“That’s the question, isn’t it?” said Mattheus.
“We have to stay on focus, Mattheus,” Cindy cried out. “Price doesn’t think Ann’s death had anything to do with the hotel murders. He told me to look into a smaller hedge fund guy named Tony Beggio on the island. All kinds of people invest with him, want quick profit, make easy deals.”
“Meaning what?” asked Mattheus, “that maybe Frank knew Beggio?”
“We’re grabbing at straws,”said Cindy. “I’m telling you Frank wasn’t involved in big money. Price was basically just suggesting that we look more into Frank.”
“I agree with him about that a hundred per cent,” Mattheus concurred. “You don’t know what Frank was involved with. We’ve got to check.”
“I’ll go see Beggio,” Cindy relented.
“Alone again?” Mattheus ran his hand over his face nervously.
“Of course, alone,” said Cindy. “We’ll get more information and cast less suspicion that way.”
“So be it then,” said Mattheus nervously. “And I’m going to talk to Frank myself too, no holds barred!”
“That’s not going to be easy,” Cindy warned. “Frank doesn’t like either of us.”
“Liking has nothing to do with it, does it?” Mattheus grew adamant. “We’ve got to get his password and check his computer thoroughly. There’s got to be plenty of leads hidden on it that he has no idea of. He has absolutely no right to keep them from us.”
“I agree,” Cindy concurred, “but he’ll never give us his password.” Both the conversation and the growing humidity were becoming more and more oppressive. Cindy wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. “It’s incredibly hot here, it’s steamy,” she said, “even with all these trees. Not a breath of air.”
“Cindy, stay on focus with me,” Mattheus insisted. “We’ve got to get Frank’s password right away.”
“The police must have it,” Cindy shrugged a large insect away, “after all they held him in custody.”
“They don’t have it,” Mattheus said. “I would have thought so too. But they never looked through Frank’s computer. I can’t imagine why not.
Cindy felt slightly alarmed.
“They said they were just about to look when you had Frank paroled,” Mattheus went on. “Then the investigation took another turn.”
“What turn?” asked Cindy. “I haven’t heard a word.”
Mattheus ran his hands through his hair. “It was a mistake to have Frank taken out of custody. It took the focus off him, gave the cops a way out.”
“A way out of what?” Cindy stood up beside Mattheus, feeling the ground beneath her feet slipping away.
“Let’s face it,” Mattheus reached up to her slowly. “Local police aren’t going to turn over heaven and earth to solve the murder of a random tourist. It’s better for them to keep these things quiet and let the case grow cold.”
“That’s awful, that’s ugly,” Cindy muttered.
“Tourist trade is a huge business here. That’s just the way things are. It’s bad for business,” Mattheus murmured and put his arms around her. “It’s up to us to get Frank’s password, and if he refuses, we have to get your mother mind to change his mind.”
Cindy spun away quickly. “Absolutely not! Forget about getting my mother involved.”
“Why not? She’s close to Frank, has influence on him, Mattheus demanded. “Besides, she must want to know what happened to her daughter.”
“Maybe she does, maybe she doesn’t,” said Cindy, shaky. “Maybe my mother just wants to keep living in her perfect dream world and finding who killed Ann would turn her life upside down.”
“I’m sure she’ll help us,” Mattheus ignored Cindy’s comment.
“Don’t be so sure about anything,” Cindy shot back. “Let’s go back now. You talk to Frank on your own, then we’ll see what comes next.”
*
They left the beautiful hiking trails, returned to the hotel and Mattheus went to find Frank and set up an interview. Cindy went to her room and sat there half frozen. She could only imagine what would happen. Mattheus would be tough and relentless. Frank would resent him like hell. Mattheus would push him to the limit, go for the kill. Outraged, Frank would blurt out what he thought about Mattheus and his relationship with Cindy. Frank would say things he could never take back. Afterwards, everything would only grow more difficult for them in the family.
Cindy decided to stop it before things got bad. It would be a while before Mattheus could find Frank and talk to him. Cindy would go to her mother immediately and convince her to have Frank give Cindy the password to his computer. That would calm everything down. Mattheus might not even have to ever grill him at all.
Cindy forced herself up off the sofa, splashed water on her face, shook her head and decided to go to her mother’s room immediately and ask for help.
Chapter 13