Death by Betrayal (Book #10 in the Caribbean Murder series) (8 page)

“Oh
yeah,” said Frank, rubbing his face.

“It’s
not going to do you any good to turn this on me now,” Cindy saw right through
Frank. “Ann’s death had nothing to do with me.”

“Did
I say it did? Ever? You just asked me what made her upset? She was worried
about you, that’s all that I said. In fact, she visited you right before she
came down. She met you at the airport, didn’t she?”

“Yes,”
said Cindy in a small voice.

“It
was more important to her to pick you up at the airport than to have an extra
day down here with me,” Frank blurted out.

Cindy
ran her hand through her long, wavy hair, trying to take the tangles out of it.

“Maybe
if your sister came down a day sooner this wouldn’t have happened?” Frank’s
voice suddenly grew loud and unruly.

 “Or
maybe she would have died a day earlier?” Cindy shot back, feeling a wave of
hatred for her brother in law run through every cell of her body.

Frank
caught himself then and stopped talking. “Look, I’m sorry, Cindy,” he said
finally. “You and I never got along so great. But I’m sorry for what I said.
I’m grateful to you, I really am.”

“You
were the last one who saw Ann before she died, Frank,” Cindy responded
professionally.

“You
know something, even though you don’t know you know it. It’s not conscious,
you’re not aware. I have to dig in and ask questions like this to bring it to
your mind.”

“Go
ahead, ask questions,” he said sadly.

“How
were things between you and Ann?” Cindy went on.

“They
were good, they were fine,” said Frank. “We were married a long time, I took
good care of her.”

“Why
were you taking this vacation, out of the blue?” Cindy persisted.

“It
wasn’t out of the blue. We always talked about getting away together for a few
days. I wanted to make her happy, make the time special for her.”

“That’s
why you bought her yellow tulips?” asked Cindy.

Frank
grew quiet. “Who told you that?” he was surprised.

“I’m
investigating the case,” Cindy responded, “details like that catch my eye.”

“What
in hell have the yellow tulips got to do with anything?” Frank asked,
nervously.

“You
tell me!” said Cindy.

“Ann
loved yellow tulips, I bought them for her,” his eyes looked glassy. “So what’s
the big deal?”

“Who
could have wanted her dead, Frank? Think! Tell me!” Cindy’s voice got louder
and fiercer.

“I
don’t know, I don’t know,” his head fell into his hands then and he started to
sob again.Cindy watched him sob for a few moments, and decided it was enough
for now. “I need to look through your computer, Frank. Is that okay with you?”

His
head shot up like lightening. “What the hell are you talking about? Certainly
not!”

“No?”
Cindy was shocked.

“Listen,
I loved Ann, I had nothing to do with this. You’re insulting me, invading my
privacy, even invading Ann’s privacy – asking for her secrets.”

“I
need the password to your computer,” Cindy paid no attention to his rant.

“Well,
you’re not getting it on principal,” Frank jumped up and stamped his foot on
the ground. “I’ve been through enough, shamed, humiliated and questioned
enough. Have some respect for me, I’m the one who lost my wife. I lost the most
precious person in the world.” Then his head dropped down again and he started
sobbing again.

Despite
herself Cindy felt sorry for him. Frank didn’t really know what he was saying.
He was in a fog, and she knew it. Cindy also felt strongly that he had nothing
to do with Ann’s death. She wanted to explain that she only wanted to scan his
computer to find details he was not aware of. It wasn’t because she suspected
him. But it was clear at the moment that he could not hear anything.

Cindy
relented. “We can go upstairs now,” she said to Frank. “And, soon Mattheus is
coming down to join the investigation, he’ll be a big help, believe me.”

Frank’s
head shot up out of his hands and he stopped sobbing immediately.

 “Mattheus?
I thought you guys were finished?”

“I
never said that,” Cindy objected.

“Ann
told me you and Mattheus had broken up and she was as happy about it as could
be. She said you were taking a job at a paper in New York.”

“That’s
what Ann wanted for me,” Cindy replied. “I never told her Mattheus and I were
over, just that we were taking a break.”

“A
break, a break,” Frank muttered as the two of them pushed back their chairs and
got up to leave. “How many times now have you guys taken a break?”

“What’s
it to you, Frank? Cindy turned on him fiercely.

“Nothing,
nothing,” he lifted his hands in front of his face. “It’s none of my business,
it’s your business – and I’m leaving it that way.”

The
minute they got to the front of the hotel, Cindy and Frank parted. Frank went
up to join Cindy’s mother and uncles, and Cindy went to get a cab to take her
to the airport.  Mattheus’s plane would be arriving in a couple of hours and
she wanted to get there early and wait. Cindy couldn’t think of anywhere else
in the world she’d rather be than getting ready to see Mattheus again.

      
Cindy sat alone at the airport, looking out at the gorgeous expanse of evening
sky. She had plenty of time before the plane was due, and liked it that way. It
was oddly relaxing to watch the silver planes catch the sun’s last rays as they
slowly descended over the airport. From her vantage point they looked like huge
birds, coming home to nest.

Cindy
ran through her hair as she waited and flipped through a magazine. Of course it
was impossible to concentrate on anything. What would it be like to see
Mattheus again? Would they ever have reunited if Ann hadn’t been killed? From
time to time Cindy shivered, thinking of what her sister must have gone
through. But she couldn’t let her imagination run wild, it would de-stabilize
her even further. Cindy wouldn’t be absolutely certain what had taken place until
the medical examiner’s report came in. She would wait for that and focus on
what was in front of her now.

As
she reviewed what had gone on so far, Cindy felt upset about her talk with
Frank, had expected more cooperation. But Frank had always been standoffish and
critical of her. He must have taken offense when Cindy asked for Ann’s secrets,
thought she was snooping. Frank had never really accepted the fact that Cindy
was a professional detective. It would be better to let Mattheus deal with him.

Cindy
looked at her watch. There was still about an hour to go before Mattheus’s
plane landed. She got up, went to a nearby counter, got a cup of coffee and quick
sandwich and ate it standing up. Then she checked the boards to see if his
flight was on time. It was not only one time, but scheduled to land a few
minutes early.

Cindy
tossed the coffee cup into a garbage can, went over to the large windows overlooking
the landing field, and pressed her face against the glass. Hurry, Mattheus,
hurry, she whispered as she felt his plane drawing closer and closer.

Just
as expected, a few minutes before arrival time Mattheus’s plane landed safely.
Cindy immediately ran to the gate, scanning the passengers fervently, amazed at
how badly she wanted to see him.

When
Mattheus finally walked off the plane, in his familiar khakis and jacket, Cindy
ran straight to him without a second’s hesitation. Mattheus also spotted her
immediately and pushed through the line to reach her. When they got to each
other they instantly hugged.

“My
God, Cindy, my God,” Mattheus murmured.

“Thank
you for coming, thank you,” she whispered, dropping her head onto his shoulder.
With Mattheus at her side, Cindy could finally begin to let go.

“Why
didn’t you call me instantly?” he pulled away slightly, so he could look at her
face.

“I
couldn’t,” she whispered.

“That’s
awful,” he replied. “I’m horrified.”

“You’re
here now though,” Cindy looked up into his beautiful, familiar eyes.

“There’s
no other place in the world I could ever be at a time like this,” he replied. “No
other place I’d ever want to be.”

Cindy
took his face between her hands, and held it close to hers. She wanted to say,
I love you, Mattheus, but would not let herself, yet.

“God
bless you, Mattheus,” she murmured instead.

“God
bless both of us,” he replied.

*

After
stopping off to pick up Mattheus’s luggage the two of them headed back to the
hotel. To Cindy’s delight there’d been a room available for him down the hall
from hers. She sat close to Mattheus in the taxi, but didn’t say a word.

“I’m
sorry, I’m sorry,” he kept repeating, as the taxi wound its way through the
beautiful island. That was all Cindy needed to hear. There would be plenty of
time for filling him in later. There was no need to say anything else. Right
now all she needed was the comfort of having him close by.

*

Mattheus
checked in and the two of them had dinner brought up to his room. Cindy
couldn’t bring herself to go into details and Mattheus couldn’t bring himself
to ask. They ate slowly, making small talk about the weather and the flight. Mattheus
said it was shocking to realize again and again how incredibly beautiful Cindy
was. He’d missed her. Cindy smiled a bit then and said she’d forgotten how
handsome he was, too.

 “Are
we the only ones here connected to the case?” Mattheus finally asked as they
were sipping their after dinner coffee.

It
was a good opening and Cindy decided to take it. “My mother and uncles have
rooms on the sixth floor,” she replied, “and, of course, Frank is here as well.”

 “Frank
and Ann came down here together on vacation?” Mattheus was gently trying to get
the background picture.

“Yes,”
Cindy replied quietly. “Ann was killed in their room, in the late afternoon.”

“Awful,”
Mattheus uttered, taking a long, ragged breath. “Hard to imagine -.”

“Frank
has been held by the police for questioning,” Cindy continued, glad to be
finally talking about it.

“Because
he was the last one to see her alive?” Mattheus probed.

“Right,”
said Cindy. “In fact, he was just released on bail into my custody. He doesn’t
have a decent alibi. He said he went swimming in the hotel pool at the time or
the murder, but no one saw him there.”

“How
is that possible?” Mattheus mused. “There are so many people at the hotel, someone
had to have seen him.”

“Maybe
they did and we just don’t know about it, yet. But, not having an alibi is not
a good enough reason to hold him.” Cindy was surprised that she had such a
strong urge to defend Frank.

Mattheus
put his hand on Cindy’s arm. “Why are we talking about this now, anyway? How could
you have possibly dealt with all this alone?”

“I’ve
had support from the police,” said Cindy, especially Trage, the Chief. He knows
you’re coming, thought it was a good idea. I’ll introduce you to him.”

“Fine,”
said Mattheus , relieved. “I plan to work with the force closely, and also have
some connections of my own. I’ve contacted them already. We’ll find the killer,
Cindy. Believe me, I promise.”

Cindy
felt grateful to hear that. She knew it was true. They would find the killer,
it was inevitable.

“You
probably need to take a back seat now- rest more,” Mattheus looked at Cindy lovingly.
“You don’t even realize what’s hit you yet. Ann was half sister, half mother.”

“I
can’t rest,” Cindy replied sharply, irritated by the thought. “There’s only one
thing that gives me rest – to get out and search for the killer, hunt them
down, get justice fast!”

Mattheus
shook his head in agreement. “How well I know,” he responded. “We’re two of a
kind.”

Cindy
smiled, relieved to be understood.

“Okay,
you’ll fill me in on everything in the morning,” said Mattheus. “We’ll get
going then. At least for tonight, you can rest.”

“Just
having you here, I can rest,” Cindy murmured. “It gives me great ease of heart.”
 

Mattheus’s
eyes teared for a moment. “Thank you,” he whispered. “I was starting to wonder
– “, and he paused.”

“If
we’d ever see each other again?” Cindy filled in.

“Yeah,
something like that,” he said quietly.

“Me,
too,” Cindy murmured, moving closer. “I didn’t know -.”

“Well,
no more wondering now,” Mattheus murmured, as he got closer and pulled Cindy
into his strong arms.

*

First
thing the next morning, Trage called and told Cindy they heard that Mattheus
had arrived and were looking forward to meeting him. Pleased by that, Mattheus
decided to go meet Trage alone.

“Stay
at the hotel, have a slow breakfast,” Mattheus said to Cindy. “I’ll go down to
the station and he’ll fill me in. Then we can decide what to do next.”

“Be
back by noon, please,” Cindy said in response.

“Why
noon?” Mattheus seemed surprised.

“My
mom’s planning a memorial for my sister at one o’clock today on the beach.”

“A
memorial?” Mattheus looked startled.

“It’s
her way of dealing with Ann’s death,” Cindy replied. “I know it sounds crazy.”

“Not
crazy, but strange,” Mattheus seemed interested.

“Will
you come with me?” Cindy asked quietly, dreading going alone.

“Of
course I will,” Mattheus answered promptly. “Why do you even ask?  I’ve wanted
to meet your family for a long time.”

“But
not this way,” Cindy replied.

“No,
not like this,” Mattheus agreed, “but I’ll be with you every step of the way.
There’s no way you’re going alone.”

*

            
Cindy tried to spend the morning resting while waiting for Mattheus to return.
It was impossible to keep her mind from racing though. Scene upon scene of her
life with Ann, played out before her. She knew she had to look at Ann’s email
and Facebook pages, though the thought of it was painful to her. Ann had even
once told Cindy her email password, and Cindy never forgot it - Sunshine10. Ann
had laughed and said she chose it because she loved the sunshine. Cindy had
laughed with her and told Ann that her email password was Rainforest.

“Rain
and sun, both needed,” Ann had quipped. Those had been happy times, light and
breezy.

Before
Mattheus arrived, it had been impossible for Cindy to look at Ann’s emails, but
she was almost ready to now. The police had probably done it already, but there
were so many things they could miss that would strike Cindy, she couldn’t avoid
it much longer.

Just
as Cindy was about to delve into Ann’s email account, her phone rang. Cindy
leaned over and picked up.

“You’re
getting ready for the memorial aren’t you?” her mother spoke fitfully. “You’re
definitely coming?”

“Of
course I’m coming,” Cindy replied. “I’ll meet you down in the lobby at twelve
thirty as planned.”

“Make
sure you say something important about Ann,” her mother quickly added. “Take
time to prepare it.”

It
felt like a huge rock just landed on Cindy’s heart. “I thought I’d just say
whatever came to mind,” she responded.

“No,
that’s not good enough,” her mother replied quickly. “Ann deserves better. She
deserves your praise. She loved you, Cindy, think it over carefully.”

“Alright,
I will,” Cindy acquiesced. “And, I’ll be down in the lobby as soon as Mattheus
returns from the police station. We’ll be there together, ready to go.”

A
stony silence greeted Cindy. “Mattheus, your partner?” her mother finally managed
to ask.

“Yes,
he’s here, I thought I’d told you he was coming, “Cindy replied.

“No,
you hadn’t,” her mother exclaimed. “You never gave me the courtesy of telling
me you were bringing him to the memorial, either. Did he even know Ann?”

“Yes,
they met,” Cindy replied.

“I
don’t recall issuing him an invitation,” her mother went on.

“Mom,
cut it out,” Cindy’s voice grew rougher.

“I
suppose we have no choice but include him too?” her mother relented.

“No
choice at all,” said Cindy. “Mattheus has come all the way here to help us out.
He needs to be there and you need to meet him.”

*

Mattheus
returned from the police station around ten after twelve, looking fortified.

“I
like Trage a lot,” he said as he walked into Cindy’s room. “Looks like we’re on
the same page. That’s something, at least.”

Cindy
was relieved to hear that. “I began to wonder a little about him,” she said,
looking over at Mattheus. “When I interviewed one guy, Alain, he said there
were all kinds of cover ups going on here.”

“Everywhere,”
Mattheus commented. “What else did he say? Who’s Alain?”

“He
was someone who worked at the hotel and was fired the same day Ann was killed.
He’d brought room service to her room. Trage told me to talk to him.”

Mattheus’s
eyebrows raised. “Sounds like a good idea.”

“It
was,” said Cindy, getting up. “I went down to where he lives. He’s a local with
a perfect alibi, who knows his way around.  I liked the guy and he liked me. He
made a point of warning me not to trust anyone, said this is an international
hub of business and big money, banking, the works.”

“Yes,
it is,” said Mattheus slowly.

“Then
on the way home, my taxi practically got swiped off the road by a dark, green
car,” Cindy continued. “Trage was the only one who knew I was there. I couldn’t
help wonder if he sent the car for me.”

Mattheus
shook his head immediately. “Not at all, not for a second. Trage’s a great guy.
He’s exceptional, really. He cares about you. That’s just paranoia.”

“You’re
sure, Mattheus?” Cindy asked.

“Yes,
I am,” Mattheus came closer to her. “Nothing wrong with a touch of paranoia now
and then. It keeps us on our toes, makes us better detectives. But I’m sure
Trage’s on our team.”