Death by Seduction (15 page)

But
the idea didn’t seem so farfetched to Cindy. “How often did Pete see Charma? Did
she look forward to seeing him?” Cindy wanted more information.

“Pete
came here enough,” Burnd shook his dizzy head. “But Charma didn’t like anyone,
just me, I was the only one.”

“Pete
didn’t know that, though, did he?” asked Cindy, determined to trip Burnd up.
“Did she make Pete think she liked him?”

“She
made them all think that,” Burnd seemed irritated. “That’s the business she’s
in. The idiot looked happy when he left, even though he never stayed too long.
But he did keep coming back over and over. You could count on him for that.”

Cindy
shuddered. There was no question that Burnd knew what he was talking about. Despite
what Loretta believed, Pete had definitely been Charma’s customer. Suddenly,
Cindy was finished with the questioning. There was nothing more she needed to
hear from Burnd tonight.

“Did
you get what you needed from Burnd?” Eric turned to her after Cindy grew
silent.

“At
least I’m now sure Pete was Charma’s customer,” Cindy replied.

“What
else?” asked Eric.

“I
see there could even have been a reason Charma wanted Pete dead, to get back at
Loretta, maybe?”

“Nah,”
Burnd jumped up at that. “I told you that’s crazy.  Charma has contacts. If she
wanted Pete dead, she could easily have found a better way to do it.  One
thing, she’s not stupid. She wouldn’t have had him left lying in her room.
Charma doesn’t want anyone dead. These guys keep her going. She just wants to
get out of jail already. She thought she’d be out long before this!”

“What
do you mean?” Eric was quick on the uptake. “Why did she think she’d be out
long before?”

“She
just did, she just did,” muttered Burnd. “The other time the cops took her in,
she got out in a few days. What’s going on now? You tell me! If I were you, I’d
get smart. It’s not good when Charma gets antsy!! Not for me, for you, or
anyone!” With that, he pulled himself up off the table, turned around in his
chair, grabbed what was left of his beer and in a few gulps, chugged it all
down.

By
the time Cindy got back to the hotel she was completely wiped out, dropped down
onto her bed and fell into a deep sleep immediately. When thin streams of
morning light came through the window, waking her, for a few moments Cindy had
no idea where she was, or why.  She pulled a pillow over her head  and thankfully,
fell back to sleep. The sound of phone awoke her soon though, carrying with it
the endless demands of the day.

Cindy
reached for the phone and picked up, still groggy.

“Are
you there? Are you there?” It was Loretta’s harsh voice, louder and more
desperate than ever.

“I’m
here,” Cindy responded in a muffled tone.

“Wake
the hell up,” Loretta demanded. “I’m in trouble. I need you. Something’s
happened.”

Cindy
bolted up in bed, terrified. “What?”

“Someone
climbed onto my patio and threw a rock through my window a few minutes ago,”
Loretta yelled. “It came crashing into my room and there’s glass everywhere.

“My
God,” Cindy muttered.

“They
want to kill me,” Loretta was breathing fast, “I told you that in the
beginning.”

“Calm
down, Loretta,” Cindy jumped out of bed.

“Don’t
you dare tell me to calm down!” Loretta spoke faster. “First they were after
Pete and now they’re after me!”

“We
can’t be sure,” Cindy breathed. “Listen to me now, do what I say and you’ll be
safe. First of all, call the hotel and tell them what happened. They’ll send up
security immediately. Then call the police.”

“I’m
not calling the police,” Loretta muttered. “You call them. I hate the police
and they hate me. That’s your job.”

“Fine,
I’ll call them immediately,” said Cindy, “and I’ll also investigate further.”

“That’s
right! You better find out who did this!” Loretta suddenly sounded as if she
were going to cry.

“I
will, be calm, I promise you,” said Cindy.

“You
promise me?” Loretta’s voice became softer, almost childlike for a moment.

“Yes,
I promise I’ll do my very best to find out both who threw the rock and who
killed Pete.”

“They’re
connected,” Loretta whispered gravely then. “They have to be.”

“It’s
possible,” said Cindy, “we don’t yet know. Someone might be getting too close
to the truth and this could be a huge distraction.”

“Just
find the killer! Find him, find him!” Loretta started to scream.

Cindy
hung up the phone and before even calling the police, she put a call into Eric.

“I
had a great time last night,” he answered happily. “Always wonderful to hear
from you, Cindy,”

“Someone
threw a rock threw Loretta’s window in the hotel,” Cindy answered abruptly, by
passing the small talk.

“That’s
crazy,” Eric stopped cold.

 “Could
it be Burnd? The guy’s unhinged,” Cindy answered, nervously. “Did we put the
idea in his head?”

“I’m
not sure, I’m not sure,” Eric was mumbling.

“I’m
calling the police now,” said Cindy. “Is there anything else I should know
before I do?”

“Let’s
think about this for a minute first,” Eric became calmer. “Taylor’s been
digging into the books at Pete’s company. That could be stirring up trouble. Someone
there could be sending a warning to cut it out.”

“I’ll
talk to Taylor about it as soon as I can,” said Cindy. Cindy’s heart beating
faster now. From the very beginning Loretta felt as though she were in danger
and Cindy worried that this premonition could become a reality now.

“I
should also talk to Charma about it,” Eric said then, in a hushed tone.

“Why
Charma?” Cindy didn’t like the idea.

“Burnd
said Charma’s antsy to get out of jail and he’s right. He’s also right that
she’s got contacts. If something’s going on in the street, she’ll know about
it. I’ll go talk to her right after breakfast.”

“I
want to go with you,” Cindy suddenly said, surprising herself.

Silence
greeted her on the other end of the phone. “Why?” Eric asked finally.

Cindy
didn’t know why exactly, but it couldn’t hurt to see Charma again.  “She’s the
main suspect and I want to see her again,” Cindy answered flatly.

“Fine,
have it your way,” Eric said quietly then. “I’ll meet you at the station where Charma’s
being held.”

Cindy
hung up feeling unsettled.  It seemed strange that before they went to speak to
Charma Eric didn’t offer to have breakfast with Cindy first.

*

Cindy
called the police to let them know what happened to Loretta, then ate a quick
breakfast up in the hotel room. As she ate, she put a call into Taylor who
wasn’t there and left a message for him. Then she  got dressed. It would take a
few minutes to get down to the station and Cindy decided to give herself some
time.  It wouldn’t do anyone any good for her to arrive  frazzled and unkempt.

As
Cindy stood before the mirror, brushing her long, auburn hair the phone rang suddenly.
It was either Eric, Taylor or Loretta, thought Cindy, and all of them could
wait until she had finished dressing.

After
she was dressed and ready, Cindy picked up the phone to see who had called. To
her surprise it was Mattheus. A message was waiting from him.

Please
call me back as soon as you can, Cindy,
Mattheus familiar voice rang out.  
I
can’t stop thinking about you there alone. I don’t like it.  I’ve been thinking
of going to Antigua to live with my daughter, but I can’t. I need to come down
and see you as soon as possible. Please call and tell me if I can.

Come
down and see her? The thought both startled and relieved Cindy.  She stared at
the phone and then ran her hands through her newly brushed hair. Then she sent
Mattheus a quick text message in response.

Thanks
so much for your concern. I’m doing fine. It’s okay. It’s not a good idea to
come down and see me now, right in the middle of everything.

Cindy
felt better that, at least, she’d answered. She’d left the basic question of
whether Mattheus could come down hanging, but it wasn’t something to be
addressed on the run. Right now she had to get down to the station. Eric had
probably arrived there already some time ago.

*

When
Cindy  walked into the small, holding room at the station she saw Charma and
Eric seated close to each other, their heads practically pressed together,
talking softly, but heatedly.

“I
swear, I swear,” Cindy heard Charma saying as she walked in.

When
Charma saw Cindy, she jumped a little back. “What’s she doing here?” she asked
Eric, irritated.

Cindy
found it odd that Eric had not told Charma she was coming.

“Do
you remember me, Charma?” Cindy took the initiative.

“Sure,
you’re the detective, right?” Charma slid a little away from Eric.

“Right,”
said Cindy.

“I
told you everything I knew,” Charma bit her bottom lip and ran her hands over
her shoulders. “Now I’m asking you, why the hell am I still here?” Then she
tossed her long hair back. “I should have been out of here a long time ago.”

“As
soon as we find the killer, you’re out,” Cindy answered abruptly.

“Who’s
we? You and Eric?” Charma kept glancing back and forth between them.

 “You’re
the one who told me to contact him,” Cindy reminded her, “you said that Eric
would  help you.”

“That’s
right I did,” Charma’s eyes flashed. “But I didn’t tell you to go to dinner
with him and hang out at Rattlesnake Gin, did I?” Charma was obviously
threatened and jealous.

“Who
told you we were there, Burnd?” asked Cindy, putting the pieces together, fast.

“Sure!
At least  Burnd comes down to see me every day, not like some other people I
know,” Charma threw an angry look at Eric.

“I’m
on the case, Charma, I’m doing everything I can,” Eric responded, stung.

“So
why the hell aren’t you here like Burnd is, letting me know all the time what’s
going on?” Charma was rattled and nervous.

“Someone
threw a rock through Pete’s wife’s window this morning,” Cindy diverted the
discussion. “Do you know who did it?”

Charma
stood up, her eyes narrowing. “No I don’t. I’m locked up here, but if you get
me out and I’ll find out in two seconds.”

“I
thought maybe Burnd told you?”Cindy drew closer to her.

“How
the hell would Burnd know?” Charma asked, her eyes locking into Cindy.

“Last
night Burnd said that he wanted to give you the pleasure of taking Pete’s stuck
up wife down!” Cindy replied, staring back at her. “He said you guys laughed at
Loretta. You couldn’t stand her.”

“There’s
a lot of people I can’t stand,” Loretta burst out. “What has that got to do
with anything? Burnd says all kinds of stupid things, but at least he’d do
anything in the world for me.  Even something crazy like taking Pete’s rotten
wife down.”

“You
never suggested anything like that to him, did you, Charma?” Eric was flustered.
Charma turned towards Eric upset. “You really think something like that of me?”
she

asked, shaken and crestfallen.

“I
don’t, I don’t,” Eric put his hands on her arms gently, trying to quiet her
down.

“I
have more important things to do than worry about all the uptight wives who
don’t know how to take care of their men,” Charma’s voice rose into a wail.
“They leave that to me, don’t they?”

 “I
care about your completely,” Eric cried back, upset by the sound of her
wailing.

Charma
closed her eyes then and leaned onto Eric’s chest.

“I
know you do, baby, I know you do,” she melted. “And I couldn’t live another day
if you didn’t.”

Eric
closed his eyes for a moment as the full weight of this wild and beautiful
young woman pressed upon him.

Troubled,
Cindy backtracked. The intimacy between Eric and Charma was more than she could
bear to witness. It made her remember the beautiful moments she’d shared with
Mattheus, and she suddenly longed for them fiercely.

“So?”
Charma pulled away from Eric and turned towards Cindy, victorious. “Is there
anything else you want from me now?”  

“Not
at the moment,” Cindy yielded.

“Good,”
snapped Charma.  “I was supposed to be out of here already.  Just go do what
you have to and find the killer. And leave Eric alone!”

“Charma,”
Eric interrupted, putting his hand on her forehead.

“You
belong to me, baby,” Charma looked right at him, “and I don’t want you ever
forgetting it, either.”

Eric
grew quiet and sad as they stared into each other’s eyes.

“We’ll
get you out of here as fast as we can,” was all he answered in return.

*

When
Cindy and Eric got out into the street a heavy rain had started. Fortunately
Eric had brought a large umbrella with him. He quickly opened it up and placed
it both over his head and Cindy’s. Cindy had no choice but step under it with
him as they walked along the drenched streets.

“Why
does Charma mean by saying she was supposed to be out of here already?” Cindy
did her best to stay with the facts of the case.

 “Charma
always gets what she wants,” Eric replied simply.

“Including
you?” Cindy couldn’t help remark.

Eric
wouldn’t respond to the comment and Cindy felt ashamed she’d made it. It was
petty and childish to get involved with the relationship between them. Eric and
Charma obviously meant a great deal to each other, and Eric was right in the
beginning. None of it was any of Cindy’s business.

“Listen,
you’re doing a wonderful thing for her,” Cindy back pedaled. “Charma’s lucky to
have you.”

“She
doesn’t have me,” Eric objected as a huge gust of wind came at them,
practically flinging his umbrella out of his hands.

“Put
it anyway you want,” said Cindy. “You’re doing a lot to help her.”

“I’m
not only doing it for Charma,” Eric spoke strongly, “I’m also doing it for you,
Cindy.”

Another
gust of wind struck at them then, practically pushing both of them around the
corner.

“Come
on, let’s catch a cab and get out of here,” said Eric, as he grabbed Cindy to
keep her from falling down.