by Jaden Skye
“Tell me about your place,” Cindy interrupted. “I hear it’s one of the best Dive Shop’s on the island.”
At that Jared’s face lit up. “Sure is,” he said, “we’re proud of it too. The East End of the Island offers world class diving. We’ve got incredible coral reefs, wall diving and custom build dive boats waiting at the end of the dock. We’ve also got an award winning dive staff so we provide both safety and adventure. Something like this never happened before at our place.” His face looked drawn for a moment.
“I’m sorry,” said Cindy. She liked Jared, he seemed forthright.
“Sorry is not even the word for it,” Jared, becoming nervous, spoke under the force of pressure. “Listen this is the place locals dive from, it’s where Divemasters from other dive shops come to dive on their day off. It’s all about our staff and team. Little things make a difference, always full 3000 psi tanks, always 80 cu ft. dive tanks, always diver freedom with more bottom time. You also find the little extra touches here, dry towels, refreshments on board, digital photo services.”
“Did Peter and Allie take photos of the dive?” Cindy was quick to ask.
“I think she took her own camera down for this one,” said Jared.
“Did they find it?”
“No, she must have been strapped around her hand,” said Jared.
“You knew Peter and Allie well?” said Cindy.
“They were here all the time, for years,” he said. “I took them out on the boat myself that night. The police asked me all about it. I answered every question they asked,” Jared fidgeted a little looking at both of them closely. “I don’t know what else to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything special,” said Mattheus then, “we’d just like to hear it for ourselves.” Cindy felt Mattheus focusing intently as he and Jared spoke. “Maybe you’ll remember a detail you forgot that will help us sort things out.”
Jared looked dubious. The door to the shop opened and a few tourists came in.
“Things get busy during the festival for a few days,” Jared remarked, looking over his shoulder at them.
“This won’t take long,” said Mattheus.
“Sure, of course, whatever you need,” said Jared.
“Was there anything different between those two the night they went for the dive?” Mattheus asked.
“Not really,” said Jared, his foot scraping the floor, looking for a second at Douglas and Lance who stood beside them, listening.
“Not really?” asked Mattheus. “What do you mean really?”
“Something’s always a little different every time two people are together,” Jared said, seeming a little nervous. “I mean it was the night before their wedding, tension with high. I’m sure they wanted to dive to calm down. You know lots of people dive to take off the stress. They love dropping down into another world where everything looks beautiful.”
“Allie and Peter’s world wasn’t as beautiful as it seemed, was it?” asked Mattheus.
“Heck, how do I know?” said Jared, “all couples have something or other to deal with.”
“Are you in a relationship, Jared?” Mattheus asked.
“What in hell does that have to do with anything?” Jared’s blurry eyes closed a little.
“I mean what difference does that make?”
“I agree,” Douglas interjected, “it’s an irrelevant question.”
“You never know what question leads to what,” said Mattheus, turning to Jared then. “Do you object to my asking you personal questions?”
“Hell, no,” Jared shifted back and forth from one leg to another, “ask me whatever you like. Right now I’m not in a relationship. I’ve been in my share, there is no shortage of women around. These things can be a little time consuming, so for now I’m taking a much needed break.”
Mattheus smiled. “How would you describe Peter and Allie’s relationship?”
“Fine, terrific, heck they were getting married, weren’t they?”
“Did they fight on the boat as you were going out for the dive?”
“Definitely not, just the opposite if you asked me,” Jared said. “She kept telling him how much she loved him, over and over again.”
A little sweat broke out on Jared’s face.
“How did Peter react when Allie kept telling him that?” asked Mattheus.
“How do I know?” shrugged Jared. “Hell, how would you react? He was happy, I guess.”
“Was he?” Mattheus zoned in, “it was the night before his wedding. Was he feeling happy about it?”
“I didn’t ask him if he was happy,” Jared replied.
“What did Peter say to Allie when she kept telling him she loved him?” Cindy took over now.
“Peter said me too,” Jared remembered.
“That’s all, me too?” Cindy asked.
“What’s wrong with me, too? What’s he supposed to do, write love poems to her at night?” asked Jared.
Mattheus smirked.
“Did he say it, begrudgingly?” asked Cindy.
“Man, I feel like I’m in over my head,” Jared remarked. Obviously the police had not grilled him about these details. “I think Peter said, you told me already. Hell, she did - she said it over and over, I love you, I love you. I mean, a guy doesn’t listen in to every detail of his friend’ conversation with his fiancée, does he?”
“You consider Peter your friend?” Cindy asked.
“Of course he’s my friend, so is Allie. We all dived together a lot.”
“But you didn’t go down with them this time.” Mattheus interrupted. “Why?”
“It was right before their wedding. They wanted to be alone, I could understand that,” said Jared. “Besides, the dive was a last minute thing. I took them out as a favor. Tad arranged it as a surprise. I guess he thought it would make them happy. They both seemed pleased about it.”
“Tad arranged it? We hadn’t heard that before,” said Cindy.
“Tad’s a great guy, their best man. Guess he wanted to do something special for them.”
“Why hadn’t we heard about that before?” asked Mattheus.
“An insignificant detail, if you asked me,” Douglas quipped. “Tad works down here with Peter. They’re best friends, it’s his best man. Perfectly appropriate for him to arrange this outing.”
“Who wanted to dive alone, Peter or Allie?” Mattheus took a different tack.
“Allie kept saying she was happy they were going to finally be alone together. I remember that definitely,” Jared said. “Peter was fine with it. There wasn’t a problem. Neither of them wanted me to go diving with them.”
“You’re positive?” asked Mattheus.
“Hell, what are you getting at?” Jared had enough. “What the point of this?”
“What is the point of this? “Douglas stepped in on Jared’s behalf.
“I think Jared may have heard something that will help us a great deal,” Mattheus said definitively.
“Are you suggesting that Peter was involved in what happened?” Lance pinned Mattheus down on the spot.
“Not necessarily,” said Mattheus, “but the exact conversation between Peter and Allie can give us a clue about someone else. Another name could have been mentioned?”
“Like who?” Lance demanded.
Jared began scratching his head then, “Heck I thought this would just take a few minutes. It’s a busy time now – people here for the festival, they’re also gonna want to dive.”
Cindy took a step closer to him. “You’ve got to remember every word you heard between Peter and Allie. You were one of the last ones to see her alive.”
Jared shuddered. “Listen, I’d had a drink or two before taking them out. My head wasn’t as clear as it could have been.”
Mattheus bristled. “A couple of drinks, that’s it?”
Jared stood straighter and glared at Mattheus. “What are you implying by that?”
Cindy knew Mattheus was wondering if Jared was dr
unk that night? It suddenly also struck Cindy at that moment, that perhaps Peter or Allie might have been drinking as well.
“Were Peter and Allie drinking as well?” Cindy asked.
“Hell no,” said Jared.
“You certainly have to have your wits about you in a night dive,” she continued. If they were drinking it certainly could have contributed to what happened, thought Cindy.
“Allie was fine when she went down,” Jared insisted. “She wasn’t any different than plenty of other times. After she and Peter got separated, something happened. Who knows what for sure? But we found her vest and tank down there. Looked like she ripped them off.”
“Why would she do that?” Cindy demanded.
“When the air gets too low they can panic, especially if the visibility’s bad and they can’t find their buddy. They get confused, don’t know what they’re doing, sometimes they rip everything off.”
“Jared,” Cindy addressed him bluntly then, “This is terrible, it’s serious. You have to answer me truthfully. You were there the night she died. Were Peter and Allie in love?”
Jared took a few steps back then as if punched directly in the gut.
“Are you sure she died?” he grew pale.
“What do you think?” Mattheus joined in.
“Allie was in love with Peter,” Jared finally said slowly. “But she wasn’t the easiest woman to be engaged to. Even though Peter never said so, she gave him a hard time. I felt sorry for the guy.”
A silence fell over all of them then. It was good to hear words of truth finally spoken.
“What kind of hard time?” asked Cindy.
“Jesus Christ,” Jared mumbled, “it was never enough for her, Allie always wanted more and more.”
“How do you know that?” Douglas asked tartly.
“I heard them talking lots of time. She was always complaining that she wanted more time together, more attention, that the bracelet he got her was pretty but there was another one she liked better.
Mattheus let out a long, slow whistle. “That kind of woman drives guy nuts.”
“Listen, when she got Peter, Allie caught herself a big fish,” Jared went on. “She reeled him in slowly and if you ask me, he couldn’t get off the hook.”
“He tried?” asked Mattheus.
“He squirmed a lot on the hook. You see it all the time in fishing. The poor fish’s stuck there but the more he squirms, the tighter the hook goes into him.”
“That’s an awful image,” said Cindy breathless.
“Maybe it is,” said Jared flushing, “but you asked me a question and that’s my answer.”
“Do you think Peter got rid of Allie?” Mattheus jumped in.
“Absolutely not,” Jared yelled. “It’s not in his bones. When we finally got Peter up, I thought he was going crazy. He kept crying and begging me to go down and help him find Allie. I dove back down with him and we looked and looked. He was shaking like a leaf, in complete shock. The guy refused to come up without her then. I had to practically drag him back up with me. When we surfaced, I called the cops and Coast Guard immediately.”
“If Peter didn’t do it, maybe someone else might have decided to do it for him?” Cindy chimed in.
Jared’s face got pale at the mention of that. “That’s disgusting, it’s lousy, it’s horrible! I have nothing else to say. Go talk to his close friends!”
“We’re trying,” said Cindy.
“So, why ask me?” Jared stepped back, “I’m just the guy who took them out on the boat that horrible night.
CHAPTER 9
After they left the shop, Douglas and Lance drove them back to the hotel. They were all silent as the truck bumped along the roads.
“Lots of guys have rocky relationships,” Lance said as they drove. “Their partners don’t go missing though. One thing has nothing to do with the another. There’s no evidence that Peter ever abused Allie in anyway. Just the opposite if you asked me. Sounds like he put up with a lot.”
“Sure does,” agreed Mattheus.
“The Islands are filling up for the next few days, “Douglas commented stiffly. “We’re going to be busy overseeing the festival right now.”
“Calling a halt to the investigation?” asked Mattheus.
“Not a halt, just a breather,” he said. “At this point things are going cold. It’s a missing person case. They can take years and years to unravel.”
“Tell me about it,” said Mattheus under his breath. No doubt he was thinking about the years he’d spent searching for his wife.
The truck pulled up in front of the hotel. “Keep us updated about what you find,” Lance remarked as Cindy and Mattheus stepped out.
“Will do,” said Mattheus and he and Cindy walked up the road leading to their hotel.
Mattheus reached out and took Cindy’s hand then. It felt good having her hand in his suddenly.
“Let’s take a walk before we check back in with the guests,” Mattheus said. “The hotel’s gonna be packed and there’s a hiking trail about half mile away. We can use a few moments to ourselves.”
“Good,” Cindy agreed, as they turned at a juncture and took another road which led, off the hotel grounds, to a hiking trail in the interior of the Island that was a known haven for wild birds.
*
Cindy was excited to be with Mattheus, away from the hotel. The Cayman Islands interiors were a fascinating world with incredible beauty of their own. As they entered the hiking trail, the trees that greeted them were beautiful, shimmering in the breeze. Cindy stopped and gazed at the opulent plant life, mesmerized. Down further wild banana orchids were growing unabashedly. She had never seen anything like it.
“Let’s sit here on this rock,” Mattheus said as they walked a bit further, into the mangrove forest.
It was wonderful to be here with Mattheus, back in nature. As always being in nature restored Cindy’s sense of balance and order, helped her feel closer to Mattheus again. It struck Cindy then that Allie must have felt the same way with Peter going diving with him deep under water that night.
“We’ll probably see the Cayman Parrot,” Mattheus said as he helped Cindy get onto a flat part of the rock. “They’re all over the place. I know how much you love Parrots,” and he smiled at her winningly.
The two of them sat close to each other for a few moments then, not saying much else.
“This is a lousy case,” Mattheus said after a few minutes.
Cindy was surprised, “Why?”
“Dana and Edward are holed up in their suite now, and Allie’s parents won’t come out of their room to talk to anyone. I find that odd.”
“They’re in shock, they’ve got to be grieving. It’s their daughter, it was her wedding.”
“And the crowd is not very appealing,” Mattheus continued. “Lots of spoiled, rich people.”
“There are plenty of fine rich people,” said Cindy. “I liked what I saw of Peter and I liked the women in the wedding party. Dana and Edward are good people, too.”
“You see what you want to about everyone,” Mattheus commented. “It’s amazing you’re so good at your job.”
Cindy bristled. “What does that mean?” Things were feeling so good between them, and then Mattheus had to throw a barb, push her away, disturb the moment.
“You like to see the best in everybody and then when something else about them comes out, you don’t take it well,” said Mattheus.
Cindy knew he was referring to their relationship. “You’re speaking about us?” she asked.
“That too,” he commented.
Cindy took her hand away from his, as a parrot, in a nearby tree called out in a high, shrill tone.
“That’s what I mean,” said Mattheus. “I said something you didn’t like and you’re pulling away.”
“Is it possible you want me to pull away, Mattheus? Are you saying and doing things that you know will make me recoil?”
A small grin played around the edge of his mou
th. “Not that I’m aware of,” he said.
Cindy sat up on the rock, straighter, “Come on,” she said, “you’re a smart guy, you’ve been around. How come you can’t face what’s going on in you?”
That comment didn’t sit well with Mattheus. He shook his head slowly. “Why does a lovely time in the woods have to turn into this?”
“It’s a shame,” Cindy agreed, as the parrot called out loudly again.
“Okay, let’s stay focused on the case,” Mattheus sat up straighter then as well.
“Obviously, we have to talk to Tad and Vivien next,” said Cindy. “Tad arranged for the diving expedition and Vivien had plenty of axes to grind.”
“I think you should speak to each one of them yourself,” said Mattheus, “I’ve talked to them already, and you’ll probably get a different take.”
That was their usual procedure, and Cindy was in agreement.
“In the meantime, I’ll research the company Peter works for more, get into details of what they’re involved in.”
“The police have done that already,” Cindy commented. “It’s all in the pre-report they gave us when we arrived. Everything was clear.”
“Never hurts to go over the data with a fresh eye,” said Mattheus.
“And we need the password to Peter’s email accounts. The company has got clearance. I’m sure Mac will give us that. It’s a good idea to go over Peter’s emails as well,” Cindy suggested. “I went over Allie’s last night, couldn’t get into Peter’s account.”
Mattheus looked surprised. “I didn’t know we needed clearance from the company to get into Peter’s personal email account?”
“We do,” said Cindy, “he’s involved with high level finance.”
Mattheus stuck out his lower lip. “That’s a code word for big money dealings,” he murmured, “bigger than you and I can imagine.”
“That’s right,” said Cindy, looking at Mattheus clearly. “That’s how come these people are rich. Is there something inherently wrong with that, Mattheus?”
“Not at all,” he replied, shaking his head. “Just depends where this money came from and what’s it doing out there in the world.”
“Peter’s father runs charities back in the States. He shares his wealth, he’s a benevolent person.”