Death by Jealousy (19 page)

“Me,
die?” Tad laughed loudly. “Look into the water, honey. You’re the one who’s
going down into it. It’s your body that’s gonna drift back up on shore one day.”

“So,
tell me anyway,” Cindy persisted. “When I go, I’ll take your secret with me. At
least you’ll have told someone the truth. You killed Allie, didn’t you?” 

“Wrong,”
Tad called out, irate, “I had no reason to kill Allie. It was Peter I was out
to finish off.”

Cindy
gasped.

“It
was death by mistake,” Tad howled into the night. “Jared mixed up the air
gauges I brought him. He gave the red one to Allie. I told him it was new, made
especially for Peter. Jared switched them at the last minute. He said he
thought Allie should have the better on. He had no idea I’d messed with it.
None at all.”

“You
were going to kill your best friend?” Cindy faced Tad head on.

“It
was his life or mine, and I was sick of putting his first. He found out someone
was depositing weird cash in the company and pulling it out,” Tad proclaimed as
the boat started bouncing up and down on the sea. “Peter was ready to blow open
the lid. He’s stupid. He was going to tell his lousy father about the money.
Then he’d watch like a hawk, close down accounts, no more loose cash for me.”

“No
cash, no Vivien,” Cindy breathed. “You were going to lose her.”

“I
couldn’t let Peter take her away from me,” Tad looked peaceful for a moment,
almost beatific.

“You
wanted your best friend dead,” Cindy repeated, “but he’s still alive.”

“We
messed up,” Tad’s voice grew sullen, “but next time no one will make a mistake.
Peter has to die.

Cindy
was horrified. “Did Peter’s father find about the accounts?”

“Not
yet!” yelled Tad, “but he was about to find out, thanks to Mattheus. Peter’s so
wiped out by Allie’s death, it all took a back seat for him now. Then you had
Mattheus barge in and call Peter on it. Peter told me. I just told Edward that
Peter could be in trouble financially and it was a good idea to get rid of you
and Mattheus fast. He agreed. I never told him why or what happened.”

“And
you never told him you tried to kill his son!” Cindy’s voice rose like a wave
of brimstone splashing at him now.

“Peter
will die in a freak accident,” Tad called out into the night. “He won’t suffer.
It’s gonna happen fast. In the long run it’s gonna be better for everyone for
Peter to be dead. Lots of people live off the company. Peter would have taken
us all down! For what? Nothing! For a little cash that goes in one door and out
the next - and brings people pleasure and happiness. Were we supposed to
sacrifice all that for Peter?”

“What’s
going to happen when Edward finds out that you tried to kill his son?” Cindy
felt as though she and Tad were surfing wild waves next to each other.

“He’ll
never find out,” Peter called out. “You’re gonna be dead and gone way before
that.”

“When
I go missing, they’ll search further,” Cindy closed in on him. “Vivien’s
paranoid and she’ll get scared. She’ll say something to Mac or Edward. She’ll
turn on you if she’s in trouble. You can’t buy love and loyalty just with cash
and jewels.”

 
“Oh no, try me and see,” Tad laughed as the boat started slowing down. “What
the hell’s the matter?” Tad called out then, “Keep moving.”

“It’s
stalling,” a voice in front answered.

“Rev
it up. Rev it up. We can’t dump her here. Her body will wash up. I want her out
further, miles from shore. Hurry. Time’s running out.”

Cindy
began shivering uncontrollably as a sharp light flashed at them from the dark
seas.

“Jesus,
what’s that?” Tad looked shaken.

A
cluster of boats drove up fast, surrounding the boat.

A
loud voice in a megaphone called out, “Coast Guard. Stop. We’re coming on
board.”

Tad
grabbed Cindy, shoved her in front of him and ran to the edge of the boat.

“You
come on board and she’d dead!” Tad hollered back.

The
wild wind blew fiercely over them as Cindy and Tad stood glued together, barely
balancing.

Cindy
heard a splash in the water then, as if someone had jumped in. She wondered if
it were Jared, trying to swim to safety.

“You
tell them to let me go or I’m taking you out,” Tad whispered in Cindy’s ear. “Tell
them you came onboard of your own free will.” He pressed her ribs harder
against him.

“I
came on of my own free will,” Cindy proclaimed loudly, into the night.

As
the boats from the Coast Guard got closer, Cindy saw Vivien standing next to
the officer with the megaphone.

“Let
her go, Tad. It’s not her fault,” Vivien’s voice echoed through the megaphone,
over the waves. “I told them about the money laundering and smuggling. There’s
nothing left to hide.”

Cindy
twisted in Tad’s arms as Jared come up beside them.

“It
was a mistake!” Jared called out loudly. “A horrible, horrible
misunderstanding. Give us a chance. Let us explain!”

At
that moment, Cindy heard an intense rustle behind them as if a wild animal had
jumped onto the boat.

“Put
her down, or I’ll shoot you dead,” someone growled. “You’ll go down under, like
you sent Allie.”

They
all spun around. Mattheus, soaking wet, had a gun pointed at Tad and Jared. He’d
obviously jumped into the water from the Coast Guard boat, swam up to them and
climbed on board.

“Put
her down or you’ll never get out of here alive,” Mattheus was breathing
heavily.

Tad
slowly loosened his grip.

“You’re
the one who killed Allie, aren’t you?” Mattheus voice trembled as he spoke to
Tad.

“It
was Peter he was after, not Allie,” Cindy called back. “Before long, Peter was
going to turn up dead, too!”

Mattheus’s
jaw was working intensely. “Going to kill your own best friend?” he demanded,
as he advanced on Tad, and officers suddenly swarmed up onto the boat.

Trembling,
Tad let Cindy go. “But I didn’t kill Peter, he’s still alive,” he mumbled.

“He
wouldn’t have been for long though,” Cindy shouted, as she fled from Tad to Mattheus’s
side, and the officers took Tad and Jared into custody.

Mattheus
turned to Cindy, opened his arms and pulled her into them. His arms closed
around her tightly then, keeping her warm and sheltered for what seemed like a
long, long time.

“I’m
never letting you go,” Mattheus whispered, as the officers rounded up the other
guys and the rough sea hit up against the boat.

“There’s
nowhere else in the world I want to be,” Cindy whispered back.

“Promise
me, promise me,” Mattheus breathed, “that we can start all over again.”

“We
already have,” said Cindy, as they drew together, in a deep, blissful kiss.

Money,
Drugs, Greed and Murder
,
the headline of the local newspaper read. Once again TV reporters and local
papers were photographing Cindy and Mattheus, demanding interviews, craving
details.

The
next day, after they’d spent time with reporters and police, and after Cindy
had handed the recording on her microphone in, she and Mattheus went out to
walk at the beach together. Oddly, the waves were calm and the air mellow.

“Seems
like the storm has passed,” Mattheus said softly, holding Cindy’s hand.

They
walked to the jutties and sat down on them, looking out into the sea. It almost
felt better to Cindy to say nothing. Mattheus’s actions had spoken loud and
clear. He’d thought nothing of risking his life to save her, time and again.

“You
almost lost your life twice, and I let it happen,” said Mattheus, “don’t think
I’m not aware of that.”

Cindy
took his hand, put it to her face and kissed it. They’d had such a beautiful
night together again last night, sharing a bed, when they’d gotten back. They
needed each other and belonged together. They balanced and nourished each other
deeply. They couldn’t let anything get in the way of that.

“You’ve
got to stop blaming yourself for everything, Mattheus,” Cindy murmured. “We do
what we can and life does the rest for us.”

Mattheus
put her hand to his mouth and kissed it back. “I wish I could feel that way,”
he said.

“We
have to trust,” Cindy whispered, “or we won’t be able to go on.”

“I
trust you completely,” Mattheus turned to her then and pulled her to him.

“For
now you do,” said Cindy, “but you have to promise to trust no matter what. I
have to, as well. We have to trust each other totally.”

Mattheus
laughed lightly. “Okay, let’s make that promise,” he said, stroking her face
gently.

Cindy
felt as if everything had been worth it, sitting here like this with him now,
having him stroking her face, looking into his eyes and seeing only love in
them.

“We
don’t only have to trust each other,” Cindy added softly then, as the sun
drifted down on them, “we have to promise to trust life.”

 
Mattheus was only half listening to what she was saying. He seemed as happy and
content as she was.

“Are
you listening to me, Mattheus?” Cindy asked jokingly.

“I’m
trying my best,” said Mattheus. “One thing I can tell you for sure though, when
you’re here, it’s much easier to trust. It’s a different life for me with you
in it.”

  
They kissed for a long, wonderful time then, as the waves beneath them rocked
around them, seemingly echoing their joy.

*

After
a few more hours alone together, Cindy and Mattheus went back up to their room,
where Ann and Frank were waiting for them. They all hugged each other deeply,
and then sat down on the couches, to eat the lunch Ann and Frank had ordered
for them all.

“I’ll
always love you for saving my sister,” breathed Ann to Mattheus.

Cindy
saw tears fill Mattheus’s eyes.

“Thanks,
Ann,” he said, “I’m only hoping Cindy will always love me as well.”

“I
will,” said Cindy in a soft voice.

Frank
broke out laughing, “I will, I do,” he said. “Sounds a little like a wedding
ceremony to me, and I’m so happy we could be here for it.”

They
all laughed lightly then as Ann leaned over and began to open the serving
platters and put the food on the plates beside them.

“You
two saved Peter’s life,” Ann said softly. Cindy felt as though her sister finally
realized the incredible gravity of her work, what it really entailed.

“You
see now why we do this work?” Cindy asked Ann.

“Yes,
I see,” Ann replied, looking at Cindy with awe.

“How
can I not do it?” Cindy said.

“You
have to do it because it fills your heart,” Ann replied, “and because people
need you.”

Suddenly,
there was a knock on the door.

“It’s
open,” Mattheus called out.

Edward
walked in, looking shaken and pale, having a hard time looking at them.

“I
don’t know how I can ever thank you for this,” he said to Mattheus and Cindy,
his head drooping.   “I’m so ashamed of having asked you to leave. I’m
horrified. What a fool I was!”

“Your
son’s alive - that’s what counts,” Mattheus responded. “All kinds of stuff go
on during a case. It’s over now. Let it go.”

“We’re
all in shock,” Edward continued. “Our whole world is shaken. It boggles the
mind.”

“Killing
always does,” said Mattheus. “That’s why we’re here.”

“Mac
asked me to thank you both as well for the incredible work you’ve done. He’s
gone to another Island today, is moving there permanently. He told me to send
you both his good wishes. He wants only the best for the two of you.”

Cindy
and Mattheus nodded.

“And
he left a letter for you,” Edward handed the letter to Cindy.

Cindy
took it and slipped it into her bag. She had no desire at all to read any
letter from Mac, but didn’t want to be rude.

“And
how are Allie’s parents? “Cindy asked.

“They’ve
returned to the States, completely wiped out. I have no idea how they’ll go on.
And, if the two of you had left, the same thing would have happened to us. Peter’s
life would have been in grave danger,” Edward went on, speaking very slowly, as
if trying to absorb the facts. “Just knowing that we almost lost our son, I don’t
know how we’ll go on, either.”

“You’ll
go on fine,” Cindy said. “You’ll be thankful for every moment you have with Peter,
and everyone else. You’ll comfort Allie’s family. You’ll also realize that most
of us snap out of our jealousy and fear. Most of us want the best, are caring
and thoughtful. There are only a few dangerous creatures among us. We can’t let
them take the joy out of our living. When we realize that, we go on.”

“You’re
a wise young woman,” Edward said appreciatively, “way beyond your years.”

“Life
taught me directly,” said Cindy. “It taught Mattheus, too.”

The
phone in the hotel room rang at that moment. Ann picked it up.

“Yes,
Cindy and Mattheus are right here,” Ann replied.

Was
it another reporter? Cindy wondered as she Mattheus looked at each other.

“Give
me a moment, I’ll ask them,” Ann went on. “I don’t know if they’re available
for another case right now. Let me find out.”