Uncorked

by Rebecca Rohman

  “So how’s the little one?”

  “Better. She was released yesterday.”

  “How long before she’s a hundred percent?”

  “Six to eight weeks.”

  “You know, Chella loves that little girl. She feels responsible for what happened.”

  “She should. If she hadn’t lied to me, if she had trusted me, this wouldn’t have happened.”

  “I don’t blame you for being angry with her, but this had nothing to do with trust. She was looking out for you. It’s unfortunate that it backfired.”

  “Of course it was about trust. How the hell else do you explain what happened?” Mitch asked as he paced the floors.

  “Roughly a month ago, she received a package at the office. She thought it was from you. It had your return address label. It had a gift box inside. When she opened it, there was a mutilated rat inside. She called the police and they came by. She told me she was about to call you, but that was the day you found out your father’s condition had taken a turn for the worse. I think that was also the day you found out you were a match. She didn’t want to stress you further by telling you about it.”

  “She had plenty time to tell me after that.”

  “Did she? She was waiting for the right time. Maybe in retrospect, there was no right time. There was a day you had lunch or dinner with your sisters. She got an email telling her she was being watched. The police were able to find out where the emails were sent from, and I think they were able to pull some faces, but they weren’t people she recognized.”

  “Why did she feel it necessary to keep this from me? The dinner wasn’t that important. I could have done that any other time.”

  “A few reasons. Mitch, I know you may not understand this, but family means the world to Chella. When her parents died, she lost all the family she ever had. It was important to her that you keep those family ties and strengthen them. That’s the same reason she tried numerous times with your mother. I think she was going to tell you that night, but when she found out you’d be preparing for the procedure, she decided against it. Soon after your father died, and then there was the funeral. You must take into account everything that was going on at the time. I didn’t find out until after the accident that she hadn’t told you. If I knew then what I know now, when you called me to tell me Emily was coming over for dinner, I would have called her and told her to stop you.”

  “I don’t know, Craig. Danger follows Chella wherever she goes. I would take chances with myself, but Emily almost losing her life in that accident made me question everything.”

  “If you’re questioning everything, then why are you here? Why do you care where she is? Why are you still looking out for her?”

  “I never said I didn’t care about her.”

  A knock sounded on the door. Detective Carter entered the room. Mitch handed him the package and photos.

  “What time did you receive this?’ asked Detective Carter.

  “About an hour ago.”

  “Who knew she was leaving?”

  “I knew on Saturday,” Craig replied. “I don’t know who else she told, but she asked me to send out a mass email for her to the cosmetic division of Sheyenne International about an hour and a half ago.”

  “Really?” Detective Carter’s eyebrows peaked. “I think our suspect just made a mistake.”

  “What do you mean?” Mitch asked.

  “Did you know she was leaving?” the detective asked.

  “No, I found out when I came to see Craig. I was out of town.”

  “It would be my guess that Ms. Noon told very few people she was leaving. I can call her and find out.”

  “She’s changed her number,” Mitch responded.

  “I have the new one. If my instincts are right, whoever the suspect is might be in this building. One of the people she sent the email to.”

  “Jesus,” Craig exclaimed. “What makes you say that?”

  “The timeframe. Ms. Noon sends out that email and within half an hour this person prepares a package and has it delivered to Mr. Mariani? Seems a little too convenient. Do you have a list of all the people who received that email?”

  “Yes,” Craig replied. He called his secretary and asked her to prepare a printout of all the individuals.

  “I’m going to run background checks on all those individuals,” said Detective Carter. “See if anything comes up. I ask the two of you to keep this confidential. If word gets out, it might give them time to get rid of evidence or cover their tracks.”

  “Our lips are sealed,” Mitch replied. Craig nodded in agreement.

  “One more question, Mr. Spencer. Would you allow us to have undercover officers in here while we try to resolve this?”

  “We can fill Chella’s post with one of your officers.”

  “That would be perfect. Let me head back to my office and work this out. I’ll be in touch.”

  “You might need to take a copy of this to prep them,” Craig said, handing the detective a folder. “When Chella resigned she gave me this report detailing how to execute the promotion, complete with a task list and the team members she thought might be able to perform them.”

  “This is perfect.” the detective replied. “Gentlemen, this might be the big break we’ve been hoping for. I’ll be in touch.”

  He shook both of their hands and exited the room.

  “Looks like there might be an end in sight,” Craig said, smiling. “Who would have thought Chella leaving would have forced them to make a mistake?”

  “That might be true, but Craig, please be careful. Everyone here knows that Chella is like a daughter to you. That makes you a target.”

  “I guess until we get those undercover officers in here I can keep a low profile and work from home. Or spend my days golfing.”

  “Just be careful. I’m headed home. It’s been a rough week.”

  “Stay in touch, and think about what I said. Ask yourself what you would have done if you were in her shoes.”

  “I will. Thanks for giving me her information.”

  When Mitch arrived home, he walked into his bedroom with his luggage. The first thing that caught his attention was the letter and keys Chella left on the bed. He got rid of his suit and dressed in his favorite outfit. He put her copy of the keys on the bedside table. Things seemed so final, like it was really over between them. He hated the way he felt, and he knew that he wasn’t ready for it to be over between them. He glanced at a photo of Emily on the nearby table and the images of her unconscious body after the accident flooded his mind. Then the images of Chella he received earlier that day made him eager to want to be with her and protect her. He never thought he could have so many conflicting feelings. He was afraid that when he read the letter from her, it would make matters worse.

  Dear Mitch,

  I’m so sorry for the pain I’ve caused you, Emily, Charlotte, and her family. It was never my intention to hurt any of you, but I did. For that, I am so very sorry.

  If I stay here, my presence will continue to hurt the people I love and care about. I’m risking everyone’s life by being here, so I must go.

  Thank you for bringing such meaning to my life these last few months. Because of you, I was able to live a little and love a lot. I will always be grateful to you for that.

  Please let Emily know that she will always hold a special place in my heart, as do you.

  I wish you all the best life has to offer.

  Love,

  Chella

  P.S.

  I’m sure this cannot begin to cover your loss, but it’s only fair that I make a contribution to the losses you’ve incurred because of me. I’ve made arrangements for $100,000.00 to be wired into your account by the end of Monday’s workday. Once again, I’m sorry.

  When he was done reading the letter, he wasn’t sure whether he should be happy, sad or angry. He probably felt a bit of each. What infuriated him the most was the money she wired him, but he knew that she might have done
that because he had called her a liability. When he said that, he hadn’t meant in a monetary way, but it bothered him that she felt the need to do this. He thought they were beyond that, but he guessed all bets were off when he decided to tell her it was over.

  He dug through his jacket pocket for the piece of paper with her new information. He dialed the number; and after some hesitation, he pressed send and waited for her to answer. This time her phone did not immediately go to voice mail, but waited five or six rings. He left her a message asking her to call him.

  Chella’s heart pounded when she saw Mitch’s number appear on her screen. She wondered how he got her number. After thinking about it, she knew Craig must have been the culprit. Her phone beeped, and she saw that she had a message from him. She bit the corner of her thumb as she listened to the voice message.

  “Hi, Chella. It’s me. Can you please give me a call as soon as possible?”

  She listened to the message over and over again. After some thought, she decided it would be best if she did not speak to him. However, she did not want him worrying about her, so she sent him a text message.

  Chella Noon

  Monday November 28, 2011

  8:34PM

  Mitch, I’m fine. Tell Emily I’m thinking about her, I miss her, and I’m sorry I can’t come see her. In your life, I will always be a danger to you and your family, so I think it would be best if I stayed away from you. There’s no need for you to worry. I’m safe.

  When he got the message from her, it only frustrated him more. Not being able to speak to her and hear her voice drove him insane. He couldn’t figure out how, but he knew he’d have to find a way to get her to speak to him.

  The following morning Chella awoke to her ringing phone. Glancing at the screen, she saw it was Detective Carter’s number.

  “Hello?” she answered groggily.

  “Hello, Ms. Noon. I’m sorry to wake you.”

  “No worries. What’s up?”

  “I think your leaving might have given us our big break. I have a few questions first, though.”

  “Ask away.”

  “Who did you tell you were leaving or had left San Diego?”

  “You and Craig, Kacy and Vicky. I mentioned to Mitch’s daughter that I’d be out of town on Sunday, and Mitch found out for sure yesterday. Why?”

  “That package Mr. Mariani received came within half an hour of your boss sending out your email to the staff at Sheyenne International.”

  “What a minute… what package?”

  “He didn’t tell you?”

  “Tell me what?”

  “Mr. Mariani received a package. The note in it was what was most telling. It said, ‘Tell her running away won’t fix anything. There’s more where this came from, and I intend to use them.’ For someone to know you had left they would have had to receive the email, or you would have had to tell them. Also, to get that package ready and have it delivered in that amount of time tells me the suspect works at your office.”

  “My God, Mitch didn’t tell me about this. What was in the package?”

  “The photos of you. I’m sorry.”

  “So they’ve started their distribution campaign,” she replied sarcastically.

  “I’m sorry, Ms. Noon, but we’re getting closer. I got clearance to have two undercover cops work in your office. One will be replacing you. We’ll call her Nicolette Taylor. They’re going to see what they can find out. In the meantime, we’ve done background checks on all the employees who received the email.”

  “Have you found out anything?”

  “Nothing major, a few speeding violations from some. The one thing that caught my attention was Jade. Did you know she’s filed for bankruptcy twice?”

  “What? No, but what would that have to do with my case?”

  “Nothing yet, but someone who’s desperate for money might be willing to do certain things if they were paid.”

  “Wow, Jade? Detective, I’ve trusted her. She’s been in my home.”

  “Well so far, we have motive and opportunity for many of the crimes committed against you.”

  “I can’t believe this. Are you sure she’s the one?”

  “No, I’m not. We still have a lot of work to do and evidence to pull together, but it does look promising. I’m not ruling anyone else out, yet, either.”

  “Thank you. Detective, if this is true and she can’t reach me, she might target Craig or Mitch. Can you please have your officers keep an eye on them?”

  “Consider it done.”

  “Thank you so much for doing this. I really appreciate your hard work.”

  “Just doing my job, Ms. Noon.”

  When Chella got off the phone, she thought of all the times she had allowed Jade into her life, into her personal space. Could it be true? Could she be the one behind all this? The fact that she might be such a bad judge of character sent shivers through her body.

  She headed to the kitchen to make herself a cup of coffee. She now spent her days reading, exercising; and after visiting an art gallery in downtown Aspen it rekindled an old passion, painting. Landscapes had always been her favorite. She had never-ending views to inspire her for the next few weeks.

  A few days later, she was working on a piece when her phone rang. It could only be one of three people. The screen flashed Detective Carter’s name.

  “Detective...”

  “Ms. Noon, how are you today?”

  “I’m doing well, thank you. Any news?”

  “There’s been a new development, but unfortunately it’s not good news.”

  “What is it?”

  “Late yesterday evening I got a call from the Chief of Security at Sheyenne International. Someone sent out three images of you to the entire staff of the company. The IT department was able to delete it off the server, but it’s possible a few people might have opened the email or downloaded the images before they were able to get to it.”

  “Can you see my face in the images?”

  “Your hair is partially covering your face, so you’re not easily recognizable. The IT department has restricted the sending and receiving of attachments through company mail, but I want you to be prepared for the possibility that at least a few of these images may be out there.”

  “I don’t know how to prepare for that. Did Jade send them out?”

  “We checked her computer last night, but we didn’t find anything. That doesn’t mean she may not have used a laptop or some other external device to do it. Ms. Noon, I know this is difficult. We’re sending in our two undercover officers tomorrow. Hopefully, we’ll get the evidence we need quickly.”

  “Did the email mention my name?”

  “No.”

  “Thanks for letting me know.”

  “I know you may not be up for this now, but we’re having a meeting with Mr. Spencer and our officers today before they head in tomorrow. We’d like you to be a part of that.”

  “Sure, what time?”

  “Two this afternoon.”

  “Should I call you at that time?”

  “Yes, but my number at the office.”

  “You’ll hear from me then.”

  Her mood changed after that phone call. Apart from her meeting later that afternoon, she did nothing for the rest of the day. She knew it was by choice, but she felt so alone. She picked up her phone to call Mitch many times, but she didn’t have the guts to actually make the call. She missed him, she needed him, and for the first time since she spoke to him a few days before, she so badly wanted to be with him. For the first time since she left, she was starting the feel the effects of their breakup.

  It wasn’t supposed to be this hard. She had done this for ten years. But after having Mitch in her life for ten months, it was almost as if she didn’t remember how to shut people out of her world. She tried to remember how she used to deal with this sort of thing pre-Mitch, but the truth was, she had never had to deal with so much difficulty in such a short period of time.

 
She perused the Aspen magazine on the coffee table and decided to attend the town’s annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony. She hoped it would help keep her mind off her troubles in San Diego.

  Mitch hung up the phone with Detective Carter. Mitch wanted to be with Chella. He knew she needed him. He wasn’t sure if it was pride or her wanting to be in control or maybe she wanted to ensure everyone was safe, but he knew she’d never call and ask for help, no matter how much she needed it. He had no intention of sitting by and doing nothing. One way or another, he would find out where she was.

  After a bit of research on the internet, he learned he’d be able to find out the area where she was if he knew her IP address. He could find that out if she sent him an email. Without further hesitation, he sent her a message and waited eagerly for her to reply.

  Suddenly, he realized he was doing all this for a woman that he was technically not in a relationship with. A woman danger followed like a shadow. The image of Emily’s unconscious body crept into his mind. The situation was impossible. He shut off his laptop, stuffed his things into his briefcase and headed home.

  The following day he would be heading back to Santa Monica to spend time with his daughter. He thought about going to see his mother. She had been to the hospital a few times to see Emily, but he always conveniently disappeared when he knew she was coming.

  Whether he wanted to admit it or not, the latest situation with Chella reminded him of the day he found out his mother was raped. He’d had that feeling again when the package was delivered and again when Detective Carter told him some of the images might be circulating. If it affected him this way, it must be torture for Chella. He remembered his mom telling him how alone she felt after she was raped because she had lost her best friend.

  The next day, after visiting Emily, Mitch went to see his mother. He knocked on the door and waited for a response. Liz answered.

  “Mitch… what are you doing here?”

  “I came to visit Emily for the weekend. I thought I’d come by to check on you,” he replied, kissing her on the cheek.