by Jaden Skye
Cindy was afraid to let Petra think Natalie had told her that, didn’t want to put Natalie in danger. “No, Natalie didn’t say that,” Cindy went on, “someone else told me.”
“Who?” Petra began to look alarmed as well now.
“It’s a well known fact,” Cindy lied.
The thought of it seemed to make Mattheus feel better though. “If there was someone Andrea loved, you’ve got to tell me, Petra,” he said to her. “It’s important, we need to know.”
“She didn’t love him, she didn’t love him,” Petra’s voice got more shrill. “She just hung out with some white guy to hurt me. That’s the kind of kid she could be.”
“How could it hurt you that Andrea hung out with someone she loved?” Cindy jumped in.
“He was a white guy,” said Petra. “Andrea made that point to me over and over. It made her feel like she was better than me.”
“What are you talking about?” asked Mattheus, horrified.
“Andrea told me about some white guy who loved her, then she wouldn’t say another word,” said Petra reluctantly. “I have no idea who.”
“What’s so bad about that?” Mattheus continued. “Her father was a white guy. You dated me.”
“For one night,” Petra spit out.
“Who is this guy? Where does he live?” Mattheus demanded.
“I truly have no idea,” Petra was shaken, “and frankly, I couldn’t care less.”
“This information could help us get Andrea out of jail,” Cindy, pulled herself, turning into the consummate professional.
“Who said she should get out of jail?” Petra lashed out at Cindy.
“You don’t want Andrea out of jail?” Cindy was breathless.
“For all we know she’s safer in there,” Petra insisted.
“Is that why you don’t want her out?” Cindy dug further. “Or, is there another reason? Someone else you’re protecting?”
That was way more than Petra could bear. “Get out of my house this minute,” she yelled.
“Calm down, Petra,” Mattheus put his hands on her shoulders then.
“This bitch just accused me of killing Cain,” Petra put her head on Mattheus’s shoulders, sobbing.
“Never said that,” Cindy retorted, watching her closely. “I just asked if you were protecting someone. I never said it was you.”
Petra just kept sobbing for a long while though on Mattheus’s shoulder, as he stood there, helpless and distraught.
*
Cindy waited for Petra’s sobbing to die down and for her to move her head off Mattheus’s shoulder.
“Get her out of here, get her out of here,” Petra finally said to Mattheus as her sobbing died down.
“It’s probably a good idea for you to step out and give Petra some time to calm down,” Mattheus said to Cindy in a sad tone.
Cindy felt Mattheus needed time to calm down as well, and absorb all he’d learned about his daughter.
“That’s fine,” Cindy said, unabashed. “I’m going to the jail to speak to Andrea now.”
“Not a good idea,” said Mattheus.
“No, it’s not,” Petra insisted.
“It’s the next step for me,” Cindy remarked calmly. “How about you, Mattheus?”
“And after I leave here I’m going talk to the guys,” Mattheus filled Cindy in.
Cindy stood there a moment, taking one last look around the room before she left. As she scanned the place more closely, to her surprise she saw a photo in a frame sitting on an end table that hadn’t been there before. The photo was of a stocky, handsome, Caribbean man about the same age as Petra.
“Who’s that?” Cindy asked casually, before turning around to go.
“Who?” Petra answered, getting up from the couch and quickly grabbing the photo.
Mattheus got up, followed her, took the photo from her, and opened his eyes wide.
“Who is he, Mattheus?” Cindy asked again.
“It’s the guy who accompanied Petra on her visit to the jail,” Mattheus answered disconsolately.
“He’s an old friend, my neighbor,” Petra insisted.
“You put a framed photo of a neighbor up in your living room?” she asked.
“She’s after me,” Petra hissed and turned to Mattheus. “And she’ll use anything she can get.”
Mattheus looked down at the photo again. “Must be a pretty good friend,” he agreed, “to be on display like this.”
Petra grabbed the picture away from Mattheus then. “Yes, he is,” she snapped. “So what?”
Chapter 15
The second Cindy got out of the house, before she even hailed a cab to the jail, she called Sean, on his emergency phone number.
“What’s wrong?” he answered instantly.
“It’s not an emergency,” Cindy started, “but I need your help.”
“You’ve got it, always,” Sean breathed into the phone.
“I’m taking a cab to the jail now to speak to Andrea. I want you to come with me,” Cindy said in a husky tone.
“Why now? What’s up?” Sean was right on it.
“I’ll tell you when I see you,” said Cindy.
“That’s a deal,” Sean replied.
*
Sean was waiting in front of the jail when Cindy’s cab pulled up and ran to the door to open it.
“What happened?” he asked urgently.
Cindy took a deep breath. She was partially sorry that she’d called him on his emergency number, but also glad that he’d responded so quickly and was here with her now.
“I had a terrible meeting with Petra,” she said, “that woman freaks me out.”
“That’s it?” Sean sounded let down.
“Petra said maybe Andrea was better off in jail,” Cindy continued, “she said that maybe she was safer there.”
“Maybe she is,” Sean echoed.
“What are you talking about? That’s crazy,” Cindy was amazed by his response.
“I just meant that Andrea needs time to cool off,” Sean continued, “she can be volatile, says one thing and then contradict herself a minute later.”
“You think Andrea did it, don’t you?” Cindy turned to him pointedly. Petra wasn’t even dimly on Sean’s radar, and Cindy wondered why.
Sean looked away. “I’m not sure who did it,” he said slowly, “there’s a good chance that Andrea did, but I have something to tell you, too. The medical examiner’s report just came in. “
“Oh my God,” said Cindy, “when?”
“About an hour ago,” Sean continued. It showed from the autopsy that the time of death was most likely a few hours before Andrea was caught on the scene. Her fingerprints are on the knife, but there are someone else’s fingerprints there, too. They’re trying to find out who. So far, they don’t match anyone in the files.”
“That’s huge,” said Cindy.
“It’s something,” Sean had to agree, “but it’s inconclusive, doesn’t prove anything. Andrea’s alibi is vague, hasn’t been corroborated. And the fact that there are other fingerprints on the knife just suggested she may have had someone with her to help with the killing.”
“Have you guys checked her alibi?” Cindy quickly asked.
“We’ve asked around,” Sean answered, vaguely.
“I need to speak to Andrea myself, right now” Cindy went on. “Actually, I called to take you up on your offer to come with me when I meet her.”
“Of course,” Sean nodded his head. “It’s a good idea for you to speak to her. I imagine she’ll like you once she gives you a chance. And you’ll get the bigger picture when you have a chance to talk to her, as well.”
“Thank you, Sean,” Cindy said, relieved, putting her hand on his arm.
Sean took her hand into his then, quickly. “Any way I can help you, I always will,” he replied, quietly.
Cindy took a deep breath. On the one hand it felt wonderful having him beside her, offering support. On the other hand, she felt as if she b
arely knew him at all. Her thoughts drifted to finding Mattheus at Petra’s house and how painful that had been. She hadn’t said a thing about it to Sean, because he disliked Mattheus enough as it was. If he found out that Cindy found him at Petra’s it could certainly add to his suspicion that Mattheus had motivation for getting rid of Cain.
“Let’s go into the jail now,” Sean gave Cindy’s hand a little pull. “I told the guys on the force you were coming, and I guessed you wanted to see Andrea, too. It’s all arranged.”
*
Sean let Cindy’s hand go as they walked down the narrow hallway to Andrea’s holding cell.
“You wait here,” Sean stopped at the waiting section, “and I’ll go in and bring Andrea out.”
“Is she expecting me?” Cindy was surprised as she took a seat at the narrow table.
“I informed her that she might have a visitor soon,” Sean replied, as he left to get her.
*
The waiting space was small and stuffy, and the old fan that whirred above, made a low, creaky sound. The fact that Cain had died earlier in the day, before they found Andrea there, at a time she claimed to be with others, certainly made it even more important to investigate her alibi. And what about the other pair of fingerprints on the knife? Once they found who they belonged to, the case would really open up.
In a few minutes Sean walked out with Andrea beside him. Dressed in loose overalls and an old T shirt, her hair sprawled around her face, she looked somewhat frightening.
“Her?” Andrea barked, the minute she saw Cindy.
“You remember me, Andrea?” Cindy asked, as Sean had her sit down opposite Cindy.
“Of course I do,” Andrea practically snarled. “You think I have amnesia? I told my dad to leave you home.”
“And he did,” Cindy replied. “He came down here to be with you without me.”
“So why are you here now?” Andrea looked bitter, as she sat down and rocked back and forth in her chair.
“I came down to help,” said Cindy, less intimidated, as she got used to Andrea’s demeanor.
“Oh yeah, I bet. You think I’m dumb? You think I was born in a rabbit’s horn?” Andrea replied. “Why would you do want to help? One reason only - to get my dad away from me. To bring him back home with you.”
“Not at all,” Cindy replied evenly, showing no reaction to Andrea’s accusations. “I came down because your father asked me to. He wanted help getting you out of jail. I came down because he cares so much about you.”
Andrea stopped rocking and looked up at Cindy directly for the first time.
“He cares about me? You got to be kidding! He’s got you believing that too?”
“He cares about you, Andrea,” Cindy said staunchly. “What happened in the past was when he was young. He’s a different person now.”
“And how would you know that? You can’t say he’s different, because you didn’t know him then.”
Andrea was definitely determined to squash everything Cindy had to say. Then, to Cindy’s amazement, Sean leaned forward and reached out for Cindy’s hands. Cindy looked at him confused, but he winked. Then she remembered, it was part of the plan they’d constructed. They would get Andrea to think that Sean was the person Cindy cared for now. That would make Cindy seem like less of an enemy, and perhaps Andrea could open up.Cindy gave Sean her hands and smiled at him warmly. It felt soothing to have her hands in his.
Andrea watched what was happening, astonished.
“Cindy and I are now working together,” Sean said to Andrea in a soft voice, then.
Andrea had no idea what to make of it.
“We just received more news, too, Andrea,” Cindy then continued. “The results of the medical examiner are in. Cain died earlier in the day, when you said you weren’t even there.”
“I wasn’t,” Andrea loudly exclaimed.
“And we also found two pair of fingerprints on the knife,” Sean joined in. “One was yours and another belonged to someone else.”
Andrea stood up a second and then quickly sat down.
“Who was the other person there, Andrea?” Cindy quickly asked.
“What the hell are you getting at?” Andrea’s seemed confused.
“We need to investigate your alibi thoroughly,” Cindy replied quickly. “We need details. Why were your fingerprints found on the knife?”
Andrea snapped to attention for a second and spoke loudly, “I told them already. When I got there I found Cain dead, lying in a pool of blood. I leaned over and tried to do CPR, so I got his blood all over me. When I couldn’t get him back, I looked around and saw the knife. I picked it up and held it for a second. I wasn’t thinking, I was terrified, I didn’t know what I was doing. I didn’t kill him, I swear I didn’t. I could never kill anyone.”
For a swift flash Cindy completely believed Andrea. “My God, how awful,” Cindy breathed.
Stunned that someone took her seriously, Andrea looked at Cindy dazed. “It was awful, it was horrible, horrible,” then she covered her face with her hands. “I told the police that already, but no one believed me. No one cared. No one checked on the alibi.”
“Sean told me they checked it,” said Cindy softly.
“Don’t believe it,” Andrea moved closer to Cindy then, conspiratorially. “They’re liars. They want to blame me.”
Sean stood up slowly at that point. “Listen,” he said, “I think it’s best for the two of you to talk alone. Andrea will probably feel more comfortable with that.”
Andrea flashed a look of fear at him. “When have you guys ever cared about how I was feeling?”
Sean did not respond, but moved back from the table, then turned and walked out of the room.
“Don’t believe him,” Andrea said swiftly to Cindy. “Don’t let him sweet talk you. He’s one of the cops, acting nice for his own reasons. But it’s all an act. I know how these guys operate. Nobody wanted to hear about my alibi.”
“Well, I want to hear it,” Cindy said quickly. “I really do, Andrea.”
Andrea pushed her hair back from her face then. “I was with friends all afternoon,” she repeated hollowly.
“That’s great,” said Cindy, “where were you?”
“What difference does that make?” Andrea pulled back.
“It makes a difference,” said Cindy, “because we have to get your friends to say they saw you. We need eye witnesses.”
“The police won’t believe my witnesses either,” Andrea quickly replied. “They’ll find something wrong with each one of them.”
“Where exactly were you when Cain was killed?” Cindy needed to know.
“I was on the other side of the Island,” Andrea finally relented. “I was with friends there.”
“People saw you?” Cindy asked.
“Yeah, of course, I’m not exactly a ghost,” she said.
“What side of the Island?” Cindy continued, “where?”
“On the rich, fancy, side of the Island,” Andrea replied, haughtily. “At an expensive bar.”
Cindy immediately realized that Andrea must have been there on business, with a John. That’s why she couldn’t give out details. Cindy decided to plunge into the heart of the matter, unafraid.
“You were there with a John?” Cindy asked casually, as though it didn’t matter at all to her.
Andrea took great offense, though. “No, he wasn’t a customer! He was someone who cares about me.”
Those words flashed through Cindy, reminding her of her interview with Natalie, how nervous Natalie had become when they’d spoken about Andrea being in love.
“Is he someone you’re in love with, Andrea?” Cindy asked penetratingly.
Andrea stood up, agitated. “No,” she breathed fitfully, “he’s someone who’s in love me! It’s possible that someone could be in love with me, you know, even though you can’t imagine it.”
“Of course I can imagine it,” Cindy stood up as well, and reached out for her.
“Yo
u’re a beautiful, young woman Andrea, and I can certainly imagine a man loving you.”
“A wonderful man? A rich, white guy?” Andrea smiled broadly.
“Definitely, why not?” said Cindy.
“After all, my father is a white guy,” Andrea murmured.
“Yes, he is,” said Cindy slowly. Obviously, Andrea had found someone who reminded her of her long, lost father. “But white or not, there are lots of wonderful guys down here, aren’t there?” Cindy continued, wanting to hear more about Andrea’s love life.
At that Andrea laughed coarsely. “There are plenty of guys down here, some are okay, and plenty are not.”
Cindy decided to turn down a new road. “What about your mother? How does she feel about this guy who loves you?”
Andrea’s eyes narrowed and she clammed up then. “You keep my mother out of it.”
“How does she feel about him?” Cindy continued, “that’s all I want to know.”
“It doesn’t matter how she feels about him,” Andrea was adamant. “He belongs to me
and that’s that.”
Cindy was fascinated. “Has your mother met him? Does she know him, Andrea?”
“What the hell difference does it make?” Andrea began to yell. “You have something against my mother? You’re jealous of her, you want to pin her into a corner, because she and my dad got a thing going again?”
Cindy felt her body go cold. “Got what going?” she could barely ask.
“Since my dad’s gotten down here the two of them have been together constantly,” Andrea whispered, a smile creeping along the edges of her mouth. “They’re remembering what they meant to each other, what brought them together in the first place.”
Cindy had no idea if this were true, of if Andrea were fantasizing. What brought Petra and Mattheus together in the first place? Cindy wondered. Nothing, just a one night encounter. At least that’s what Mattheus had said. Cindy wanted to burst Andrea’s bubble.
“What about the guy your mother brought to jail with her when she came to visit you?”
“What about him?” said Andrea. “He’s an old friend.”