by Jaden Skye
*
After going to the front lobby, Cindy immediately put in a call to Mattheus. Thankfully, he quickly picked up.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Get over here, fast,” Cindy whispered.
“Get over where? Tell me what happened.” Mattheus was on target now.
“I’m at Wess’s hotel,” Cindy informed him. “Benita turned up while I was talking to him. The two of them are a couple and I have no idea how long it’s been going on. They were actually engaged to be married before and Sparks broke them up.”
“Wess has got motive to kill!” Mattheus exclaimed.
“Not only that, he doesn’t have a decent alibi. He said he was at the hotel when Sparks died, but he’s not sure anyone saw him,” Cindy continued.
“Okay, I’m coming right over.” Mattheus clamped down. “The timing couldn’t be better. Angua’s alibi checks out completely. And I’ve got a couple of witnesses who place him at his homecoming party when Sparks was killed. It’s only a matter of time before Angua’s released.”
“Come to suite 722,” breathed Cindy. “I’ll be waiting for you nearby outside.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Cindy walked a few steps down along the path and found a white wrought iron bench to sit on under a huge tree. As she waited there for Mattheus, she watched the day come to an end as dusk settled around her. Although things didn’t look good for Wess, it didn’t make sense that he was the killer. Cindy had actually enjoyed her time with him. Wess had been smart, charming, and self-assured, not like a man hiding from a horrendous crime. If fact, Cindy had even wondered if Wess knew that Sparks had been killed. If anything, Benita was the one who seemed more unnerved. Cindy was definitely surprised that Wess cared for Benita so deeply. She wondered what it was about Benita that drew men to her like flies.
As Cindy sat there musing, she suddenly saw the shadow of a man approaching. Looking up swiftly, she saw Mattheus walking toward the bench.
“Here you are,” he said. “I hope I didn’t take too long.”
“Not at all,” Cindy responded. In fact, it only seemed like moments before Mattheus had arrived.
“I dropped off the alibi witnesses for Angua at the police station,” Mattheus went on. “To my amazement, Watson was there and seemed pleased.”
“Pleased?” Cindy was startled.
“Yeah, I was shocked too,” said Mattheus. “For all we know the cops have some deal going on with the Weelies now, and this works out perfectly for them. Watson was even pretty nice to me.”
“Frankly, I couldn’t care less.” Cindy hated all the double dealing. “All I care about is finding the killer, fast.”
“Absolutely,” agreed Mattheus. “So before we go back and knock on Wess’s door, is there anything important I should know about him?”
“I don’t think he’s the killer,” Cindy couldn’t help say.
“Just the facts, please,” Mattheus muttered.
“Originally, Wess and Benita were engaged and Sparks came onto the scene and broke them up,” Cindy went on. “Wess has hated Sparks for a very long time.”
“Sparks broke them up? I don’t believe it,” said Mattheus.
“Wess claims that Sparks set him up to go to jail, to split up him and Benita,” continued Cindy. “Wess wanted her back. When he was released from jail, he hung around them to be close to Benita.”
“And he got her back, obviously.” Mattheus nodded slowly. “But first he had to get Sparks out of the way.”
“There’s definitely no love lost between Wess and Sparks,” Cindy continued. “Wess said Sparks was scum. He said Sparks played the ladies and used Benita’s money and contacts to build his company.”
“That’s crap.” Mattheus was getting mad. “That’s not the Sparks I know.”
“The Sparks you knew,” Cindy reminded him. “Sounds like the guy changed.”
“Wess is getting off on blaming the victim who can’t speak for himself now,” Mattheus shot out. “Okay, let me speak to Wess myself and see what’s really going on. Believe me, this idiot is not taking me for a ride.”
“Go slow with Wess,” Cindy said as they got up off the bench to knock on his door. “And also, remember, Benita is there with him now.”
“Good for her,” said Mattheus between gritted teeth. “Sparks deserved better than her. Looks like she’s been carrying on behind his back, playing both ends at the same time.”
“Let’s find out all the details before we jump to conclusions.” Cindy became calm. “You taught me that yourself, remember?”
“No, I don’t. I just remember my friend Sparks,” Mattheus uttered. “And I know he deserved better than those lousy jokers in there.”
Maybe he didn’t, thought Cindy for a flashing second.
*
Cindy and Mattheus arrived at Wess’s door. Without waiting a moment, Mattheus knocked on the door hard with his elbow. The sound echoed for a second before Wess came and opened the door again.
Cindy and Mattheus stood close together in the dimming light as Wess glared out at them.
Cindy stepped in front of Mattheus, trying to normalize the situation. “This is my partner, Mattheus,” she introduced him.
However, this time, Wess did not invite them in. “What’s up?” he asked coolly, not so much as casting a glance at Cindy.
“C and M Investigations,” Mattheus barked back. “We need a few minutes of your time.”
Wess looked coldly at Cindy then. “You called him over, I imagine?”
“Yes, I did,” said Cindy. “We both need to talk to you further.”
Just then Benita came to the door, standing close beside Wess.
“They’re both working the investigation,” Benita told Wess. “Sparks was Mattheus’s friend. They’re harmless. Let them in.”
Wess stepped to the side slowly as Cindy and Mattheus entered the room.
“She’s right, I’m harmless,” Mattheus echoed when he was inside. “But how about you, Wess? I understand you’re an ex-con.”
Wess hadn’t been ready for that. “I was set up by Sparks for white collar crime,” he balked. “That’s not exactly an ex-con. The evidence was rigged and the case didn’t hold for long. It didn’t take a genius to discover that I was innocent.”
Mattheus looked back and forth from Benita to Wess quickly, taking full measure of their relationship.
“Did Sparks know you two were an item?” Mattheus changed tactics.
Irritated, Wess took a step closer to Mattheus. “He sure knew we were engaged when he first met us,” Wess responded. “It didn’t seem to mean much to him, though. He jumped all over Benita when he heard about her money.”
Benita put her hand on Wess’s arm. “Calm down, please,” she whimpered.
Mattheus took a step closer to both of them. “It must have made you pretty damn mad to have Sparks break up your relationship,” he said to Wess.
Wess grew more irate. “You can say that again. What kind of low-life guy does that?”
“What about her?” asked Mattheus, nodding at Benita. “She went for him, didn’t she?” Mattheus watched Wess’s every move carefully. “Maybe Sparks didn’t steal her away. Maybe you weren’t enough for her and she wanted something better.”
Wess blanched and made tight fists. “Who the hell do you think you’re talking to, mister?”
“Not mister, I’m Mattheus, Sparks’s best friend,” Mattheus replied.
“Sparks didn’t have any best friends.” Wess guffawed. “He worked the system and used everyone in it.”
Mattheus turned to Benita then. “Is that true?” he asked her point-blank. “You agree with this guy you’ve run back to?”
Benita began stumbling for words, unable to speak.
“Answer me!” Mattheus, furious, demanded.
Benita ran her hands over her face and closed her eyes.
“Did your fiancé, who turned up dead on the beach, use you?” Mattheus moved in on he
r.
Wess jumped into the fray then, pushing Mattheus away. “You leave her the hell alone, or I’ll call security.”
“It’s too late for that,” Mattheus declared. “I’ve alerted the police that I’ve come here to see you.”
“The police?” Wess was clearly alarmed.
“Don’t listen to him, Wess.” Benita’s shrill voice rose up above the fray. “The police have taken a suspect into custody. A local guy from the gangs.”
“Angua’s going to be released any minute.” Mattheus’s voice rose. “He has a great alibi and I personally found two of his witnesses and brought them into the station myself.”
A taut silence filled the room.
“So you’d better tell me right now if Sparks used the system and used you.” Mattheus focused on Benita.
“I wouldn’t put it exactly that way,” Benita wavered.
“Put it any way you want.” Wess turned away. “It’s the truth and you know it. You can’t stand up to it though, can you?”
“Benita can’t say it because she loved Sparks.” Cindy decided to jump in and intensify the moment. “Didn’t you, Benita?”
Another taut silence filled the room.
“Answer the lady,” Wess declared now, his voice shaking. “Did you love Sparks, ever?”
“At one time I loved him, then I didn’t anymore,” Benita struggled to speak.
“That’s not good enough.” Wess slammed his foot on the floor. “Tell them the truth, Benita.”
Mattheus flew at Wess then. “She’s telling the truth. She loved Sparks at one time. It wasn’t you she really wanted. She ran back to you when there was trouble.”
Wess threw his head back and glared at Mattheus. “She hated Sparks, and she told me so over and over. I hated him too. He caught her in a trap and tried to catch me in it, too. But underneath it all, he was stupid. His greed got the better of him.” Wess shook as he spoke.
“Greed for money?” asked Cindy, breathless.
“Greed for money, for women, for power,” Wess declared. “You don’t get to live long when you devour everyone around you and never once look back!”
“Who exactly did Sparks devour?” Mattheus was all over it.
“Stop! Stop!” Benita’s high, shrill voice rang out over the room. “Please, stop. I can’t stand it anymore.”
“Who cares whether you can stand it or not?” Wess railed.
“Sparks was a good man at one time and then he went wrong. He became heartless,” Benita continued.
“And I, for one, am glad he’s dead. The lousy bastard got what he deserved!” shouted Wess.
A thunderous silence fell over all of them then, as Mattheus quickly turned to Wess.
“I’m taking you in for questioning,” Mattheus announced. “Either you come willingly, or the police will surround the hotel.”
Wess slowly pulled himself together. “I’ve nothing to hide. I’ll come willingly,” he muttered. “I didn’t kill anybody and I never would.”
Benita grabbed her phone. “Gregg, Gregg, where are you?” she yelled into it. “Gregg will be a witness for us. He’ll tell the truth.”
“Tell Gregg to come to the station,” Cindy said quietly then. “We need all the information we can get.”
“Gregg, where are you?” Benita kept yelling. “He’s not there.”
Wess turned and smiled at Benita strangely then. “Shut up, stop yelling. For all we know, the killer’s out there on a rampage and Gregg is also dead.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The police station was half empty when Mattheus and Cindy brought Wess in. Benita, trailing behind, kept protesting that it was all a huge mistake. Cindy tried to quiet her many times, insisting this was just a routine questioning, but Benita would not be assuaged. She also would not leave Wess’s side. When the police finally separated them, she practically fainted in the waiting room.
“You can’t stay at the station overnight,” Cindy insisted when Benita revived. “You’ve got to get back to your hotel room tonight.”
“I’m not staying there alone, I’m not safe,” Benita started whining.
“Why aren’t you safe?” Cindy needed an answer.
“Whoever killed Sparks has to have it in for me, too,” Benita kept repeating again and again. “And Gregg still isn’t answering. For all we know he’s dead, too.”
“Why would the killer have it in for you?” Cindy wanted details, but Benita had none to offer.
“Should I call Bat to come down and stay with you then?” Cindy thought of the other security officer who had stayed at Sparks’s side.
“Not him, never!” Benita’s voice rose shrilly. “Bat hates me and I hate him.”
There was certainly not much love lost among any of them, thought Cindy. “How about Kiera?” she asked. “I can call and ask her to look after you.”
“No. I have no interest in being with Kiera right now,” Benita answered flippantly. “She looks fine, but she isn’t. Nobody realizes it, but there’s something definitely wrong with her.”
“Then you’ll have to go back to the hotel alone and handle it,” Cindy insisted, when her phone suddenly rang.
To Cindy’s surprise, Kiera was on the other end.
“I just heard that Wess has been taken into custody,” Kiera said in an agitated tone.
“How did you hear that?” asked Cindy.
“Bat told me,” Kiera replied.
“How did Bat find out?” Cindy was surprised.
“Benita left a bunch of messages for Gregg. When Gregg got them he called Bat immediately,” said Kiera.
“Where’s Gregg now?” asked Cindy, relieved that he was still alive.
“Gregg’s on the other side of the island with Pete,” Kiera said softly.
“With Pete? How come?” Cindy was taken aback.
“Gregg had some time coming to him and he went to a jazz concert down there,” said Kiera. “Pete loves jazz too, so I told him to join Gregg. It was a win for both of them.”
The idea of Pete and Gregg at a jazz concert struck Cindy oddly.
“I’ve got to come over right away and talk to you.” Kiera was becoming frantic. “Please, I know it’s late, but let me.”
Cindy glanced at Benita sitting there edgily. “Is Gregg coming back to the hotel soon?” she asked.
“He will if he’s needed,” Kiera replied.
“Okay, I’ll make a deal with you,” said Cindy, wondering what was so urgent that Kiera had to talk about it now.
“You get Gregg back to the hotel, and I’ll send Benita back there, too. Then you come down to the station, and we’ll talk.”
“It’s a deal,” Kiera breathed, relieved. “I’ll get it set up and be right down.” Then she quickly hung up.
When Benita heard that Gregg would be back shortly, she was willing to return to the hotel. Mattheus decided to escort her there to make sure all went smoothly, and also to hear anything else she might have to say.
*
Cindy waited alone in the cold, empty waiting room at the police station for Kiera. About half an hour later, she heard the front door open and footsteps rushing along the corridor.
“You’re the best.” Kiera swooped all over Cindy the minute she saw her sitting there. “I knew it the minute I saw you.”
“I’m happy to be able to help,” said Cindy softly. “It’s late now, where should we go?”
“Let’s sit here and talk,” said Kiera. “Then we can take a cab together back to the hotel. I still have a room there, waiting.”
“You’ve been spending most of your time on the yacht since Sparks got killed, though, haven’t you?” Cindy asked.
“Yes, I have,” said Kiera softly.
“With Pete?” Cindy added.
“Yes,” Kiera spoke without hesitation.
Cindy nodded calmly.
“What I like about you is that you’re so non-judgmental,” Kiera added as she sat down beside Cindy.
“What is t
here to judge?” asked Cindy, eager to hear more.
“Some people on the boat think it’s awful that Pete and I are together so soon after Sparks’s death,” Kiera said. “They knew that Sparks and I were close. Right from the moment my sister, April, died, Sparks became a good friend to me.”
“Different people react in different ways to loss,” Cindy replied. “I don’t judge any of it.”
“Thank you for that,” said Kiera. “This friendship with Pete is important to me.”
“Friendship?” Cindy was surprised.
Kiera smiled strangely. “Well, at least it feels better calling it that.”
“Call it what you want, Pete’s obviously important to you,” Cindy commented. “You’ve dated him before and since then have been through a lot. You’ve lost both Sparks and your sister, so now Pete’s filling in the gap.”
Kiera said nothing then, just looked down at the floor. “I heard they’ve taken in Wess for the murder,” she mumbled, obviously distressed.
“Wess is only there to be questioned,” said Cindy, “that’s all.”
“That’s enough,” Kiera insisted, obviously troubled by it. “Actually, it’s far too much!”
“What do you mean, it’s too much?” Cindy looked over at her in the dim light that shone around both of them.
“Wess didn’t kill anybody,” Kiera whispered hoarsely. “This is a terrible detour. He’s completely innocent and this is the second time he’s being set up!”
“How do you know that?” Chills ran up and down Cindy’s arms.
“Wess was always crazy about Benita,” Kiera spoke quickly. “He never stopped loving her even when she threw him to the curb and went after Sparks in plain daylight. In front of everyone to see.”
“That could give Wess plenty of reason to be furious with Sparks, couldn’t it?” asked Cindy. “It’s a motive for murder if I ever heard one.”
“It could be,” Kiera agreed, “but Wess accepted the situation. He was brave about it. I remember myself. He even started dating others, until Benita came back and started playing up to him again. April used to talk to me all about it. It really bothered her. April couldn’t stand Benita.”