“No, I haven’t told anyone. I want to speak to you alone,” Cindy said. “Why are you here, anyway?”
“I couldn’t take it,” Frank’s voice suddenly fell. “Oh God, oh God, I needed some peace.”
Cindy could understand that.
“First Ann killed and then they think it’s me,” he moaned.
“Horrible,” Cindy echoed.
“Better believe that,” Frank agreed.
“So, talk to me Frank,” Cindy took a tiny step closer. “Tell me about your life down here. The police found your hidden cell phone number – they found your account with Beggio.”
“Okay, okay, is it so terrible?” he moaned louder. “Lots of people have these lousy off shore accounts. I wanted more money to make Ann happy.”
“Ann didn’t need lots of money,” Cindy quickly chimed in.
“So, I needed more money anyway,” his voice got louder.
“You’ve got to be honest with me, Frank,” Cindy’s voice grew tough.
Frank’s head suddenly shot up like a cornered animal. “I needed more money for something else,” he blurted out.
“Another woman?” Cindy’s heart stopped for a second.
Frank started to sob. “God forgive me, yes. I got involved with someone,” his voice sounded like a bleating calf. “I didn’t mean to, I didn’t want to. I never stopped loving Ann.”
“Someone named Ronnelle?” Cindy stepped in quickly.
Frank looked scared. “How do you know?” he barely got the words out.
“You defriended her from your Facebook page, the day before Ann was killed,” Cindy said.
Frank suddenly looked dizzy, struggling to remember the chain of events. “Did I do that a day before the murder?” he asked.
“Yes, you did,” Cindy filled in.
“Oh my God, my God,” he started sobbing again.
“Talk to me, Frank, this second,” said Cindy.
“You won’t tell anyone, will you?” be begged, crawling closer. “I couldn’t stand to live if anyone knew.”
“Don’t tell anyone what?” Cindy started trembling.
“I met Ronnelle at a business lunch in the States. I knew it was wrong, but I couldn’t help it. I needed something, I was getting old. I couldn’t stand looking in the mirror. She was young, she was beautiful. Why the hell did she like me?”
Cindy felt like throwing up.
“First it was just a drink or two together, then more,” his voice became garbled.
“You slept with her?” Cindy could barely get the words out.
“I didn’t mean to, believe me,” Frank seemed totally devastated. “One thing led to another. She came down to Bermuda for work and so did I. What the hell, I thought, a passing affair. Who would know about it? Who could it hurt?”
“What about Ann?” Cindy couldn’t keep from shouting.
“I still loved, Ann, I promise,” Frank shouted. “Ronnelle was just something on the side to make me feel better - like a good drink when you’re thirsty.”
“Did Ann ever find out?” Cindy felt the veins in her neck protruding. She couldn’t bear the thought of her sister suffering like that.
“At the very end, she suspected” Frank broke down crying again. “I didn’t tell her all of it, but she knew there was someone in my life.”
“My God, my God,” Cindy whimpered, “poor Ann.”
“But it wasn’t like that,” Frank perked up suddenly. “It just made me realize how much I loved Ann - that I couldn’t and wouldn’t ever live without her. I told her that. I swore it was true. She believed me.”
“That’s why you came down here with Ann for a vacation?” Cindy bristled.
“To reconcile,” Frank bleated loudly. “It was supposed to be a second honeymoon.”
Cindy shivered at that deeply. “Honeymoons down in the Caribbean seem to end in disaster,” she muttered.
“Oh God, I’m so sorry,” Frank kept pleading.
“How did Ronnelle take all this?” Cindy shot out.
“I told her that I was coming down to Bermuda with Ann this time. She was surprised,” Frank said. “She said she thought what we had was stronger than that. I said I didn’t know what she was talking about.”
A huge welter of feelings rose up in Cindy. “What do you mean you didn’t know what Ronnelle was talking about? You sleep with a woman and she always wants more, always thinks that you love her.”
“I never told her I loved her, not once,” Frank defended himself crazily, flailing his arms up over his head. “It was Ann I loved, always.”
“Did you tell Ronnelle that?” Cindy demanded. “Did you say it’s my wife I love even though I’m sleeping with you?”
“Of course not,” Frank mumbled.
Cindy wanted to slap him in the face, wake him up, make him realize. “Then why did you defriend Ronnelle?” Cindy continued.
“Ann and I were reconciling,” Frank spoke slowly. “I wanted to put Ronnelle in the past.”