Death by Desire (Caribbean Murder Series, Book 4) (17 page)

 “It’s being kept quiet,” Cindy said.

“You’re playing with fire,” Andy said after a
few moments. “A Senator’s daughter – that’s complicated. If you asked me, I
would advise you to stay clear of things like that.”

Cindy looked at him closely. He seemed
concerned.

“It’s my job,” she said.

He picked up his plate and started eating.

“There’s all kinds of cases out there to
investigate,” he said, “marital infidelity, corporate theft, find something
else. Politics can be nasty business, especially down here.”

The holiday music got louder, Christmas Carols
rang out, surrounding them. People were drinking and laughing a lot. Cindy
thought how Tiffany would never again here these Carols, or celebrate anything
at any party anymore. Cindy was glad to be here, standing in for her.

“What do you do?” asked Cindy, to lighten the
conversation.

“Corporate law,” said Andy. “Mergers and
acquisitions. Simple and direct.”

Cindy thought of how Clint had been taken down
by a corporation.

“It’s odd that a beautiful woman like you would
become a detective,” Andy looked at Cindy with fascination.

“I like it,” she said directly. “There’s lots
of people out there in big trouble. It feels good to step in and help. Do you
know anything about Senator O’Connell?”

Andy looked grim. “Oh my God, it was his daughter
that was murdered?”

“You know them?”

“Of course. He’s been coming down here for
years with his family,” said Andy. “I’ve been coming down regularly, too. Which
daughter?” His face grew ashen.

“Tiffany,” said Cindy.

 “Oh no,” Andy murmured.

“What do you know about the family?” asked
Cindy.

“Not much,” he said. “Everyone knows he’s a
Senator. Once in a while he shows up at these parties.”

“Alone?” asked Cindy.

“Yes, alone.”

“Ever notice any other woman he spent time
with?”

Andy looked uncomfortable. “Not really,” he
said. “He talks to people, we all do.”

“I don’t mean to grill you,” said Cindy.

“It’s okay,” Andy said quickly, “grill me all
you like.”

“Does Petrovich have something on the Senator?
Cindy asked bluntly then. “Is he in Petrovich’s pocket?”

“I have no idea,” Andy said. “Really, I just
come down and have a good time, then go back up to New York and work.  I’m a pretty
boring guy, basically. Not as exciting as the people you must meet.”

“You’re just fine the way you are,” Cindy said,
appreciatively.

“Well, you made my night,” Andy grinned boyishly.

 Cindy suddenly felt what a relief it could be
to have a life like Andy’s, where things went routinely and people could be
counted on. After work you went out for dinner, met with friends, took in a
movie. You weren’t always on the search for secret clues to the mind of killers.

“Now it makes sense,” Andy muttered half to
himself. “I noticed some police from Guadeloupe down on the island these past few
days, was wondering what they were doing here.  In fact I saw some at this
party tonight.”

Cindy was startled. “Where?”

“In the back,” said Andy. “I didn’t know why
they were here.  Heard said they were waiting for someone to show up.”

Cindy had chills. “Doesn’t Petrovich have his
own security guard?”

“These cops are not down here to guard
Petrovich,” Andy answered. “They’re looking for someone else. Now I know who.”

“The killer?” asked Cindy.

“Who else would it be?” said Andy as he leaned towards
her. “Maybe they think he’s going to show up here.”

That thought had never even occurred to Cindy.

“Look, this is tricky business,” Andy went on. “There
are lots of people here you can talk to and find out more than you can from me.
I don’t want to waste your time.”

“You’re not wasting my time. It’s lovely
talking to you,” said Cindy.

Andy smiled again.

“I hope I can see you again when the case is
solved,” he said tentatively.

Cindy was touched by his sweetness.

“When the case is solved I leave the island,”
she said, wondering when and if it would ever be closed.

“So, maybe we can see each other back in New
York?” Andy suggested, “that is, if your partner lets you.”

Cindy smiled. “I have my own life. It’s not up
to my partner.”

Cindy wondered then how Mattheus was doing, where
he actually was, if he might need her for something. She stopped and took a
moment to scan the room. At first he was nowhere to be seen. Then, finally she
spotted him, or at least someone who looked like him, nestled in a corner. Cindy
stood up and walked a few steps closer, to make sure she was seeing correctly. Mattheus
was against the wall, with a beautiful, tall red headed woman close up to him,
hanging all over him.  He had an odd smile on his face, as if was thoroughly
enjoying it.

Stunned, Cindy shuddered and turned back to
Andy.

“I’d love to have more time to talk to you,”
she said, trying to block out what she’d seen.

“I can only imagine how busy you are,” said
Andy.

Cindy paused, he was right. She was totally
busy. Every moment of her life was consumed with finding another piece of
evidence. And when one case was over, the next one came along. How much time
did she have for a life for her own? Her time with Mattheus wasn’t real either.
It revolved around tracking killers, digging up suspects, figuring the next moves.
Cindy took a deep breath. It was a strange relief to be simply sitting here, talking
to a regular guy who wanted to be with her just because of who she was. Cindy
suddenly felt homesick, not only for Christmas with her family, but for friends
she could relax with and a man she could build a real life with again. The life
that she was living now, made it impossible. And seeing Mattheus like that,
made everything worse.

Andy reached out his hand and stroked her hand
gently, “You’re a beautiful woman,” he said.

“Thank you,” said Cindy, not noticing Petrovich
approaching them as they spoke.

“Well, I see you forget your partner the moment
you find another man,” Petrovich came up and laughed gleefully. “And you, my
dear Andrew, have had tremendous good fortune tonight. You’ve found the most
beautiful woman in the entire room.”

Andy stood up, uncomfortable.

“No need to be nervous,” Petrovich grinned “But
perhaps you don’t know, dear Andrew, that this intoxicating woman, you are
talking to, has other things in mind besides you.”

Cindy was horrified and appalled by Petrovich.

“She is actually a detective, plumbing the
depths of your brain.”  Petrovich glanced slyly at Cindy enjoying exposing her cover.

“Yes, she told me that,” said Andy, simply.

Petrovich became sullen. It was not what he
expected.

“And I appreciated her honesty,” Andy went on.

“But why in the world are you two talking then?
What could you possibly have to tell her about what she wants to know?”
Petrovich probed.

“Not much,” Andy said. “I had no idea the
Senator’s daughter had been killed.”

Petrovich remained poker faced.

“For all we know it was a mistake,” Petrovich
finally said. “The girl could have been mistaken for someone else.”

“It was a vicious killing,” said Cindy, “nothing
accidental about it at all.”

Petrovich shook his head. He didn’t like the
whole thing.

 “It was an idiotic thing to have happened,” he
grumbled. “Kicking up dust where no dust is needed, getting in the way of
plans.” Then he turned to Cindy. “Why don’t you ask me your questions,
directly, my dear? Your dashing partner is quite busy with a beautiful woman he’s
met, who simply adores him, and never lets go.  And, if you asked me, he
returns her feelings completely. Even though the woman claims to be here from
the C.I. A., I am positive Mattheus is not thinking about work at this moment.
Take a look and see.”

Cindy refused to look their way again.

“Ah, I see you’ve already noticed her.  Like
you, she’s extremely beautiful. A snare for the unguarded, I’d say.”

For the first time tonight, Cindy realized how
much Mattheus must have been missing the attention of a woman. But she would
not give Petrovich the benefit of seeing her suffer. She looked at him as clear
eyed as a tiger.

“I would love to question you directly,” Cindy
said to Petrovich. “What a gracious offer. For starters, tell me what you know
about the murder.”

“Actually, nothing,” he said.

“A man with your clout and connections?” asked
Cindy. “You have to know something.”

“But I don’t,” said Petrovich in a low, grumbly
tone, “that’s why it’s so irritating. And, this so called investigation is interfering
with important business dealings, which is precisely why it has to be over with
and done.  My only wish is to see the case closed. That’s why I’ve invited the Guadeloupe
Police to be my guests here tonight, as well as your charming Mattheus, who
thinks somehow I am involved. I am not. And it doesn’t look good for me, does
it, to have him or others thinking I could be. Deals I make naturally. Murder
is something I never stoop to.”

Andy cleared his throat. Clearly, this
conversation was more than he bargained for.

“Should I be hearing all this?” Andy asked,
finally.

“If you want to pursue a relationship with this
exquisite woman, then you’d better get used to conversations like this,”
Petrovich replied instantly. “And, also, you will have to put up with her
formidable partner, who I can easily handle, but you cannot.”

Cindy cleared her throat. Petrovich was trying
to put an end to her relationship with Andy.

“Petrovich thinks he runs the world,” Cindy
said with bravado, “his world maybe, but not mine!”

Petrovich laughed. “She’s spirited, but foolish,”
he continued. “And jealous of the attention her partner is giving other women,
as well.”

Cindy’s face grew red.

“Women are my finest wine,” Petrovich continued,
“I’ve had a taste of every brand, know them all intimately. It may take time
for Cindy to understand, that what’s good for the goose is not good for the
gander. Mattheus can do what he likes with women. She cannot. It won’t make Mattheus
happy to know that Cindy has even been talking to you so intimately. In fact it
could cause a dangerous strain in their relationship, if I told him so.”

Cindy stood up tall. “What has any of this to
do with you?” she asked, furious.

Petrovich laughed out loud. “Nothing, but you
are a guest at my party. And I’ve actually taken a liking to you. You’re the
first woman, my dear, who has interested me in a long, long while.”

“Well, there’s nothing about you interests me
in the least,” Cindy snapped.

Petrovich moved closer to her, seductively.

She moved away and turned towards the door.

“What do you plan to do?” asked Petrovich, “Leave
without your partner? That would be foolish, dangerous, even.”

“Now you’re concerned about my safety?” Cindy
could not bear to look at him.

“Yes, in fact, I am,” he said.

When on a case, Cindy knew it was a cardinal
rule to stay in touch, never go without letting your partner know when you left
or where you were. She decided to go tell Mattheus that she was leaving now and
would meet him back at the hotel. She had to get away from Petrovich, found him
entirely repulsive.

First she wanted to say good bye to Andy.

 “I am staying at the Ile de Joie Hotel,” Cindy
said to him. “Please call me there if you care to.”

Then she turned and left, to find Mattheus,
edging her way slowly through the crowded room. It was hot and late and
difficult to wedge her way between the clusters of people. When Cindy got to
the far corner she caught another glimpse of Mattheus at the bar. Her heart
stopped cold. There was no space at all between him and the red head now, she
was pressed full up against him. They were talking intimately, drinks in their
hands.

Cindy stopped in her tracks. This was more than
she could handle. What did this have to do with investigating a crime? Nothing.
He was obviously drawn to this woman and she to him. They were comfortable
together, whispering. Her mouth was practically on his face.

Cindy spun around, tears in her eyes, and dashed
back to the front door. There was no way she would get in between them and tell
him about her plans. Instead, she flew to the front gate and ordered the
security guard to call her a taxi immediately.

 The guard looked her over and smiled. “Going
home alone? So early?”

Cindy did not respond. She
just wanted to get out of there, think things over, and decide what to do next.