Uncorked (17 page)

“Stack of images. Numerous
pictures of corpses – a woman, naked and mutilated. Ms. Noon’s face was
photoshopped on the body.”

“Was it opened? She hasn’t
mentioned anything about it.”

“No.”

Mitch sighed at the thought of
telling her. Just another thing to upset her all in one day.

“Look, you two need to keep an
extremely low profile over the next few days. Every time this guy strikes, he
uses more force. Stay off the roads. Don’t leave your residence if you can help
it.”

“Okay. Thanks for all your help.
I appreciate it,” Mitch responded, shaking the detective’s hand.

“We’ll chat later.”

When Mitch arrived
at the penthouse, he knocked on
the door to Chella’s room and poked his head in. She had dozed off. As he
pulled the door shut, she woke up.

“Mitch.”

“Hey, I didn’t mean to wake you.
I’m back.”

“That’s okay. I wanted to talk to
you, anyway, when you returned.”

“Sure, what’s up?” He walked into
the room and sat next to her on the bed.

“Thank you for taking me in.
Again.”

“Thank you for not fighting me on
it.”

“Mitch, I’m sorry I hurt you
earlier tonight. I feel like I had no other choice.”

“You do. You can trust me to
handle this with you.”

“Can you promise me you won’t get
hurt?”

“In this situation there are no
guarantees.”

“Then based on that statement you
can understand why I feel like I’m left with no choice. You getting hurt or
killed is not a chance I’m willing to take. When you feel responsible for
causing someone’s death, you can never live with yourself.”

“You say that like you’re talking
from experience.”

“If it weren’t for me, my parents
would still be alive.”

“Chella, what are you talking
about? Your parents were killed in a car accident. How about it being the fault
of the idiot that ran the red light?”

“You know where we were coming
from when the accident happened? A counseling session with me.”

“How does that make you
responsible for their death?”

“I invited Aaron into our lives.
I was stupid enough to have unprotected sex with him and get pregnant. If none
of that had happened, there would be no need for us to be on the road that
Saturday morning. They would be playing golf as usual, and I would be at home
and none of this would have ever happened. They’d still be here.”

“You can’t take responsibility
for that. You were seventeen—a child. There was no way you could have known
your relationship with Aaron could have turned out that way.”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s my
fault. I don’t ever want to make that mistake again.”

“Do you realize how irrational
you sound?”

“Do I? Maybe before you realize
just how screwed up I am, you should run.”

“Chella, I’m serious.”

“As I grew older, I realized that
some of these thoughts were crazy, but there still is a part of me that will
always feel like I played a role in their death. That’s why I can’t have you
involved in this mess.”

“If Aaron weren’t causing all
this misery, would you want me in your life?”

“Yes.”

“Well, let’s start there. Chella,
you have to start letting go. We can do this together.”

“But what if you get hurt or
killed? I would hate myself forever if anything happened to you. Not only would
I lose you, but Emily would lose her dad, and I know how painful that is. I
could never put her through that.”

“For once in your life could you
just be selfish?”

“Not when it comes to an innocent
child.”

“Maybe you and I need to sit and
plan life after Aaron Stewart is arrested.”

“I’ve never made long-term plans
that involved another human being before,” she replied, smiling.

“It’s time you start. Come on,
you’ve had a rough day. It’s time you go to bed.”

“One more thing.”

“What’s that?”

“I have to tell Craig what’s been
going on.”

“Not that I’m against it, but why
now?”

“Tonight really scared me. I feel
like I’ve been taking too many chances. If I’m going to keep a low profile,
that means staying away from work for more than a day or two at a time, at
least until Aaron’s arrested. The mail room and security should monitor
anything coming into the building.”

“I could think of better
circumstances for me to meet the famous Craig Spencer, but I’ll have to settle
for this one I guess. Did you want to call him now?”

“No, he’d only worry and not get
a good night’s rest. I’ll call him when I get up tomorrow.”

“Why am I not surprised by your
response? Can I get you anything else before I leave?”

“No, thanks. By the way, did my
computer survive?”

“No. They’re going to see if they
can pull anything off it, but Detective Carter says in the condition it was in,
he doubts they will be able to retrieve anything. I’m sorry.”

“No worries. I have most things
backed up, but the work I did on Friday afternoon will be lost.”

“Try not to think about that now.
You’ve had an unbelievable day.”

“So have you. Are you okay?”

“Just tired. Nothing sleep can’t
fix. I’ll leave your phone right here. Call me if you need anything.”

“I really don’t know how else to
say thank you.”

“I do,” he said, laughing. “I’ll
tell you how when I’m ready to collect. Now get to bed.” He kissed her lightly
on her lips, pulled the cover to her chin, dimmed the lights, and turned in to
bed himself.

The following morning
Chella awoke in much discomfort.

As if Mitch had her on his radar,
he knocked on the door right then.

“Good morning. I brought you some
breakfast. How do you feel?” Mitch asked, setting the bed tray filled with an
array of goodies nearby.

“Uncomfortable and in pain.”

“That’s because it’s time to take
your medication and clean those burns. Open.” He said, holding the pills in his
fingers above her mouth, then brought the straw from the glass of water to her
lips.

“Thank you.”

“I wasn’t sure what you’d want to
eat. I have lots for you to choose from here.”

“I’m not very hungry. Probably
just some of those yummy eggs. Thanks.”

“Can you manage with your left
hand, or do you need help?”

“If you hand it to me, I think I
can manage.”

“Are you sure that’s all you
want?”

“Yes, thank you. Maybe some
orange juice and more water.”

“Okay. I’ll put the rest of this
food away. Be back in a minute,” he said, carrying the tray away.

He returned a while later with a
batch of clean towels and a bowl of water. She had finished eating and he
handed her the orange juice. When she was done, he carefully removed the
bandages from her fingers and hand, all the way to her wrist. She noticed how
diligently he worked, concentrating on even the slightest move he made. He took
a clean, white towel that had been soaking in cold water and cleaned her
wounds.

“Have you done this before?”

“Maybe.”

“Perhaps you should reconsider
your profession.”

“That good, huh?”

“Immm hmmm. You’re very good with
your hands.”

“Chella Noon, are you flirting
with me?”

She smiled at him, leaned over,
and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you so much for doing this. I really
appreciate it.”

He finished applying the
antibiotic cream then gently covered the burns with gauze.

“You should be back to normal in
no time.”

“Were you a nurse or paramedic in
your past life?”

“When I first went to college, I
had every intention of becoming a doctor. During my school breaks, I interned
at hospitals and health clinics.”

“Why did you change your major?”

“One summer I couldn’t get work
at any of the hospitals or clinics, but I was able to get a job with a
commercial real estate company. There I met my mentor. I realized I liked that
better. Besides, after a few accidents and seeing death close-up, I realized it
wasn’t something I wanted to experience on a daily basis.”

“So I learned something new about
you today.”

“I guess so. Anything else?”

“What time can I ask Craig to
come over?”

“Whenever you like.”

“If I know him, he’ll be here
within minutes of me calling.”

“Would you like me to brush your
hair before you call him?”

“You did an internship at a
salon, too?”

“No, silly. I have a daughter,”
he said, picking up the brush off the nearby table. “Who do you think combs her
hair when she comes to visit?”

“You’re an awesome dad.”

“Thank you. Someday you’d make an
awesome mom.”

“In my dreams…”

“There are ways.”

“I suppose you’re right, but
let’s save this conversation for another day.”

“Like when we discuss life after
Aaron Stewart is arrested?”

“Sure. Thanks for doing my hair,”
she said after he’d set her brush on the bedside table. “You braid better than
I do.”

“You’re welcome. Why don’t you
get some more rest before you call Craig?”

“I’m tired, but I’m eager to get
this out of the way. I’m a little nervous about telling him.”

“Why?”

“There’s so much I’ve kept from
him for so long. He’s supposed to be the closest thing I have to family. I’m
afraid he’ll be angry with me.”

“If he’s anything close to how
you described him, he might be, but it won’t be for long.”

“I hope you’re right. I don’t
want to shock him when he gets here. I’ll tell him I had an accident so he
won’t expect me to be doing cartwheels.”

“That might be a good idea. Do
you want to stay in here?”

“No, I’ll come outside. Can you
get me one of my dresses please?”

“Long or short?”

“Long.”

“Would like some help out of that
t-shirt and into that dress?” he flirted.

“No, thank you,” she smiled. “I
think I’ve got this one under control.”

Half an hour
later, the landline rang. Chella
knew it must have been the concierge calling to say Craig had arrived. She had
just finished brushing her teeth. She double-checked herself in the mirror to
make sure she looked okay—as okay as one could get with a nasty bruise on her
head and all the cuts and stiches on her arms.

She walked out in time to hear
the elevator door chime open. Mitch came out of his room to be with her. When
the doors opened and Craig saw Chella, he stepped out and immediately opened
his arms. “God, Chella. What happened to you? You look like you’re recuperating
from war.”

“Well, it wasn’t far from it.
First, I want you to meet Mitch Mariani. Mitch, this is Craig Spencer.”

“Have we met?” Craig asked.

“I think we have. The Heartly’s
Christmas cocktail party at their Rancho Santa Fe home last year.”

“Oh, yes, that’s right. You’re a
commercial real estate investor.”

“That’s correct. I think I’ll
leave you two alone.”

“I’d like you to stay,” Chella
replied.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes,” she replied.

“Then can I get either of you
anything before we sit?” Mitch asked.

“Coffee for me, please,” Chella
said.

“I’ll have the same,” said Craig.
“Chella, you’ve been keeping secrets from me.”

“Let’s go inside. We have a lot
to talk about.”

“This sounds serious.”

“It is.”

“The view up here is stunning.”

“Thanks,” Mitch responded.

“So Chella, I sense you’re
nervous about telling me something. What’s going on?” Craig asked as he sat on
the couch.

“I’ve had this ongoing problem
with an ex.”

“What ex, Chella? In all the time
I’ve known you, you’ve always appeared to be single.”

“That’s true, but this goes way
back to before Mom and Dad died. I’ve been stalked and harassed by this man for
over ten years. The last time I was away from work, it wasn’t because I had
pneumonia. It was because, after a year and a half, he found me again. In the
last few weeks, Mitch’s business and car have been vandalized, I’ve moved
twice, I’ve been bitten by a scorpion intentionally placed in my room, and last
night I opened my mail, and it exploded. I’m sure I might have left out one or
two incidents, but those were the highlights.”