Seams of Destruction Read online

  “That’s too expensive,” she objected.

  He stared at her. Making the kind of money she made and she was worried about eating out. He couldn’t help but feel impressed.

  His cell phone rang and he saw it was the Chief.

  “Koehler,” he said as he connected with Castillo.

  “How’s it going with Jade?”

  “Okay. What’s up?”

  “We got us a couple more suspects.”

  “Really?”

  “Our investigation revealed there are two employees who hated Reannan with a passion.”

  “Who are they?”

  “The shipping manager and the man who heads up the inspection department.”

  “Interesting.”

  “But you still need to follow all my instructions about not letting Jade out of your sight. At this point, we don’t have proof that any one of our three suspects killed her. However, Jade is still our most likely one since she was at the scene of the crime and she does appear to have the strongest motive.”

  “Got ya,” Mitch said and went out on the deck to finish their conversation. “Chief, we’re being followed.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Just what I said. Someone is following us everywhere we go. The first day when I left the police station with Jade, I noticed someone followed us to my house when I needed to pick up some clothes. When we left my house, the same car was parked down the street and when I pulled out of my driveway, the car followed us at a discreet distance all the way to Jade’s apartment building. When I pulled into the underground parking, it drove on by.”

  “Strange. Was that the only time you noticed the car?”

  “No. The next morning we went jogging and I saw it again. I can’t get close enough to get a make on the license plates. Is there anything you can do to help?”

  “If you give me a description of the car and tell me where it can be seen, I’ll have one of the men in the department drive by in an unmarked car and get the numbers on the license plate.”

  “Okay. We are going grocery shopping tomorrow and I’ll give you a call and tell you where and when.”

  “All right, but give me enough notice to get someone out to the area.”

  “Will do.”

  “I’ve been thinking,” the Chief said. “Jade said there was someone else in the warehouse the night Reannan was murdered and she thought whoever it was drove off in Reannan’s car.”

  “What about it?”

  “That stands to reason because Reannan would have driven to the warehouse in her car. The person who killed her must have been with her and then have driven off in her car. I’m sending someone out to Reannan’s apartment today to check and see if her car is there.”

  “If it is, what is that going to tell us?” Mitch asked.

  “That Jade is telling the truth.”

  “Keep me posted, will you, Chief?”

  “You’ve got it,” he said and broke the connection.

  “Do you get a newspaper?” he asked Jade as he walked in from the deck and replaced the phone in his pocket.

  “No, I get all the bad news I want to see either on the TV or the Internet.”

  “How about the financial page? Don’t you have any investments?”

  “I have a money manager that takes care of all of that for me. I get a monthly statement, which tells me everything I need to know.”

  Mitch stood and began to clear off the table. After he carried everything into the kitchen, he rinsed the plates and silverware while Jade put away the leftovers. When he finished, he got out the makings for a hot fudge sundae.

  “Do you want one?” he asked, sure she would refuse.

  He was surprised when she said, “Just a small one. Hot fudge sundaes are my weakness.”

  He dished out the ice cream into two bowls, one small and one large, heated the chocolate syrup in the microwave, and opened cupboard doors until he found a bag of pecans.

  “You really know your way around a kitchen,” Jade said.

  “Comes from living alone for a lot of years.”

  “Haven’t you ever been married?”

  “Nope.”

  “Ever lived with anyone?”

  “Not since I left home, unless you want to call living in the barracks, living with someone.”

  “Let’s take these out on the deck and watch the sunset. It’s beautiful as the sun goes down over the ocean.”

  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?”

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sp; 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 follo
wed 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.”