Death by Desire (Caribbean Murder Series, Book 4) (14 page)

“Don’t worry,” said Cindy, “nothing bad is
going to happen to me.  And this is different anyway, we’re detectives. I’m
your partner, not your wife.”

Mattheus looked sad for a moment.

“Besides, how in the world can I go home now?”
Cindy joked. “Christmas Eve is two nights away. There won’t be any plane
tickets anywhere to be had.”

“There’s going to be a huge Christmas Eve party
at Petrovich’s villa,” Mattheus continued. The Senator said there will be
someone important at the party who knows exactly who has a vendetta against
him. He’s convinced this will be a direct lead to his daughter’s murder. He
wants me to be there and get her to talk.”

“And how about me?” asked Cindy, her eyes
flashing. “Aren’t I going along?”

Mattheus grinned, “You want to this time?”

“Don’t you dare leave me out,” said Cindy. “Especially
on Christmas Eve.”

“Fine,” said Mattheus, “It’s a date.”

Cindy felt better. The thought of him alone at
a Christmas Eve party without her made her feel profoundly alone. Had he even
considered it?

“And, as for now, I called and invited Tad to
the hotel,” Mattheus continued, “so we could find out more from him about
Frances. He should be downstairs in about fifteen minutes.”

“Good idea,” said Cindy, standing up and
brushing herself off. “Give me a few moments, and I’ll meet you both down
there.”

She wanted to wash up, change, be refreshed.
Despite her calm demeanor, the conversation with Mattheus had unnerved her. There
were too many loose ends floating around. She had felt trouble coming, but wasn’t
sure where it would come from. She certainly hadn’t expected it to be the police.
These cops from Guadeloupe weren’t here to solve Tiffany’s murder, Cindy was
certain of that. They couldn’t care less about Tiffany. There was something
else going on. Something possibly deadly, a tidal wave brewing, getting ready
to pull all of them in.

    
Mattheus went down to meet Tad
in the garden in back of the hotel, while Cindy took a quick shower. When she
got out she changed into a lovely lime green short, silky, halter dress. It was
very warm outside and she felt light and breezy in it. She’d washed her hair
and now blew it out and let it fall carelessly to her shoulders, rather than
tying it back as she usually did. Then she put on a colorful shell bracelet,
flip flops and made her way downstairs.

The garden wound around palm trees, lined with
stone paths. Small white tables and chairs sat around a large fish pond and the
fragrance of flowers filled the air. Tad and Mattheus were sitting and chatting
when Cindy arrived.

When Cindy approached the table, Mattheus
looked up, surprised.  He looked her over quickly, and smiled.

“Wow, you look beautiful,” he quipped lightly.

Tad raised his eyebrows, admiringly.

Pleased, Cindy sat down at the empty seat
between them. “Thanks,” she said lightly.

“I ordered you lemonade,” Mattheus kept his
eyes glued to her.

“Perfect,” she said, and then turned to Tad.

“Nice to see you, Tad,” thanks for coming.

“It’s my pleasure,” Tad answered easily.

Everything seemed so natural, Cindy felt as if
the three of them could have been there to simply enjoy the afternoon, chatting
about little things, like which party they might be attending that night.

The table they sat at was surrounded by plants
and trees. A few small birds sang in the distance and once again the atmosphere
lulled you into a sense of beauty and safety from the ills of the world.

“How are you doing, Tad?” Cindy asked, gently.

“As well as can be expected,” he said evenly,
lifting a glass of fruit juice.

“It must be very difficult,” Cindy murmured softly.

“Yes,” said Tad, “but it’s slowly becoming real.”

Cindy knew how long it took to absorb such a
great loss.

“It takes time,” she offered, wanting to soothe
him

“How long do you plan to stay here on the
island?” Mattheus interrupted, looking closely at Tad.

Cindy thought, once again, what a good
counterpart Mattheus was to her. She enjoyed calming a situation in order to
look more deeply into it. Mattheus was impatient, wanting to jump in quickly
and get to the bottom line.

“I’m not going anywhere until they find out who
did it,” Tad said tersely.

“That could be a very long time,” said Mattheus.

“Why?” Tad looked disconcerted, “I heard they
have a suspect in custody.”

“It’s not so sure,” said Mattheus, “there are
lots of complications.”

Tad shifted in his chair.

“The police told Tiffany’s father it looked like
they’ve got their man,” Tad said. “They’re just waiting for one more lousy
report from the medical examiner.”

Cindy and Mattheus caught each other’s eyes.

“What kind of report?” Cindy was startled.

“Something about whether or not Tiffany was
pregnant,” Tad said slowly, as if trying to absorb the reality of words.

Mattheus bolted upright. “How did you hear that?”

“The police here on the island told us,” said
Tad. “The medical examiner told it to the police.”

Cindy got chills. Tiffany being pregnant was a
fake story Mattheus made up to scare Frances into speaking. These guys were
taking it on now, hook, line and sinker. It sounded as if the medical examiner,
in cahoots with the police, was going to present false evidence to get the case
closed, fast. 

Mattheus looked startled as well. This was news
to both of them.

“Wait a minute, I need details,” Mattheus said,
focusing squarely on Tad. “Is the medical examiner suggesting that Tiffany
might have been pregnant when she was killed?”

Tad began tapping his foot on the floor. “Something
like that,” he uttered.

“That’s a shock, isn’t it?” Mattheus pressed
on.

“I don’t believe it for a second,” said Tad,
nonplussed. “It’s totally impossible.”

Cindy was intrigued. “Why is impossible that
she would be pregnant? Accidents happen,” said Cindy.

“Not accidents like that,” the muscle in Tad’s
jaw was working.

“You don’t think Tiffany could have been
carrying your child?” Mattheus asked methodically.

“I told you, it’s impossible,” Tad flared up. “Tiffany
and I were fanatically careful. Do you think I’m a fool? That would have been
the last thing in the world either of us wanted.” Then he gulped down what was
left of his drink.

“Why would it have been so terrible to have a
baby?” Cindy asked.

“Because neither of us was ready for it, “Tad
answered heatedly. “We needed lots of time together. We needed to create a new
life. I was taking her away from the world she was living in and teaching her
things she needed to learn.” His mouth pursed tightly. “But, obviously someone in
that world wouldn’t let her go.”

“Who was it? Why?” Cindy wanted more and more
from him. “Do you know why Frances was arrested?” She suddenly felt that Tad might
know more than he was letting on. Was he protecting Tiffany, even in death?

Tad breathed deeply, arched his eyebrows, and
pulled himself together.

“I’ve heard rumors about why Frances was
arrested,” Tad said in a strident tone.

“What kind of rumors?” Mattheus never left a sensitive
point go by. He loved zeroing in on painful moments.

Tad remained centered though. “Rumors are just
rumors,” he said condescendingly.  “As a reporter, I’ve learned to give rumors
exactly the importance they deserve. Very little.”

Cindy smiled. She’d also been trained as a
reporter, way back. She, too, enjoyed searching out facts. She understood Tad,
resonated with him.

“I was also trained as a reporter, originally,”
she said to Tad, to make him feel better, create a bond.

Tad liked it. “Great,” he said, “then you know
what I mean.”

“I certainly do,” said Cindy, “all kinds of
rumors are flying, both about the case, and about Tiffany.”

“About Tiffany and me?” Tad looked agitated.

“Something like that,” Cindy replied, taking a
cue from Mattheus’ play book.  

“Well, they’re ridiculous,” Tad’s back arched
slightly. “People are so jealous and bored they’ll say anything to brighten
their day. Tiffany’s friends don’t have anything better to do than gossip constantly.
What do you expect from light weights?” His face was filled with scorn.

“You didn’t care for her friends?” asked
Mattheus.

“Absolutely not, “ said Tad, “especially that
loser, Frances. But, little by little I was taking her away, removing her from their
influence. So, they try to get back at me by starting rumors.  It’s extremely ugly.”

“They are ugly rumors,” Mattheus chimed in.

Tad’s lips pursed closed. “Like what?”

“Rumors about Tiffany’s true feelings,”
Mattheus said.

Tad began to tremble. “Don’t listen to rumors,
ask me. Tiffany loved me more than anybody. They couldn’t stand it. They were
all jealous of me.”

“Who in particular?” asked Mattheus.

“I can’t point anyone out,” said Tad.

“Was it Frances?” Mattheus kept going.

“No, I never thought so,” said Tad. “He was
just a loser, as far as I could tell.”

“Why?” asked Cindy.

“France’s a druggie who comes from a lousy
family. His father beat his mother to a pulp. She had to go to the police,” Tad
reported.

 This must have been common knowledge. Tad knew
every detail.

“I never had any idea why Tiffany was friends
with Frances?” Tad continued, “Or, any of them.”

“You know what rumors they’re spreading?”
Mattheus dug back in.

“That Frances and Tiffany were sleeping
together, while she was with me!” Tad’s voice grew higher and thinner. “It’s total
crap.”

“That’s why the police arrested him,” Mattheus
said. “Frances confessed.”

“Confessed to what? Confessed to nothing. It’s
a stupid lie,” said Tad. “He lives in a dream world and makes things up. It
makes him feel important. There’s no way it could have happened. I was aware of
where Tiffany went and what she was doing all the time.”

“But I heard that Tiffany loved her space,”
said Cindy.

“I gave Tiffany lots of space. Why wouldn’t I?”
said Tad. “It wasn’t my desire to chain her. But, at the same time, I was
completely aware of where she went and what she was doing. I always asked her
and she always told me.”

“Did you tell her where you were, too?”
Mattheus listened carefully.

“Of course,” said Tad, gallantly. “We were
partners, we were a team.”

“What did you love so much about Tiffany, Tad?”
Cindy couldn’t help asking. It was obvious that the two of them occupied such
different worlds.

“She was beautiful, she loved living, and she
needed me badly,” Tad said, in one long breath.

“What did she need you for?”

Tad didn’t like that question particularly. “Well,
if you look closely, it’s fairly obvious,” he said, “she was surrounded by
spoiled, wealthy people who lived only for the next pleasure.”

“So?” said Mattheus.

“They all live a life based upon bottomless
desire,” Tad continued heatedly. “It doesn’t get them anywhere.”

“Her father didn’t,” Cindy corrected him.

“I’m talking about her friends and family,” Tad
answered quickly. “Her father is something else, a man of honor.”

Cindy was surprised to hear that phrased used.
It seemed completely out of place in this world.

“Her mother and older sister aren’t like that
either,” Cindy kept it up.

“Tiffany’s mother is a whole different story,”
said Tad, his eyes narrowing. “I don’t know if you realize it, but Tiffany’s
mother is partially insane.”

“I heard she had some emotional disturbances,”
Mattheus interrupted. “No one said she was insane.”

“But she is insane,” Tad interrupted, “and
overly attached to Tiffany.” Little beads of sweat burst out on his forehead. “In
fact, her mother kept grabbing onto Tiffany and pulling her into her crazy
world. If Tiffany didn’t do exactly as her mother demanded, the guilt was
terrific, and the manipulations. Tiffany couldn’t stand up to that woman, she
needed me to break away.  All Tiffany’s laughing and running around with
friends was an elaborate cover. She was hurting inside.”

Cindy wondered if Tad was throwing suspicion on
the mother?  It was surprising. She’d heard Tad and Tiffany’s mother had been
particularly close.

“I heard you and Tiffany’s mother had a good
relationship,” Cindy interjected.

“Her mother decided I was good for Tiffany, that
I would keep her close to home. She expected to maneuver me, too. Of course her
mother had no idea I was going to help Tiffany leave her behind.” He smiled
oddly. “I had to help her break away.  

“No one has mentioned anything like this,”
Mattheus said intensely.

“Why would they?” Tad flared up. “They probably
didn’t even realize what was going on. Her father is obsessed with his public
image, Rori is obsessed with rebelling and the older sister, Wynn, only wants
to keep peace. But I immediately knew what Tiffany was up against. I had a
taste of the same thing with my mother myself, years ago.” He breathed deeply. “Fortunately,
I learned how to handle it.”

“Fortunately,” said Mattheus.

“How did you handle it?” asked Cindy.

Tad smiled. He suddenly seemed tired. “That’s a
long story,” he said wanly, “and I’m not sure it has anything to do with what
we’re up against now. Some of us grow up quickly, though. When we do, we can
spot others who need us.”

“Spot it a mile away,” Mattheus agreed.

Tad nodded. “I was forced to grow up. And I
did. I was helping Tiffany grow up, too.”

“Then someone came and killed her,” Mattheus rumbled.

Tad swallowed heavily.

“Could it really have been Frances?” Mattheus
shot the question at him again.

“I’ve thought about it over and over,” Tad rumbled
back. “He could have done it in a drug stupor.”

“But why would he want to?” asked Cindy.

“If the sicko’d been having fantasies about
sleeping with my fiancée, then maybe his jealousy drove him over the edge?
Especially after she got engaged to me. The murder happened right after our
party. Tiffany insisted upon inviting him to it - said he was an old friend.”

“Did you believe her?” Mattheus asked.

“Of course I believed her,” said Tad. “There
was no reason for her to lie, not about anything. What would she get out of it?”