Cindy turned swiftly and to her surprise, there was Evan Price, gliding towards her purposefully. He was the last one she’d imagined she’d meet at the races.
“What are you doing here?” she asked him astonished.
“I could ask you the same thing,” he smiled broadly. “How are you doing? How is it going?”
Despite herself Cindy was glad to see him.
“I’ve heard that you wowed everyone at Beggio’s party, all decked out in jewels,” Evan couldn’t seem to take his eyes off her.
“How did you hear that?” Cindy was astonished.
“Nothing goes on here that everyone doesn’t hear about,” Evan’s voice dropped a few octaves. “I was thrilled that you took my advice and went to see Beggio. That’s your best lead. Don’t get distracted, don’t take the pressure off that guy.”
“Beggio’s party didn’t yield much,” Cindy spoke frankly. “Beggio said he’d never heard of Frank.”
“Don’t believe a word of it,” Evan whispered. “Beggio’s heard about everything.”
“One woman at the party said she vaguely recognized Frank from his photo,” Cindy added.
“That’s something,” Evan was pleased to hear that.
“Not much. I need specifics,” Cindy answered sharply.
“You’ll get them,” Evan seemed certain. “And in the meantime, tell your good looking partner, Mattheus, to stay away from Grenfield.”
Cindy was stunned at that. “Why?”
“Grenfield’s a master of planting false leads,” Evan Price went on quickly.
Cindy was amazed and fascinated. “Grenfield told Mattheus about a hidden cell phone number Frank had,” she immediately blurted out. Cindy was thrilled to be able to talk about it to someone who was sympathetic to her.
“Yeah, yeah,” said Evan sarcastically, “everyone in Bermuda has a hidden cell phone number. It doesn’t mean a thing.”
Cindy was relieved to hear that. “Mattheus gave the number to the police immediately,” Cindy quickly continued.
“Dumb move,” said Evan. “The police grab at anything they can find. Once they close the case it’s a feather in their cap. Of course they want to nail your brother in law - it will make them look good.”
“That’s what I felt right away,” said Cindy.
Evan stopped talking a minute and looked at her closely. “That was quite a necklace your partner got you,” he remarked slowly.
“How do you know Mattheus got it for me?” Cindy was astonished.
“I have friends at Beggio’s party,” Evan commented. “I have friends everywhere keeping an eye out for me. In fact, I heard Mattheus bought the necklace for you that very morning.”
“Yes, he did,” Cindy didn’t like it. Evan was watching her too closely. Why?
“You guys an item?” Evan kept probing.
Cindy was caught short. “Mattheus and I have been partners a long time,” she replied.
“Being partners is not the same as being an item,” Evan refused to leave it alone.
Cindy couldn’t go there though. “I can’t deal with that now while I’m working on my sister’s murder,” she said in a clipped tone. “It’s not even fair to ask.”
Evan smiled. “I’m sorry,” he said, “and I got my answer. Listen, I’m a patient guy.”
“What kind of answer did you get?” Cindy felt confused.
“No one who’s an item says they need time to think about it. When you’re an item, you’re an item.” Evan seemed pleased.
“You’re jumping to conclusions,” said Cindy, worried about what he was reading into her response.
“Look, I just want what’s best for you, “Evan replied. “For now, just keep the pressure up on Beggio. A lot of people will be helped once Beggio gets busted.”
“I will,” said Cindy, glancing at her watch, “and I have to go now.”
“Where?” Evan asked, irritated.
“Mattheus and I are meeting back over there in a few minutes,” said Cindy. “He’s been talking to others. Now we de-brief.”
“You’re going to tell him you saw me?” asked Evan.
“Of course I am,” Cindy answered. “Everything is grist for the mill. We have no secrets between us ever, none at all.”
*
When Mattheus and Cindy met once again in the designated place, the day had grown a bit overcast. But the crowds didn’t notice, the cheers kept rising as different boats came in. Mattheus rushed towards Cindy quickly, happy to see her again.
“I think we’ve spent enough time here for now,” said Mattheus, taking her elbow and gently leading her across the hill, away from the commotion. “Frank’s not hanging out here, and we need to find him.”
“Was this a waste of time?” Cindy asked, allowing herself to be led by Mattheus away from the crowds.
“Not in the long run,” he replied. “Even if it seems like a waste of time, I know it’s ultimately not. Something someone said can ring a bell later. None of the women I spoke to seemed to know who Frank was or where he was staying. How about you? Find anything at all?”
“Well, believe it or not,” Cindy said, suddenly chirpy, “I ran into Evan Price, or rather he ran into me.”