Death by Betrayal (Book #10 in the Caribbean Murder series) (13 page)

“It’s
highly unlikely,” Cindy looked at Evan blankly, “my brother in law is not a
slimy guy.”

“Look
into Tony Beggio anyway,” Evan insisted.

“Okay,
I will,” replied Cindy, feeling downcast.

“Chances
are your sister’s death has nothing to do with the hotel killings – chances are
she or her husband were involved in something else. Whatever it was, it wasn’t
pretty. There’s a lot of undercover crap going on down here. Check out that
husband.”

None
of what Evan suggested resonated with Cindy.

“I’m
sorry I can’t be of more help,” Evan said then. “Keep in touch anyway. And
please get me the name of the person who works for me, too. I’m interested to
know who he is.”

.

Cindy
was thrilled to have met Evan. Not only did she like him, she felt he was
someone she could count on, come back to talk to time and again. Although he’d
offered to have one of his cars take her home, Cindy insisted upon going back
alone. She wanted to walk a bit first along the water on her way to the hotel.
It was a beautiful, warm, afternoon and Cindy needed time to unwind. She wanted
to take in the blue sky, listen to the song of birds and bask in the great
beauty of this perfectly manicured island.

The
walk along the water was easy and peaceful. Cindy went over all she and Evan
had discussed again. This was the first time Cindy had learned that the women
who were murdered had been poisoned. It was shocking, awful, but Ann’s
situation was nothing like that. Ann had not been poisoned, she’d struggled
with her murderer, fought for her life. The hotel murders were fascinating and
it would be easy to get side tracked into trying to solve them. But Cindy had
something more important at hand. Finding out what had happened to Ann, was
Cindy’s first priority, nothing could override that. Where could she turn now?

Cindy
thought about going to talk to Tony Beggio as Evan suggested, but she couldn’t
imagine that Frank would be involved with a guy like that. Cindy knew she had
to uncover more about Ann’s life at the end. She also had to learn more about what,
if anything, was going on with Frank. It was a painful road to take and Cindy
didn’t want to take it, but nothing else beckoned.

As
Cindy walked slowly she let herself breathe the sweet, salty air deeply and
forget about time. Whatever she did or didn’t do, whatever she found, or didn’t
find, nothing would bring Ann back. It would take a long while for Cindy to
learn how to live life without her sister around. Cindy would also have to discover
how to forgive herself for not being close by when Ann needed her. It was easy
to look into the underbelly of big business and hunt for a culprit. It much
harder to stop and look into herself.

Suddenly,
Cindy’s phone rang, interrupting her reverie.

“Where
in the world are you?” Mattheus sounded nervous. “You should have been back
here at least an hour ago.”

Cindy
was surprised at Mattheus’s urgency, unaware of how much time had passed. “What
time is it?” she asked.

“Time
for you to be back,” Mattheus quipped. “It’s almost three. How long did that
lunch go?”

“A
couple of hours, I guess,” said Cindy.

“A
couple of hours? That’s a long time,” Mattheus said. “Where are you now?”

“Walking
back, along the water,” said Cindy. “It’s actually beautiful here, I never
noticed it before.”

“You
sound strange,” Mattheus commented, uneasy.

“No,
I’m fine, Mattheus, “just taking it slow.”

“I’m
waiting for you here,” Mattheus responded. “I’ve found stuff to go over with
you and I also want to hear what Price had to say.”

Cindy
picked up her speed. She knew she had to go over everything with Mattheus, and
she would. But for a little while, it had been lovely just taking a simple walk
by herself.

*

Mattheus
was downstairs in the lobby waiting when Cindy walked in. He ran right over to
her, put his arms around her and gave her a hug.

“I
missed you,” he said, “I was worried about you. I was nervous about you being
out there alone.”

“I’m
okay, Mattheus,” Cindy closed her eyes, taking in his concern. It felt good and
also constricting at the same time. “Please don’t worry about me.”

“But
I do,” he said. “This is a delicate time.”

“I
know,” Cindy replied.

“Come
on, let’s go out on a hiking trail,” Mattheus said then. “We’ll get some fresh
air, walk together, unwind and decide what to do next.”

Cindy
liked the idea of being outdoors and was pleased to get into the cab and go
with Mattheus and drive to a beautiful hiking trail that overlooked both the
water and a world class golf course.

“It’s
good to get out of our familiar surroundings,” Mattheus said as they arrived.
“It refreshing, will clear our minds.”

“You’re
good to me, Mattheus,” Cindy said as  took her hand and quietly lead her
between rows of tall, gorgeous trees whose huge branches seemed to reach to
heaven. Cindy felt sheltered and cared for in the shade they provided.

“Your
mother called,” Mattheus said as they walked down into a valley filled with dazzling
wildflowers. “She’s wants us to have dinner with her tonight.

“Oh
God,” said Cindy.

“I
didn’t think you’d want to,” Mattheus continued. “I told her we might have
other plans.”

“She
didn’t take that well, did she?” asked Cindy.

“She
was quiet,” Mattheus replied, “a bit distant. Doesn’t like me much, that’s for
sure.”

“My
mother never liked anyone I cared for,” Cindy answered quickly. “Don’t take it
personally, Mattheus, it’s an automatic reaction on her part. Before she even
meets a person I’m close to, her mind’s made up.”

“That’s
rough,” said Mattheus .

“How
is she doing?” asked Cindy, concerned about her mother, nevertheless.

“I
would say surprisingly well,” Mattheus replied. “She told me she’s waiting for
the medical examiner’s report, and then plans to take your sister with her
home.”

“None
of it has hit her yet,” said Cindy, forlorn.

“It
never hits right away,” said Mattheus. “Can take years, actually.”

Cindy
nodded in agreement, wondering how much of this she, herself, had absorbed. So much
of the time she felt as if it she were in a dream.

“Lots
of things can take years to realize,” said Mattheus, “like how much a person
means to you, how much you love them.”

Cindy
looked up at him swiftly. His eyes were totally fixed upon her, filled with great
devotion.

“I
don’t want to impose anything on you at a time like this,” Mattheus said
softly, “but I’ve realized a lot more than you’d imagine.”

“About
me?” asked Cindy.

“About
us,” Mattheus replied.

Cindy
closed her eyes slowly. She knew what he wanted to say, felt it in every bone
of her body. It was good to know he loved her so, but he was right, this was
not the time to speak of it. Not while Ann wasn’t even buried.

“Soon
we’ll talk about it,” Cindy replied lovingly in return. “Not quite now, not
yet.”

“Of
course, of course, I understand,” said Mattheus.

As
they walked across the valley they came to a little hill, and a bench that
stood on top of it. From the top of the hill you could look down over the water
and see lots of activity in the harbor.

“What’s
going on?” asked Cindy, watching the flurry below.

“It’s
almost time for Newport Bermuda Race fr
om
the United States to Bermuda,” he said. “It usually takes three to six days, via
the Gulf Stream.”

Cindy
was surprised Mattheus knew so much about it.

“Actually,
I always wanted to be here for it, myself,” Mattheus went on, watching the
activity below, excitedly. “Each year, more than a hundred and fifty boats
participate. It’s a great time for everyone - people bring picnics while they
cheer on the racers as they cross the finish line at St. David’s Lighthouse.”

“Ann
would have enjoyed that,” murmured Cindy, remembering how much Ann had loved
sporting events and races of all kinds.

“When
the boats get about twenty miles from shore, the crews can see Bermuda emerge
from the Atlantic,” Mattheus went on. “It must be a thrilling moment.”

Suddenly,
feeling a bit dizzy, Cindy leaned on the bench. It was too much to hear about races
and celebrations going on. She had come to Bermuda for a reason and wanted to
stick to it.

“I
feel funny, Mattheus,” Cindy suddenly said in a small voice.

“Come
on, let’s sit down,” said Mattheus, immediately steadying her.

Grateful,
Cindy sat down. “Let’s de-brief about the case,” she said then. “I want to stay
on focus. I’m not here to celebrate, I’m here for Ann.”

“I
completely understand,” said Mattheus. “Let me start. I’ve been investigating the
murders at the hotel and it definitely seems like all the women who were killed
were involved with big hedge fund guys on the island.”

Cindy
nodded, “I know.”

“You
knew that?” Mattheus asked surprised.

“Evan
Price mentioned it at our lunch,” Cindy replied. “He also told me that each of
the victims was poisoned.
“My God,” said Mattheus, “I hadn’t heard that.”

“A
grim detail, but important,” Cindy continued.

“Absolutely,”
Mattheus agreed. “The police must have buried it.”

“Ann
wasn’t killed that way though,” Cindy went on. “And the guys the victims were
involved with weren’t a part of Price’s hedge fund, either, did you know that?”

“I
did,” said Mattheus. “Price has the biggest hedge fund, but there are others
here, too.”

“Seems
like we got the same information at the same time,” said Cindy.

Mattheus
smiled. “There’s no question but that the hotel murders are connected to another
hedge fund. One of the guys in that fund even disappeared himself.”

Cindy
was shocked to hear that. “It’s terrible, it’s awful,” she said suddenly, “but
what has it got to do with Ann’s death?”

“That’s
the question, isn’t it?” said Mattheus.

“We
have to stay on focus, Mattheus,” Cindy cried out. “Price doesn’t think Ann’s
death had anything to do with the hotel murders. He told me to look into a
smaller hedge fund guy named Tony Beggio on the island. All kinds of people
invest with him, want quick profit, make easy deals.”

“Meaning
what?” asked Mattheus, “that maybe Frank knew Beggio?”

“We’re
grabbing at straws,”said Cindy. “I’m telling you Frank wasn’t involved in big
money. Price was basically just suggesting that we look more into Frank.”

“I
agree with him about that a hundred per cent,” Mattheus concurred. “You don’t
know what Frank was involved with. We’ve got to check.”

“I’ll
go see Beggio,” Cindy relented.

“Alone
again?” Mattheus ran his hand over his face nervously.

“Of
course, alone,” said Cindy. “We’ll get more information and cast less suspicion
that way.”

“So
be it then,” said Mattheus nervously. “And I’m going to talk to Frank myself too,
no holds barred!”

“That’s
not going to be easy,” Cindy warned. “Frank doesn’t like either of us.”

“Liking
has nothing to do with it, does it?” Mattheus grew adamant. “We’ve got to get
his password and check his computer thoroughly. There’s got to be plenty of
leads hidden on it that he has no idea of. He has absolutely no right to keep
them from us.”

“I
agree,” Cindy concurred, “but he’ll never give us his password.” Both the
conversation and the growing humidity were becoming more and more oppressive.
Cindy wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. “It’s incredibly hot here,
it’s steamy,” she said, “even with all these trees. Not a breath of air.”

“Cindy,
stay on focus with me,” Mattheus insisted. “We’ve got to get Frank’s password
right away.”

“The
police must have it,” Cindy shrugged a large insect away, “after all they held
him in custody.”

“They
don’t have it,” Mattheus said. “I would have thought so too. But they never
looked through Frank’s computer. I can’t imagine why not.

 Cindy
felt slightly alarmed.

“They
said they were just about to look when you had Frank paroled,” Mattheus went on.
“Then the investigation took another turn.”

“What
turn?” asked Cindy. “I haven’t heard a word.”

Mattheus
ran his hands through his hair. “It was a mistake to have Frank taken out of
custody. It took the focus off him, gave the cops a way out.”

“A
way out of what?” Cindy stood up beside Mattheus, feeling the ground beneath
her feet slipping away.

“Let’s
face it,” Mattheus reached up to her slowly. “Local police aren’t going to turn
over heaven and earth to solve the murder of a random tourist. It’s better for
them to keep these things quiet and let the case grow cold.”

“That’s
awful, that’s ugly,” Cindy muttered.

“Tourist
trade is a huge business here. That’s just the way things are. It’s bad for
business,” Mattheus murmured and put his arms around her. “It’s up to us to get
Frank’s password, and if he refuses, we have to get your mother mind to change
his mind.”

Cindy
spun away quickly. “Absolutely not! Forget about getting my mother involved.”

“Why
not? She’s close to Frank, has influence on him, Mattheus demanded. “Besides,
she must want to know what happened to her daughter.”