Death by Devotion (Book #9 in the Caribbean Murder Series) (16 page)

“It
makes all the difference, finding justice,” Cindy continued, “makes things
right again.”

“You
can say that again,” said Sean, as the car wound down a hill now and then
pulled under a scraggly tree with low laying branches, and parked. The tree was
close to a low, slanty dark wooden, house. You could see the house easily,
though the car hidden by the branches. “Let’s just sit here awhile,” Sean
suggested, as though he were on the lookout out for someone.

“On
the lookout for someone?” Cindy asked.

“I
often spend time sitting here watching Pedro’s house,” Sean continued, “just to
see who comes out and in.”

 “And
what do you find?” she asked.

“Not
much,” Sean replied, “the same old crew I’ve seen before, but sometimes someone
new turns up. That’s exciting.”

Cindy
wondered what Sean really had in mind, how long they’d be sitting here. She
decided to just go along with things and see where they lead. She was also
curious about Sean, wanted to know more.

“Were
you ever married, Sean? Ever love someone?” Cindy continued. She’d enjoyed
learning the little about him that she had.

“Yeah,
of course,” Sean spoke more freely now. “I was engaged and she left me when I
decided to give up law and join the police force. She couldn’t understand it,
just wanted a rich lawyer for her husband.”

“It’s
a hard to be married to a cop,” replied Cindy.

“I
guess it is,” Sean replied.

“There
are plenty of women who would be fine with it though,” she added.

“You
trying to pawn me off on someone else now?” Sean threw his head back and
laughed a little.

“I’m
trying to give you hope,” said Cindy softly.

“You
do give me hope, Cindy,” Sean replied. “Now, tell me more about you.”

“I’m
doing okay,” she said calmly, “except for a little court case coming up back
home. My dead husband Clint’s family have still got it in for me. Now they’re
trying to take the house he left out from under me. I’ve got to go back to
fight for it soon.”

 “How
dare they?” Sean bristled.

“I’m
used to it,” said Cindy, “not the best crew in town.”

“I’m
sorry,” he said and reached his hand out for her, and then suddenly lurched
forward. “He’s there, there!” Sean bolted and leaned closer to the window pane.

“Who?”
Cindy was alarmed.

“Mattheus!
There he goes! I heard he came here. I’ve been waiting to spot him myself.  We’re
damn lucky to find him.”

Cindy
leaned forward and in the heavy shadows, saw a man crumpled over, coming out of
the house, darting down the road.”

Sean
started honking. “This is incredible luck. Let’s get out of the car!”

“What’s
going on?” Cindy was terrified.

Sean
jumped out of the car and made a dash to the figure who was edging down the
road.

“Stop
right there,” Sean yelled out at the top of his voice.

Cindy
couldn’t move. Could it really be Mattheus? Why was he crumpled over?  What
would it mean that they actually found him here?

“Stop,
stop,” Sean was running towards him and calling out at the top of his lungs.

Cindy
watched through the windshield as Mattheus came to a halt, straightened up and

Sean
approached. She knew she should get out of the car, but was frozen.

“What
have you got in your arms?” Sean pulled Mattheus over as if he were a common
criminal.

Mattheus
opened his arms. There was nothing in them.

“What
are you doing down here? Who were you just with?” Sean was digging right in.Cindy
suddenly felt enraged.  Sean had tricked her into coming down here. What would happen
when Mattheus saw her here too? Sean was talking to him, but Mattheus wasn’t
saying a word. Cindy was glad. He didn’t have to. But it looked as though they
were almost at blows.

Cindy
quickly stepped out of the car and ran over. Mattheus’s jaw dropped open in
horror when he saw her.

“What
the hell are you doing here?” he gasped.

“It’s
enough,” Cindy said sharply to Sean. “Leave Mattheus alone.”

Sean
backed down somewhat.

“What
are you doing, working with Sean?” Mattheus was outraged. “Spying on me?
Dressed to the nines? Going out with him?”

“None
of the above,” yelled Cindy.

“Then
what’s going on?” Mattheus suddenly seemed devastated.

“Sean
and I were driving to Magenta Tavern, to check out Andrea’s alibi. That’s why I’m
dressed to the nines. Unexpectedly, he took a detour, wanted to show me where
Pedro operated from.”

“You
have no right to be here, Mattheus,” Sean jumped in, upset. “We asked you not
to, to lay low.”

“I’ve
got every right,” Mattheus charged back at him. “You’ve got my daughter locked
up in jail and me under suspicion. Can’t think of a better reason than that.”

Cindy
had to agree. “Mattheus is right,” she said firmly. “He has every right to talk
to anyone he wants to.”

Sean
stepped closer to Mattheus. “What did Pedro tell you? We’ve got to know?”

“He
wants to find the killer as much as I do,” Mattheus suddenly smirked. “He asked
me to find him.”

“Wants
you to work for him?” Sean was appalled.

“He
wants to help me find out who did it,” said Mattheus.

“And
once you do, he’ll shoot both of you dead,” Sean remarked.

“What
did you tell Pedro?” Cindy could hardly believe that Mattheus had access to him.

“I
told him I want my daughter out of jail, that she didn’t do it.” Mattheus
proclaimed.

“What
else?” Cindy got between him and Sean.

“I
told him the police think I’m a suspect. Pedro laughed at that and told me they
had it upside down. It was me who should suspect them.”

“Mattheus,
Mattheus,” Cindy reached out and put her hand on his arm.

 He
quickly shook her away. “I’ve got my car down here and Sean has his. Whose car
are you driving back to the hotel in?” Mattheus answered fitfully.

“Sean
and I are supposed to go to Magenta’s Tavern,” Cindy replied.

“Guess
I had enough for one day,” said Sean. “I’ll pass on that stop for now. You can
go there with Mattheus, if you want to.” Obviously, Sean was upset that Cindy
had gotten between them and sided with Mattheus.

Mattheus
was in no shape to go to Magenta’s Tavern though and Cindy didn’t want to go
with him anyway.

“I’ll
just go back to the hotel,” said Cindy and get a taxi of my own to go from
there.

“Okay,
that’s fine,” said Sean. “Go back to the hotel with Mattheus, because I have to
go straight to the police station and file a report, anyway.”

“About
what? About me?” asked Mattheus.

“Who
else?” said Sean. “It’s not every day we find someone who’s been able to talk
to Pedro. That’s got to be on the record, pronto.”

At
first Mattheus was dead silent in the car going back to the hotel.  Cindy
looked out of the window as they drove, trying to keep perspective. Naturally,
Mattheus was surprised to have seen her with Sean, even though she’d told him
many times she needed his help on the case. As they drove along the narrow
roads, the tension finally became so thick Cindy could barely breathe.

“This
is not time to indulge in crazy jealousy,” Cindy finally broke the silence. “Your
daughter’s life is at stake and frankly, yours may be as well.”

Mattheus
just gripped the driving wheel more tightly.

“I’m
on your side Mattheus,” Cindy continued. I have been siding with you all along.
I’m your advocate with the police.”

“I
didn’t know I needed an advocate,” Mattheus muttered.

“Well,
you do,” Cindy said.

“I’m
that bad off?” asked Mattheus.

“You
could be,” Cindy replied. “Nothing is clear.”

“You
can say that again,” Mattheus relaxed a little.

“The
police are shocked and disturbed by your access to Pedro,” Cindy went on
abruptly.

“Naturally,
they’ re watching you closely.”
Mattheus took it in. “I suppose you’re right,” he conceded. “But what choice do
I have? The police have aced me out and there’s got to be a good reason for it.”

“You’re
too close to the case,” Cindy replied.

“Nah,”
Mattheus’s face grew contorted, “that’s the convenient party line.”

“So,
you’re playing one side against another, going over to the other side for help?”
Cindy

suddenly
felt agitated.

“There’s
only one side I’m interested,” Mattheus sat up more like his old self, “the
side of truth. I’ve got to find out who killed Cain and get Andrea out of jail.
It’s perfect natural to figure that the guys down here would have some answers
for me, especially Pedro.”

“Does
he?” asked Cindy, nonplussed.

Mattheus
started driving more slowly then, obviously wanting to talk. “Listen, the guy’s
burning. He’s as upset as I am. Someone swooped in under the radar and took out
one of his best men. Nobody does that to Pedro.”

“And
he can’t find out who?” Cindy was cynical.

“He’s
got his boys out searching,” Mattheus replied, “and he wants me on it too. We
got a common interest here. Whoever killed Cain didn’t have a motive they can
understand. The murder came from out of left field.  He wasn’t expecting it.”

Cindy
took a long, slow breath. The afternoon had grown warmer and the thick, humid
air drifted in through the car window, washing over both of them.

“That
makes it look more like Andrea might have done it,” Cindy murmured, wondering how
Mattheus would respond to that.

“No,
not at all,” Mattheus bristled. “No one believes that for a minute.”

“Why
not?” asked Cindy, “Andrea had motive, opportunity and -.”

Mattheus
cut her off. “Andrea didn’t do it. There was no reason for it. She’s Cain’s
stepdaughter and the guys down here have been keeping an eye on her.  They all
said she’s harmless, just a kid having a little fun.”

Cindy
took great exception to that. “Sex for money is fun?” her voice rose.

“Let’s
not go there,” Mattheus hands starting trembling. “Let’s handle one thing at
time. Pedro and his boys know she didn’t do it, they also know that whoever
did, wants Andrea locked up. Or killed.”

“Once
Andrea is blamed for it and out of the picture, the heat will be off the real
killer,” Cindy burst in.

“Not
the real heat,” Mattheus insisted. “Not Pedro’s boys.”

“But
the killer doesn’t know that,” Cindy was tossing it all around in her mind. “The
killer thinks the danger comes from the cops. The killer isn’t wired in the
underworld.”

“Not
in Pedro’s world, they’re not,” Mattheus said.

“That
tells us something, Mattheus,” Cindy was back working the case with her partner
as she had so often done before.

“This
has got to be connected to who beat Andrea up in jail,” said Mattheus in a low
tone.

“I’m
sorry about that, Mattheus, I’m so sorry,” Cindy offered.

Mattheus
slowed down before turning onto a wide rode. The car was steamy from the humid
day and the tension they were feeling. He pulled the car into an alcove, and
then stopped the car.

“I
know you’re sorry, Cindy,” he looked at her softly. “I know you’re doing your
best, I know you’re alone with this. You’re incredibly gutsy for even being
here.”

Cindy
felt shocked.  This was the last thing she expected from Mattheus. Despite
herself, tears started falling down her face.

“I
thought you totally hated me,” she said, distraught. “You keep acting as if I’m
betraying you with Sean.”

“Look,
I love you,” Mattheus answered gruffly, “I always have and I always will. I
respect you, I adore you, and I have no idea how to hold onto you.  I keep
making a mess of things.”

“You’re
trying your best, Mattheus,” Cindy replied in a low tone. “You deserve everything
good in your life.”

“You’re
the only thing that’s good in my life,” Mattheus quickly responded.

Cindy
turned and looked out the window. This was more than she could take in right
now.

“You
have a daughter who needs you,” she said quietly then.

“Yes,
I do,” said Mattheus, “I won’t deny that. How was your interview with her?”

“It
went well as far as it went,” said Cindy. “We broke the ice, she talked to me.
I made her think Sean and I were an item so she wouldn’t see me as a rival for
you. That helped open her up.”

Mattheus
took a swift, painful  breath at that.

“It
was Sean’s idea,” Cindy continued quickly, “and it worked. It was a good one.
Andrea talked to me. She told me she’d been at Magenta Tavern on the other side
of the island when Cain was killed. I was headed there now, to find out more.”

“With
Sean?” Mattheus broke in.

“Yes,
he was taking me there, when he suddenly took this detour to Pedro’s.
Obviously, he was more interested in tracking you.”

“Could
be he’s using you as a foil,” said Mattheus.

“There’s
nothing to use,” Cindy objected, “I constantly stand up for you.”

Mattheus
grew silent and Cindy wanted to get out of the car and walk with him along one
of the trails that branched out from the road. She wanted to get something to
drink and then sit in a cool place and talk on and on about what to do. But
this wasn’t the time for it. She was dressed to go to Magenta’s Tavern and the
feelings between them were running too  high already, as it was. The feelings
couldn’t be trusted either, the heat, the danger and the pressure of the moment
caused all kinds of emotions to float around.

“I
think we should get back on the road to the hotel, now, Mattheus,” Cindy
continued calmly. “I’d like to get a cab and go to Magenta’s Tavern.”

“Do
you want me to go with you?” Mattheus asked as he started the car up.

“Actually,
no,” said Cindy, “I think it’s better if I do this trip alone.”

*

As soon as they
returned to the hotel, Cindy immediately hopped into a cab and headed

to Magenta’s Tavern. By the time she
arrived it would almost be happy hour and the place should be full.  Cindy was relieved
to be alone in the cab as it wound its way across a small bridge to the other
side of the island. The air grew cooler as they went East and she opened the
car windows, and let the refreshing breeze wash over her.  It was necessary to
be away from both Mattheus and Sean and have time to think things over by
herself. She could see why there was irritation between them, the undercurrent
of competition for her. But did this competition have anything to do with her,
or was it just male ego asserting itself? Were they vying for who would ended
up winning and getting the prize? Cindy didn’t want to be anyone’s prize
anymore. Right now she simply wanted to get the job done and then to create
stable basis for her life. Once the cab passed a narrow wedge in the road and
clump of trees, it picked up speed. The driver turned on the radio, music
played and for the moment, Cindy felt good.

*

Magenta’s Tavern was indeed an elegant
spot, much more like the places she’d been to on the other islands. It had a
large gold plated door, which was open when she arrived. Inside were painted
tiles on the floor, a long, swerving, silver plated bar and patrons dressed in
expensive but casual silks and linens, looking suntanned, relaxed and dashing. They
turned their heads when someone walked in and subtly looked them over. Cindy
felt she passed the test.  

Cindy glided over to the bar slowly and
took a seat. A tall, rather handsome guy in a blue sports shirt and blazer who
was sitting a few seats away, turned, looked at her, and smiled. Cindy smiled
back.

It really didn’t matter who she started
talking to, she thought, one person would lead to the next.

“Don’t think I’ve seen you here before,”
he started, sliding over a seat closer to her, obviously liking what he saw.

“First time at Magenta’s,” Cindy
answered lightly.

“And what brings you here?” he had a
warmth about him that was appealing despite his slick manner.

Cindy really didn’t have time to
banter.  She was sorry to burst his bubble so quickly, but had to get right to
the point.

“Actually, I’m a detective down here,
investigating a case,” she replied.

Startled, he moved a bit back. “What
kind of case?” he asked, disconcerted.

“Murder,” said Cindy, point blank as the
bartender came over to them.

“This beautiful young lady’s a
detective,” the guy announced to the bartender immediately, “can you imagine
that!”

The bartender, an older guy in his late
forties, scratched his head. “I can imagine all kinds of things,” he responded.
“Nice of her to let you know. Some of them come in here undercover and take you
for a sweet, little ride.”

That commented interested Cindy. She had
no idea there were undercover cops around down here.

 “Lots of problems on the island?” she
asked the bartender.

“Not usually down here,” the bartender
shook his head. “Over there on the other side, we got one of the worst drug
rings around.”

The guy sitting next to Cindy pushed his
stool away a bit further. “She’s investigating a murder,” he gave the bartender
a heads’s up.

Cindy didn’t like having someone speak
for her. “Have you heard about the young Caribbean girl on the other side of
the island accused of killing her stepfather?” she asked.

The bartender shook his head. “Nah, don’t
keep track of all the problems they got over there. Here, we cater to tourists
and ex pats in giant villas. It’s a different scene.”

Cindy looked over at the guy next to
her, wondering if he was an ex pat himself. Perhaps he knew Sean? “Do you live
here?” she asked him.

“Part time,” the guy responded, guarded.
“Not an ex pat, if that’s what you mean. I come down to play and then go back
up home again. Can’t beat that for a lifestyle.”

“What are you looking for down here?”
the bartender focused in on Cindy, as the big gold door opened and more
elegant, happy patrons came in.

“The young Caribbean girl who’s being
held for the murder claims she was down here in Magenta’s Cavern at the time
her stepfather was killed,” Cindy said.

That took the bartender back.  “Really?
We’re implicated in this?”

“You’re not implicated in anything,” the
guy next to Cindy spoke forcefully. “It’s an alibi, but can someone confirm it?”
he zeroed in on Cindy. Cindy wondered if he were a lawyer himself.

“That’s what I came down here to find
out,” Cindy replied, “The young woman said people here saw her.”

“Really?” the bartender seemed uneasy at
that.

“Who usually takes the afternoon shift
at the bar?” Cindy continued.

“I do,” the bartender answered
disconsolately. “I’m here from noon until seven each day.”

Cindy was delighted to hear that. “Then
you would have had to be here when she claims she was.”

The guy next to Cindy moved closer
again. “Look around here for a minute,” he said in a hushed tone, trying to be
a buffer, “Is this the kind of crowd the girl would fit in?”

 At a quick glance, of course, the
answer was no, but Cindy remembered that Andrea had said

there was a wealthy, white guy in love
with her. She turned back to the bartender then.

“Think about it carefully. Did you see a
local ex pat here with a young Caribbean woman in the past couple of weeks?”

“Hell, there are so many people that
come drifting in,” the bartender looked at Cindy, shifty.