Band of Gold

Band of Gold

by Marissa S. James

Published by

Melange Books, LLC

White Bear Lake, MN 55110

www.melange-books.com

Band of Gold, Copyright 2014 by Marissa St. James

ISBN: 978-1-61235-783-6

Names, characters, and incidents depicted in this book are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author or the publisher. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Published in the United States of America.

Cover Design by Lynsee Lauritsen

BAND OF GOLD

by Marissa St. James

Derek Michael's job as assistant district attorney hasn't been an easy one and ultimately cost him his marriage. His wife, Erin, vanished after running out of their house and no trace was found except for Derek’s submerged car.

Now, six years later, another woman of Derek's acquaintance has vanished and Derek is once again the prime suspect. Who is trying to set him up and can the police solve the case before another woman disappears?

Table of Contents

Band of Gold

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

About the Author

Previews

Chapter One

The treacherous rain did nothing Derek Michaels’ mood. Correction. It soured it even worse than it already was. The rubber-edged blades couldn’t keep up with the rain and left streaks that impeded vision. He leaned over the steering wheel and took his foot of the gas. The car slowed to a roll as he approached the house then parked parallel to the porch. The wipers moved back and forth across the windshield, their slow glide almost mesmerizing. Derek blinked before he switched off the ignition. The windshield wipers slowed and finally stopped. Water ran down the glass in a continuous sheet, further distorting the view beyond.

Releasing a sigh of frustration he stared at the front door, reluctant to go in. It wasn’t the idea of getting wet—again—that bothered him so much. When he’d left for work this morning, he and Erin had said things that at least he regretted. If he knew his wife—and he was beginning to wonder about that—once he went into the house there was, undoubtedly, going to be another argument. There was really no point in hesitating. Sooner or later he’d have to face her and listen to her rant about their current situation. Derek gripped his briefcase then paused a moment to look out the side window at the hard rain. Sometimes he wondered if the aggravation of the job was worth the strain on their marriage.

He pulled up his suit jacket collar, got out of the car, and slammed the door closed before making a mad dash to the house to avoid getting soaked. It wouldn’t have been a problem if Erin had left the umbrella he kept under the seat for days like this. She had a thing about not leaving anything in a car that didn’t belong, including umbrellas. He wished she’d keep that obsession confined to her own vehicle. Bad enough this storm had popped up out of nowhere. It might be early summer but the rain was still cold. A lock of his dark hair dripped water into one eye. Thanks, honey, I really needed this to make my day.

Derek reached the porch then turned quickly and pressed the button on his key tag to lock the car and set the alarm. Facing the front door again he realized it was open slightly. He paused. Had someone been here looking for him? He cautiously entered, looking and listening while he closed the door behind him. He heard the latch catch. Everything else was quiet. Too quiet. Derek left his keys and briefcase on the table near the door, then toed off his wet shoes and left them beside the table. He took the next couple moments to listen carefully for normal sounds in the house. At first the rain pounding against the siding blotted out everything else. The radio in the kitchen was on. The station was playing some melancholy, romantic tune he didn’t recognize. An archway separated the two rooms on the main floor but he couldn’t see anyone from where he paused. Derek removed his suit jacket and shook it out as he made his way through the living room and entered the kitchen in the back of the house. He pulled his shirt away from his chest, not liking the the cold dampness against his skin. A slightly amusing thought flitted through his mind. He’d have to learn to run faster.

Erin was alone, but seemed fine, if a little nervous. She leaned against the kitchen counter, a glass of wine in her hand. He thought she was trying too hard to look relaxed and failing miserably. It made him wonder just how much she’d had to drink. Another thought hit him, one he preferred not to believe. Could someone have been there and left before he arrived? If anyone had been at the house, they would have had to pass him on the road but there was no traffic in this weather. Even if they had traveled in the opposite direction, the road dead-ended about a quarter mile further on. You either went back to the city or ended up in the woods. Whichever way, woods or traffic could be a jungle of sorts.

Well? she asked by way of a blunt greeting.

Well, what? If he’d made a bet with himself before entering the house, he would have won. Derek heard the sarcasm in her voice so he knew what was coming. She wasn’t making any attempt to hide it but somehow this felt different. They’d been over this so many times he’d lost count.

He draped his jacket over the back of a chair, got a glass from the cabinet, and poured himself some wine from the bottle sitting on the granite countertop. He set the glass on the table and plopped into one of the chairs. Derek ignored the fact he should have gone directly upstairs to change into some dry clothes He was bone tired and chilled and realized a lot of it was due to his reluctance to come home to another battle of words.

Did you tell your boss you can’t prosecute the case?

Derek knew at the moment he didn’t look much like a successful up-and-coming assistant district attorney. Getting ready for work this morning he had noticed the gray hairs threading their way through the dark hair at his temples. He’d lost a bit of weight and was definitely looking older than his thirty-three years. Sooner or later the law and the stress it evoked did that to a person, especially when there was the temptation to look the other way. Take a bribe. That wasn’t the sort of man he was.

He gave his wife a dark look. And so it began. Again. An odd thought flittered through his mind. Maybe in one of those law books of his was a statue stating if you went into law enforcement you couldn’t marry. He must have skipped class the day they taught that lesson. The law, no matter what part of it you worked, proved to be hell on relationships. He’d told her, before they were married, what he did for a living. She also knew his goals. She’d had the option then to back out of the relationship. Of course not. Why would I want to do that? he replied then sipped the dark liquid, felt the building warmth in his stomach. It made him feel a little better, at least for the moment.

There were three more calls today. They said if you didn’t back off, you’d be sorry, you’d pay a high price.

You know I can’t back off, Erin. If I dropped a case every time I got a threat I’d be out of a job. He paused to look up at her. Is that what you want? Maybe you’d be happier if I just quit altogether. There was no mistaking the sarcasm in his voice.

No, of course I don’t want you to quit, but these threatening calls... You’re not the one getting them. They scare me, Derek.

I can have someone in the department trace the calls but I can’t do much more than that. From what you’ve told me about the others, the callers have never really made any serious threats and I can’t have someone arrested on innuendos. Once this case goes to court, everything will be made public and that should put an end to the problem. That wasn’t quite all the truth. Making a case public didn’t always put an end to the danger. Sometimes it escalated the situation. Derek rose from his seat and moved to stand before Erin. He reached out to his wife, took the glass from her hand, and set it on the counter. He wanted to hold her, to know she stood with him, supported him in his bid to get all the facts together and get the case to trial. This case could help build his political future. Change their lifestyle for the better. It might get them that country club membership she’d been wanting. Maybe that would give her something of her own to concentrate on and get her mind off his work. He wasn’t happy about the threats but it went with the territory. The sooner she understood that the better she’d deal with it.

You don’t think those calls are serious enough to do anything about?

Not yet, anyway, he thought. He read the tension in her body. The dark circles beneath her eyes attested to the fact she’d had little sleep lately. Her short blonde hair stuck out as if she’d been frequently running her fingers through it. Her sleeveless pink blouse was wrinkled and the bottom hem hung over the waistband of her jeans when she always tucked it in. She no longer looked the fastidious woman she always insisted on being. It wasn’t like her to not be particular about her appearance.

What had she been up to all day? Did someone come by I should know about? It was a broad hint, a blunt question, a way to change the subject. At the same time he felt a grain of guilt. Someone could have been here and left in plenty of time to not be seen. Yet, he’d never seen hints of behavior that said he should distrust his wife. The door was open when I came in, he added finally, after taking another sip from his glass. The warmth slid down his throat warming him as it went.

"You won’t consider our safety, my safety out here, but you’re quick with the accusations, she charged back. For your information I was outside just before the storm broke. A bolt of lightning startled the life out of me. Then the thunder sounded like an explosion from somewhere on the main road. I guess I didn’t quite close the door when I came rushing back inside."

Derek had the good grace to look embarrassed over the unspoken accusation. Yet, thinking about it, the storm had moved in shortly after noontime and barely let up since. A long time to notice the door being open. He didn’t like where his