Death by Seduction (18 page)

*

Cindy
was grateful to be back in her hotel room alone. She stepped out onto the patio
and let the wet winds blow on her relentlessly, cooling and soothing her. There
was nothing like the smell of the ocean to clear her mind and make her feel
settled. She lay down on a lounge chair and tried to unwind.

The
strands of the case began intertwining in her mind.  Right now all focus was on
the real estate company and the money trail. That made sense of course, but
Cindy couldn’t shrug off the feeling that there was more to this, another layer
she wasn’t yet in touch with. Pete was certainly not the husband Loretta had
presented, and the intensity of Loretta’s drinking problem was most likely due
to that. But that was not unusual, many abused women presented a strong front
to the world and to themselves.

But
Loretta and Pete had come down to the Dominical Republic to reconcile, buy a
place together, grow closer.  At least according to Loretta.  But from what
Cindy knew about Pete, he lived on the sly, was probably been seeing
prostitutes all the while. Clearly, Loretta knew nothing about Pete’s addiction.
Who else down here would have been bothered enough by his behavior to kill him?
Aside from the money trail, was it possible that Pete had upset one of the prostitutes
he saw enough for them to take revenge?  Had he stepped out of line somewhere?
If anyone had an answer to that, it would be Pete’s brother Taylor.

Cindy
was just about to lean over, pick up the phone to call Taylor, when it rang.

“I’m
here at the airport,” a male voice started, “just landed.”

Cindy
shivered from head to toe. It was Mattheus. “What are you talking about? What
do you mean?” she breathed.

“You
don’t sound especially glad to hear it,” Mattheus responded.

“I’m
shocked,” Cindy replied. “You didn’t say anything about coming here.”

“Of
course I did, you just didn’t pay attention,” said Mattheus. “I asked you if
you wanted me to come down and help?”

“And
I recall saying that it’s was fine. I didn’t need it,” Cindy suddenly recalled.

“No,
you didn’t say you didn’t need it,” Mattheus replied, “you did say you were
fine.  I didn’t believe you. I told you I was worried.”

“Yes,
you did say that,” Cindy relented.

“
I also said  I was thinking of going to live with my daughter and couldn’t
bring myself to  do it,” Mattheus continued quickly.

Cindy
remembered all of it now as the knot in her chest grew tighter.

“I
can’t stand thinking of you in possible danger,” Mattheus’s voice grew
stronger. “I can’t live like that.”

“Mattheus,”
Cindy wanted to interrupt, but he wouldn’t let her.

“I
love you Cindy and I always will, whether or not you want me,” he exclaimed.

Suddenly,
hot tears filled Cindy’s eyes.

“I’ve
taken a room at your hotel on another floor. I’m not pushing myself on you. You
don’t have to see me,” Mattheus went on. “I’ve been in touch with the police
down there for a while though, and now I’m jumping in.”

Cindy
was breathless, unsure of whether she was outraged or thrilled. Probably both,
she decided.

“We
can be in touch about information by phone,” Mattheus continued, and then
waited a long moment to see how Cindy would respond.

I
love you too, Mattheus, Cindy wanted to say, but the words would not come out.

“Thank
you for caring so much,” Cindy said instead, completely flummoxed.

“Okay,
then, I get it,” said Mattheus. “You’re not suggesting I come and see you right
away so I’ll keep in touch with you about progress via the phone.”

Then
he quickly hung up, leaving Cindy’s heart beating wildly as she gazed at the
heavy clouds covering the sky.

Cindy
could not settle down. The idea that Mattheus was here on the island, working
with the police shook her from head to toe. She hadn’t given him permission to
join in the case, he’d just taken it upon himself. On the one hand Cindy felt he
was way out of line. On the other, he’d agreed to keep his distance, do what he
could to help and let her know via phone.  It was unquestionably true that
Mattheus had inroads with the police that Cindy did not. It was also true that
every hand on board to help was a good hand. A fresh and trained eye could be
invaluable at this point.

Cindy
decided to keep the personal aspect out of things, and focus upon solving the
case.  She actually wanted it to be over with badly, to see Loretta go home and
 leave herself as well.  Cindy had no idea where she would go once things were
settled, but it would become clear then.

It
was almost time for dinner and Cindy decided to dine alone in her room and take
the evening to herself to rest and get ready for what was to come. Her plans
were short lived though, as a text suddenly arrived from Eric.

Let’s
meet at La Costa Nova for dinner. There’s progress on the case. I’ll go over it
with you there.

Cindy
was startled. What kind of progress? 

Great,
she texted
back.

Although
she didn’t feel like going out, Cindy showered quickly and then decided to put
on a lively tropical summer print dress and touch it up with a pair of gold
hoop earrings.  It felt good dressing up, gave her a shot of energy and shook
the cobwebs from her mind.

*

“You
look incredibly gorgeous,” was the first thing Eric said as soon as he laid
eyes upon her.

Taken
by surprise, Cindy laughed.

“Did
you dress up for me?” Eric seemed transfixed.

“I
dressed up for myself, to feel good,” Cindy bantered.

“Well,
I’m proud to be with you for the evening,” Eric’s voice grew lower.

You’re
not
with
me for the evening, we’re just having a business dinner, Cindy
wanted to say and set things straight.  But she couldn’t, there was no point in
alienating him.  Eric had important news for her and Cindy was here to find out
all she could.

When
they were seated at their table, sipping Marguerites, Eric leaned back in his
chair.

“I
don’t know why I feel so good with you, Cindy,” he began.

This
wasn’t what Cindy had come here for. “What’s the progress on the case?” she

refocused,
sipping the drink slowly.

“Are
you rejecting me before you even know me?” Eric continued, determined to stay
on his own track.  “Is it because of my involvement with Charma?”

Cindy
put her glass down. “I’m not rejecting you, Eric,”” she smiled. “I’m staying
focused on what we’re doing here. You told me you had news about the case.”

“Well,
at least I’m delighted you’re not rejecting me,“ he went on. “Does that mean you
can accept my past with Charma?”

Cindy
bristled. “I can accept everything, Eric,” she spoke softly. “But I’m not here
to have a relationship. I came down to the Dominican Republic to do a job.”

“We
don’t really know why we go somewhere, do we?” Eric seemed glad to be talking
about it. “Things happen out of the blue that we could never expect. Could you
ever see us, together, Cindy?”

To
Cindy’s horror, she could. There was undoubtedly some kind of connection
between them.I’m with someone, Cindy wanted to say to him then, but immediately
thought better of it. She wasn’t truly with Mattheus anymore. Her whole life
was in flux.

Eric
leaned closer. “I‘ve been in touch with the police,” he went on, “and I heard
that your ex-partner is on the way down. He’s been actually working with some
of the cops on the case, long distance.” Eric looked at Cindy boldly.

Cindy
felt her body clench. “Yes, I know that,” she said quietly.

“You
know that?” Eric seemed surprised. “I thought you two weren’t in touch.”

“We
are in touch,” Cindy remarked.

Eric
looked dismayed. “You told me he was your
ex
-partner,” he proclaimed.

“That
doesn’t mean we’re not still in touch,” Cindy responded. “There’s lots of
details that have to be worked out.”

“I
didn’t realize you were still in touch,” Eric grew more solemn.

“There’s
always details to work out when a partnership ends,” Cindy started to feel as
though she had to defend herself.

“I
guess there are,” Eric looked away. “Seems like you’re still quite involved
with him, then?”

Cindy
lifted her hand then to wave away a small fly that kept buzzing around.

“Why
is this even relevant, Eric?” she suddenly had enough.

“Because
I have feelings for you, that’s why,” Eric replied, “and I’ve been making that
clear, over and over. I thought it was possible that we could have a new lease
on life together.”

“I’m
very sorry,” Cindy closed her eyes, “I thought I was trying to keep it all
business. I hadn’t been aware of the extent of your feelings.”

“No,
you haven’t,” said Eric.

“I
thought I made my intentions clear,” Cindy insisted, opening her eyes again.

“You
made them clear alright,” Eric agreed, “but you didn’t let me know that you
were still involved with someone else.”

Cindy
looked at him sadly. “I’m sorry, Eric, I really am,” she said. “Mattheus and I
just broke up. Neither of us have discussed it fully. These things are
complicated, they take time.”

“How
well I know that,” Eric mumbled.

“And
you still seem quite involved with Charma, anyway,” Cindy flashed on the time
she’d seen them together. “And certainly, Charma’s still involved with you.”

That
quieted Eric. “It’s true,” he replied.

“So
you’re not available, either!” Cindy exclaimed.

“I
could be though, Cindy,” Eric said softly.

“Could,
would, it doesn’t mean anything,” Cindy felt like flying off the handle.

“No,
you’re wrong, it means a great deal,” Eric flared up as well. “The difference
between us is this – I’m not in love with Charma, but you still seem to be in
love with Mattheus.”

Cindy
had no idea what lead him to say that. “I’m not sure,” she replied, honestly,
“in love is one thing anyway, living a life together is something else.”

*

The
waiter brought dinner and Cindy and Eric ate quietly. Cindy was truly
distressed by the course events had taken and felt it was best to say nothing
more. Was this the reason Eric had invited her to dinner? Was this his idea of
progress on the case?

“Val
will be joining us soon,” Eric said finally, almost as they were about to have
desert.

“Val?
From the real estate company?” asked Cindy.

“Right,”
said Eric. “Loretta’s father has been putting tremendous pressure on the
company, including involving the police. He wants his deposit back, naturally.
Taylor’s also been digging deeper into Pete’s finances and Val’s getting hell
from everyone. The guy’s nervous.”

“Sounds
like complicated dealings, all around,” Cindy mumbled.

“These
real estate offerings aren’t always what they’re cracked up to be, “Eric
agreed. “People leave deposits that get lost, property is never handed over,
places that are supposed to be ready to live in can take years to get complete.”

“Scams?”
Cindy murmured. “Is that why Val’s meeting us here and not at the office?”

“Something
like that,” Eric said. “There can also be mortgage companies that are false
fronts, all kinds of things.”

“Is
it looking more and more like that’s what happened to Pete,” Cindy asked, “that
he got caught in a scam and made a fuss about it? Maybe the person who had to
shut him up also threw the rock through Loretta’s window warning her to back
off, too.”

“I’m
not sure,” Eric replied, as Val suddenly approached their table.

Eric
stood up to greet Val, but Cindy did not.

“Good
to see you, Val, here take a seat,” said Eric cordially.

Val
looked over his shoulder quickly before he sat down. “We got to get this over
fast,” he said directly to Eric.

“For
sure” said Eric, “sounds like things are really heating up.”

“You
can say that again,” Val, finally threw a cursory glance at Cindy. “I heard
your partner’s here and is in tight with the cops,” he remarked off handedly.

“Mattheus
is in tight with the police all over the Caribbean,” Cindy responded, “he’s
tremendously respected.”

“Good
for him,” mumbled Val. “Is that why you called him down?”

Cindy
saw Eric watching her closely when Val asked that. She had no intention of
letting them know that in fact, she hadn’t asked Mattheus down, that he’d taken
this on by himself.  It was none of their business.

 “All
the help we can get is good help,” Cindy replied.

“Okay,
so what’s up, Val?” Eric took over.

“Listen,”
Val gathered himself together quickly, “I didn’t lose the down payment from
Pete. There’s a reason I couldn’t find any record of it. Pete never gave me a
down payment for the damn condo. This was supposed to be hush hush, but it was
Loretta who dished over the cash.”

“Loretta?”
Cindy was stunned.

“Yeah,
she gave the cash to another guy at the company, Leo Gran.”

“You’re
positive about this?” Eric was amazed.

“Yes,
I am,” Val’s voice got lower. “Loretta’s stupid father has been putting so much
pressure on the police that they’ve started to lean in big time on us. There’s
no way we can keep this hidden longer and you’re the first one I wanted to let
know.”

“Why
me?” asked Eric, startled.

“You’re
a neutral party, you want what’s right,” Val slid closer to him, nodding. “We
know you’ll help us out with this.”

Obviously
Val was trying to get Eric on his side.

“How
do you want me to help you out?” Eric stayed non-committal, handling Val
expertly.

“Look
it’s not our fault that Loretta made that deal with Lou Gran,” Val started
sweating as he continued to talk. “That was between the two of them.”

“What
deal did she make, Val?” asked Eric.

“How
do I know?” Val wiped his hand over his forehead. “But whatever it was, it’s
blowing back on me now. I swear, Eric, I had nothing to do with this at all.”

“But
you knew Pete, didn’t you? You were his point person in buying the condo,”
Cindy declared.

“Yeah,
of course I knew him. But I didn’t know his wife was going to bypass him on the
financial arrangements,” Val insisted.

“So
why did you lie and say Pete gave you the down payment?” Cindy wasn’t getting
pulled into his story.

“Heck,
cut me some slack,” Val looked at Cindy strangely. “I was just covering for the
guy. He’d just been killed, and found in a whore house. I was respecting him
and his family, didn’t want anything worse to come out.”

“You
were obstructing a criminal investigation by lying,” Cindy grew strident.

“Hold
on a minute, Cindy,” Eric put his hand out in front of her. “Back off a minute,
let Val tell us what he knows.”

“Thanks
man,” Val looked at Eric gratefully. “I’ve always heard terrific things about
you.”

“Why
did Loretta give the down payment to Lou Gran? Who’s this guy?” Eric was
fascinated.

“I
don’t know why,” Val answered. “But she gave him too much, one hundred
thousand, in unmarked bills.”

“Can
you prove this?” asked Cindy. “What proof do you have?”

“Lou
told me and he isn’t lying, that’s for sure,” Val shot a nasty look at Cindy.

“Does
this have anything to do with why someone threw a rock through her window?”
Cindy felt furious.

“I
don’t know anything about that,” Val grumbled.

Cindy
did not believe him. “Does Lou still have the money?” Cindy was all over it.

“You’ll
have to ask him that,” Val answered. “That’s all I got,” and he stood up to go.

“Wait
a minute,” Eric stretched out his hand to detain him. “You can’t drop a bomb
like that and leave it hanging.”

“That’s
all I got,” Val’s jaw clenched. “If I knew more I’d tell you. It was rough to
get even this much. I got it though, and soon the police will have it too. Not
only that, Pete’s brother Taylor is digging deeper into the money trail, and this
guy Mattheus is  going to be helping him. Who knows what they’re gonna dig up
next?”

Cindy
felt shaken. Obviously Mattheus had made all kinds of connections already, without
letting her know. Cindy didn’t know what to make of it.