Death by Jealousy (5 page)

“So
what? He can afford it,” Elizabeth piped up. “Who knows how much these gifts really
mean to him?”

“They
mean a lot to Allie though,” said Robyn, “that’s what matters, isn’t it?”

“I
guess it matters,” Elizabeth shrugged, “if you’re into collecting jewels.”

“Was
Allie into collecting jewels?” Cindy asked methodically.

“Of
course she wasn’t,” Laura interrupted. “She had a wonderful, sweet heart.”

“She
liked showing them off, though” said Elizabeth.

“I
wouldn’t say Allie showed off her jewels, she just wore them,” Laura was
determined to protect her dear friend. “The jewels were a sign to Allie how
much Peter cared. Allie always needed reassurance. She used to model in high
school. She had the perfect body and was incredibly beautiful, but she was
always insecure.”

“Why?”
asked Cindy.

Laura
looked at Cindy distressed. “Who knows why a beautiful woman is insecure? It
happens all the time.”

“It
will help me to know why Allie was insecure,” Cindy repeated.

No
one said a word for a moment.

“An
insecure woman can do things that inadvertently lead her to harm,” Cindy
continued. “It could have led to what happened here.” 

“Allie’s
mom was terrifically hard on her,” Robyn piped up, “Allie always wanted to make
her mother proud and it wasn’t easy. Whatever she did was never good enough. I
saw it myself, over and over.”

This
was something Cindy hadn’t heard before.

“When
Allie nabbed Peter it was a real coup,” Nora agreed. “Her mom couldn’t put her
down so much anymore. After all, Allie had gotten the richest bachelor around.”

“Nabbed
Peter?” Cindy was struck with the expression.

“She
went after him hard,” Nora continued, “just like any woman who really wants her
man.”

“Allie
was tough?” asked Cindy.

Robyn
had enough of this. She waved her hand back and forth as if to wipe out the
picture they were painting of Allie.

“Are
we blaming the victim now?” asked Robyn, perturbed. “Allie was not tough. She
was single minded. She loved Peter and did all she could to hold onto him. Is
there anything wrong with that?”

“Of
course not,” answered Elizabeth. “You’d do it, too, wouldn’t you?” she asked
Cindy.

Cindy
smiled. “Of course,” she said, to make them feel as though she were one of the
crowd. But for a moment, she wondered whether she would really try to nab a guy
she loved?  She didn’t have to do that with Clint, everything had happened
naturally between them, and mutually. It all just worked, it was comforting.
That’s what she loved so much about it.

“So
Allie’s mother couldn’t be pleased,” Cindy needed to know more, “What about her
father?”

“When
you meet him you’ll see, he’s quiet,” said Elizabeth, “goes along with the mom.
He’s moderately successful, but not successful enough for his wife. Never will
be.”

“I
need to know something that may sound harsh to you,” Cindy prepared the girls
for what she had to say next.

A
silence fell over all of them and the sound of the waves on the shore grew
louder.

“Was
Allie in love with Peter? Or was she in love with the jewels?” Cindy asked.

Nora
gasped, and Laura flushed beet red.

“That’s
a horrible question to ask,” said Laura. “Why would you want to put her down,
just like her mom did?”

“I’m
not putting her down,” said Cindy, “my job is to search out the truth. The
truth can save her, or at least, find out what happened. She deserves that,
doesn’t she?”

 “Of
course she deserves it,” said Elizabeth, “but I told you, I never saw Allie as
happy as when she and Peter met.”

“Their
happiness lasted?” Cindy wouldn’t let go.

“Their
high times came and went,” Robyn jumped in. “Of course Allie and Peter had
their conflicts, like everyone else. But basically, they were good.”

The
girls were presenting a united front, but Cindy had the strong feeling there was
something else going on. She couldn’t get at what and decided to try a
different tack.

“How
about Allie’s other interests, her job, the people in her life?”

“Allie
was an account manager at an ad agency,” Elizabeth spoke up. “She liked her
job, and had lots of friends. The gals in the wedding party are the ones she
was closest to. We’ve all known her for years. She had different sides to her,
too. She loved shopping, fashion, dancing. Allie was a terrific dancer. Peter
loved that about her, how she loosened him up. Her other real hobby was diving.”

“That’s
odd,” said Cindy. Scuba diving didn’t really fit the picture of the woman they
were painting.

“What’s
odd it?” asked Robyn. “She’d been a model and liked posing underwater, loved
the scenery down there. Most of all, being close to Peter. I’ve seen lots of
photos of the two of them underwater.”

Cindy
wanted to see those photographs. “Are there photographs of the two of them down
there the night she disappeared?”

The
girls looked at each other surprised. “I doubt it,” said Elizabeth.  

“Allie
also liked danger, if you ask me,” Nora piped up then.

That
comment hit a chord with Cindy, “How so?”

“Anyone
who goes diving at night is asking for trouble,” Nora’s voice grew high. “I
told Allie many times not to do it. She said I was totally paranoid and that’s
what she loved about me. I said I can be paranoid and still be completely right.
Why does someone in their right mind go diving in the night with poor
visibility? You tell me!”

All
the girls took a deep breath and Elizabeth rolled her eyes.

“Nora
is overly cautious,” said Elizabeth.

“You
can’t be overly cautious when your life is at stake,” said Nora. “Look where we
are! Sitting at the beach with a detective and Allie has disappeared.  Now she’ll
never have a chance to be a bride.”

That
stopped all of them cold, took the energy right out of the conversation. They
all grew silent and looked out at the evening sky, which slowly grew darker.

It
was definitely getting late and Cindy glanced back towards the hotel, wondering
how long they should continue talking. To her surprise, she saw a man standing
at the edge of the beach, watching them. The wind blew his shirt and hair.
Startled, Cindy realized it was Mac.

The
girls followed Cindy’s glance to where he was standing.

“That’s
Mac,” Elizabeth commented. “He’s like an uncle to Peter, and also Peter reports
directly to him at the company.”

 “What
does the company do, exactly?” asked Cindy.

“Trading,
finance, worldwide banking,” Elizabeth responded. “Mac is great, he brings a
fun touch to everything.  Right now he’s probably wondering what we’re all
talking about down here. He doesn’t like to be left out of anything.”

Cindy
looked over at him once again. He waved to her and she waved back.

“He’ll
be a good person to talk to,” Robyn offered, “he’s extremely involved in Peter’s
life and knows everyone on the Island.”

Cindy
took a deep breath then, and the girls all followed suit. This seemed like a
suitable breaking point for now.  

“I
really appreciate the time you’ve spent with me here,” Cindy said, “and I hope
we can talk more as things go forward. If there’s anything else anyone of you
remembers, or wants to tell me privately, I’ll give you my cell phone and hotel
room phone number.”

“Great,”
the girls seemed relieved.

As
Cindy wrote out the information to give to each them, she felt Mac approaching
on the sand.

“Hi
gals,” he said light heartedly, “hope this has been useful for all of you.”

“It’s
been terrific, “said Robyn. “I feel so much better now that Cindy’s on the
case.”

“We
love her,” Elizabeth added.

“You’ve
got good taste,” Mac chimed in.

“Thanks,”
said Cindy, finished writing and started handing her contact information to the
girls.

“I’d like a copy of the contact
information myself” said Mac, giving Cindy a sidelong glance. “Sure,” said
Cindy, professionally. “Anything you want to say to me, anything you can think
of -.”

“That’s
quite an invitation,” Mac smiled. “There’s plenty I’d like to talk to you
about. How about right now?”

At
that Laura stood up, shivering. It had grown much cooler and she only wore a
thin shirt.

“I
need a few minutes alone with Cindy first,” Laura broke in, about to burst into
tears again. “I need to talk to her badly.”

Cindy
stood up and stepped closer to her.

“Is
that alright?” Laura asked.

“Of
course it is,” said Cindy, throwing a glance over her shoulder to Mac.

“Absolutely,”
Mac agreed, “take your time. I have all night.”

Mac
and the girls went back up to the hotel, as Laura huddled closer to Cindy.

“Thank
you for giving me your time,” Laura murmured, “I really need it.”

“Thank
you for talking to me,” Cindy replied “Here, take my jacket,” Cindy, took her
jacket off and put it over Laura’s trembling shoulders.

“Are
you sure?” asked Laura.

“Of
course, I’m sure,” said Cindy. “Come on, let walk a little near the ocean and
you can tell me what’s on your mind.”

Although
it wasn’t that cold, Laura pulled the jacket tight over her shoulders. She and
Cindy started walking towards the edge of the beach, as the fading light of the
day cast long shadows on the sand.

“Sunsets
are beautiful here,” Laura started, “but it’s been mostly overcast these past
few days. That’s not unusual for this time of year. Not only can it be cloudy,
but it gets very windy suddenly.”

That
was interesting, but they weren’t here to discuss the weather. Cindy knew that
Laura was nervous about what she was about to say.

“What
is it you want to tell me?” Cindy interrupted gently.

Laura
stopped walking as they got to the water. “I was afraid of saying this in front
of the girls,” she started.  “They all talk about each other and I don’t want
them talking about me!

“I
understand,” said Cindy.

“Yes,
you really do,” said Laura, tears filling her eyes. “That’s why I’m talking to
you now.”

“Whatever
you tell me will be in complete confidence,” Cindy assured her.

“Thank
you,” she said. “I don’t want to create the wrong impression or say something
that will lead you astray.”

“Don’t
worry, say what you have to,” Cindy persisted. It was hard for Laura to get
going but instinctively Cindy sensed that Laura had something vital to tell
her. “Jump right in.”

“Allie
was always clinging to Peter, and it got worse and worse as time went on,”
Laura finally started, her voice getting husky.

A
strange chill went through Cindy. “What do you mean
clinging
to Peter? Was
she insecure about his feelings for her?”

“Worse
than that,” Laura’s voice blended with the sound of the waves, and Cindy had to
listen intently. “Rather than feel more and more grounded in the relationship, Allie
felt less and less. She would call Peter all day long, check what he was doing,
where he was going, what he was thinking about. She felt he could take off at
any moment.”

Cindy
shuddered. “How awful. How did he take that?”

“He
hated it,” Laura whispered. “She talked to me about it every day, wasn’t proud
of what was happening.”

“Of
course not,” said Cindy.

“No
girl wants to have to cling to their guy for dear life!” said Laura.  

“No
guy wants to be clung to like that, either,” Cindy replied. “How did Peter
handle it? Did Allie tell you?”

“He
didn’t like it,” Laura’s voice got louder, as a wave came rushing in, almost
splashing them as they spoke.

Cindy
lurched backwards and pulled Laura away from the water.

“My
God, I hope and pray she’s not dead in there,” Laura looked out into the ocean.
“I hope he didn’t do something to her,” she started sobbing again. 

Cindy
put her arms around Laura’s shoulders.  “I know how hard this is,” Cindy said
softly, “but you’re helping her by telling me this.”

Laura
stopped speaking a moment.  “Helping Allie? Why? Do you think Peter did it,
that it was the only way he could get away?”

Cindy
felt jarred. “No, I didn’t mean that,” she said crisply. “I meant that you’re helping
me get a fuller picture, which will give us a better chance of finding her.”

“Do
you think they’ll ever, ever find her?” Laura gasped.

Cindy
and Laura paused and looked straight at each other.

“I
don’t know if we’ll find her,” Cindy said, quietly, “but we’ll do our best to
learn what happened. If someone harmed her, we’ll bring them to justice.”

“There’s
no justice,” Laura said quivering. “Allie didn’t deserve to die like this.”

No
one deserves to die like this, thought Cindy. But these deaths did happen, and
Cindy felt a longing to make them right. As best she could.

“Laura,”
Cindy suddenly called out, as a poison thought flew through her mind. “Is it possible
that Allie couldn’t stand the pain, that she took her own life?”

“No,
no!” Laura called loudly, “Never. Not her. Allie loved life. She wanted to
live. She told me so a thousand times. You’re on the wrong track!”

“She
told you over and over that she wanted to live?” That seemed odd to Cindy. “Was
she worried about it?”

“Sometimes
she was worried about it,” Laura’s voice dipped down. “Two of her cousins died
young, in accidents. Her mother used to say it was the family’s destiny. That
would scare anyone, wouldn’t it?”

“Of
course,” Cindy shivered.  “Did Allie believe it was her destiny, too?”

“She
didn’t know,” Laura whispered. “But she felt better about it after she met
Peter. She thought he would make everything right. That’s why she clung to him
so much.”

“What
did Peter do when Allie clung to him like so much?” Cindy asked swiftly.

“He
told her to cut it out, give him space,” Laura spoke quickly. “One day he even
said she was suffocating him! Allie laughed when she told me, but I said that
was a horrible, horrible thing for him to say, and she’d better be careful.”

“Careful
of what?” Cindy felt a moment of alarm.

“Of
pushing him away” Laura breathed. “Who knows what a guy will do when he feels
suffocated?”

“It’s
not unusual for guys to crave space, especially when they get closer to their
wedding,” said Cindy, “most don’t kill to get it, though.”

 “Most
women don’t cling the way Allie did either,” said Laura. “At first Peter loved
that she needed him so much, it made him feel special. He’s used to having
women around him who dote on him. But as time went on, the noose tightened. Then
he started to spend more and more time away with his friends and Allie got
upset. She felt rejected. Soon she didn’t even want him talking to old college
friends, like Vivien.”

“Who’s
Vivien?” Cindy was startled.

Laura
put her hand to her head, seeming suddenly exhausted.

“Let’s
sit down on the sand,” Cindy suggested.

“Good
idea,” said Laura as they both sat down on the sand that was moist and cool.

“Who’s
Vivien?” Cindy repeated softly, as they looked out into the horizon and past
the horizon into the unknown.

“Vivien
was Peter’s first girlfriend in college,” Laura continued. “She and Peter were
an item for a couple of years and then split. But they always stayed really
good friends. Allie didn’t like it.”

“Lots
of girls would find that difficult,” said Cindy.

“Allie
told Peter she didn’t like it, right from the start. He said he and Vivien were
good friends and would always be. She was like a sister to him – the
relationship was non-negotiable.”

“Pretty
tough talk,” said Cindy.

“He
felt strongly about it,” Laura said. “Allie went along with it, then it
bothered her, again and again. She kept trying, but it never felt right. She
thought Peter and Vivien had a weird bond.”

“That’s
rough,” said Cindy.

“It
stinks,” said Laura. “I told her that this relationship was going to go on their
entire life. If she couldn’t live with it, she should get out now.”

Cindy
thought that was wise advice.

“But
Allie couldn’t leave,” said Laura, “she was way too attached.”

She
left now, Cindy thought, like it or not, one way or the other, Allie had to go.

“Do
you know Vivien?” Cindy asked.

“Sure
I know her,” said Laura, “not only that – you’ll meet her soon, too. She’s
right here at the hotel, a guest at the wedding.”

Cindy
was surprised. This was the first she’d heard anything about her at all.

“Peter
insisted that Vivien be at the wedding. He even wanted her to be one of the
bridesmaids,” Laura went on. “That’s where Allie drew the line. She wouldn’t
have it.”

“Did
Vivien know how Allie felt?” Cindy was troubled.

“Of
course she knew and she couldn’t care less! Vivien couldn’t stand Allie.  Allie
was sure she was saying bad things to Peter, trying to get between them. Some
women are like that, their biggest pleasure is getting between a guy and a gal
– seeing who he chooses!” Laura’s mouth began quivering again.

 “Did
Peter actually tell Allie that Vivien was trying to get between them?” Cindy
asked cautiously.  It sounded as though Allie were unstable, it would be easy
for her to start imagining things and pull Laura into her fantasies, make
Vivien the bad guy.

“I
don’t know,” said Laura, suddenly tremendously sad.

“Is
Vivien single?” Cindy went on, “does she have a boyfriend of her own?”

“Vivien
always has a boyfriend, she’s had a whole string of them.  She’s absolutely
drop dead gorgeous,” said Laura bitterly. “Tad’s her most recent guy. He’s
Peter’s best man.”

Cindy
remembered Tad clearly. He’d made a strong impression.

“How
is Vivien dealing with Allie’s disappearance?” Cindy asked methodically.

“She’s
horrified,” said Laura. “The minute the news came, she wanted to go right home.
The police wouldn’t let her though, they wouldn’t let anyone. Mac spent a lot
of time with Vivien right afterwards, calming her down.”

“Mac,
not Tad?” asked Cindy.

“Tad
was busy with Peter, wouldn’t leave his side. It was natural for Mac to step
in. He likes to play uncle to us all. He’s divorced and his wife and daughter
live on the other side of the world. I heard he was quite the ladies’ man -.”

Cindy
was fascinated, but decided not to pursue it now. She had to stay on track.

Laura
started crying softly, leaned over, and began drawing circles in the sand.

“Allie,”
she called out suddenly, “What happened to you? Where are you? Help us out here,
please. Give us a sign!”

There
was no sign from Allie though, just the sounds of the waves rushing in and out.

*

When
Cindy and Laura got back up to the hotel lobby, the groomsmen were gone. Instead,
Mac was sitting on the sofa waiting.

“I’m
tired,” Laura said hastily as she saw him there. “I’m going up to my room now.”

“Fine,”
said Cindy, “thank you so much.”

“Thank
you,” said Laura and dashed off.

Mac
stood up, smiled and motioned to Cindy to come and join him.

 It
felt good to be indoors and Cindy was glad to sit down for a moment.

“Can
I order you a drink?” Mac asked immediately.

“No
thanks,” said Cindy.

“How
about dinner?”

“I
appreciate that, but Mattheus and I usually have dinner together,” Cindy said.
She was looking forward to going over the findings with Mattheus at dinner.

 “When
Mattheus returned from the police station he started interviewing the
groomsmen,” Mac replied. “He’s in their rooms as we speak.  It’s going to take
a while. For all you know he’s eating with them, and you’re probably hungry.”

Cindy
smiled, “I am,” she confessed.  Mac had a wonderful, craggy strength about him.
Being near him was comforting, like sitting near the jutties at the ocean.

“It’s
impressive to see the way you’re handling the case,” Mac went on. “But you’ve
got to stop and take a bite for yourself as well.”

It
was odd having someone be concerned about her needs. It seemed like a long time
since that had happened. Cindy felt looked after.

“I’ll
have an appetizer, to take the edge off,” she agreed.

Mac
motioned for the waiter and menus.

Cindy
ordered soup and salad and Mac ordered crabs.

“You’re
an incredibly beautiful woman,” Mac said bluntly, after they’d ordered. “It’s surprising
to see you in this line of work.”

 “I
like what I do,” Cindy replied plainly, “I’m well suited to it.”

“I’m
sure are, but there’s a story behind this,” Mac raised his eyebrows, as if waiting
to hear more.

Cindy
would not go there, though.  “I’m here for Peter and Allie, their families and
friends,” she replied. “At the moment, it’s
your
story I’m interested in.”

Mac
put his head back and laughed. “I like that. You’re sharp.”

“You
said you wanted to talk to me?” Cindy asked, staying on focus.

The
soup came in a moment and smelled delicious and warm.