Death by Temptation (12 page)

“I
beg your pardon?” Margaret Day sounded truly startled.

“Are
these rumors only?” asked Cindy.

“As
far as we know Kara was on her honeymoon in St. Lucia,” Margaret responded
icily. “Who told you she was here?”

“A
private source,” said Cindy.

“That’s
ridiculous,” Margaret emphasized, “though I definitely do wish it were true.”

“You
realize that hiding her when the police are searching would be considered
obstructing an investigation?” Cindy said.

Margaret’s
stony silence deepened. “Of course I realize that,” she said. Despite her
coldness Cindy felt Margaret’s worry.

 “Did
Kara ever say anything that made you suspicious about her life or
relationships? Did she ever give you any hint that she might be in danger?”
Cindy wanted as much information as this woman was able to give her.

“Nothing
at all, not ever,” breathed Margaret. “Kara seemed completely happy and well
adjusted. And I never heard one negative thing about her fiancé.”

“Have
you met Rowley?” Cindy wanted to push it.

“No,
I have not. Our place is kept under cover. We don’t welcome family or friends
of our employees. There’s top security everywhere.”

“Kara
did a good job? You were pleased with her?” Cindy continued.

 “Kara’s
a model counselor here. Everyone loves her, she goes to any length she can to
help. Kara’s always very careful about everything she does, never wants to make
a mistake.”

“Did
she make some mistakes that bothered her?” Cindy picked up on it immediately.

“We
all make mistakes.” Margaret seemed nervous. “But nothing out of the ordinary.
She did fine.”

“These
are just routine questions, but they must be asked,” Cindy continued.

“Certainly,
I understand,” said Margaret, settling down a bit.

“What
kind of mistakes did Kara make?” Cindy felt interested.

“Nothing
much,” Margaret repeated. “Once in a while she got too close to a resident,
spent too much time with her. That is not advisable and we warned her about
it.”

“What’s
wrong with it?” Cindy was surprised.

“It
is of the utmost importance to keep clear boundaries,” Margaret continued.
“These women who live here have suffered horribly. Some of them grab onto
anyone who helps them and then have trouble letting go. This is not a permanent
residence. Women are hidden here, protected, trained, and hopefully helped to
build a new, safe life after a while back in the world.”

“That’s
a noble calling,” said Cindy.

“We
do our best.” Margaret sounded pleased. “Some make it, some don’t. Some rebuild
their lives and go forward, some go back to their abusers and to their old
ways.”

Cindy
found that fascinating.“Do the women who go back to their old ways sometimes
smuggle drugs into the shelter even though it’s forbidden?” she asked.

Margaret
seemed to stiffen. “Not that I know of specifically, though I imagine it’s
possible. Why?”

“Was
there a woman living there recently who had ties to the drug ring down in St.
Lucia? Or perhaps her husband did?” Cindy was determined to see if she could
find some kind of connection between the shelter and the drug ring operating
down here.

“There
are women here whose partners have ties to all kinds of crime everywhere,” said
Margaret. “That’s why they’re here. There was a woman I recall who was here
recently whose husband had been put in jail for drugs. That’s all I know,
believe me.”

“I
need her name,” Cindy insisted.

“I
can’t give you that. I just can’t. We’re legally bound to protect those who’ve
been here.”

Margaret’s
first commitment seemed to be toward protecting the shelter, not necessarily
the people who worked in it, not even if their lives could be at stake.

“Kara’s
gone missing.” Cindy’s voice rose. “She might still be alive. Her life might be
in danger. Aren’t you legally bound to protect her as well?”

“I
would do anything on earth I could to protect Kara,” Margaret exclaimed, “but
there’s nothing further I can say. Why not go check out the drug ring
yourself?”

“Believe
me, I will,” Cindy replied.

“Good,
and let me know what you find.” Margaret’s voice clenched and became brittle.

“I
will. And please see if there’s anything else you can give me that might help
bring Kara home alive!” Cindy pleaded.

“I
gave you all I have, I gave you all I have,” Margaret finally mumbled before
she hung up the phone.

Agitated,
Cindy immediately put in a call to Mattheus. “There’s a lot going on here,” she
said, the minute he picked up.

“I
thought you were relaxing and taking care of yourself,” he responded.

“I
told you I had a meeting with Alfred first,” Cindy practically snapped.

“Yes,
and I told you that guy could make anyone crazy,” Mattheus answered, irritated
as well.

“There
are things I want to go over with you.” Cindy held her ground.

“Absolutely,”
agreed Mattheus. “First thing in the morning we’ll have breakfast and go over
everything.”

“First
thing in the morning? What about tonight?” Cindy felt blindsided.

“Listen,
the police have informed us that the medical examiner’s report will be
officially in tomorrow. We’ve got a head’s-up that it’s almost certain that
there’s nothing linking Kara and Shane. Rod and family are planning to leave
tomorrow right after the report’s in. They’ve even started packing.”

“That’s
premature, if you ask me,” said Cindy.

“It’s
not premature, it’s a good thing,” Mattheus disagreed. “It’s unhealthy for them
to stay down here waiting and waiting for news that does not come. I want to
have dinner with the family the last night they’re here. I’ll be back late, you
take it easy. We’ll go over everything in the morning.”

None
of it sat well with Cindy, though. “You don’t want to take a few moments and
hear what I found?” she asked slowly.

“It’s
not that I don’t want to,” Mattheus remarked, “it’s that things are tying up
here.”

“Just
like that?” Cindy was stunned.

“It’s
better this way, believe me,” said Mattheus.

“Better
for who?” Cindy couldn’t help question. “Better for Rod, better for Rowley? How
about Kara? Is it better for her to be abandoned like this?”

“Cindy,
you sound crazy,” Mattheus snapped back. “No one has abandoned Kara. She’s
gone, she’s missing. The consensus of all professionals here is that she
drowned. “

“But
there’s no proof of that, absolutely none.” Cindy wouldn’t have it.

“And
do you have anything else, anything concrete at all that would lead us to think
differently?” Mattheus demanded.

“I
might,” Cindy answered, a bit shaken. “It’s not concrete yet, but with time and
patience it could be. It needs investigation.”

“Is
this something Alfred told you?” Mattheus sounded harried.

“Yes,”
Cindy answered.

“He’s
unreliable, Cindy, I told you before. He’s filled your head with crazy ideas.”
Mattheus was dead set.

“A
possibility isn’t crazy unless it’s been looked into and proven to be wrong.”
Cindy stayed firm.

“But
we can’t look into every idea that floats by unless it has some merit,”
Mattheus remarked. “That’s lesson one in good detective work. Otherwise you
squander your time and energy, get distracted.”

Cindy
wondered if Mattheus himself weren’t being distracted by Rod now. She didn’t
want to go into this further at the moment.

“Okay,
I hear you, I hear you,” she replied curtly. “See you tomorrow. Have a good
time tonight.”

At
this point Cindy had no intention of discussing this further with Mattheus and
decided to go down to the police station herself first thing in the morning and
look into the drug ring. Thankfully, she awoke early and got up while Mattheus
still slept. Then she showered, dressed, and went downstairs alone for
breakfast. After breakfast she would go straight to the station and see if she
could find any connection between Kara' and Shane’s death.It felt good having
breakfast alone downstairs.

 As
it was so early, the restaurant was practically empty and Cindy enjoyed both
the quiet and the warmth of the early morning sun coming in through the open
windows, caressing her face. She looked out front at the wooden slatted
veranda, framed by potted plants. In a few hours the lounge chairs on it would
be filled in by happy couples, honeymooning. They’d be having breakfast,
drinking coffee, and gazing into one another’s eyes without a care in the
world.

Suddenly
Cindy felt that was not in the cards for her. Her life had taken a different
turn. She’d been placed on a mission that she could not possibly let go of. Or,
the mission could not let go of her. Her relationship with Mattheus was
different now, too. Most of the time it went well when they were working as
detectives together. When they crossed the line, became romantic, after a brief
period of happiness, turbulence inevitably set in. Was it just that they were
not meant for each other? Was there someone else out there who could possibly
be a wonderful husband for Cindy someday?

“Want
more coffee?” a waiter broke into Cindy’s reverie.

“Thanks,
I do,” she said, grateful.

“You’re
up early,” the young man said as he poured the hot coffee slowly into her cup.
“Not too many come down to have breakfast alone.” He looked into Cindy’s eyes
briefly, concerned.

Cindy
smiled. What a lovely, sensitive young man. “It’s fine, it’s okay, I’m enjoying
my time here,” she said cheerily, “and your coffee’s just about the best in the
world.”

*

After
breakfast Cindy took off to the police station without calling upstairs to tell
Mattheus where she was going. There was no need to, she thought. He had done
what he wanted these past few days and she had every right to do the same. More
than that, she had no desire to tell him, or to have him join her, anyway.

 Once
she arrived at the police station Cindy immediately asked for Abe. He was a
fine officer, a good person, and Cindy felt a personal connection with him. She
knew Abe would be as helpful as he could and hoped he’d be around. Usually when
she went to see the police, either she or Mattheus would call and let them know
they were on their way.

Cindy
waited at the front desk as they called for him. In just a few seconds, Abe
came out of his office and walked briskly down the hall.

“What
are you doing here?” he asked, surprised to see Cindy, but also pleased.

“Do
you have a few minutes, Abe?” Cindy asked.

“I
have as much time as you need,” he answered forthrightly, ushering her into a
small side room where they could talk. “Can I get you some coffee first?” he
continued as Cindy sat down on a small sofa in the corner.

“No,
thanks, I just had breakfast,” said Cindy.

“Alone?”
Abe looked surprised. “What happened to Mattheus?”

“He
had a late night last night,” said Cindy, “and I wanted to let him rest this
morning.”

“Late
night by himself out on the town?” Abe’s eyes opened.

“Mattheus
is spending a lot of time with his friend Rod,” said Cindy lightly, “trying to
calm him down.”

“Mattheus
is a good man,” said Abe, “a very good person. All the cops on the island
respect him a lot.”

“Yes,
I know that,” said Cindy.

“I’m
glad you do,” Abe replied, looking at her closely. “Okay, shoot, what’s up?”

“I
heard there’s a big drug ring down here, that has tentacles up into the
States,” Cindy started.

“There’s
drugs everywhere in the world, Cindy,” Abe replied, resigned. “They pass
through the Caribbean and go all over.”

“Yes,
of course, I know that,” Cindy replied, “but I can’t help wondering if the ring
might be involved in what happened to Kara and Shane?”

Abe
let out a long, rough breath. “We’ve found nothing to point to it,” he said
definitively

“Forget
Kara for a minute then.” Cindy pursued it. “What about Shane?”

“We’re
not sure about that,” Abe replied.

“Come
on, Abe.” Cindy didn’t want to be played with. “Is anyone from Shane’s family
down here yet?”

“No
one.” Abe looked troubled. “But her boyfriend, Vinny, comes down to the station
every day. He says he’s not going back home until he gets answers.”

“I’d
like to talk to him,” said Cindy promptly.

“You’re
not on the case,” Abe interrupted.

“Who
is?” Cindy was surprised by the response.

“You
can’t work on both cases, Cindy.” Abe was insistent. “There could be a conflict
of interest.”

“Not
if the cases are intertwined,” Cindy flung back.

“There’s
no proof of that.” Abe remained unwavering.

“Does
Vinny have anyone here working with him?” Cindy wouldn’t let it pass by.

“I’m
not sure if he has professional help.” Abe looked at Cindy sadly, wanting to
offer something. “But listen, there’s a friend of Kara’s down here who’s in
touch with Vinny all the time.”

“A
friend? Who? Alfred?” asked Cindy, startled.

“That’s
it!” Abe smiled. “It’s a guy named Alfred. He refuses to believe that Kara
drowned and is tearing the island apart looking for her.”

Cindy’s
knees buckled. Alfred was doing more than she was. “I have to speak to someone
in the drug ring,” she repeated. “Please give me a name? Tell me where to find
them?”

Abe
shook his head definitively. “Absolutely not,” he declared. “You’re no match
for those guys down there. They’ll eat you up in second. Besides, it won’t lead
anywhere.”

“But
I have to, Abe,” Cindy insisted.

“Why?”
He stood his ground.

“There
are just two kids out there, alone, searching.” Cindy felt the passion rise in
her. “That’s not right, Abe and you know it. It’s not fair. I have to know why
Shane died,” Cindy continued, unnerved.

“We’re
releasing the medical examiner’s report in an hour.” Abe backed down a little,
touched by Cindy’s plea. “I’ll tell you what we have now.”

“Thank
you,” Cindy breathed.

Abe
pulled open a drawer, took out some papers, and started to read.

“Shane
suffered a bullet wound in her ribs,” he began. “Her lungs were filled with
water. Right now it’s not absolutely clear if she bled out from her wound or
died from downing.”

“You
mean you don’t know if she died when she was shot, or if the person who shot
her took her and threw her in the water?” Cindy repeated, wondering whether
they really cared. Was anyone investigating the case thoroughly?

“Something
like that,” Abe agreed as he read on. “Cause of death was definitely homicide
though. One way or another it was foul play.”

That
was a huge declaration. Cindy was all over it. “What are you doing to find the
killer?”

“We’ve
been investigating, Cindy,” Abe continued methodically. “We don’t have anything
yet, no weapon, no motive.”

“Shane
was a regular at the casinos.” Cindy picked right up on it. “Did she have a
fight with someone there, did a gambling debt go sour?”

“We
haven’t found anything like that either,” said Abe.

“What
does Vinny say?” Cindy persisted.

“Vinny’s
going nuts. Just keeps saying he’s gonna kill the person himself when he gets
his hands on him. The kid has no idea how it happened. No one has.”

“That’s
not good enough, Abe,” Cindy breathed slowly.

“There
are cases like this that fall through the cracks every day,” Abe finally
admitted

“Because
no one keeps the pressure up,” Cindy declared. “Shane falls through the cracks
because she doesn’t have a family down here fighting for her. Except for her
boyfriend no one seems to care.”

“There’s
all kinds of reasons cases fall through the cracks,” Abe murmured.

“What
else could have happened to her? Give me something Abe, anything!” Cindy
pleaded.

“I
wish I could.” Abe seemed moved by Cindy’s passion.

“Think
hard, you can,” Cindy insisted.

“Oh
yeah,” Abe commented, in passing. “There were lots of drugs in Shane’s body.
She was definitely using.”

“That’s
important,” Cindy shot back. “Date rape drugs?”

“No,
just regular drugs, cocaine I believe,” he grumbled.

“Okay,
that’s a big deal.” Cindy felt vindicated.

“Maybe
it is, maybe it isn’t,” said Abe. “Lots of people down here are using. They
come down to have fun and drugs are just part of it. What can you do? It’s a
fact of life now.”

“So,
it could have been a drug deal gone bad?” Cindy mused out loud. “I want to know
where she got the drugs from. Vinny must know.”

“He
doesn’t,” said Abe.

“But
he has to know, Abe. If Shane was using he had to be, too. Where does he get
his drugs from?”

“He
denies doing drugs.” Abe recoiled.

“And
you accept that at face value?” asked Cindy. “That’s ridiculous. I’m going down
to the drug ring myself to poke around.”

“You
can’t go!” Abe stood up, adamant.

“I
have to.” Cindy stood eye to eye with him. “I won’t be able to sleep at night
if I don’t. I won’t be able to stop thinking about this.”

“Just
stop.” Abe took a step forward. “Go back to the hotel, spend time with your
fiancé. There are better things to think about, things that are healthier for
you.”

Abe
meant well, but Cindy was horrified. “I won’t be able to leave the island if I
don’t do everything in my power to find out how Shane died,” she exclaimed.

“You’re
a special woman, Cindy.” Abe looked hard into Cindy’s eyes.

“I’m
not leaving until you give me a lead.” Cindy was adamant.

 “Go
to the casino and ask to speak to a guy named Santos,” Abe practically
whispered. “Don’t tell him I sent you, don’t tell anyone. Whatever’s going on
with the ring, Santos knows about it. I have no idea if he’ll even see you,
though. He’s temperamental. It depends on the mood you get him in. You can never
tell.”

“Thank
you,” breathed Cindy.

“And
don’t tell Vinny or Alfred either,” Abe warned. “I don’t want them messing
around with more than they can handle and getting themselves hurt.”

“I
won’t,” Cindy promised.

“You
can tell Mattheus, though,” Abe continued. “It would be better if the two of
you went together. I don’t want you going alone.”

“Thank
you, Abe,” Cindy cried out and to her surprise and his, ran over and gave him a
hug before she flew out the door.