Seams of Destruction by Alene Anderson

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 didn’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