed at the heavy beams running across the ceiling of the living room. “Beams. You know what that means – problems, obstacles.”

  “I know, I know. But what can I do? They were here when I moved in. Can't remove them, can I? Besides, I actually like them.”

  “What, problems and obstacles?”

  “The beams, silly! They add character to the room, as they'd say in real estate descriptions.”