Death by Jealousy (12 page)

“Of
course not,” said Peg. “Allie became a stranger to me the longer she was with
Peter.

My
own daughter a stranger - and look what happened to her now! She’s not even a stranger
anymore, now she’s completely gone.”

An
odd silence filled the room as they all looked down at the rug, took in the
reality and sunk into their own reveries. Allie’s absence suddenly became a
strong presence in the room. Cindy could almost feel her among them, moving the
investigation along.

 “What
else can you tell us about Allie?” Cindy asked after a while.

“Investigate
the others, “Peg answered. “Why focus on the victim?”

“Did
you know that your daughter was a drug addict?” Mattheus broke in, clearly not caring
about the mother’s reaction to that tough question.

“What
are you talking about, a drug addict?” Henry jumped up. “Allie smoked a little
pot like everyone else.”

“More
than a little,” Mattheus exclaimed. “She was addicted to it, went to a dealer
down here to get a big stash.”

Henry
turned white.

Peg
looked straight at Mattheus and smiled an odd smile.

 “I
knew all about it,” Peg said stridently, “and I tried my best to get her to
stop. I even threatened to call the cops on her. Wish I had done that, now. I
blame Peter for that. I blame their lousy, greedy relationship. He’s a self-centered
guy who drove her to it.”

“Peter’s
a lovely young man and he’s devastated,” Henry cut his wife off. “He comes in
here and cries every night. He feels closer to Allie when he’s with her family.
But Peg won’t give him the time of day.”

“I
never liked him,” said Peg, “and I don’t like now. He can cry all he wants, it
doesn’t matter to me.”

Henry
shook his head and looked at Cindy and Mattheus apologetically. “Peg’s in
terrible pain. I’ll hope you’ll forgive the way she’s talking to you.”

“She
can talk anyway she wants,” said Cindy. “We need to hear whatever she says. It’s
not up to us to forgive anything.”

Cindy
and Mattheus spent a little while longer with Henry and Peg and then left,
exhausted and even more shaken than when they’d arrived. It was time to go back
to their room, order dinner in, unwind. They would pick up the investigation where
they left off, in the morning.

“Nothing
is leading anywhere solid,” said Cindy agitated, as they left Allie’s parent’s
room. “Everyone is distraught and spilling their guts, but we have nothing to
pin a case on.”

Mattheus
suddenly put his arm around Cindy’s shoulder, trying to soothe her.

“It’s
okay,” he said, “we’re doing fine. We’re building the puzzle one piece at a
time.”

It
felt wonderful to have his arm around her and Cindy moved closer to him. She
longed to put her down head on his shoulder for a moment, but didn’t dare.

“Remember,
I taught you that the pieces keep falling into places even when you don’t know
they are,” Mattheus went on softly, pulling her closer still. “Suddenly, it all
comes together and everything makes perfect sense.”

Cindy
remembered the early days of their working together, when he’d taught her that.
Mattheus had taught her everything she knew about being a detective. She’d
looked up to him tremendously then, loved his warmth and tenderness mixed with
rugged strength. What had happened to them?

“Remember?”
Mattheus was suddenly caring.

“I
do remember,” said Cindy in a hushed tone.

“It’s
gonna be the same with our relationship,” Mattheus suddenly pivoted towards
her. “We both need patience, lots of it. Then, all of a sudden it will all fall
into place again.”

Then
he pulled her closer to him in a long, long hug.

The
autopsy report came in first thing the next morning. Allie had drowned
underwater. There was no sign of struggle, either. The bruises and scratches
came after she’d died, probably as the tide pulled her out to see and life in
the ocean had its way with her. The contents of her body showed the effects of
insufficient oxygen along with marijuana usage. It was clear that she’d gone
diving under the influence, had impaired judgment and panicked when she saw the
air gauge so low. She’d ripped off her vest and struggled to get to the top of
the water. There was no way of explaining the incorrect air gauge, but the rest
of it pointed to an accident.

The
camera that was still tied to her hand showed nothing during the dive. It did
have a few photos on it that she’d taken before she went down, pictures of
Allie and Peter happy together, arms around each other laughing. One of the
photos showed her dressed for evening, in a black, silky dress, wearing a
beautiful emerald necklace and bracelet. Allie looked young, happy, healthy and
on top of the world. She reminded Cindy of how she’d felt at the beginning of
her honeymoon. Everything had been ahead of her. There was no way of knowing
that the ocean would swallow Clint up, take everything away.

Dana
called Cindy and Mattheus a few minutes after they received the autopsy news,
while they were downstairs at breakfast.

“They’re
not focusing on Peter any longer,” Dana said breathless. “There’s absolutely no
evidence that he was involved.”

“That’s
a relief,” said Cindy.

“The
police want us all to stay a few days more until the investigation is formally completed,
then we’re going home,” Dana said.

Cindy
wondered if Dana was telling her that the case was over, they no longer needed
her and Mattheus here.

“Peter
said he doesn’t want to come back to the States with us,” Dana went on. “He can’t
bear to tear himself away.”

“He’s
grieving,” said Cindy.

“He
can grieve at home as well,” said Dana. “I imagine this will take some time for
him to make sense of.”

Something
like this can never be made sense of, thought Cindy.

“He
must feel like Allie’s still down here,” said Cindy, remembering how hard it
was to go back up to the States after Clint died. She’d had to come right back
down to the Caribbean soon after, longing to be with him again.

“The
police will tie it up soon,” Dana continued, “I’m sure they’ll declare it an
accident.”

“Looks
like it,” said Cindy slowly, “except for the question of the air gauge.”

“There’s
always going to be a question of something,” Dana’s voice grew brittle. “This
has been an exhausting ordeal. I want it to be over with. No one can ever know
if the gauge was tampered with or if they just had a faulty product. Edward
wants us to leave as soon as possible. What are you and Mattheus’s plans now?”

“We
have to speak to the guy who sold drugs to Allie today, and also go over the
company’s records one more time.”

Dana
grew stiff and silent. “Our company records? I don’t understand.”

“There’s
always an outside possibility that someone in the company could have been disgruntled,”
Cindy replied. “If it’s true, your troubles may not be over.  You all could
still be in danger.”

“That’s
ridiculous,” said Dana. “Are you trying to frighten me? Did Mattheus put you up
to this?”

Cindy
was surprised at her bitterness. “It was Mattheus’s idea,” she answered
plainly.

“I
don’t like Mattheus,” Dana replied. “He seems like a loose cannon.”

Cindy
felt hurt by that.  She wanted to defend him, but decided to stay on point.

“Allie
didn’t drown because she and Peter were separated, or because she was high on
pot,” Cindy went on. “That might have contributed to it, but she drowned
because the air gauge said full when it was empty.”

“Are
you suggesting that someone in our company had a motive to harm her?”

“No,
I’m not suggesting it. We just want to make sure it didn’t happen that way. We
came all the way down here to help out. Let us finish what we started before we
go.”

Dana
was unsettled. “Do what you have to,” she said crisply, and hung up the phone.

Mattheus
sat listening to the conversation, enrapt.

 “Fabulous,”
he said, “you handled that beautifully. Once Dana agrees to our going over the company
records again, there’s no way Mac can say no.”

“Call
him and ask him right now,” said Cindy.

Mattheus
quickly took out his phone and called Mac. Their conversation was succinct and
dour. At first they fought a little, but as soon as Mattheus said Dana had
agreed to it, things seemed to calm down. There was a long pause, and finally
Mattheus looked victorious.

“That’s
great,” Mattheus said. I’ll meet you in the office in half an hour.” Then he
hung up.

“Mac
agreed to give me access to the company’s accounts providing that I clue him in
on everything I find.”

“Seems
fair to me,” said Cindy.

“It’s
fine. Take the morning off, relax a little,” Mattheus suggested. “I’m going to
stay at the office and work on their computers for as long as I can. When I get
back we can drive down to the drug dealer and see what else crops up.”

Cindy
liked the idea of taking the morning off. A walk at the beach and swim in the
ocean would absolutely hit the spot. She knew how badly she needed time to
unwind.

“Perfect
plan,” said Cindy as Mattheus got up and left.

*

Even
before she went to the beach Cindy decided to indulge herself.  She would start
the day with a massage. There was a luxurious spa in the hotel and at this hour
in the morning, Cindy guessed someone would be available to take her right now.

Cindy
made her way directly to the spa, and to her delight, she guessed right. There
was an opening, and she was able to book an appointment for right then.

The
spa was incredibly beautiful, made of wood, bamboo, and hand painted tiles. The
soft smell of incense greeted her as she was led through the open hallways, to
the massage room.

 Cindy
entered the room, pulled the curtains closed, took off her clothes, covered
herself with a long, plush towel and lay down to wait. The sound of a little
waterfall in the room rippled over her mind, helping her relax. Cindy closed
her eyes and took a deep breath. This was a luxury she hadn’t allowed herself
for a long time.

A
lovely, young woman with a Jamaican accent, opened the door and came in.

“I’m
Carita,” the young woman introduced herself.

“Thanks
for taking me on such short notice,” said Cindy, turning around and smiling at
her.

Carita
smiled back, put on soft music and came over to Cindy. Then she opened a jar
that sat on a little table. It was pungent lavender massage oil that Carita
slowly rubbed over Cindy’s tense shoulders and arms.  Cindy felt her body ease
up as the warm oil soaked through her skin, filling the room with its delicious
aroma. Why hadn’t she thought of doing this sooner?

“You’re
a guest at the hotel?” Carita asked, pleasantly, making small talk.

Cindy
didn’t really feel like talking at the moment.  “Mmm hmmmm,” she said.

“Terrible,
isn’t it what happened to that young woman?” Carita went on.

Cindy
knew that some masseuses felt their clients enjoyed it when they chatted with
them.  She didn’t know how to tell Carita how badly she needed quiet, that she’d
heard all about it and didn’t want to hear another word right now.

 “Everyone’s
talking about the drowning,” Carita went on in a lilting tone. “They say the
body was a wreck. People at the hotel are nervous.”

“Hmmmm
hmmm,” Cindy responded, desperate to put it as far from her mind as she could.
At least for a few hours this morning.

“Actually,
I just did an early massage with one of my regulars, a guest at the wedding, who’s
been coming for massages every day,” Carita’s voice assumed a hushed, urgent
tone.

Cindy
closed her eyes more deeply. She couldn’t escape it, wherever she went. It was
understandable that guests from the wedding would come for massages. The
tension had to be terrible for all of them. What better way to unwind?

“She’s
a gorgeous girl, a beautiful red head,” Carita went on, half to herself.

Cindy
listened.

“I
gave her an extra early appointment, today. She has so much to do, so busy
helping the detectives solve the case.”

“Helping
the detectives?” Cindy exclaimed, loudly.

Carita,
startled, jumped. “Did I say something wrong? she asked.

Your
client has long, red hair?” Cindy asked, alerted.

“Yes,
that’s right,” said Carita, “long red hair. She’s meets with the top detective every
day and tells him everything she knows. This is a very, very important person
in the case. It’s an honor to take care of her.”

Cindy
felt a wave of tension return and flood through her body. Was it possible that
Vivien was meeting with Mattheus every day?

“What
does she tell the detective?” Cindy asked, alarmed.

Carita
stopped massaging for a moment. “Calm down, calm down,” she started stroking
Cindy harder. “It’s okay, the danger’s over. They found the body and my client
told me the detective she talks to is the best in the world. He promised he’ll
find the killer. He’s so handsome and smart, she just loves meeting with him. He
even told her there was no way he could have solved the case without her help.
That means so much to her.”

“I’m
sure it does,” said Cindy curtly.

Cindy
wanted to jump up off the table, pull on her clothes, run out of there.  Of
course Vivien could be fantasizing, making up stories, or it could be something
was really going on between her and Mattheus.

“Her
name is Vivien?” Cindy asked quickly, just to make sure.

“Yes,
that’s right, Vivien,” Carita replied in her lilting tone.

Carita
was stroking Cindy’s back now, but Cindy was too on edgy to continue. She
rolled over, pulled up the towel, and got up suddenly.

“This
was a great massage,” she said to Carita, “but I just remembered that I’ve got
to be somewhere. I’m so sorry, I completely forgot.”

“What?”
Carita was flustered.

“Really,
I’m so sorry about this,” said Cindy. 

Then
she handed Carita a generous tip, pulled on her clothes and rushed out of the
room, leaving Carita speechless.

Cindy
rushed down the hallway, out of the spa and back up to her room. Once inside
the room, Cindy paced back and forth uncontrollably. It was unhealthy to be
this jittery, there was no way she could go on without trusting her partner. Out
of the corner of her eye, she saw Mattheus’s computer sitting on the desk.
Cindy went over to it, sat down at the desk, and opened it up. She had to get
her head straight. She had the password to Mattheus’s email account and he had
hers. It wouldn’t hurt to scroll through his emails and see if there was any
record of him meeting Vivien every day.

Cindy
opened his emails and began scanning through them. To her shock, there was one
after another from Vivien.

I
loved talking to you
,
Vivien wrote to Mattheus,
you make me feel safe. You make me feel happy.

I’m
here for you anytime,
Mattheus
quickly answered back.

Do
you really mean that?
Vivien’s next email said.

I
do, I mean that
,
said Mattheus.

But
we have to keep this quiet
,
Vivien wrote next.
I don’t want Tad knowing I’m talking to you and I don’t
want you telling your strange partner, Cindy anything. She gives me the creeps.

Cindy
flushed bright red.

We
can meet wherever you want, anytime
,
answered Mattheus.
No one has to know.

But
I can’t leave the hotel grounds
,
said Vivien.

I
can take you in my car with me
,
Mattheus answered
. We can go to the hiking trails, or go and sit on the
coral reefs.

Cindy
gasped. That was where Mattheus had taken her. He was replacing her with
Vivien.

You
turn me on, Mattheus, Vivien
wrote in the next email.
The thought of being with you in the coral reefs –
whew.

I
want you to feel safe with me
,
wherever we are
he wrote.

Cindy
checked the times these emails were sent. Mattheus took a little while before
he answered the last one. His answer could mean anything. He didn’t say he was
turned on by Vivien as well, but he didn’t clarify the purpose of their
relationship, either. He didn’t clearly remind her that this was only part of
the investigation. Why should he? He was probably enjoying the exchange as much
as she was. Cindy’s heart pounded as she continued reading.