by Jaden Skye
How well Cindy knew that. “It’s addictive,” she said.
“Yeah, a good addiction,” he added. “All addictions should be as good as this.”
The waiter brought the food, Sean ordered coffee, and Cindy began eating the eggs.
“So, this is really your profession?” Sean asked, watching her eat. “Private detective?”
“It’s become that,” Cindy replied, thinking about the offer she’d received to write a column for the paper back in New York. That seemed like years and years ago. And New York seemed like it was planted in a totally different universe at the moment.
“It’s interesting,” said Sean, “and unusual.”
“These things happen suddenly,” Cindy replied. “My life took a different turn than I’d expected.”
“That happens to a lot of us who do this work,” Sean replied.
Cindy knew she didn’t have to say more. She was grateful that he understood and that, most likely, something similar had happened to him.
“Everyone down here on the Police force read about you when they heard you were coming down,” Sean continued. “It made the guys nervous to have you aboard, but I appreciate you’re being here.”
“Thank you, Sean,” Cindy responded, touched.
“This case is trickier than you think,” he went on, his eyes narrowing. “There’s a pretty big underworld operating nearby.”
It was an old story. There was an underworld operating on all the Islands.
“Tell me about it,” Cindy looked up at him over her coffee, grateful for his forthrightness.
“The underworld here is not a place for a woman to poke around in alone,” Sean continued.
“Lots of the Islands have that going on,” Cindy countered, “I’ve been through it before.”
“Maybe they do, but not like here.” Their eyes met boldly. Cindy was fascinated. “There’s different levels of crime,” Sean went on, “at the core this place is rotten.”
Cindy was startled. “Like how?”
“I’ll tell you little by little,” Sean said, glad that he’d made his point.
“Tell me now,” Cindy urged. “We don’t have so much time.”
Sean smiled and touched her hand lightly. “We have all the time we need. That’s the first thing I learned about solving tricky crimes. If you just keep at it, things show up. They have to. It’s the law of the Islands. Snakes naturally slither out of their hiding places for air.”
Cindy put her coffee cup down. “Who’s the snake here, Sean?”
He grinned oddly, obviously enjoying every second. “There are lots of them around,” he commented. “And mostly they’re camouflaged. It’s easy to step on one and get bitten. But watch out, their poison is deadly. One bite and you’re gone.”
Cindy felt the urgency in what he was saying. “Tell me what you guys have on the case,” she jumped right in.
Sean leaned even closer. “Everyone’s a suspect,” he said.
Cindy shivered. “Who? Andrea? Petra?”
“Keep going,” said Sean.
“Not Mattheus?” Cindy’s mouth got dry.
“Sure, why not?” asked Sean.
“You guys enjoy collecting suspects?” she asked. “No one left out?”
“You can’t believe Mattheus could be involved?” Now Sean was questioning her.
“I can believe anything, if I have enough evidence,” Cindy replied swiftly. “What do you have on Mattheus?”
“Not much,” Sean leaned back a bit. “He’s just a loose cannon who was heard threatening Cain the day before he was killed. Hell, the guy came down to rescue his daughter and found this creep was beating her. That’s plenty of motive, isn’t it? Any decent guy would want to take the creep out.”
“It sounds that way,” Cindy had to agree, “but Mattheus would never kill anyone. He’s not capable of it.”
Sean stopped and stared long and hard. “You’re still in love with the guy?”
“No,” Cindy said bruskly. She said it and meant it. “I’m definitely not in love with him, but I know him well. He’s my partner and friend. We’ve worked together.”
“At the police station you said the two of you were about to get engaged,” Sean jumped on it.
“Yes, we were about to get engaged. But we’re not now,” Cindy defended herself.
“How long ago was that?” Sean was keen and kind at the same time. Nothing would slip through the cracks with him.
“Did you come here to interrogate me?” Cindy felt unsettled.
“No, I didn’t, not at all,” Sean toned it down. “I just want to point out that it’s inevitable that you would still have feelings for him. So, you can’t trust what you think of him now. Those kinds of feelings blur everything.”
“Not always,” said Cindy.
“Always,” Sean echoed. “No one can see straight when they’re in love. Or, for a long time afterwards, either. Falling in love messes up the works. Boy, does it, ever.”
Sure, falling in love messed things up, as far as solving crimes went, but Cindy also thought of Ann’s words then. Life wasn’t just about solving crimes. There was a bigger picture. People needed love, they deserved it.
“I thought Mattheus and I could do both,” Cindy said quietly, “be in love and solve crimes at the same time.”
Sean smiled warmly, “You could have, as long as the crime you were solving involved someone else.”
“So what are you saying?” she asked.
“I’m saying Mattheus can’t be ruled out,” Sean replied intently.
Cindy felt a knife go through her heart at the thought that Mattheus could be implicated. “But he didn’t do this,” she insisted.
“I hope you’re right,” Sean replied. I really do, but I also need clear evidence – there’s a lot more to investigate.”
Cindy was impressed. Sean had thought a lot about things and wasn’t satisfied
with second hand answers. He wasn’t willing to take the party line, either. He knew what he was doing, was smart and strong.
“You’re right on target,” Cindy responded, “your arguments are air tight.”
“They should be,” said Sean slowly, “I didn’t go to law school for nothing. I’m a trained lawyer, used to prosecute cases.”
Cindy was surprised, but it made perfect sense. Sean wasn’t anything like the other police officers. “Why did you give up the law?” she asked him.
“Who said I did?” Sean grinned. “I’m on it daily, without being stuck in an office. Wading through papers was way too confining. I like the outdoors, moving around, meeting people face to face. I’m a guy who lives by my gut.”
Cindy shivered. She got it, she knew him, could relate to everything he said.
“You’re fantastic, Cindy,” Sean said then, from out of nowhere.
Cindy had no idea what prompted that. “Thanks,” she said. “I guess it’s unusual to be with a woman detective.”
“No, it’s unusual to have a woman you can really talk to who gets it,” Sean replied. “It’s unusual to have a woman who feels the same way you do.”
Cindy flushed. How did he know she felt the same way? It was great talking to him as well, but she wanted to focus back on the case. It was too easy to get detoured.
“What should I know about the underworld here?” Cindy turned back to business.
“Know to keep away from them unless I’m there too,” Sean replied, in no uncertain manner.
“What else? They’re into drugs?”
“That’s the least of it,” Sean continued, “money laundering, sex, trafficking, corrupt, diseased enforcement. Rotten jails. They got their grubby hands stretched out into everything in the island. And I mean everything.”
Cindy shuddered. The island had such an untouched, balmy feeling to it. It was so beautiful, and the other side was filled with elegant hotels, restaurants, shopping, beaches, a perfect haven for visitors.
Sean seemed to know what she was thinking. “T
he trouble here doesn’t touch the tourists,” he said. “It’s way, way deeper than that.”
“Cain was an ex con, wasn’t he?” Cindy pursued it.
“Yes, he was,” Sean replied. “And he did his dirt right from his jail cell – saw to it that plenty of people disappeared. He worked directly for the Kingpin, did what the guy needed.
That made him extra valuable.”
“So, lots of people must have wanted him dead,” Cindy jumped on it. “They must be happy about this.”
“Sure they are,” Sean seemed to enjoy their discussion. “Lots of goons are gloating
because he’s gone. And you know what they’re especially happy about? They’re thrilled they got a suspect for the crime sitting in the clinker, nicely tied up. This way no one looks any further.” Sean stopped to see if Cindy got what he was talking about.
“You’re telling me it’s dangerous to look further, not to muddy the waters?” Cindy was rattled.
“I’m telling you your life will be in danger if you probe Cain’s network too deeply,” Sean said. “Leave that for us to do.”
Cindy suddenly felt exhausted. Whose team was Sean on anyway? Was he protecting Cain and his buddies? Was he also pleased that suspicion was focused on Andrea, Petra and Mattheus? Cindy pushed her chair away from her table then.
“Thanks for letting me know how things work here, Sean,” she said quickly.
“Hold on, wait a minute,” he said, pushing his chair away along with hers. “I’m not telling you to cover anything up. I’m just telling you to be careful. Don’t go there alone. Don’t investigate it out in the open. Do it quietly, undercover. And, if you have to go there, I’ll go with you.”
Cindy didn’t know what to think.
“Look at me, Cindy,” Sean said then, standing up. “Do I look like the kind of guy who would ask you to brush anything under the rug?”
Cindy smiled. No, he didn’t, not at all. Sean looked just exactly what she needed at the moment. And she had no idea how he’d come into her life.
Chapter 9
The cell Andrea was being held in was in back of the police station, tucked under a low hanging shed. There was a small window that let in some air, a bed, a chair, sink and toilet. Other than that, it was bare. Because they’d found her right beside Cain, his blood all over her, there’d been no problem getting her locked away.
Mattheus hadn’t yet been allowed to speak to his daughter directly. He’d spoken to her briefly over the phone, told her he was on the case. She’d mumbled something and hung up fast. Today would be the first time he saw her in person since the murder.
The guard led him down along the little corridor that led to the visitor’s section. Andrea would be brought out and the guard would stand watching them from behind.
“You wait here,” the guard said to Mattheus as they got closer. There was a small wooden table and two rickety chairs in the waiting section, and a ceiling fan that kept whirling the stuffy air around.
Mattheus sat down and waited, hardly able to breathe. Beads of sweat covered his forehead as he wondered what Andrea would actually say. He knew he had to approach this like a detective, but his fatherly feelings got the better of him. He thought how much he’d love to grab her and for the two of them to escape.
In a few minutes Andrea walked into the holding section, accompanied by the guard. She wore loose overalls, a T shirt and looked sweaty, messy and distraught.
“Andrea, honey,” Mattheus immediately jumped up to greet her, as she looked away.
“It’s me, your dad.”
Andrea looked down at the floor as the guard led her to a chair opposite Mattheus.
After she was seated and the guard took his position in the back of the room, Andrea looked up at her father.
“This has got to be awful,” Mattheus said the moment his eyes caught hers.
“Why are you here?” Andrea replied glumly.
Mattheus was taken aback. She seemed in a fog, enclosed in a world of her own.
“I’m here to help you,” he said, wondering if his words even got through.
“Yeah, yeah,” she mumbled.
“Believe it or not, I’m on case,” he continued. “I’m gonna find out who did it and get you out of here.”
“Fat chance,” she said sullenly. “The police are convinced it was me.”
“Why do they think that?” Mattheus needed to hear more from her.
Andrea’s eyes flashed with sudden hatred. “Because I had the bastard’s damn blood all over me.”
Mattheus couldn’t sit still. “And how did that happen?”
“Cause when I got there, he was laying flat in a pool of blood. Hell, I yelled and bent down over him to see if he was still breathing? It’s possible, you know!”
“Anything is always possible,” Mattheus commiserated.
“I wanted to pump on his heart and bring him back,” Andrea spoke in a throaty tone. “I know how to do that.”
“And then what happened?” Mattheus was spellbound.
“I leaned on him and tried to make him move. He didn’t,” Andrea went on. “Then I saw the knife laying there in the corner. His throat had been slashed.”
This was the first Mattheus had heard about a knife and how exactly Cain had died.
“I grabbed the knife to look at it,” Andrea went on, the words pouring out.
“Oh God,” Mattheus groaned. Her fingerprints had to be all over it.
“Oh God, what?” Andrea’s eyes narrowed and she stared at him. “You think I should have just left him lying there like that and walked away?”
“Nobody said that,” Mattheus whispered.
“I didn’t kill him,” Andrea wailed. “How could I kill him? I’m not strong enough to kill him! Someone slashed his throat with a knife.”
“Did you tell them about the knife?” Mattheus continued. He wondered why it had not been mentioned and if they’d had it.
“They know about the knife, they’ve got it,” Andrea said. You think I could have killed him like that?”
Mattheus looked at her askance. “No, of course not, how could you?” he said.”Exactly,” she spit back at him, “but you wanted him dead too. You could have done it, or found someone to do it for you.”
Mattheus could hardly breathe. “Believe me, Andrea, I had nothing to do with this.”
“I don’t believe anything you say,” she whimpered, “and for all I know it could have been you! Get out of here, I’m sick of you.”
“You barely know me,” Mattheus’s voice grew edgier, “it’s too soon to be sick of me.”
“Who said I ever wanted to know you, anyway?” Andrea bit her lip hard as she spoke. “What good did you ever do me? You gave me false hope, came down here and made me feel there was a way out of this mess. You said there was definitely something we could do to get away from Cain.”
“What are you talking about?” Mattheus went cold.
“You said mom and I could get away from the bastard and that something could be done. You don’t remember?”
Mattheus remembered. “I didn’t say you should kill him. Mattheus shut his eyes in horror. Why was she turning the tables on him? Who was she defending? If Andrea didn’t do it herself, was there someone else she cared about that she was protecting?
Mattheus flipped back into detective mode. “If you want me to help you, you’re going to have to tell me everything you know,” he retorted. “Everything.”
“Fat chance of that,” she sneered.
“I’m the best chance you got, Andrea,” Mattheus responded. “This isn’t a game, you’re in big trouble right now.”
“Maybe I am and maybe I’m not,” she replied, suddenly haughty. “The medical examiner results aren’t in yet. No one knows exactly when he died. He might have died a long time before I ever got there.”
“No one knows exactly when you got there, though,” Mattheus said quickly.
“I know,” Andrea spit out.
�
�That’s not enough. They need cold facts, witnesses.”
“All day long I was with my friends in town,” she went on, “lots of people saw me.”
Mattheus took a deep breath. That was good to hear. “I need to speak to some of those friends,” he said.
“Like hell you do,” she responded. “They’re my friends, my life. It’s none of your damn business.”
“Someone has to speak to these people to confirm you were with them,” Mattheus answered sharply.
“Someone, yeah, but not you,” she exclaimed. “Who said I want you knowing my private business?”
“Have you told the police about this?” Mattheus took a step back.
“Sure, I told them, and they couldn’t care less,” Andrea retorted. “They never even asked me who my friends were, or where I was. They grabbed me and threw me in here. I even saw one of them smiling.”
It was easy having Andrea locked up, Mattheus realized. That way no one had to look at anyone further - except possibly at him.
“You’re in a huge mess, honey,” he said finally, “and you’ve got to trust someone.”
At that Andrea looked at him fiercely. “Trust who, you? Why should I? You ran out on me and mom and never looked back, once. You never cared.”
“You’re going to hold that against me the rest of your life?” Mattheus shot back at her, “no matter what I do to make it up?”
“Yes, I am,” Andrea went on. “And besides, I’ve got other people helping me.”
“Like who?”
“Like mom. She’s coming to see me after you,” Andrea proclaimed.
“Doesn’t seem like she helped you much while you were growing up, did she?” Mattheus blurted out.
Andrea stood up, inflamed. “What do you mean by that? My mom loves me, she takes good care of me.”
“She let Cain beat you, didn’t she? And not only him, but her other husbands too.” Mattheus wasn’t pulling any punches. This was no time for playing games.
Andrea’s eyes suddenly brimmed over with tears. “Mom couldn’t help it, she had no choice.”
“We all have a choice” Mattheus insisted.
“Not down here, we don’t,” Andrea cried out as tears streamed down her beautiful, distraught face.