Death by Jealousy (8 page)

At
that Jared’s face lit up.  “Sure is,” he said, “we’re proud of it too. The East
End of the Island offers world class diving. We’ve got incredible coral reefs,
wall diving and custom build dive boats waiting at the end of the dock. We’ve
also got an award winning dive staff so we provide both safety and adventure. Something
like this never happened before at our place.” His face looked drawn for a
moment.

“I’m
sorry,” said Cindy. She liked Jared, he seemed forthright.

“Sorry
is not even the word for it,” Jared, becoming nervous, spoke under the force of
pressure. “Listen this is the place locals dive from, it’s where Divemasters
from other dive shops come to dive on their day off.  It’s all about our staff
and team. Little things make a difference, always full 3000 psi tanks, always
80 cu ft. dive tanks, always diver freedom with more bottom time. You also find
the little extra touches here, dry towels, refreshments on board, digital photo
services.”

“Did
Peter and Allie take photos of the dive?” Cindy was quick to ask.

“I
think she took her own camera down for this one,” said Jared.

“Did
they find it?”

“No,
she must have been strapped around her hand,” said Jared.

“You
knew Peter and Allie well?” said Cindy.

“They
were here all the time, for years,” he said. “I took them out on the boat
myself that night. The police asked me all about it. I answered every question
they asked,” Jared fidgeted a little looking at both of them closely. “I don’t
know what else to say.”

“You
don’t have to say anything special,” said Mattheus then, “we’d just like to
hear it for ourselves.” Cindy felt Mattheus focusing intently as he and Jared
spoke. “Maybe you’ll remember a detail you forgot that will help us sort things
out.”

Jared
looked dubious. The door to the shop opened and a few tourists came in.

“Things
get busy during the festival for a few days,” Jared remarked, looking over his
shoulder at them.

“This
won’t take long,” said Mattheus.

“Sure,
of course, whatever you need,” said Jared.

“Was
there anything different between those two the night they went for the dive?”
Mattheus asked.

“Not
really,” said Jared, his foot scraping the floor, looking for a second at
Douglas and Lance who stood beside them, listening.

“Not
really?” asked Mattheus. “What do you mean really?”

“Something’s
always a little different every time two people are together,” Jared said,
seeming a little nervous. “I mean it was the night before their wedding,
tension with high. I’m sure they wanted to dive to calm down. You know lots of
people dive to take off the stress. They love dropping down into another world
where everything looks beautiful.”

“Allie
and Peter’s world wasn’t as beautiful as it seemed, was it?” asked Mattheus.

“Heck,
how do I know?” said Jared, “all couples have something or other to deal with.”

“Are
you in a relationship, Jared?” Mattheus asked.

“What
in hell does that have to do with anything?” Jared’s blurry eyes closed a
little.

“I
mean what difference does that make?”

“I
agree,” Douglas interjected, “it’s an irrelevant question.”

“You
never know what question leads to what,” said Mattheus, turning to Jared then. “Do
you object to my asking you personal questions?”

“Hell,
no,” Jared shifted back and forth from one leg to another, “ask me whatever you
like. Right now I’m not in a relationship. I’ve been in my share, there is no
shortage of women around. These things can be a little time consuming, so for
now I’m taking a much needed break.”

Mattheus
smiled. “How would you describe Peter and Allie’s relationship?”

“Fine,
terrific, heck they were getting married, weren’t they?”

“Did
they fight on the boat as you were going out for the dive?”

“Definitely
not, just the opposite if you asked me,” Jared said. “She kept telling him how
much she loved him, over and over again.”

A
little sweat broke out on Jared’s face.

“How
did Peter react when Allie kept telling him that?” asked Mattheus.

“How
do I know?” shrugged Jared. “Hell, how would you react? He was happy, I guess.”

“Was
he?” Mattheus zoned in, “it was the night before his wedding. Was he feeling
happy about it?”

“I
didn’t ask him if he was happy,” Jared replied.

“What
did Peter say to Allie when she kept telling him she loved him?” Cindy took
over now.

“Peter
said me too,” Jared remembered.

“That’s
all, me too?” Cindy asked.

“What’s
wrong with me, too? What’s he supposed to do, write love poems to her at night?”
asked Jared.

Mattheus
smirked.

“Did
he say it, begrudgingly?” asked Cindy.

“Man,
I feel like I’m in over my head,” Jared remarked. Obviously the police had not
grilled him about these details. “I think Peter said, you told me already.
Hell, she did - she said it over and over, I love you, I love you. I mean, a
guy doesn’t listen in to every detail of his friend’ conversation with his
fiancée, does he?”

“You
consider Peter your friend?” Cindy asked.

“Of
course he’s my friend, so is Allie. We all dived together a lot.”

“But
you didn’t go down with them this time.” Mattheus interrupted. “Why?”

“It
was right before their wedding. They wanted to be alone, I could understand
that,” said Jared. “Besides, the dive was a last minute thing. I took them out
as a favor. Tad arranged it as a surprise. I guess he thought it would make
them happy. They both seemed pleased about it.”

“Tad
arranged it? We hadn’t heard that before,” said Cindy.

“Tad’s
a great guy, their best man. Guess he wanted to do something special for them.”

“Why
hadn’t we heard about that before?” asked Mattheus.

“An
insignificant detail, if you asked me,” Douglas quipped. “Tad works down here
with Peter. They’re best friends, it’s his best man. Perfectly appropriate for
him to arrange this outing.”

“Who
wanted to dive alone, Peter or Allie?” Mattheus took a different tack.

“Allie
kept saying she was happy they were going to finally be alone together. I
remember that definitely,” Jared said. “Peter was fine with it. There wasn’t a
problem. Neither of them wanted me to go diving with them.”

“You’re
positive?” asked Mattheus.

“Hell,
what are you getting at?” Jared had enough. “What the point of this?”

“What
is
the point of this? “Douglas stepped in on Jared’s behalf.

“I
think Jared may have heard something that will help us a great deal,” Mattheus
said definitively.

“Are
you suggesting that Peter was involved in what happened?” Lance pinned Mattheus
down on the spot.

“Not
necessarily,” said Mattheus, “but the exact conversation between Peter and
Allie can give us a clue about someone else. Another name could have been
mentioned?”

“Like
who?” Lance demanded.

Jared
began scratching his head then, “Heck I thought this would just take a few
minutes. It’s a busy time now – people here for the festival, they’re also
gonna want to dive.”

Cindy
took a step closer to him. “You’ve got to remember every word you heard between
Peter and Allie. You were one of the last ones to see her alive.”

Jared
shuddered. “Listen, I’d had a drink or two before taking them out. My head wasn’t
as clear as it could have been.”

Mattheus
bristled. “A couple of drinks, that’s it?”

Jared
stood straighter and glared at Mattheus. “What are you implying by that?”

Cindy
knew Mattheus was wondering if Jared was drunk that night? It suddenly also
struck Cindy at that moment, that perhaps Peter or Allie might have been drinking
as well.

“Were
Peter and Allie drinking as well?” Cindy asked.

“Hell
no,” said Jared.

“You
certainly have to have your wits about you in a night dive,” she continued. If
they were drinking it certainly could have contributed to what happened,
thought Cindy.

 “Allie
was fine when she went down,” Jared insisted. “She wasn’t any different than
plenty of other times. After she and Peter got separated, something happened.  Who
knows what for sure? But we found her vest and tank down there. Looked like she
ripped them off.”

“Why
would she do that?” Cindy demanded.

“When
the air gets too low they can panic, especially if the visibility’s bad and
they can’t find their buddy. They get confused, don’t know what they’re doing, sometimes
they rip everything off.”

“Jared,”
Cindy addressed him bluntly then, “This is terrible, it’s serious. You have to
answer me truthfully. You were there the night she died. Were Peter and Allie
in love?”

Jared
took a few steps back then as if punched directly in the gut.

“Are
you sure she died?” he grew pale.

“What
do you think?” Mattheus joined in.

“Allie
was in love with Peter,” Jared finally said slowly. “But she wasn’t the easiest
woman to be engaged to. Even though Peter never said so, she gave him a hard
time. I felt sorry for the guy.”

A
silence fell over all of them then. It was good to hear words of truth finally
spoken.

“What
kind of hard time?” asked Cindy.

“Jesus
Christ,” Jared mumbled, “it was never enough for her, Allie always wanted more
and more.”

“How
do you know that?” Douglas asked tartly.

“I
heard them talking lots of time. She was always complaining that she wanted
more time together, more attention, that the bracelet he got her was pretty but
there was another one she liked better.

Mattheus
let out a long, slow whistle. “That kind of woman drives guy nuts.”

“Listen,
when she got Peter, Allie caught herself a big fish,” Jared went on. “She reeled
him in slowly and if you ask me, he couldn’t get off the hook.”

“He
tried?” asked Mattheus.

“He
squirmed a lot on the hook. You see it all the time in fishing. The poor fish’s
stuck there but the more he squirms, the tighter the hook goes into him.”

“That’s
an awful image,” said Cindy breathless.

“Maybe
it is,” said Jared flushing, “but you asked me a question and that’s my answer.”

“Do
you think Peter got rid of Allie?” Mattheus jumped in.

“Absolutely
not,” Jared yelled. “It’s not in his bones. When we finally got Peter up, I thought
he was going crazy. He kept crying and begging me to go down and help him find
Allie. I dove back down with him and we looked and looked. He was shaking like
a leaf, in complete shock. The guy refused to come up without her then. I had
to practically drag him back up with me. When we surfaced, I called the cops
and Coast Guard immediately.”

“If
Peter didn’t do it, maybe someone else might have decided to do it for him?” Cindy
chimed in.

Jared’s
face got pale at the mention of that. “That’s disgusting, it’s lousy, it’s
horrible! I have nothing else to say. Go talk to his close friends!”

“We’re
trying,” said Cindy.

 
 “So, why ask me?” Jared stepped back, “I’m just the guy who took them out on the
boat that horrible night.

After
they left the shop, Douglas and Lance drove them back to the hotel. They were
all silent as the truck bumped along the roads.

“Lots
of guys have rocky relationships,” Lance said as they drove. “Their partners
don’t go missing though. One thing has nothing to do with the another. There’s
no evidence that Peter ever abused Allie in anyway. Just the opposite if you
asked me. Sounds like he put up with a lot.”

“Sure
does,” agreed Mattheus.

“The
Islands are filling up for the next few days, “Douglas commented stiffly. “We’re
going to be busy overseeing the festival right now.”

“Calling
a halt to the investigation?” asked Mattheus.

“Not
a halt, just a breather,” he said. “At this point things are going cold. It’s a
missing person case. They can take years and years to unravel.”

“Tell
me about it,” said Mattheus under his breath. No doubt he was thinking about
the years he’d spent searching for his wife.

The
truck pulled up in front of the hotel. “Keep us updated about what you find,”
Lance remarked as Cindy and Mattheus stepped out.

“Will
do,” said Mattheus and he and Cindy walked up the road leading to their hotel.

Mattheus
reached out and took Cindy’s hand then. It felt good having her hand in his
suddenly.

“Let’s
take a walk before we check back in with the guests,” Mattheus said. “The hotel’s
gonna be packed and there’s a hiking trail about half mile away. We can use a
few moments to ourselves.”

“Good,”
Cindy agreed, as they turned at a juncture and took another road which led, off
the hotel grounds, to a hiking trail in the interior of the Island that was a known
haven for wild birds.

*

  
Cindy was excited to be with Mattheus, away from the hotel. The Cayman Islands
interiors were a fascinating world with incredible beauty of their own. As they
entered the hiking trail, the trees that greeted them were beautiful,
shimmering in the breeze. Cindy stopped and gazed at the opulent plant life,
mesmerized. Down further wild banana orchids were growing unabashedly.  She had
never seen anything like it.

“Let’s
sit here on this rock,” Mattheus said as they walked a bit further, into the
mangrove forest.

It
was wonderful to be here with Mattheus, back in nature. As always being in
nature restored Cindy’s sense of balance and order, helped her feel closer to Mattheus
again. It struck Cindy then that Allie must have felt the same way with Peter going
diving with him deep under water that night.

“We’ll
probably see the Cayman Parrot,” Mattheus said as he helped Cindy get onto a
flat part of the rock. “They’re all over the place. I know how much you love
Parrots,” and he smiled at her winningly.

The
two of them sat close to each other for a few moments then, not saying much
else.

“This
is a lousy case,” Mattheus said after a few minutes.

Cindy
was surprised, “Why?”

“Dana
and Edward are holed up in their suite now, and Allie’s parents won’t come out
of their room to talk to anyone. I find that odd.”

“They’re
in shock, they’ve got to be grieving. It’s their daughter, it was her wedding.”

“And
the crowd is not very appealing,” Mattheus continued. “Lots of spoiled, rich
people.”

“There
are plenty of fine rich people,” said Cindy. “I liked what I saw of Peter and I
liked the women in the wedding party. Dana and Edward are good people, too.”

“You
see what you want to about everyone,” Mattheus commented. “It’s amazing you’re
so good at your job.”

Cindy
bristled. “What does that mean?” Things were feeling so good between them, and
then Mattheus had to throw a barb, push her away, disturb the moment.

“You
like to see the best in everybody and then when something else about them comes
out, you don’t take it well,” said Mattheus.

Cindy
knew he was referring to their relationship. “You’re speaking about us?” she
asked.

“That
too,” he commented.

Cindy
took her hand away from his, as a parrot, in a nearby tree called out in a high,
shrill tone.

“That’s
what I mean,” said Mattheus. “I said something you didn’t like and you’re
pulling away.”

“Is
it possible you want me to pull away, Mattheus? Are you saying and doing things
that you know will make me recoil?”

A
small grin played around the edge of his mouth. “Not that I’m aware of,” he
said.

Cindy
sat up on the rock, straighter, “Come on,” she said, “you’re a smart guy, you’ve
been around. How come you can’t face what’s going on in you?”

That
comment didn’t sit well with Mattheus. He shook his head slowly. “Why does a
lovely time in the woods have to turn into this?”

“It’s
a shame,” Cindy agreed, as the parrot called out loudly again.

“Okay,
let’s stay focused on the case,” Mattheus sat up straighter then as well. 

“Obviously,
we have to talk to Tad and Vivien next,” said Cindy. “Tad arranged for the
diving expedition and Vivien had plenty of axes to grind.”

“I
think you should speak to each one of them yourself,” said Mattheus, “I’ve
talked to them already, and you’ll probably get a different take.”

That
was their usual procedure, and Cindy was in agreement.

“In
the meantime, I’ll research the company Peter works for more, get into details
of what they’re involved in.”

“The
police have done that already,” Cindy commented. “It’s all in the pre-report
they gave us when we arrived. Everything was clear.”

“Never
hurts to go over the data with a fresh eye,” said Mattheus.

“And
we need the password to Peter’s email accounts. The company has got clearance.
I’m sure Mac will give us that. It’s a good idea to go over Peter’s emails as
well,” Cindy suggested. “I went over Allie’s last night, couldn’t get into
Peter’s account.”

Mattheus
looked surprised. “I didn’t know we needed clearance from the company to get
into Peter’s personal email account?”

“We
do,” said Cindy, “he’s involved with high level finance.”

Mattheus
stuck out his lower lip. “That’s a code word for big money dealings,” he
murmured, “bigger than you and I can imagine.”

“That’s
right,” said Cindy, looking at Mattheus clearly. “That’s how come these people
are rich. Is there something inherently wrong with that, Mattheus?”

“Not
at all,” he replied, shaking his head. “Just depends where this money came from
and what’s it doing out there in the world.”

“Peter’s
father runs charities back in the States. He shares his wealth, he’s a
benevolent person.”

“Very
nice,” said Mattheus, sarcastically. “These charities could also be wonderful
cover ups, a great way for money to shift hands.”

“That’s
going too far,” said Cindy. “Clint’s family and Edward and Dana have been
friends for years. Edward is well known in the States.”

“We’ll
see,” said Mattheus, “and what makes you think Mac will give us clearance to
get into Peter’s accounts?”

“He
said he’d help us with whatever we needed,” Cindy replied.

“Isn’t
Mac a partner in the company?” Mattheus commented. “Doesn’t Peter answer to him?”

“That’s
right,” said Cindy, “he and Edward are partners.”

“And
what about Tad?” Mattheus seemed as if he were sniffing out a trail, onto
something.

“Tad’s
Peter’s personal right hand man,” said Cindy.

“Pretty
cozy,” said Mattheus.

Cindy
was suddenly tired of sitting here talking to him. The wind was getting
stronger, and the biting, sarcastic edge to his voice was getting to her. She
wanted to get back to the hotel and start interviewing Vivien and Tad. She slid
down the rock and stepped on the warm earth beneath her, breathing the
exquisite aroma of flowers, trees and moist earth.

“Wind’s
sure blowing up,” said Mattheus.

“Sure
is,” said Cindy, “hope it doesn’t affect the festival.”

“It
won’t, “said Mattheus, “people are gonna have a good time here, no matter what
how much the wind blows and no matter who did or didn’t drown a few feet away.”

*

As
they walked back to the hotel, an exciting sense of Mardi Gras was in the air.
They could see more cars along the roads with banners, and groups of people
along the sides of the roads making music, holding hands. Floats had started drifting
down the main streets in town with people gathering to watch them along the
route, cheering them on. All kinds of shops along the streets were open
everywhere with food, souvenirs, and drinks. These were a few glorious days
down in the Cayman Islands despite the fact that a nor Easter seemed to be on
its way.

“This
is a lousy time to track down a murder,” Cindy remarked, “too many strangers
upsetting the equilibrium.”

“Could
be a perfect time,” Mattheus said. “The murderer could feel safer, hidden by
the crowds. For all we know they’ve come out of hiding and are joining in the
celebration.”

“The
wedding guests aren’t allowed to leave the hotel grounds,” said Cindy.

“That’s
assuming the murderer is one of the guests,” Mattheus said. “How do you know
the killer isn’t a local? How do you know there’s not a deeper reason someone
wanted to make sure Allie was dead? We’ve got to open up to all possibilities.”

Cindy
felt startled, though she knew he was right. They hadn’t explored who might be
living and working on the Island who might benefit from Allie’s disappearance.

“At
this moment, there’s no one and nothing that isn’t under suspicion,” Mattheus
gritted his teeth.

Mattheus’s
determination to find Allie’s killer was commendable, but there was also a
quality about him that now frightened Cindy - desperation and a sense of personal
revenge. That’s what had caused Cindy to leave after they’d started living
together a few months ago. Even though, they were supposedly on a vacation, the
minute a call for a case came in, Mattheus became consumed with finding the
killer. He’d dropped their plans, couldn’t allow himself to have a life of his
own. It seemed as if with each case they worked on, the compulsion grew
stronger, like a strange addiction of some kind.

Now,
once again Cindy felt as though the relationship between them that had been so beautiful
in the beginning of their outing, had taken a back seat. She wanted to take his
hand and say I love you, Mattheus. I’m here for you. We can have a life
together, too, but she couldn’t. He frightened her.

Mattheus
was going over their next steps as they returned to the hotel. “As soon as we
get back I’m going to research the company and get clearance to go into Peter’s
email accounts. You go talk to Vivien and Tad, and anyone else you want to. When
we’re done, we’ll catch up back at the hotel room and fill each other in.”

“First
I’ve got to talk to Nora,” Cindy mentioned.

“Who’s
Nora?” Mattheus perked up.

“She’s
one of the bridesmaids,” Cindy replied. “Nora’s devoted to Allie and the girls
think she’s a bit paranoid. Maybe she is, but I came across some emails between
her and Allie that surprised me.”

Mattheus
stopped walking. “Why didn’t you tell me before?”

“I
didn’t have a chance,” said Cindy, “I found them in the middle of the night.”

Mattheus
looked momentarily confused. “Last night?”

“I
couldn’t sleep so I went out on the patio,” said Cindy. “I opened my laptop and
went into Allie’s email account. I have the password, it wasn’t a problem.”

“Sorry
you couldn’t sleep,” Mattheus said more softly. “I didn’t sleep so well myself.”

“Sorry,”
said Cindy.

“We
do much better when we sleep together,” Mattheus said, looking at her out of
the corner of his eye.

“I
know,” said Cindy, not wanting the conversation to go in that direction again.  “Anyway,
I found a few emails where Nora warned Allie that there could be trouble if she
kept something up.”

Mattheus
sprung to attention. “Kept what up? That’s important.”

“It
is,” said Cindy, and “I ‘m going to speak to Nora about it today.”

Mattheus
nodded, “You’re a fabulous detective, Cindy,” he said.

Cindy
was surprised how good it felt to hear that. For a second she had her old
Mattheus back with his support and acknowledgment.

 “You’re
not so bad yourself,” she replied.

“I’m
proud to be working with you,” Mattheus turned to her then and flashed his old,
warm, beautiful smile.