by Jaden Skye
“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.”
CHAPTER 2
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 lo
ving 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.
“Quite a crew,” said Mattheus.
“Powerful,” Cindy agreed. “They all looked beautiful, successful, on top of the world. Lynch’s mother’s photo was there too, over and over again, her bright eyes glittering, her head held high.
“That’s Lynch’s mother Raina,” Mattheus said, pointing to her picture. “A big personality, for sure.”
Cindy looked at her more closely. She did seem to dominate the page. In the family photos, Tara actually looked more fragile beside her, almost as if she’d been pushed into the background.
“The mother and Lynch run the family business,” Mattheus commented. “She’s got all the contacts in the world and doesn’t hesitate to use them. I read a few articles about her. She’s also out there dating. A real dynamo.”
Cindy made a sour face.
“What’s wrong?” asked Mattheus.
“Dating so soon?” said Cindy.
Mattheus laughed. “Come on, are you judging her? It takes guts to get out there at her age and get a new life.”
Cindy realized that what Mattheus said was true, but she also recoiled at the idea of Lynch’s mother tearing up the town only a couple of years after her husband died. She couldn’t imagine herself doing that. In the beginning, soon after Cindy’s husband Clint was killed, she and Mattheus only got together to work on cases. Their relation
ship had grown organically and slowly into everything it was today.
“Wonder how Lynch feels about his mother’s behavior?” Cindy asked.
“What are you talking about?” said Mattheus. “His mother’s picture is all over his page. It must be a great relief to him to see her happy. Looks like he’s very proud of her.”
“Could be,” said Cindy, reluctantly. “I’d like to find out more.”
Of course there were lots of things it would be nice to find out, thought Cindy, but time was of the essence. They had to stay on laser like focus, didn’t have the luxury of letting their trail wind here and there.
“We need to stay on focus,” Mattheus said himself. “It’s a good idea find out if there’s anything the natives know about Lynch, something that would naturally stay hidden down on the island. That’s the only hope we’ve got.”
“Only hope?” asked Cindy.
Mattheus cocked his head and grinned. “Of course the whole thing is lousy,” he said. “The real hope is that Lynch comes up clean and fine. You got it right. You’re well trained, Cindy.”
Cindy smiled, “Well, I’ve been trained by the best,” she answered, grinning back.
“I guess I did a good job,” Mattheus murmured.
Cindy pushed her computer back and pulled her chair over to him. “You did more than a good job, Mattheus,” she whispered. “You’ve helped me find out who I am and given me a whole new life.”
CHAPTER 3
As the day rolled on and Cindy and Mattheus finished checking both the computer and text messages and it was time to hit the clubs and casinos.
“We can grab a quick lunch there, poke around, find out who to talk to,” said Mattheus. “I saw a couple of articles that mentioned seeing Tara and Lynch at The Dream Casino. It’s as good a place as any to start.
It was an incredibly beautiful, sunny afternoon and Cindy knew the island would be hopping. Tourists would be filling the busy streets, sightseeing, shopping for souvenirs and taking photos of each other suntanned and smiling. The last place in the world Cindy felt like spending the day was in a dark, sultry casino with fluorescent lighting, crowded with people betting on their luck. But what Cindy wanted at the moment didn’t matter. Something larger was at stake.