Death by Obsession (2 page)

“That’s pretty normal for relationships, isn’t it?”
Mattheus replied.

“Of course it’s normal,” Aldon chimed in, “but
sometimes I see something in her eyes that frightens me.”

“What is it?” asked Cindy.

“A loneliness, a fear,” Aldon replied.

“She may be missing her mother,” said Cindy.

“It’s more than that,” Aldon’s eyes half squinted.” I
asked her about it many times. I said Tara, dear, I see it. Tell me, what’s
wrong? Naturally, she shook me off, pretended everything was wonderful. I’m the
last one she would confide in.”

“She knows you don’t approve of Lynch?” Cindy asked.

“Yes, she knows I’m very distressed by him,” said Aldon.

“But that didn’t stop her from moving in with him,”
Cindy commented quietly.

“No, it hasn’t,” Aldon bristled.

“She must love him a great deal,” said Cindy.

Aldon’s face grew stiff. “Young people these days
have no idea what love is,” he scoffed.

“Just do everything you can to find out about him.”

Cindy stood up.  “And what if we do find something? Would
you have her call off the wedding at this late time?”

“Absolutely,” said Aldon, flushing. “If I can prove
to her that Lynch’s not what he seems, she’ll do it herself.”

“How do you know that?” Cindy was doubtful.

“Tara’s not stupid,” Aldon’s voice raised a pitch
higher. “She’ll do it. Find out the truth. Dig everything up. Do it fast.  Otherwise,
I’ll never rest.”

Cindy and Mattheus left Aldon’s room and strolled
together out into the warm, Caribbean evening. They didn’t go directly to their
room, but first went outside towards the edge of the road, just across from the
ocean. The sky was filled with hazy stars and although all seemed idyllic, a
current of anxiety hovered between them. Mattheus put his arm around Cindy and
she wanted to stay cuddled next to him like that, forever. They stood there
quietly a moment, breathing in the aroma of the exquisite flowers that
encircled them and Cindy wished she could forget about the disturbing interview
with Aldon.

“Definite possibility that the guy’s paranoid,”
Mattheus broke the silence.

That thought had occurred to Cindy as well. “Could
be,” she agreed, “or could be that he’s just from a different era. It’s
definitely hard for him to marry off his daughter, when he can’t stand the
groom.”

“Lots of guys don’t like their son in laws,” said
Mattheus, “they don’t call in private detectives to dig up dirt on them a few
days before the wedding. Besides, he’s already investigated and found nothing. I
don’t know what he thinks we’ll find down here.”

“It’s a different world down here,” said Cindy, “different
folks to talk to, different places to look.  Obviously, people know Lynch down
here. He spends lots of his time working on the island.”

“This doesn’t pass the smell test,” Mattheus
grumbled, “you can always find something about anyone.” He obviously didn’t
like the assignment and Cindy wondered if he was actually going to take it on.

“Aldon’s sensing something though,” said Cindy. “Sometimes
parents know things in their gut. He deserves to feel reassured before the
wedding goes on. I think we should give the case a whirl.”

“What do we have? Two or three days?” asked Mattheus.

“It’s a sprint, but we can do it,” said Cindy. “There
enough time.”

Mattheus stepped back and looked at her. “Why are you
so eager?” he seemed surprised. “I wouldn’t think this would be the kind of
case you’d have an appetite for.”

Cindy shook her head slightly, tossing her long hair
back from her face.  “Because I trust gut instincts,” she said quietly. “They’re
worth exploring. I’ve seen bad things happen when they’re not listened to.”

“Sometimes, it’s true” said Mattheus, “but there’s
got to be more. You like the guy? You identify with him?”
Cindy laughed and looked straight into Mattheus eyes.  “No, I’m nothing at all
like Aldon, but I can relate to how he’s feeling. I also need to be sure things
are straight up. I don’t like to be lied to, either.”

Mattheus smiled and his eyes crinkled. “You can say
that again,” he said. “That’s why I love having you for a partner so much,
Cindy.”

“I love working with you, too, Mattheus,” Cindy
replied. “So we’re taking the case?”

“I’m not sure,” Mattheus still felt uneasy. “Aldon
has absolutely no evidence that Lynch is lying to him or falsifying who he
really is. Could be he’s just looking for ways to get between the bride and
groom, make trouble of some kind. Could be he’s jealous of his future son in
law, wants to keep control.”

Cindy put her hands up to Mattheus’s face and stroked
him gently. He was dear to her and his distaste with the case made him even
dearer. She loved to see him care so much about the people involved. If
Mattheus didn’t feel something was fair, he wouldn’t do it. That was one of the
main things that endeared him to her so much. Cindy also craved honesty and
fairness. That’s what had drawn them together not only as a couple, but as
partners in solving crimes.

“You’re right, Mattheus,” Cindy murmured,” Aldon
doesn’t have a shred of evidence, that’s why he’s called us down. But, before we
call someone paranoid, it’s a good idea to give them a chance to trust their
gut.”

Mattheus took Cindy’s hands. “You’re beautiful,
Cindy,” he whispered in response. “You’re smart, you’re sexy, you’re kind, you’re
everything I’ve ever wanted. I’m happy to investigate a hundred paranoid guys
with you.”

Cindy smiled and closed her eyes as Mattheus then
drew her into a deep, warm, kiss.

*

The two of them walked back to the hotel slowly then,
deciding to stop in the bar for a drink before going to bed. First thing in the
morning they’d start digging and see what they could turn up.

When they walked into the elegant bar in the hotel,
it too, was almost empty.

 “The place must be so expensive, no one comes,” said
Mattheus.

“People come to the island for fun and to party,”
said Cindy. “They don’t come to a place like this unless they want to be hidden
and private.”

Cindy and Mattheus sat down at a little table in the
bar and ordered a night cap.

Cindy wasn’t sure how they would proceed. “Where do
we go from here?” she asked.

“St Martin is crawling with casinos, adults clubs,
nude beaches, the works,” said Mattheus. “Aldon’s gone through conventional
channels, must have hired accountants to go through Lynch’s company’s financial
records. Everything came up roses. If we’ve got to dig dirt, the casinos and
clubs are the places to look.” 

Cindy hadn’t thought of it that way. She’d been
wondering if Tara or Lynch had a group of friends down here who could give them
personal details about the couple that might have been overlooked. “I thought
we’d check their friends,” said Cindy.

“Their friends are all going to be at the wedding,”
said Mattheus. “The ceremony’s a few days away. You think they’d say something
at this point? We’ll do better to go to the clubs and casinos, find somebody we
can pay off.”

Cindy shuddered. None of it felt good to her,
suddenly.

Mattheus saw the revulsion cross her face. “You’re
the one who wanted to take this on,” he said. “If we dig dirt, that’s the way
we go.”‘

“I guess you’re right,” said Cindy.

“I am right,” said Mattheus, putting his hand out and
covering hers, “but don’t worry about it. I’ll call my pal from the police
force Rodney. He’s got a thousand contacts down this way. I’ll just tell him we
need an informer, and the rest will be a breeze. The casinos are crawling with
informers.”

Cindy remembered Rodney, had always liked him, but
began to feel uneasy as well.

“There’s only one chance in a thousand we’ll find
anything,” Mattheus went on. “We’ll do a couple of days of digging and put this
guy’s mind at ease. It could help the whole family in the long run. Once Aldon
realizes there’s nothing wrong with his future son in law, he’ll back off and
let them live their own lives.”

“We’ll give it a couple of days,” said Cindy as their
drinks came.

Mattheus and Cindy drank silently, then got up and
went to their suite on the second floor. It was beautiful, with throw rugs,
bamboo furniture and fruit baskets waiting for them on a small table.

“Looks like we’re just going from one honeymoon to
another,” Mattheus smiled, looking around and pulling Cindy into his arms. “When
we can work together and keep loving like this, we’ve landed full square in
heaven.”

Cindy felt the same way. She smiled and lifted her
face to his for another kiss. Somehow they’d found the secret sharing it all.

“How did we turn the corner like this?” she murmured,
as Mattheus’s face came closer to hers.

“If I could answer that I’d be a rich man,” Mattheus
whispered, “and I’d share our secret with the whole world.”

*

There was no time to lose. Cindy and Mattheus got up
at the crack of dawn.  Before they hit the casinos and clubs, they needed to
spend time going over Tara and Lynch’s calls, Facebook pages, and general
background information. Often one detail that was jarring, or contradicted
everything else, could be the key to a secret lurking in the background.

After a quick breakfast ordered up in their room,
Cindy and Mattheus, went out onto the balcony, sat at the round, glass table, opened
their separate computers and went to work. The day was warm, with soft breezes
blowing in from the ocean. Cindy realized that guests would soon be arriving at
Aupres Hotel for the wedding. As she and Mattheus sat there, looking for
trouble, laughter and celebrations were going on.

Cindy was looking over Tara’s background and Mattheus
was looking into Lynch. As Cindy glanced through the many profiles and articles
about her online, Tara seemed faultless. An only child, raised in the best
private schools in Boston, she’d been everything her family had ever wanted her
to be, gave credit to their name. Beautiful, social, a fine student, star
soccer player and flutist, she’d attended all the right schools, had the best
friends and had been her mother’s delight. Like Lynch’s mother, Tara’s mother was
well known, had done major charity work along with her father. Not only that,
it also seemed as if her mother been Tara’s closest friend. Tara’s pages were
filled with pictures of them. It must have been quite a shock to Tara when her
mother died suddenly of cancer, thought Cindy. There were also pictures online
of the huge funeral, and Tara dressed in black.

After that, Cindy noticed that Tara had retreated
into the background. There were fewer photos or mention of her at parties or
with friends. She must have been grieving, thought Cindy, remembering back to
her own loss of Clint.  The shock and pain had been relentless; it took time.

As Cindy kept browsing she saw that quite suddenly,
one year ago, Tara met Lynch Sprain. From what the articles reported, the
couple had been inseparable right from the start.  There were photos of them, arms
around each other, gazing out at the world, victorious. They seemed to fit
perfectly, a beautiful, well bred, celebrity couple. Both were blonde, wealthy,
and smiling into the camera for all the world to see. Cindy would have thought
Aldon would have been happy for his daughter, glad to see that she could resume
her life after her terrible loss. Oddly enough, there were few photos of Aldon.
Even at the funeral he stayed in the background, keeping a low profile.

As Cindy scanned the articles, Mattheus piped up, “Nothing
to report about Lynch.  The guy looks like the cream of the crop.  Great polo
player, top horseman, fine student, MBA from Wharton. What more could you ask
for?

“Good question,” said Cindy.

“Lynch did internships at his father’s company all
through college, learned the business from the ground up,” Mattheus went on. “When
his father died suddenly, he was ready to step right in and run things. Takes
good care of his mother too. There are tons of photos of her at his parties.”

“Tara’s mother died suddenly, and Clint’s father did
as well,” Cindy chimed in. “Both of them went through that around the same
time.”

“Could be that’s what brought them so close so fast,”
Mattheus retorted. “They’ve only known each other a little over a year.”

“Not exactly a shot gun wedding, though,” said Cindy.
“The papers state that both families are thrilled about it. It made everyone
look good.”

Cindy paused a moment. Obviously Aldon’s nervousness
about Lynch had developed later on. Had something happen to cause it, something
Aldon didn’t want to tell them about? When Cindy had asked him what brought his
bad feeling on, Aldon had no answer. Mattheus has pressed him further, but all
he could answer was, “Nothing to point to, just something my gut says.”

“When we’re done going over their Facebook pages, and
record of calls and texts,” said Cindy, “we can go to the casinos and clubs.”

“Right on,” said Mattheus, “and while we’re
investigating something tells me we should look into Aldon too?”

Cindy was taken aback. “Why?”

Mattheus looked up from the computer and stretched
out. “Because, look at it this way, if the son in law come up squeaky clean,
the fact that Aldon’s so worried about Lynch could lead to trouble down the
road. You think he’s gonna trust him just because we say things are fine? His
suspicions are going to haunt him.”

Cindy felt profoundly uneasy. Clearly, Mattheus was
speaking from personal experience.  His suspicions had taken him over many
times in their relationship.

“If Aldon’s got a loose hinge, he needs to get help,”
Mattheus added. “And, someone’s got to know about it and keep an eye on him.”

“Who?  asked Cindy, startled, realizing that Mattheus
was right.

“That’s the real question, isn’t it?” said Mattheus. “Who’s
really in charge in this world?”

*

Cindy and Mattheus went back to their computers at
the same moment then, opening Tara and Lynch’s Facebook pages.

Cindy was fascinated by Tara’s page. Photos of Lynch
were all over it along with wedding announcements and congratulations from far
and wide. Tara had a full array of friends with their photos and lives all posted.
 A young woman, Lea, Tara’s maid of honor’s photos were all over the page,
along with her many messages of encouragement and sayings about love. Lea was a
brunette with a strong, determined look about her, as if nothing could shake
her resolve. She was obviously Tara’s closest friend and seemed to have taken
over the role of caretaker during wedding preparations.

Cindy read all the messages quickly. There was
nothing out of order in any of them. This was a time of celebration, Tara seemed
to be focusing on the present fully, filling her life and page with pictures of
her and Lynch together. They did truly seem inseparable. From the looks of it,
everything boded well.

Mattheus scraped his chair back along the deck and
moved it closer to Cindy, wanting to show her Lynch’s Facebook page too. Unlike
Tara, Lynch’s page was filled with photos of his family, including his late
father who looked like a strong, stalwart guy with salt and pepper hair. Cindy
looked at the father closely, wondering how come he died so young? He seemed to
be in the peak of health in the photos.