by Jaden Skye
“Of course it does,” Mattheus shot back. “Her husband’s been killed a short while ago and here she is with someone else. For all we know that guy’s involved in the killing. Maybe he’s the one who pushed Andrea to do it?”
“Possible,” Cindy murmured. Then she looked at Mattheus again. “Is that why it bothers you so much?”
Mattheus looked over at the windows then, and through them to the sky. “I’m upset for Andrea,” he said in a throaty tone.
“You’re not upset that Petra’s lost her husband?” Cindy couldn’t stop questioning him.
“No,” Mattheus came back and looked at her directly. “Not a husband like Cain.”
*
After Mattheus left to go to his room, rest, and then dig into the underworld, Cindy went to the phone and immediately called Sean. She needed the names of Andrea’s friends and also wanted facts about the police’s evidence.
Sean picked up immediately. “It was great getting to know you,” he said right away.
“Thanks,” said Cindy. “I really appreciate your help. I need it.”
“Of course,” said Sean warmly. “This is not a job for a woman, alone.”
Normally, Cindy would have reminded him that she was here with Mattheus, but this time was completely different. Mattheus wasn’t really a trusted partner in the case. The police were right, he was way too involved in lots of aspects of it. Cindy wanted Sean to feel as though the two of them were working closely together. He might be more willing to give her the information she needed then, and share details he ordinarily might not have.
“I just spoke with Mattheus,” Cindy said to Sean then, filling him in.
“So did I,” Sean quickly added. “He’s something else.”
Cindy didn’t know what Sean meant by that and didn’t want to ask right now. “He’s determined, to solve the case,” she replied.
“Okay,” said Sean, non-committally.
“It’s too bad he can’t work along with you,” Cindy continued.
“That’s not up to me,” Sean replied.
Even if he’s not working with you guys, he has a right to investigate, and he needs to,”
Cindy continued.
“He can do what he wants, as long as he doesn’t step on our toes, or get in the way,” Sean replied, waiting to hear more.
Cindy wanted to ask him exactly what the police were doing, who they were investigating and how Mattheus could get in their way, but she held back. She didn’t want to put Sean on edge with her, but to find out what he was really thinking.
“Did you grill Mattheus because he’s a suspect?” Cindy continued softly.
Sean was quiet for a second. “I talked to him because I wanted to know more about him. He seems a little paranoid.”
Cindy was taken aback. “Why? What did he say?”
“It’s not what he said, it’s what he didn’t say,” Sean answered straightforwardly. “And it’s how he said it, he’s suspicious of me.”
“He’s alone down here in unfriendly territory,” Cindy replied.
“You don’t have to defend him, Cindy,” Sean said quietly.
“I’m not defending him, I’m just explaining,” said Cindy. “He plans to investigate the underworld on his own.”
Sean let out a long, low whistle. “I wouldn’t recommend that,” he replied.
“He’s got to do something,” Cindy answered. “This is his daughter and he’s a top notch detective.”
“Nobody walks into that world on their own,” Sean insisted.
“And I want to talk to Andrea’s friends,” Cindy continued. “I heard that she spent a lot of time with them the day Cain was killed.”
Sean was silent.
“Did she tell the police that?” Cindy wouldn’t let up.
“Yes, she said something like that,” Sean replied. “I wouldn’t put too much stock in what she says though. Her story changes minute by minute.”
“She has a right to have her alibi investigated,” Cindy answered sharply.
“Of course she does,” Sean quickly agreed.
“Do you know who her friends are?” Cindy asked. “Will you give me their contact information?”
“Sure,” Sean agreed, half hesitantly. “I just don’t know how much good it will do you. I don’t want you wasting your time and energy.”
It was a strange reply and Cindy wondered about it. What did Sean know that he wasn’t saying? Why would this be a waste of time? Was he going to give her the names of the right people?
“It’s okay,” said Cindy, “thanks for caring, but I’d love whatever information you have.”
“I’ll email it to you right away,” Sean agreed. “Oh, and one more thing, Cindy.” He paused.
“What?” she asked curious.
“I asked Mattheus if he was still in love with you.”
Taken aback, Cindy breathed in swiftly.
“You know what he answered?” Sean continued.
“What?” Cindy cringed.
“He asked me if I was?”
Despite herself, Cindy laughed. “And what did you say?”
Sean laughed as well. Mattheus left before I had a chance to tell him that I could see how something like that would be a definite possibility later on.”
*
Cindy hung up the phone disconcerted. On the one hand it was nice having a light laugh with Sean, on the other she wondered what he was really saying to her. If Mattheus had really asked Sean if he was in love with her, then Mattheus had definitely gone off the deep end.
Chapter 11
Sean was right on top of everything. Cindy received an email immediately from him with the names and contact information of Andrea’s friends. It’s a good idea to talk to them, he wrote in the email. Let me know what they have to say. Looking forward to seeing you again soon and catching up on everything.
Cindy felt both relieved and anxious when she read Sean’s email. He was definitely there to help her investigate, but she also felt the personal edge. It wasn’t exactly fair to Mattheus, either, she thought. The two of them had just barely broken up and here Sean was actively making a move.
Cindy decided not to answer back right away, just take the information and see where it lead.
Before she went to make the calls, Cindy noticed another email, right below Sean’s. It was from her sister Ann.
How’s it going, Cindy? Please let us know. Everyone back here’s talking about it. Al’s worried if you’re safe enough, and his friend at the paper called twice to let us know he’s holding the job writing the column for you.
Cindy blanched. She didn’t like having people back home involved with a case she was on. It was none of their business, and she had thought the job possibility was long gone.
And, Ann continued, Marge keeps calling as well. Her ex husband Ralph is back in the picture and, if you don’t agree to sell the house to them, they’re definitely planning to sue.
This was the last thing Cindy needed to be concerned with now. She didn’t see any way they could take the house from her, but the annoyance value was great. And if they made it as unpleasant as possible, they must have felt, she’d be glad to sell it and get away. They were wrong. Cindy loved that place and she had no intention of buckling to them. She had no intention of buckling to anybody.
Everything’s good, I’m safe, Cindy wrote back quickly. No worries at all. Am right in the middle of the investigation. Thanks for letting me know about the job. Cindy was surprised to see that she wasn’t so quick to turn it down now, especially with Mattheus in the state he was in. And, there’s no way Clint’s family’s taking the house from me. I’ll deal with all of that later on, she continued. I’ll write when I can. Love to all, Cindy.
*
Sean had emailed a list of names of Andrea’s friends along with their contact information. Before actually contacting them, Cindy went online and looked through their Facebook pages. They all seemed nice enough, happy, lively, ready for fun.
Cindy picked up her phone to call her, but then wondered if Petra would even consent to see her again? She put the phone down then and decided to speak to Andrea’s friends first. She needed to find out more about Petra, too, before going to her home to confront her.
By now it was mid-afternoon, and Cindy wondered about dinner. Mattheus hadn’t said a word about it and neither had she. Would she be eating alone, while he was rummaging around, finding out more about the underworld? There was no reason, of course, they should have dinner together, but the prospect of eating alone and spending the evening in this room made her feel sad. An odd kind of bleakness came over Cindy, as the phone rang.
“Is this Cindy Blaine?” it was a young woman’s lilting voice on the other end.
“Yes, who is this?” Cindy was quick to respond.
“It’s Andrea’s friend, Natalie, you just contacted me,” the voice replied.
“Thanks so much for getting back to me, Natalie,” Cindy was delighted.
“No, thank you for coming down here and helping my friend,” the young woman promptly replied. “Andrea doesn’t deserve this.”
“Natalie, can we get together and talk about Andrea in person?” Cindy felt a huge hunger to see her now.
“Any time,” said Natalie, sounding relieved as well. “I can get to Johnson’s Pub in half an hour,” Natalie replied. “A bunch of our friends are meeting there a little later on. We can talk before they come.”
“Great,” said Cindy.”
“I can’t wait to meet you. Hurry,” Natalie responded. “It’s only a few blocks away from where you are.”
*
Cindy changed into light, linen summer slacks, put on a loose green printed top and decided to walk to the Pub and in the vibes. The narrow, crowded streets were filled mostly with locals, and it was refreshing and relaxing to be among them. As Cindy walked along it struck her that she hadn’t told Mattheus where she was going. But what difference did it make? They weren’t working together as a true team now, just dividing up the tasks and filling each other in as best they could. Cindy had to admit that Mattheus now actually seemed a little scary to her. She’d never felt that way before, but at this point his jealousy seemed crazy. And his asking Sean if he was in love with Cindy was way over the edge. She was embarrassed and shocked by it and wondered what would come next.
Johnson’s Pub was a long, open building, filled with tables, chairs, music, verandas, people meeting and noise. It was half full when Cindy walked in, and she could just imagine how it would be as the evening went on. Crammed to the gills.
Cindy walked to the bar and immediately spotted a lovely young Caribbean woman, about sixteen or so, dressed in jeans, orange T shirt, with a large, red medallion around her neck. As Cindy walked closer, the young woman looked up, smiled and started waving.
“Over here, over here,” she recognized Cindy immediately, probably from her photos in the paper, Cindy thought. “I’m Natalie, “the young woman said, popping up off her bar stool.
“Hi Natalie,” Cindy liked her immediately. She was lively and refreshing.
“It is so great that you got here so quick,” Natalie breathed, taking Cindy’s wrist and tugging her to the bar, to sit next to her.
“It’s great to be here,” said Cindy, sitting down at the stool beside Natalie.
Natalie took a glass that was on the bar and downed it fast. “It’s lemonade,” she said with a little grin. “Drinking laws.”
Cindy smiled.
“Do you know Andrea well?” Natalie started talking, as if she couldn’t wait to say all she had on her mind.
“I don’t know her at all,” said Cindy, feeling thirsty and wanting something to drink as well. “I’m her father’s business partner.”
“I know,” Natalie nodded quickly and ran her hand along the bar. “We all heard everything about you. Andrea told us when she came back from St. Martin. She couldn’t believe her real father found her, and actually wanted to see her. It was like a dream come true.”
“And she couldn’t stand me,” Cindy quickly filled in. “Did she tell you that, too?”
“Yes, she did,” Natalie’s voice got lower, as she looked aside. “Are you thirsty or something?”she said then. “Want something to drink?”
“I’d love a lemonade like you’re having,” said Cindy, making Natalie laugh.
“You got it,” Natalie said fast, called the waiter and ordered one.
“Why didn’t Andrea like me?” Cindy had to know more when Natalie had finished ordering the drink.
“She just didn’t want another woman around,” Natalie answered, her eyes rising slowly to look at Cindy. “I think deep, deep down she was hoping that Mattheus and her mother would get back together again and that she’d finally have a real family. Everyone wants that.”
“But Andrea’s mother was already married,” Cindy remarked, nervously.
“It was a horrible marriage,” Natalie’s voice dropped lower again. “Cain beat her and beat Andrea. Her mother kept threatening to leave him every day and Andrea kept praying that she would. I guess when Andrea met Mattheus she thought he was the answers to her prayers.”
“That’s quite a jump to think that,” said Cindy.
“I know, I told her to cool it, too,” said Natalie. “I said let things take their course.”
“And, what was her reaction?” Cindy was enthralled.
“Andrea’s not the kind of girl who cools it,” Natalie spoke quickly now. “She goes up and down in a second, she’s emotional and gets upset. She’s also very attached to her mother, does whatever she can to take care of her. But she also knows how to have a good time, if you know what I mean?” Natalie leaned closer to Cindy, as if she were making sure that no one could hear her.
“What do you mean?” Cindy egged her on.
“Listen, there’s stuff about Andrea that everyone knows -.”
“Go on,” said Cindy so grateful to have met Natalie.
“Andrea’s big into drugs and dealing,” Natalie looked at Cindy, who showed no reaction. “Lots of kids who live here do that,” Natalie continued, “it’s not really such a big deal.”
Cindy wanted to ask if Natalie were too, but she thought better of it. She was so wonderful and such a rich source of information, Cindy didn’t want to put her on the spot.
“What else?” said Cindy, “lots of sex, boyfriends?”
Natalie looked surprised at the question. “Well, of course everyone has sex and boyfriends.”
“Of course,” Cindy replied as if she were one of the crowd. “But there’s more than just plain sex that goes on down here, isn’t there?” Cindy thought of the information she’d received about prostitution and trafficking. Was it possible that Andrea was involved in that?
Natalie brushed her hair back from her neck. This was getting intense for her. “There’s all kinds of sex down here and people get involved in it for all kinds of reasons, including for pay,” she said. Then she paused for a long time, as if worried that she may have said too much.
Cindy quickly jumped in. “It’s alright, Natalie, you’re helping Andrea by telling me. The more I know the better, right now s
he’s the main suspect and it doesn’t look good.”
Natalie’s eyes grew wide with fear. “I heard that and it terrifies me. You’ve got to free her, I don’t want to lose her, she’s my best friend. And besides, I’m positive she didn’t do it.”
“Why are you so positive?” Cindy jumped in.
“Because I know her since we were kids. Andrea could never hurt anyone. Even when her stepfathers beat her, she couldn’t raise a hand to fight back. I told her, fight, Andrea, but she always just said, I can’t.”
“Maybe she finally had enough?” said Cindy. “Maybe this was one time too many and she just let loose. It would be understandable, wouldn’t it?”
“Yes, it would,” Natalie agreed, “but that’s not what happened. She didn’t do it, she’s innocent.”
“What do the other kids think?” asked Cindy.
“The other kids think all kinds of things but one thing they agree on is not to talk to you. They all got your messages, and decided together that no one’s going to answer. After Andrea met you and Mattheus she told everyone you were the pits.”
Cindy shook her head slowly. “She doesn’t know the first thing about me, Natalie. She has no reason to say that.”
“I know, I know,” said Natalie quickly. “Andrea’s like that, makes up her mind in a second and won’t budge. I always just thought that she didn’t want her father with another woman.”
“Well it’s lucky for her that he was,” Cindy quipped, “because this woman has come all the way down here to help solve the case.”
For a moment Natalie’s eyes filled with tears. “It’s amazing that you’re doing this,” she whispered.
“Thank you,” said Cindy.
“Just amazing,” Natalie went on, “you must love Mattheus very much.”
That comment stopped Cindy cold. “It’s not that I love him, it’s that there’s real trouble here and he needs help.”
“That sounds like real love to me,” said Natalie looking right through Cindy. “No woman would risk her life this way if she didn’t really love someone.”