Death by Devotion (Book #9 in the Caribbean Murder Series) (7 page)

A
long, cold chill went through Cindy. What was Mattheus pleading for? Exoneration
from the past, or a chance to save their daughter now? Probably both. But one
important question hadn’t been answered. It stood there like a heavy fog around
them all.  Who really killed Cain? Could it have been Andrea?

Cindy
tried to bring light into the situation, began going over the plain facts.

“Andrea
was found beside Cain’s body when he was found. She was covered in his blood.”

Petra
started sobbing. “That doesn’t mean she did it,” she gasped.

“No,
it doesn’t,” said Cindy, “but then we have to find who did. And why, and how?
We have to gather all kinds of evidence, go over every possible person who
could have had a motive, and an opportunity to be there when he died.”

“We
don’t even know the exact time of death yet,” Mattheus chimed in. “We’re still
waiting for the medical examiner’s report. That’s important. We know what time
they found Andrea with Cain, but we don’t know the exact time he died.”

“Andrea’s
innocent, I know she’s innocent,” Petra wailed.

“And
if she isn’t?” Cindy stopped her cold.

“What
do you want to do, destroy our entire family?” Petra grew stone cold. “Did you
come down here to take all of us out?”

“I
want to know why you’re so sure Andrea’s innocent?” Cindy felt like grabbing
her, shaking her, making her come to her senses. “You have to tell me
everything you know – about Andrea, about Cain, about your relationship with
him.”

Petra’s
eyes shut again and she grew silent, as if she were hiding deep secrets inside
that she could never share with anyone.

“I
don’t like you,” Petra finally muttered. “I don’t trust you.”

“Trust
Cindy or not, you have to cooperate, Petra,” Mattheus said in a husky tone as
he took a step closer to her. “It’s the only chance we have.”

Petra
opened her eyes and started to ramble.  “All through the years there were
plenty of people down here who wanted to kill Cain, but no one ever could. He’s
wired in, got contacts, he was protected.” Then she turned to Cindy. “You know
who else has motive?”

“Who?”
Cindy asked, mesmerized.

“He’s
standing right here!” Petra went on. “Just take a look.”

Cindy
wasn’t sure what she was getting at.

“Mattheus!” 
Petra lashed out. “He has plenty of motive. He threatened my husband and not
only me, but others also heard him. He has a rotten temper and it makes sense
that Mattheus wanted to kill my husband and take my daughter away.”

Mattheus
grew pale and looked as if he would keel over, as if someone had dropped a ton
of rocks on him.

“Those
are pretty vicious accusations,” Cindy shot back at Petra.

“It’s
what I told the police,” Petra’s mouth grew taut. “Ask them and they’ll tell
you. I pointed the finger at Mattheus. And, they didn’t really disagree. Yeah,
there was blood all over Andrea, but who pushed her to it?  He’s under
suspicion, too, believe me.”

Cindy
felt a flame of hatred for this woman Mattheus had come down to help. Now she
was turning on him. That was convenient for her, wasn’t it? Sure Cindy knew
Mattheus had a temper, but she also knew he could never kill anyone. His whole
life was about being there for others. Cindy had seen him risking his life many
times to help.

“You’re
turning on Mattheus to protect your daughter,” Cindy put Petra right in her
place.

“Like
hell I’m turning on Mattheus to protect my daughter,” Petra snarled.

This
woman was trouble and Cindy knew it. “And you’re protecting yourself, as well,”
Cindy added.

 “Protecting
myself from what?” Petra demanded.

“You
also had plenty of motive as well, didn’t you, Petra?” Cindy countered. “It couldn’t
have felt good to be beaten by the man you loved.”

“Get
out, get out,” Petra raised her fists and came after both Cindy and Mattheus
then, on a rampage, sweeping them out the door.

*

Once
outside, it was hard for Mattheus to even take a few steps down the street. “I
can’t believe she turned on me to the police,” he finally said.

“What
did you expect of her?” Cindy asked. She knew that Mattheus had rescue
fantasies about Andrea. Now she wondered if he’d also had fantasies about
getting back with Petra, becoming the happy family they never had been. “Did
you expect Petra to be the person you knew years ago?”

“I
don’t know what I expected,” Mattheus said, honestly. “But it’s crazy of her to
point the finger to the police at me.”

“Crazy
like a fox,” said Cindy. “You’re the perfect foil got her and she’ll do
anything she can to get free.”

“You
mean so she can free Andrea?” Mattheus asked.

“No,
I mean for her to get free.  Who knows how she fits into this scenario?” Cindy
was shocked that Mattheus couldn’t see what was in front of his eyes.

“Poor
Andrea, living with a mother like that,” Mattheus said softly then.

“Don’t
be so quick to feel sorry for Andrea, either,” Cindy was on a war path. “You
don’t really know the first thing about either the mother or the daughter.”

Mattheus
stood taller then as if he’d suddenly woken up.

 “You’re
right,” he murmured, strangely. “But they finally said I could speak to Andrea
alone in jail tomorrow. And, I’m going to find everything out.”

“You
haven’t seen her in jail yet?” Cindy was astonished

“No,
I haven’t,” said Mattheus.

“Do
you want me to come with you?” asked Cindy.

“Not
yet,” said Mattheus. “This is the first time I’ll have to myself with her. It
will be better if you’re not yet around.”

The
hotel Mattheus had booked was almost walking distance from Petra’s home.

Rather
than looking for a cab, Cindy and Mattheus decided to walk there together in
the dark, with only the sliver of a new moon giving them light.

“We’ll
go over things in the morning,” Cindy said as they moved along. “It’s best for
both of us to get a good rest tonight.”

“Who
says I can ever rest again?” Mattheus responded.

“Mattheus,
this isn’t your fault,” Cindy stopped walking a moment and turned to him. “All
this has been going on down here long before you ever met your daughter.”

“No,
that’s not true,” Mattheus wouldn’t have it. “I came into the picture and
rustled things up. I let Andrea think she could have a new life. Maybe I gave
her the courage to do what she did?”

That
startled Cindy. “What did she do? Kill her stepfather?”

Mattheus
stared at Cindy a long time. “It’s possible, isn’t it?” he finally answered.

“You’d
have to be a fool not to see that.”

They
continued walking in silence. Cindy wasn’t sure why Mattheus’s comment disturbed
her so deeply.

 
“You asked me to come down here to prove Andrea’s innocence,” Cindy finally
said.

“I
asked you to come down here to find the truth,” Mattheus responded.

Cindy
nodded. “Once the truth is found, will that help you go on? No matter what it
is?” she asked him.

“I
don’t know,” said Mattheus somberly. “At the moment, I have no idea what going
on even looks like. Do you?”

Cindy
wondered if that wasn’t an allusion to their relationship.  If it was, it didn’t
matter. She was not down here for that, had no intention of taking the bait.  She’d
come down here for one reason only, to help Mattheus in a crisis.

 “I’m
staying totally focused in the present,” she said quietly. “I only came down
here for one reason, to help you. Let’s just find the truth and then see where
it leads.”

*

The
hotel they were booked in was low and flat, perched on the edge of a
residential street that seemed perfectly ordinary, in every way. Walking up to the
front door was like visiting someone’s oversized home.

Cindy
walked into the lobby and looked around. As Mattheus had said, the place was
simple, but clean. The lobby, which was empty, had old rattan furniture and a bare
threaded rug in the center. A few, old lamps were on end tables and old
magazines were strewn on a side chair.

Mattheus
went to the desk, where a heavy man was slumped over, half asleep.

“Hey,
Ed, wake up,” Mattheus jostled him. “We need another key – for room 22.”

The
guy woke up quickly, rustled to the back where the keys were hanging took one
and handed it to Mattheus. Then he looked at Cindy and grinned.

“Nice
to see you, nice to see you,” he mumbled quickly to her.

“Thanks,
Ed,” Cindy replied as she followed Mattheus to the tiny elevator in the rear.

*

Cindy’s
room was small, but clean. The windows had been left open and thankfully and
refreshing breeze blew in.

Mattheus
put her one piece of luggage on the floor and nodding, quickly left. Cindy was
grateful for that. Her mind was spinning in a thousand directions and she
wanted to wash up and go to sleep, not deal with anything else at the moment.

After
she was finished in the bathroom and ready to get into bed, Cindy decided to
take a quick look at her phone.  Since she’d landed she’d forgotten it even
existed, or that there might be messages waiting for her.  As she opened it up,
reality returned.  There were a few texts, one from her sister, Ann.

Cindy,
please let us know that you’ve arrived safely. We’re waiting to hear. That’s
the least you can do.

Cindy
gulped. She’d wished she’d checked this sooner
.

Cindy,
where are you
?
Of course Cindy hadn’t yet replied to that. A few hours later Ann had sent
another text.  
Everyone in town is so upset that you’re gone. They can’t
wait for you to return.

On
the one hand Cindy was glad that Ann cared so much, on the other it was
exhausting to have to always check in.

I’m
fine
,
Cindy texted back right now.
Just got the texts. Have been going right from
the second the plane landed. Please, please, don’t worry about me.

Cindy
then got into bed, pulled a light cover over her and almost immediately fell
into a deep sleep.

*

When
Cindy awoke in the morning, the bright Caribbean sun was shining into her room,
warming and soothing her as it always did. She tossed for a moment and then sat
up and looked at the clock. My God, it was ten already.  It wasn’t like her to
sleep that late. She’d probably been more exhausted that she even realized.

After
washing and dressing, she decided to look at her phone for messages before she
went down for breakfast. As she’d expected two were waiting for her. The first
was from Mattheus.

So
glad you’re here. Thanks again. I’m going to the jail now to speak to Andrea.
Fill you in later.

Cindy
was glad to have heard where he was. She knew that her being down here was
giving Mattheus the strength he needed to go forward and investigate.

The
other text message waiting was from Sean. That also pleased and surprised
Cindy.

Hi,
Cindy, love to have a few minutes with you to fill you in. Contact me when you
have a chance. Sean.

Perfect
timing, thought Cindy. Mattheus would be at the jail talking to Andrea.  Sean
could join her for breakfast and fill her in on the details of the case, thus
far. She needed to know more in order to go forward. The meeting with Sean
would help her plan who to speak to next.

Cindy
texted back, asking him to join her, telling him where she was going to be. 
Sean responded quickly, saying he’d be right there.

*

Breakfast
was served in a little hut, outside the hotel. Cindy took one of the small
seats in it and rested her arms on the table. Thankfully, it was empty.
Probably too late for breakfast now and too early for lunch. It was stuffy in
here, but she was hungry and when the waiter came over she quickly ordered
eggs, biscuits and coffee. Then she put her heads in her hands for a moment and
closed her eyes. This was a new situation for Cindy. The case was definitely
complicated and she couldn’t depend on Mattheus to help her fully. He was
obviously way too involved.

“Sleeping?”
a man’s full voice, startled her out of her reverie. Cindy looked up swiftly.  Sean
stood there, smiling. He looked even more attractive than he had at the police
station. Tall, blonde, with a rugged edge to him, he looked as if he should
have been surfing the waves in California.

“Hi,”
Cindy got up from her seat to greet him. “Thanks so much for coming.”

“No,
please, sit down,” he replied. “It’s my pleasure.” Then he took the seat
opposite her.

“I
ordered already, I’m sorry,” said Cindy. “I just was ravenous, suddenly. Hardly
ate anything yesterday at all.”

“It’s
good to be ravenous,” Sean grinned. “It’s fine, I’ve already had breakfast,
just want some coffee now.”

The
two of them took a long moment to take each other in.

“You’re
nothing at all like I expected,” Sean commented.

Cindy
laughed. She’d been thinking exactly the same thing about him. “And you look
like you belong on a beach, surfing in California,” she replied.

“That’s
what people tell me,” Sean laughed along with her. “But I like it here.”

“In
Anguilla?” Cindy was curious.

“Not
particularly Anguilla,” said Sean. “I like it down in the Caribbean. After a
while it begins to feel like home.”

How
well Cindy knew that. “It’s addictive,” she said.

“Yeah,
a good addiction,” he added. “All addictions should be as good as this.”

The
waiter brought the food, Sean ordered coffee, and Cindy began eating the eggs.

“So,
this is really your profession?” Sean asked, watching her eat. “Private
detective?”

“It’s
become that,” Cindy replied, thinking about the offer she’d received to write a
column for the paper back in New York. That seemed like years and years ago.
And New York seemed like it was planted in a totally different universe at the
moment.

“It’s
interesting,” said Sean, “and unusual.”

“These
things happen suddenly,” Cindy replied. “My life took a different turn than I’d
expected.”

“That
happens to a lot of us who do this work,” Sean replied.

Cindy
knew she didn’t have to say more. She was grateful that he understood and that,
most likely, something similar had happened to him.

“Everyone
down here on the Police force read about you when they heard you were coming
down,” Sean continued. “It made the guys nervous to have you aboard, but I
appreciate you’re being here.”

“Thank
you, Sean,” Cindy responded, touched.

“This
case is trickier than you think,” he went on, his eyes narrowing. “There’s a
pretty big underworld operating nearby.”

It
was an old story. There was an underworld operating on all the Islands.

“Tell
me about it,” Cindy looked up at him over her coffee, grateful for his
forthrightness.

“The
underworld here is not a place for a woman to poke around in alone,” Sean continued.

“Lots
of the Islands have that going on,” Cindy countered, “I’ve been through it
before.”

“Maybe
they do, but not like here.” Their eyes met boldly. Cindy was fascinated. “There’s
different levels of crime,” Sean went on, “at the core this place is rotten.”

Cindy
was startled.  “Like how?”

“I’ll
tell you little by little,” Sean said, glad that he’d made his point.

“Tell
me now,” Cindy urged. “We don’t have so much time.”

Sean
smiled and touched her hand lightly.  “We have all the time we need.  That’s
the first thing I learned about solving tricky crimes. If you just keep at it,
things show up. They have to. It’s the law of the Islands. Snakes naturally slither
out of their hiding places for air.”

Cindy
put her coffee cup down. “Who’s the snake here, Sean?”

He
grinned oddly, obviously enjoying every second. “There are lots of them around,”
he commented. “And mostly they’re camouflaged.  It’s easy to step on one and
get bitten. But watch out, their poison is deadly. One bite and you’re gone.”

Cindy
felt the urgency in what he was saying. “Tell me what you guys have on the
case,” she jumped right in.

Sean
leaned even closer.  “Everyone’s a suspect,” he said.

Cindy
shivered. “Who? Andrea? Petra?”

“Keep
going,” said Sean.

“Not
Mattheus?” Cindy’s mouth got dry.

“Sure,
why not?” asked Sean.

“You
guys enjoy collecting suspects?” she asked. “No one left out?”

“You
can’t believe Mattheus could be involved?” Now Sean was questioning her.

“I
can believe anything, if I have enough evidence,” Cindy replied swiftly. “What
do you have on Mattheus?”

“Not
much,” Sean leaned back a bit. “He’s just a loose cannon who was heard
threatening Cain the day before he was killed. Hell, the guy came down to rescue
his daughter and found this creep was beating her. That’s plenty of motive, isn’t
it? Any decent guy would want to take the creep out.”

“It
sounds that way,” Cindy had to agree, “but Mattheus would never kill anyone.  He’s
not capable of it.”

Sean
stopped and stared long and hard. “You’re still in love with the guy?”

“No,”
Cindy said bruskly. She said it and meant it. “I’m definitely not in love with
him, but I know him well. He’s my partner and friend. We’ve worked together.”

“At
the police station you said the two of you were about to get engaged,” Sean
jumped on it.

“Yes,
we were about to get engaged. But we’re not now,” Cindy defended herself.

“How
long ago was that?” Sean was keen and kind at the same time. Nothing would slip
through the cracks with him.

“Did
you come here to interrogate me?” Cindy felt unsettled.

“No,
I didn’t, not at all,” Sean toned it down. “I just want to point out that it’s
inevitable that you would still have feelings for him. So, you can’t trust what
you think of him now. Those kinds of feelings blur everything.”

“Not
always,” said Cindy.

“Always,”
Sean echoed. “No one can see straight when they’re in love. Or, for a long time
afterwards, either. Falling in love messes up the works. Boy, does it, ever.”