Death by Desire (Caribbean Murder Series, Book 4) (18 page)

 “The cab will be here in a
few minutes,” the guard said, trying to get her attention.

“Thank you,” said Cindy curtly,
leaning back against the front door. It was actually beautiful outdoors, the
air was warm, thick and sweet and the dark sky was lit with a canopy of stars. Tears
stung Cindy’s eyes when she realized that she was so far from family, here alone.

Instead of a taxi, a small
dark car drove up to the entrance. The man at the steering wheel got out, and
motioned for Cindy to get in. He was muscular with dark hair, dark eyes and
wore a simple suit.

She stood frozen, looking at
him. There had to be some mistake. She wondered who he thought she was.

He seemed to know what he was
there for though, came over to her slowly.

“Cindy Blaine?” he asked.

“Yes?”

“Officer Sanchez Hanuah,” he
said in a rumbling tone, took out his badge and showed it to her. “From Guadeloupe.”

Cindy was stunned. He had a
formidable power and strength.

 “Get into the car. We’ll
drive you back to the hotel. Along the way, we can talk a little.”

She stood exactly where she
was.

“My partner will be here in a
little while,” she lied. “I’m waiting for him.”

“It’s you we want to talk to” Hanuah
said, unmovable. “You came out alone and called for a cab. You’re not waiting
for your partner. You’re running away.”

Cindy backed away from him. He
or one of his crew must have been watching her all night. She had no intention
of going into that car alone with him. She looked over at the security guard
who was smirking. He hadn’t called a taxi, he’d called these guys. Following
orders from Petrovich, obviously.

“There’s nothing to be afraid
of,” Hanuah said. “We’ve been waiting for you all evening. There’s no reason
for us to hurt you.”

“What have you been waiting
for?”  Cindy asked.

Hanuah smiled a strange smile,
showing a row, of perfect, tiny teeth.

“We’ve been waiting for you to
leave the party, with or without your ridiculous partner.”

Cindy stiffened. She started
to say something, but he stopped her.

“Do not defend him,” Hanuah
smiled, waving his hand. “A ladies man cannot be trusted. It’s stupid to work
with that kind of man.  One, two, three, they fall into the trap.  I’ve seen it
happen again and again.”

Cindy realized that Mattheus
had been set up. They’d provided a beautiful, irresistible woman to pretend she
was an agent, and rivet him to every word she said. Of course, it worked
perfectly. He was drawn in, intoxicated. Cindy’d seen it with her own eyes.

Hanuah looked at Cindy. “With
a partner like that, things like this happen. Sooner or later you end up alone.”

Cindy knew he was right, but
refused to admit it.

“I am not alone,” she responded,
pretending that none of it touched her at all. “My partner is inside, doing his
job. I’m outside, waiting for a cab. He and I will meet up later. We always do.
Now, what do you want to talk to me about?” She suddenly felt a surge of anger.
She was getting tired of these endless games and innuendos. “We can talk right
here, right now.”

Hanuah looked around. People
were coming and going everywhere. “Not really,” he said.

Cindy dug in. “The we can go
inside and talk.”

“You’re feisty, I like it. But
it’s too crowded and noisy,” Hanuah said. “We’ll get in the car and ride down
the road straight to your hotel.”

He clearly knew where she was
staying. Cindy wondered if he’d been watching her there as well.

“Why in the world would you
think I trust you?” she said, incredulous.

Hanuah leaned back, amused. “Then
call your partner, and we’ll wait for him, too.”

Cindy pulled out her phone and
started to call. She stopped midstream. She had no intention of calling Mattheus
to come to her rescue. She didn’t want to speak to him ever again. Let him be
as drawn in as he wanted by that woman. She could handle this on her own.

Cindy spun around towards the
guards.  “Get me a taxi this minute. Or else!” she commanded.

The guard looked at Hanuah,
who nodded his approval, a tiny smile playing around the edge of his mouth.

“If you insist we can ride in
the taxi with you,” Hanuah said.

“Wait a minute,” said Cindy,
archly.

“We don’t have a minute,” the
smile disappeared. “And neither do you. This has gone far enough. If you won’t
listen, I’ll tell you right here. Back off the case.” His eyes narrowed.

“Is that all?” Cindy said
flippantly.

“You and your ridiculous
partner have become irritants,” Hanuah said, more forcefully, “more than
irritants, you’re getting in our way. We have work to do and you’re not part of
it.”

His eyes flared as he spoke. There
was something fascinating about his smoldering energy and Cindy suddenly felt relieved
to be with him.  She let her defenses drop a moment.

“What’s the problem?” she
burst out passionately, matching his intensity, “We’re not the enemy. You’re
here to work the case, so are we. We can work together, we can help.”

He came much closer and Cindy felt
his breath filled with alcohol on her face.

 “We do not want your help.
Get off the island. Go home. Listen to me.”

A rush of pain flew through
Cindy. She wanted to say, I have no home to go to anymore. There is nothing
else I can do now but track down killers here on the islands – end up with wild
men like you on Christmas Eve. Instead, she breathed deeply, trying to find her
lost bearings.

 “I can’t leave Tiffany’s
family in the lurch,” she insisted.

“This is much bigger than
Tiffany’s family,” Hanuah suddenly spoke in a confidential tone. “Now they’re
sending in people from Washington. We cannot tolerate that. We’re not sure who
they are, but we’ll find out soon. If we’re not careful, they’ll be calling
Interpol next. Big reputations are at stake. You’re making more trouble than
you know. This little, miserable murder case has to be closed, and fast.”

Cindy looked at him simply and
openly. He stopped speaking and their glances met.

“Who killed Tiffany?” she
asked softly. “Tell me and we’ll close the case one, two, three.”

“I don’t know,” he breathed, “and
I don’t care!  She’s inconsequential, at best.”

Something struck Cindy vividly
at that moment and she started trembling from head to foot.

“Has there’s been another
murder?” Cindy gasped, terrified. “Is Tiffany is just the tip of the iceberg?”

He put his hand on her arm to
steady her.

“No, there hasn’t, not yet,”
he said. “But there could be if you don’t leave soon. Murders often happen in
threes down here. As an island detective with a big reputation, you should know
that. I don’t want to see more bloodshed. And neither does Sasha. Once bloodshed
starts, it’s hard to stop. Petrovich is a very wise man. And, by the way, he
seems he likes you very much.”

Cindy made a terrible face.

Hanuah smiled, baring his
perfect teeth again.

“And I can see perfectly well
why he does,” Hanuah added.

 Despite herself, Cindy liked Hanuah
too. Under different conditions, she and he could have become friends.

“I appreciate what you’re
doing,” Cindy said.

“Appreciate it or not, it
doesn’t matter,” Hanuah muttered, “just do what you’re told. Go home.”

Then he turned, went back into
the car, spun it around on its heel and sped down the dark road.

After Hanuah left, the guard called a taxi
which came and drove Cindy home. She felt both sad and proud to be coming home
alone. She didn’t have to stay there and watch Mattheus carry on like that. It
was way beyond the call of duty. She also realized that they were working on a
case and had to find a way to keep going until it was closed. The warning she’d
gotten from Hanuah had power behind it and Cindy knew they had to take it
seriously. She and Mattheus had stumbled onto something that was way larger
than they’d realized. The police and government were involved. It could be
anything, money laundering, smuggling, humongous profits made on dirty deals.
Big reputations and careers were obviously at stake. Cindy believed that the
Senator was aware of what was going on. He’d been to Petrovich’s parties, tangled
with authorities. What had he been thinking when he called Cindy and Mattheus? Probably
shocked by the death of his daughter and determined to get justice.

But, Hanuah was right. Tiffany’s death was
inconsequential to them. It wasn’t inconsequential to Cindy, though. Although
Cindy never met her, she felt a growing connection to Tiffany, cared for her a
great deal. The more Cindy found out about her, the more alive Tiffany became.
Cindy could almost feel her calling out for help and justice now. There was no
way Cindy could go home and leave the case open.  And what about Frances?  An
innocent guy, who most likely had nothing to do with the crime, would probably
be found guilty. One life ruined after another.

Hanuah could threaten Cindy all he liked. She
was not budging. And, oddly enough, she was not afraid.

It took a short while for Cindy to get back to
the hotel. The taxi drove up to the entrance and you could hear the music,
laughter and partying coming from inside. Cindy was relieved to be alone. She
tipped the driver, raced up to her room, took off her fancy evening clothes and
threw them on the sofa. Then she put on a robe and went out onto the patio to just
sit and look at the stars. It helped to breathe the salty air and let the warm
evening breezes wash over her.  In just a few hours her entire world had turned
around.  Her relationship with Mattheus was different. He didn’t feel like someone
she could turn to for safety anymore.  But, that was okay, she said to herself.
Why did she have to turn to anyone for safety? It was time to grow up, become a
mountain of strength not only for others, but for herself as well.

As she sat out there musing, her cell phone rang.
It had to be Mattheus, wondering where she was. She couldn’t bring herself to
pick the phone up.  Cindy was actually shocked at the depth of her feelings. She
was more upset and jealous than she could remember, or had any right to be. This
was crazy, she told herself. What had Mattheus actually done? Flirted with her
a little, and then been completely drawn in by that gorgeous woman. Okay, it
happened in front of her eyes, but Cindy and Mattheus weren’t a couple. She had
to remind herself of that, over and over. It was easy to get lost in a fantasy
down here, take little things to mean much more than they did.  She must have
been lonelier than she realized, and probably he was too.

The phone rang again, and she still couldn’t
answer. Despite herself, their relationship had meant a lot.  She and Mattheus
played on the edge of intimacy time and again. They’d come to a moment and then
retreat. There always were intimations, flirtations, soft suggestions in the air.
Hanuah’s words had probably been designed to create suspicion and a wedge
between them. These guys down here were snakes, Petrovich, Hanuah. They knew
exactly what they were doing. Cindy shuddered at the thought of them. Then,
Andy crossed her mind lightly. He was so normal, plain, uninteresting, but good
to talk to anyway.  Living this life, working day after day in the heart of
suffering, intrigue and crime, she’d forgotten about people like him.

 The cell phone rang a third time. Cindy knew
she had to pick it up and let Mattheus know she was safe. She picked up.

“Where the hell are you?” Mattheus sounded
furious and scared.

“Back at the hotel,” said Cindy. “I’m fine.”

“Well, I’m not,” said Mattheus. “I’m pissed as
hell. You don’t just pick up and run out on your partner.”

Just who exactly ran out on whom? Cindy
thought.

She flushed “You didn’t have your partner run
out on you,” Cindy said lightly. “You had her right at your side all night
long.”

Silence on the other end. “I don’t believe what
I’m hearing,” Mattheus said finally.

Cindy closed her eyes. She wanted to hang up,
but knew she couldn’t.

“You ran out because you were jealous?” He
sounded dumbstruck.

Cindy had nothing to say.

“You acted like a spoiled child,” Mattheus said.

No, like a woman in love, Cindy realized. Tears
fell down her face as the conversation continued. This was the last thing she
wanted or needed, to be in love with Mattheus.

“You could have endangered both of us,” said
Mattheus, calmer now.
“Endangered you? I don’t see how.”

“Really? If something happened to you, what do
you think I’d do? Go nuts.”

“I guess,” said Cindy sadly.

“You guess? What the hell’s going on? You don’t
sound like you’re in your right mind,” he said.

It was a harsh statement, but probably true,
thought Cindy. She’d gotten mixed up, allowed herself to develop feelings for
Mattheus that had no place in their lives. It was easy for old longings to
replay, old hopes to get dashed.

“There are more dangers doing this work than I
realized,” Cindy said quietly.

“What do you mean by that?” Mattheus asked.

“Figure it out,” said Cindy, annoyed at his
denseness and hung up the phone.

*

  Cindy awoke in the morning clear headed and
ordered breakfast up in the room. She wasn’t ready to see Mattheus yet. And, on
his side, he didn’t call.

Cindy knew she had to alert him about her
encounter with Hanuah, and she would. He’s probably sleeping in, thought Cindy.
After all, it’s Christmas Day. But then, she decided to forcibly stop thinking
about him, and turn her attention to the task at hand. The time they had left
to work down here was limited. She needed to continue to gather whatever facts she
could before they were actually kicked off the island.

Several things were uppermost in her mind right
now –checking further into Tad’s alibi to see if anyone else saw him scuba diving,
and also, finding out more about Frances. It was important to see if there was
anything at all that actually linked him the crime.

In a little while, Cindy’s phone rang and to her
relief it wasn’t Mattheus, it was Rori.

Cindy picked up immediately. Rori had been on
her mind these past few days. The video of the engagement party showed that
Rori and Frances were close. Cindy’d wanted to talk to her not only about
Frances, but find out if she knew whether someone had seen Tad scuba diving.

“Hi,” said Rori, “Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas to you,” said Cindy.

“Sorry to bother you on a day like this, but I
was just wondering if you might have an hour to meet with me?” asked Rori. “I’m
going stir crazy on the boat and want to get off and take a walk. I can’t stand
being with the family another minute.”

“Absolutely,” said Cindy delighted. The timing
couldn’t have been more perfect. “Where do you want to meet?”

“How about Gagua Beach?” said Rori.

*

Cindy and Rori met up on Gagua Beach, a small
beach on a cove along the edge of a wild bird preserve. Cindy hadn’t seen this
inlet before and once again she felt as though she was stepping into a magical
world, full of the call of birds, talking to each other.  It was startling to
listen to them singing and also take in the incredible beauty of the sights.
The water stretched along a rocky shore, down beneath sloping hills filled with
trees where these wild birds made their home. Some flew over Cindy’s head, warbling,
as she walked down to the shore. It felt as though they were welcoming her to
their enclave.

When she got down to the beach, Rori was
already there, sitting on a rock.

“Merry Christmas,” said Cindy as she drew
closer.

Rori looked up and smiled.

“Thanks for everything you’re doing,” she said.
“Working like this, even on Christmas day.”

Cindy was surprised. Rori seemed warm, open and
eager to see her. She was a far cry from the edgy twin sister Cindy had met
before.

“It must be a very painful day for your family,”
said Cindy, as Rori got up.

 “Every day has been awful in one way or
another since Tiffany died,” said Rori. “We can’t catch a break.”

“I’m sorry,” said Cindy.

“Let’s take a walk along the water,” said Rori,
restless and wanting to move.

The two of them started walking, and Cindy
loved the feeling of sand under her feet.

 “My mother is getting much worse,” Rori started.
“Going downhill every day. It’s exhausting.”

“You’ve always had a hard time with her?” Cindy
asked

“Always have and always will,” Rori wasn’t
pulling any punches. “You’d think she’d get it together, at least for the sake
of the family. It can be done. Look at me, I’m not getting worse.”

“That’s great,” said Cindy.

“What good would it do if I fell apart?” said
Rori.

“None at all,” Cindy agreed.

 “And besides that,” Rori continued, “my father
really needs me now. He’s devastated. Tiffany was his favorite, and now that
she’s gone, he always wants me around. I guess it doesn’t hurt that we were
identical twins. He looks at me and thinks she’s here. But she’s not. I’m
nothing like her.”

Cindy couldn’t help wonder if somehow Rori
might be relieved that her sister was gone.

“What was your relationship like with Tiffany?”
Cindy asked.

“Okay, not special,” said Rori directly. “We
were different in a lot of ways. Our mother adored Tiffany and could never
stand me.”

“That’s awful,” said Cindy.

“You get used to everything,” said Rori. “It
makes you strong.”

Cindy felt a strong wave of admiration for Rori.
She was blunt, direct, didn’t pull any punches.

A light wind came up and blew in their faces as
they walked. Surprisingly, it had grown somewhat cooler.

“Some say we could get heavy rain, later,” Rori
offered in passing, “that’s unusual down here, this time of year.”

Cindy was enjoying the breezes. “It’s quite an
island,” she said.

“It’s okay,” said Rori. “After this I don’t
think we’ll ever come back. I know I don’t want to. Can’t wait to get out of
here, actually. We’re just waiting to hear what the medical examiner finds.”

“About Frances?” asked Cindy.

Rori nodded sadly.

“I noticed on the engagement video that you and
Frances have a nice relationship,” Cindy said.

“Very nice,” said Rori, stopped walking, and
looked out into the ocean. “He’s a great guy who’s had lots of rough breaks. He
didn’t do this. I’m positive. There’s zero reason for him to be in jail.”

“Zero?” asked Cindy.

Rori bent down and picked up a piece of
driftwood, then used to it write a huge zero on the moist sand.

“There’s absolutely, positively no way Frances
would have hurt Tiffany,” Rori said. “I had to tell you that.”

“Why are you so positive?”

“Because he loved her,” said Rori.

Cindy and Rori looked at each other.

“But Tiffany was engaged to Tad,” said Cindy. “Sounds
like it could have been a motive to me.”

Rori shook her head calmly. “Tiffany’s
engagement meant nothing,” she said. “Frances was the guy she loved.”

Cindy was startled. Wynn had told her no one
else knew about this.

“Tiffany got engaged to pacify my mother,” Rori
went on. “Nothing more, nothing less.”

“How long did you know about your sister and
Frances?”

Rori tossed her hair back off her face. “It
wasn’t hard to figure out. Tiffany wasn’t good at hiding anything, only from my
mother, who chooses to be blind.”

“Tiffany told you about her relationship with
Frances?” Cindy probed.

“She didn’t have to tell me anything. I saw
what was going on,” Rori said. “But let me tell you something else that could
have something to do with what happened.”

“What?” Cindy’s heart started beating fast.

“Tiffany was a drug addict, too.”

Cindy’s body got cold.

“You’re never going to find the killer if you
don’t know what you’re up against,” Rori said defiantly. “I decided someone’s
got to tell the truth. If they don’t it’s gonna get pinned on Frances, and I
couldn’t stand that. He doesn’t deserve a life in jail! Even though a lot of
people might want him there.”