Seams of Destruction

by Alene Anderson

  “Does he have a problem with flying in general or just flying to Europe?”

  “Just to Europe, for some reason.”

  “I have an idea,” Mitch said.

  “What?”

  “Let’s go for a walk and when we see a restaurant that looks good, we’ll stop in and have dinner.”

  “Okay. I’m ready. Just need to grab my bag.”

  “Give me your hand,” Mitch said when she returned.

  She was startled when he fastened a handcuff on her wrist.

  “Are you going out to eat alone?” she asked.

  He smiled at her humor. “No, but I do need to use the bathroom.”

  They strolled along Via della Spiga and once again Jade stopped at various store windows to look at the fashions displayed. They came to a restaurant that they both agreed looked inviting and went inside.

  They took their time looking at the menu. Jade chose an antipasti dish, Granseola in bella vista, which consisted of a lobster stuffed with chopped celery, carrots, onion and peppercorn with a dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and parsley. Mitch settled on spaghetti with shrimp, clams, and mussels.

  The waiter brought their entrees and sat them down in front of them. He asked if there would be anything else. They thanked him but said, “No.”

  “Bon appetite,” he said and left their table.

  They took turns tasting each other’s choices and agreed the restaurant had been a good pick. For dessert they had a small dish of lemon gelato with crisp cookies called baicolo.

  “Let’s talk about our trip to Venice,” Jade suggested. “When we get back to our suite I will call the hotel where we stayed when a group of us went to Venice.”

  “How long does it take to get there on the train?”

  “About two hours and fifteen minutes.”

  “I’m really looking forward to spending time in Venice. Are you going to take me on a gondola ride and have the gondolier sing to us?”

  Jade’s eyes lit up. “Do you want to? That will be fun. For some reason my friends and I didn’t do that when we went to Venice.”

  It was dark by the time they finished with their meal and headed back to the hotel. As they approached the Plaza Reale, there was a sudden swishing sound and fireworks exploded in the sky.

  Jade saw Mitch flinch.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  “Bad memories. For a minute it reminded me of my time in Afghanistan.”

  “Probably some sort of a celebration.”

  They stood at the edge of the crowd who exclaimed in enjoyment every time there was a new burst of fireworks. They watched until all was quiet and when the crowd dispersed, they headed to their hotel.

  “We should probably get to bed soon,” Jade suggested. “We will want to get up early and catch the train to Venice.”

  “Are we going to do our morning jog before we leave?”

  “We should. I find if I miss a morning, it’s easier to miss the next one and the next.”

  “Since we haven’t been able to do any other type of exercise, we should at least take our morning run.”

  Mitch told Jade goodnight and walked into his bedroom, leaving the door open. She knew it was to keep an eye on her so he wouldn’t have to handcuff her to the bed. She was grateful for that. Being forced to lay in the same position all night would not permit a good night’s rest. She went into her bedroom and shut the door.

  She was woken out of a sound sleep by shouting from Mitch. Startled, she jumped out of bed to see what was happening. She could hear him calling, “No, no,” over and over again. She went into his room and stared, concerned at what she saw.

  A lamp in the sitting room, which had been left on, gave enough light to see the man on the bed who was tossing and turning in a tangle of sheets. Realizing he was still asleep, she stepped to the side of the bed and gently shook him by one shoulder.

  Before she knew what was happening, his arm was around her neck and she was laying on her back on top of him. Startled, she tried to twist out of his hold, but he was too strong for her.

  “Mitch, it’s me, Jade,” she cried. “Please, let me go.”

  His arm dropped away from her neck and she rolled off of him, lying beside him.

  He stared at her out of sleep glazed eyes.

  “You were having a nightmare and I was just trying to wake you.”

  He was wide awake now. “Did I hurt you?”

  “No, but you certainly scared me.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “What were you dreaming about?”

  He stared at the ceiling without answering.

  “Tell me,” she urged.

  “I have this dream every once in a while. I’m back in Afghanistan and Chase goes into the building, which explodes and kills him.” He was silent as though remembering, and then added, “We never did find his body.”

  Jade turned on her side and put her arm over his broad chest. His body was damp from sweat. She reached up and smoothed his hair back from his forehead, finding no words of comfort.

  He closed his eyes and lay quietly beside her. Making no move to get up, Jade placed her hand over his heart and before long she felt the somehow hypnotic even rise and fall of his chest and she soon fell asleep.

  Mitch was surprised when he awoke the next morning to feel Jade cuddled up to his back with her arm thrown over his waist. For a minute he thought he was dreaming. Then the events of the night came back to him. He had had that nightmare again and she had come to wake him up. Thinking it was the enemy attacking him, he had grabbed her and pulled her down on top of him.

  When he was fully awake she had asked him about the dream and she had obviously stayed with him the rest of the night. He laid his hand on hers where it lay on his stomach. His touch awoke her and she stared sleepily at him. It appeared to take a few moments for her to orient herself. Her face flushed and she removed her arm and sat up.

  “The best night of sleep I’ve had in months.” He smiled at her. “Maybe you could start sleeping with me every night.”

  “Only when you have nightmares,” she said, and stood up on her side of the bed.

  “I haven’t had one of those in quite some time. It must have been the fireworks that set it off.”

  “Is it time to go for our run?” she asked.

  He glanced at his watch and nodded.

  “Let me get into my sweats,” she said.

  “Thanks, Jade,” he said as she left the room.

  She didn’t ask him what for.

  They left their hotel suite and headed for the street. After doing some warm up exercises, they started a slow jog on the brick walk leading away from the hotel. When they were satisfied they had put in enough time running, they stopped at a café for coffee and a pastry for Mitch and a tall glass of orange juice for Jade.

  They went back to the hotel and showered and packed their bags for the two days in Venice. Taking the underground to the train station, they bought their tickets out of a nearby vending machine. A few minutes later the train for Venice pulled into the station.

  They boarded the train and found a couple of seats where they could sit side-by-side. Mitch had brought his laptop along and he sat it up and turned it on. He was anxious to see if he had any e-mail from his brother.

  He was happy to hear the familiar words, “You’ve got mail.” He saw he did have one from Matt. He laughed as he read and Jade gave him a questioning look.

  “An e-mail from my brother,” he said.

  “Oh, read it to me.”

  Mitch glanced to the end of the e-mail, making sure Matt hadn’t said anything about Jade. He didn’t want her knowing he had written his brother about her. Matt hadn’t mentioned her, so Mitch began at the beginn
ing.

  “What a great e-mail,” Jade said, as he finished. “You and your brother are very close, aren’t you?”

  He nodded as he shut his laptop down. “Since there is only two years between us, we’ve always been very close.”

  “You’re lucky. I miss my sister. She was three years older than me, but we were good friends after I got into high school. We did a lot of things together. I was devastated when she was killed.”

  “What happened?”

  “A drunk driver. Of course, he wasn’t even hurt. He was charged with vehicular manslaughter and was sentenced to a few years in prison. But we heard he got out in two for good behavior.”

  Knowing nothing he said would help, he watched the passing scenery in silence. He had lost his father and Chase; she had lost her sister.

  No wonder she was so empathetic. She obviously knew what he was feeling.

  Jade got a book out of her bag to read, and Mitch continued to watch the sights that flew by. He enjoyed seeing the countryside with its farmhouses and barns. The architecture was European, different from what he saw in the states.

  He thought about the previous night when Jade had woken him from his nightmare. He could still feel her warm body pressed against his back. He had wanted to spend the rest of the day in bed with her, but he knew that wasn’t a possibility.

  Did the fact that she had slept with her arms around him all night mean anything, or was she only being kind?

  Chapter 6

  In his wildest imaginings, Mitch could never have dreamed he would be walking the streets of Venice with a beautiful fashion model.

  Jade’s eyes were shining with excitement as she grabbed his hand and pulled him through the crowds of people. The first thing she did was stop for a gelato. Mitch was not averse to having one and he willingly went into the store with her.

  “What’s first on our list of things to see?” Mitch asked as they came out of the store, his gelato in a cup with a tiny spoon and Jade’s in a cone.

  “I think we’ll walk for a while, so you get the feel of Venice with all its shops and its canals. Tonight we’ll go to the Piazza San Marco. There we can see St. Mark’s Basilica, Doges Palace and Torre dell’Orologio. Evening time is the best time to see the Basilica.”

  “I can guess what St. Mark’s and Doges Palace are by their names. But what is Torre dell’Orologio?”

  “It’s a clock tower, which was built in the late 1400s. Since it will be too far to walk from here we’ll take a vaporetto down the Grand Canal. After we reach the piazza, we can have dinner before we go to the Basilica. We won’t be able to go inside Doges Palace because you need tickets two days in advance to take the tour.”

  “Do you know some place we could eat lunch? I’m getting hungry,” Mitch complained.

  Jade laughed and hugged his arm.

  “Why am I not surprised?”

  “I know of a restaurant where they say they serve the best meatballs in Venice.”

  “Sounds good. Let’s go there.

  “Are you up for a walk or are you too weak from lack of food?” she teased.

  “I think I can handle it, but we might have to stop for another gelato.”

  “You’ll spoil your appetite.”

  He smiled down at her. “I don’t think that’s possible.”

  They walked along the street with its numerous shops on one side and a canal on the other. Mitch held Jade’s hand so as not to lose her in the crowds of people that thronged the streets. He picked out several different dialects as they passed various groups of tourists.

  They arrived at Ca’D’Oro and went inside where Jade led the way to a bar where people stood eating polpette, as the Italians called the meatballs.

  Jade placed their order, and Mitch paid for it. Rather than sitting at a table, they stood at the bar with the locals. After taking the first bite, Mitch had to agree, they were the best meatballs he had ever eaten. Jade ate only one meatball. Mitch wasn’t shy about eating the rest, although he offered her more.

  “When we leave here,” she said, “I’m going to treat you to the best gelato you’ve ever had.”

  “You’ll have to go some in order to top the ones I’ve already had,” he told her.

  They walked over to Boutique del Gelato for the gelato Jade had promised him. There was a long line waiting to be served, but Jade assured Mitch it was worth the wait.

  “What’s next on your tour?” He couldn’t help but notice, even in the crowd, Jade attracted a lot of attention with her height and beauty.

  “I’m going to take you to the Campanile.”

  “What is that? Another restaurant?”

  “I can’t believe you. All you think about is eating.”

  “Can you blame me? The food here in Italy is delicious. You have to admit we have nothing like it at home.”

  “When we get back to Milan, I’ll take you to McDonalds.”

  “McDonalds? I hate fast food.”

  “But McDonalds in Italy is different from any fast food you’ve ever eaten.”

  Mitch found that hard to believe, but he decided to take Jade’s word for it.

  “Campanile is the city’s tallest building. It is 325 feet high. We can take an elevator to the top. The view is wonderful because you can see all of Venice’s one hundred and sixty square miles.”

  It was finally their turn to be served and as they walked down the street with their gelatos, Mitch had to admit his was the best he had tasted so far.

  “Since we only have today and tomorrow, we will have to plan our time so we can do everything on our list,” Jade told him.

  “What else is on our list?”

  “We’ll get a taste of the Grand Canal when we take a vaporetto to the Piazza San Marco this evening. Tomorrow we’ll take a gondola ride and go shopping. There are some wonderful shops here. If your brother is going to get married, we could shop for a gift for him and Amanda. That was her name, wasn’t it?”

  Mitch assured her that it was. “What a great idea. I’ve heard Venice is famous for its glassware. Maybe we could find a nice piece. I don’t know about Amanda but I’m sure Matt would like having a souvenir from Italy.”

  Mitch was impressed with the view they saw from the Campanile. After they walked back out on the street, they saw a shop nearby serving gelato’s so at Jade’s suggestion, they stopped in for another one.

  “If you don’t quit eating gelatos,” Mitch said. “You’re not going to fit into the dresses for the next fashion show.”

  “They’re not fattening.”

  He gave her a stern look and she giggled.

  She hugged his arm. “I love being with you. It helps me forget I’m a suspect in a murder and I might be facing a term in prison if they don’t find the real killer.”

  Against his better judgement, Mitch put his arm around her and pulled her close. “They’re going to find the person who did it.”

  Jade knew she had told Mitch the truth when she said she enjoyed being with him. He made her feel safe and she almost believed him when he said they would find the person who had killed Reannan.

  Shaking off the depressing thought of the events which had happened a few days before they left Los Angeles, she concentrated on the stores they passed.

  “Oh, let’s go into this shop,” she exclaimed. “I want to get one of those carnival masks.”

  Mitch turned to see what she was pointing at. A model of a man and woman dressed in costume as though ready to attend a ball stood in the window surrounded by a variety of masks. The costumes were both made of off-white material with wide gold trim. They were topped by hats of the same color along with matching masks. He followed Jade into the store, where she sorted through a counter of masks until she found one she wanted.

 
Walking out of the store, Jade was glad when Mitch put his arm around her waist again. Switching her bag to the other hand, she put an arm around his waist. Her heart did a little stutter as he smiled down at her.

  Was it just being in Venice, or was there a special feeling developing between them? She hoped he would feel the same way about her when they returned to Los Angeles. But then she remembered she was a suspect in Reannan’s murder and the warm feeling immediately evaporated.

  Whatever was going on between the two of them, she decided she would enjoy it while she could. He wouldn’t want her if she ended up in prison. She had to smile at the black humor of a cop visiting his girlfriend in jail. In fact, a cop who had helped put her there.

  “I know you’re wondering about dinner,” Jade said, trying to keep a straight face.

  “You’re a mind reader.”

  “I know a nice place along the canal where we’ll have dinner after we see the Basilica.”

  For Mitch, his first view of the Basilica would be an unforgettable experience. The mosaics on the front of the building glowed in the light from the setting sun. He complimented Jade on getting them there just at the right time.

  When they went inside she told him it would take a lifetime to see all the treasures that were entombed within its walls. Mitch felt dazed by all the beauty he saw. It was hard for him to leave the gold altar piece, decorated with amethysts, emeralds, pearls, rubies, sapphires, and topaz. He had never seen anything like it and he had a feeling he never would again.

  They left the Basilica and walked toward the canal and turned along beside the water until they came to a restaurant with tables covered in white table cloths sitting along the edge of the canal. A glass jar with a brightly burning candle sat in the center of each table.