Death by Devotion (Book #9 in the Caribbean Murder Series) (15 page)

“It’s
more than a dream,” Andrea flung back at her. “It’s happening right under your
eyes. They’ve been together all the time since he returned to the Island. Go,
ask anybody.”

“Sounds
like a good thing for us to check into,” Cindy said to Sean, alarmed.

Andrea
put her hands on her hips and swayed then, delighted. “I got a lot of good
ideas, don’t I? And the best idea I had was to ask Cindy if she were in love
with you? You’re a great looking couple, you know.”

After
Sean brought Andrea back to her holding cell, he returned to the waiting area
for Cindy, smiling.

“Let’s
go get a bite and talk all this over,” he said, light heartedly. “After all, we’re
a great looking couple, you know.”

Cindy
couldn’t join him in his cheerful mood. Even though it was probably all wishful
thinking, she was disturbed by Andrea’s comments about Mattheus and Petra.

“Yes,
let’s go and get a bite,” Cindy replied quietly.

“You’re
all upset about what Andrea said about Mattheus,” Sean said as they walked back
down the hallway together, “but there’s no reason for it. She’s told us this
before. And, we’ve checked on it thoroughly.”

“And
what did you find?” asked Cindy with baited breath.

Sean
stopped and looked at her closely. “It still matters so much to you whether or
not Mattheus has a relationship with Petra, if he’s going back with her?”

“Of
course it matters,” Cindy replied.

“I
thought the two of you were broken up,” the smile left Sean’s face quickly.

“Yes,
we are broken up,” Cindy repeated, “but I don’t like being lied to. If it’s
true it means Mattheus has lied to me. He never said a word about it.”

Sean
seemed to understand that. “What else does it mean?” he continued.

“It
could cause me to suspect Mattheus,” Cindy replied quietly.

“It’s
what caused us to suspect him in the first place,” Sean answered calmly.

“But
I thought you said Andrea was unreliable? How can you put confidence in what
she said about Petra and Mattheus?” Cindy questioned.

“We
didn’t,” said Sean calmly, “we checked it out for ourselves. And it’s true. Mattheus
spent a lot of time at Petra’s home. The question we didn’t answer though was,
did he go there to be with Petra or with Andrea?”

Cindy
sighed with relief. “That’s a good question,” she agreed.

“And
why are you so relieved by it?” Sean seemed to feel slightly uneasy.

“Because
whatever else Mattheus is or isn’t, I know he didn’t commit murder, “
Cindy insisted, “and I don’t like having suspicion on him.”

Sean
nodded, “Good point and duly noted,” he replied professionally.

Cindy
wanted to change the direction the conversation was going in. “It’s really not
about Mattheus,” she tossed her hair back off her face. “We have to find out
exactly where Andrea was when Cain was killed.”

Oddly
enough, Sean looked disinterested.

“Even
though Andrea wouldn’t give me details,” Cindy went on, “she said that she was
at a fancy bar at the other end of the Island and that people saw her there.”

“That’s
not news,” Sean replied. “She told us that a while ago.”

“So,
why didn’t you check it out?” Cindy was adamant.

“Andrea
fantasizes about lots of things,” Sean started. “If we followed every little
thing she said, we’d be using police time to run all over the place. She
refused to be specific with us, so we never took it further.”

“I’m
going to take it further,” Cindy proclaimed. “I need to. What bar is she
referring to?”

Sean
smiled. “I believe she told us it was the Magenta Tavern.”

“Why
are you smiling?” Cindy didn’t like it.

“Hell,
that’s one of the classiest spot in town, filled with rich tourists and wealthy
ex pats with Villas on the water.  Not exactly a place a girl like Andrea would
frequent,” Sean remarked.

“You
never know,” Cindy was offended. “She might have had a John who took her there
for a lark.”

“Come
on now, Cindy,” Sean looked at her skeptically. “You don’t really believe that?
Hell, there are beautiful women down there, hungry for company. No one needs a
young, snippy kid from the poor side of town. That place if way out of her
league.”

Cindy
wasn’t buying it though. “Anything is possible,” she murmured.

“Listen,
our time is valuable,” Sean said curtly. “If we let ourselves get distracted by
improbable suggestions, we’d end up nowhere fast.”

“That’s
true,” said Cindy, “but where have you ended up now? I’m going to Magenta’s
Tavern and sniffing around.”

“Going
alone or with Mattheus?” Sean asked unexpectedly then.

Cindy
noticed Sean looking at her strangely.  She hoped he wouldn’t ask to go along,
she wanted to be alone for this trip, not influenced by his opinions.

“Going
alone,” Cindy answered quickly. “Mattheus is busy talking to the guys in the
gangs, getting more of the inside story on Cain.

“Still?”
said Sean. “He won’t let go?”

“That’s
Mattheus,” Cindy smiled lightly. “Once he’s on a trail, he follows it to the
bitter end.”

“And
it this one can end up pretty bitter. Look, his behavior doesn’t work for us,”
Sean grew irritated. “I told him before and I’ll say it again. He can mess up
the works, get in the way. Please tell him!”

“I
told him,” said Cindy.

“And
it doesn’t mean a damn what you say to him, does it?”

“Of
course it matters,” Cindy felt hurt

“From
the looks of it, it doesn’t,” Sean replied. “Cindy, please wake up, your life’s
at stake here. Let me come with you to Magenta Tavern, I want to come with you.”

Cindy
was taken aback. “Why?”

“I
just want to,” Sean replied, “the underworld down here has got tentacles. Mattheus’s
is creeping in places he doesn’t belong. They have to know you’re down here
with him. Someone even threw a rock in your taxi window. There’s a bunch of
guys who’ve got to be getting off on Mattheus checking things out, and another
bunch of guys who don’t like it. They’ve got to be threatened. One way or
another they want both of you gone.”

“How
would they know I’d be going to an expensive bar?” asked Cindy, incredulous.

“They
could be watching every move you make right now, as it is,” Sean replied. “There’s
a lot at stake here. I doubt very much that one of those guys took Cain out. Cain
worked directly for Pedro, had the best protection around. If you touch one of
Pedro’s guys, your life isn’t worth a damn.”

“Are
you saying that if one of Pedro’s guys did it, they’re already dead?” Cindy was
shocked.

“Yeah,
of course they’re dead, if they did it,” Sean answered.

“Then
you have to let Andrea out of jail, don’t you?” Cindy stared at Sean boldly.

“Once
we determine she’s innocent, she’ll be let out of jail,” Sean replied soberly.

“Are
you sure?” asked Cindy.

“What
are you implying?” Sean seemed really disturbed. “Are you suggesting we’re

keeping
her to cover up for someone?”

“I
don’t know what to think, Sean,” Cindy finally cried out. “Mattheus is
convinced the force has been bought off.”

“Crazy
rumors,” Sean gritted his teeth. “I heard them too, and I don’t believe them.”

“Why
not?” asked Cindy.

“There’s
always rumors like that about every police force,” Sean’s voice got garbled.

“So,
Mattheus is helping find out the truth,” Cindy felt justified. “The more he
learns the better.”

“We
have guys down in the underworld, too, trying to find out if Pedro had someone
killed off for this. We have our contacts, Mattheus is a fool – he’s just
getting in the way. How about it?” Sean looked at her boyishly then. “Can I go
with you to Magenta’s Tavern? I’d really like to.”

“Sure,
come along with me,” Cindy said lightly, “it’ll be good having the company.”

*

Cindy
returned to the hotel to change for her trip down to Magenta’s Tavern. It was
an elegant place and she wanted to fit in. As soon as she got into her room and
checked her email, she found a message from her sister Ann.

Cindy,
things are heating up here. Marge and Ralph are opening a court case to get
your house from you. When are you returning? Are you going to fight this, or
just let them take it away? Love, Ann.  (P.S. The job is still waiting for you,
too.)

 Cindy
flinched. This was the last thing she needed now. 
I’m fighting it, Ann
,
she replied quickly.
As soon as this case is over, I’ll be back. It’s right
in the middle, but things are moving along well now. Shouldn’t be too long.

There
was no way Cindy was going to buckle to pressure like this from Marge and
Ralph. They probably thought that since she was away so much, and absorbed in
solving cases, they could grab the house from under her without her evening
knowing it. But this had been her home with Clint and she wasn’t giving it up
so fast. And, if one day, she decided to sell it, she would decide to whom.
Even after Clint’s death they were still finding ways to make things difficult
for her.

Cindy
quickly went to the bathroom, showered and changed into a beautiful, silk,
summer violet tank dress, and hungry for a change of mood, put on a lovely
silver necklace a pair of heels. After brushing her hair and fixing her makeup,
she looked as though she were on her way to a bridal party, not to a murder
investigation. She went down to the lobby to meet Sean, feeling excited. 

*

A
minute after Cindy got down to the lobby, Sean walked in.

“Boy,
you look beautiful,” he said, his eyes opening, “you look like a model, not a
detective.”

“The
perfect cover,” Cindy smiled.

Sean
put his hand on her elbow and led her to the police car outside.

“Before
we go to Magenta Tavern, I want to drive you through the neighborhoods where
Mattheus has been prowling around,” he said.

Cindy
thought it was an odd detour, actually going in the opposite direction.

“Why?”
she asked, surprised, as they got into the car. It was strange to go down to
the dank, lowlands dressed in silk. “I’m not exactly dressed for the occasion,”
Cindy tried to make light of it.

“You
look fantastic, Cindy,” Sean responded, “and this will only take a few minutes.
I just want you to see the types Mattheus hangs around with – get the real
picture of what he’s up to.”

Sean
acted as though Cindy had never interacted with the scuzzy characters to be
found everywhere.

“I’ve
been in places like this before,” Cindy murmured as Sean took a turn off the
main road, and headed through narrow streets, which were hot and humid, covered
by thick palm trees with branches that hung too low. On the sides of the
streets were small shacks. You could smell heavy, spicy cooking through the
open windows of the car.

“Lots
of the girls they import onto the island get stashed down here,” Sean reported
as they drove along.

“Why
don’t you free the girls if you know where they are?” Cindy asked appalled.

“Not
as simple as it looks. These guys have rings, are backed by big money, they
know how to maneuver.”

The
car turned up through a street that looked dirty and hidden. “We’re getting
closer to Pedro’s place now,” Sean commented.

“Why
are we going there?” Cindy was taken aback, suddenly feeling endangered.

“He’s
the main Kingpin on the Island,” Sean retorted. “Once you get to talk to Pedro,
you got it made. He won’t talk to the cops, hates our guts. We sit around
watching him though.”

 “I
would think a guy with so much clout would live in a mansion somewhere,” Cindy
remarked, “not in a hell hole down here.”

“He
likes it here, it suits him,” Sean grinned, “this beast, lays low, and has
others do his killing. No one gets close to him.  I have no idea how Mattheus
is even allowed to roam around in his territory and stay alive.”

“Mattheus
has his own protection,” Cindy commented quickly

“From
who?” Sean was right on it.

“From
wonderful cops and detectives all over the Islands that he’s worked so hard to
help,” she replied.

Sean
quieted down. “I’m afraid you’re still in love with the guy.”

“No,
but I do respect him,” Cindy replied. “Respect is respect, love is love. What
about you? What really got you into this line of work, Sean?”

Sean
threw a quick look over at her. “My twin sister got killed in a car crash,” he suddenly
spoke out, as he drove along. “A drunken driver rammed into her car. After
that, I couldn’t go back to life as usual.”

“I’m
so sorry,” said Cindy, touched that he would reveal that to her. “Truly.”

“I
know you are,” Sean smiled wanly, “otherwise I wouldn’t have told you. I also
heard about how your first husband, Clint, got killed. So, we have something in
common. Someone we loved gets knocked off unfairly, and we can’t go on.”

“Until
we find justice,” Cindy filled in.

“That’s
right,” Sean stepped harder on the gas.