Chapter 49

Xander

Going over the details for our next tour sucked balls, mostly because I wasn’t looking forward to leaving Cami for nearly three months. I could fly back between some shows, but it wouldn’t be the same. Karma was biting me in the ass for making fun of my friends when they’d been missing the women in their lives. Now, I was going to be in the same position.

Cami wasn’t officially my girlfriend, but we were dating. We didn’t just get together for sex and cooking lessons. We went to movies, clubs, and sometimes we just hung out and watched television at home.

Mitch was keeping his distance, for the most part. He’d sent flowers to her office once in the last week, but that was it. As far as I was concerned, he was still acting like a sicko stalker, but the police had cleared him in Cami’s fall. It was frustrating that the police had yet to make an arrest, but nothing else had happened, so it could have been an isolated incident.

I was finally meeting with the private investigator to get his report on Mitch. It had taken longer than I would have liked, but I’d expected that. Calvin Jamison was a well-respected private investigator with a long client list.

As I walked into his office, Calvin stood to shake my hand. “How are you doing today, Mr. Marsh?”

“Good,” I replied. “How about you?”

“As well as can be expected,” he replied with a smile. “I have your full report, including criminal records. There is a sealed juvenile file I wasn’t able to access. Would you like me to go over the highlights? Or would you prefer to read through it on your own?”

“I’d appreciate you going through the highlights,” I told him, looking at the large file on his desk.

He first handed me a flash drive before opening the folder. “Everything is also on there, in case you want an electronic copy. I know younger people prefer that. As for me, I’m still a paper man.”

“This is perfect.” I slipped the flash drive into my pocket.

“Davis Abram Mitchell Jr. goes by Mitch,” Calvin began as he skimmed the report. “He grew up in the Bay Area and attended school in Orinda until he was expelled his junior year.”

“Why was he expelled?” I asked.

“Assault with a deadly weapon,” Calvin replied. “The school district paid Mitch’s parents a hefty sum to settle a lawsuit out of court. I was able to find a few old news articles on the incident, and it seems he threw a stapler at a teacher when he found out the teacher was sleeping with a student. The student in question was Mitch’s girlfriend.”

“A stapler?” I asked. “They considered a stapler a deadly weapon?”

“I had the same thought, but it could kill someone under the right circumstances,” Calvin replied. “I assume this is what his juvenile record was about.”

That didn’t give me enough to think he was a psycho who’d try to hurt Cami. There were plenty of teens who were hot-tempered enough to throw a stapler at a teacher who was sleeping with their girlfriend.

“Back then, he was going by Davis,” Calvin explained. “He started going by Mitch after high school, and I’m sure it had to do with the notoriety he gained as a teen.

“Notoriety for throwing a stapler?” I asked with a laugh.

“There were some who labeled him a hero,” Calvin explained. “After Mitch’s expulsion, he and his family fought to get the teacher fired for his inappropriate relationship with a student. Mitch’s girlfriend at the time even changed her tune and called Mitch her hero for standing up for her. She claimed the teacher used his authority to pressure her into a sexual relationship.”

“So, Mitch wasn’t a complete dick,” I mused.

“Not according to the articles written on him. After high school, Mitch started working at his father’s company. Unlike most kids who get jobs from their rich parents, it seems Mitch worked his ass off to quickly move up the ladder with no help from his dad. He married his high school sweetheart a year after graduation.”

“Is he still married?” I asked.

“No.” Calvin pulled out the next document. “They’ve been divorced for seven years. Mitch was arrested shortly before they separated and charged with assault.”

“He beat his wife?” I asked.

“He pled no contest to the assault charge and served no time,” Calvin explained. “After it happened, Mitch insisted his wife had tried to stab him, and he was defending himself. I guess she was a very sympathetic witness. There’s a lot of information about this case, mostly because about six months later, Mitch’s wife broke two of his ribs with a baseball bat before also smashing his windshield. She didn’t handle the divorce well.”

I hated that I felt a little sorry for Mitch. “I hope she went to jail.”

“She did,” Calvin replied. “She’s out now, and Mitch still has an active restraining order against her.”

“Do you have pictures of her in the file?” I asked, figuring it couldn’t hurt to make sure Cami watched out for her. It sounded like the bitch was batshit crazy.

“Sure do.” Calvin pulled out a photo and slid it across the desk. “All of Mitch’s criminal problems involve his ex-wife. I’m not convinced he’s a danger to your friend.”

“Did you find anything that could explain why he’s so obsessed with Cami?” I asked.

“According to his secretary, who loves to gossip, Mitch’s father is pushing for him to get married and threatening to leave the company to his brother if Mitch doesn’t find a wife,” Calvin explained. “Mitch told his father he planned to marry Cami. I guess he was hoping to make it work.”

Cami would hate being a corporate wife, but Mitch was a dick who’d just been looking out for himself. I still hated the asshole less now that I knew he likely wasn’t a psychotic dick.

“Thanks for all you’ve done.” I stood and held out a hand to him.

He rose and took my hand. “Any time.”

As I headed out of the office, I was annoyed that there were still no answers about who’d caused Cami’s fall. The possibility that she might be hurt again made it even harder to think about being away for months. If anything happened to her, I’d never forgive myself.

I was about to call Cami to tell her what I’d learned when I noticed an urgent text from my sister. With a grin, I headed out to the car. It seemed I was going to be babysitting my nephews.