“Are you certain?” Cindy was trying to hold to reality.
“Positive,” Katrina’s teeth gritted. “In my opinion Shelly was a pathological liar who got off on crazy drama and lies. She even once told me that her life with her first husband was too boring, he left her cold, flat. Who the hell knows what went on between them? At first she only came down to the Keys for a vacation - but once she came down and got a taste of life without him, she loved it and couldn’t leave. There are people like that. They come down to Key West for a week-end and stay their whole lives.”
“Shelly talked to you about her first husband?”
Katrina burst out laughing in a raucous tone. “Honey, people say everything to each other in the Shelter. Shelly hated her husband’s guts. He trapped her. That’s why she liked it down here. But she made a big mistake going after Flan.”
It definitely seemed that Katrina was paranoid. It was hard to imagine that the staff would allow Shelly to work at the Shelter if she’d behaved that way. It didn’t add up.
“Flan’s gorgeous and sexy and who the hell can resist him?” Katrina breathed hard. “He acts good for a while, but then, just like the sharks he goes after, he turns violent himself. He’s got a weakness for the women too, so he was good prey for Shelly at first. But what she didn’t realize was that once Flan gets them under his spell, he knocks them around, twists their arms, chokes, pummels. I’ve seen it happen time and again.”
“You’ve seen it first hand?”
“Yeah,” Katrina became defensive, “I got used to his being with other women, too. That was part of it. He insisted.”
“He loved torturing you?” Cindy felt a wave of nausea coming over her, wondering if this all could be true.
Yes, he did,” said Katrina.
“And you’re back with him again? Cindy zeroed in.
“I know how to handle the bastard,” said Katrina, smirking, “and besides, he can’t take it when I’m away. If I’m gone for too long, he gets worse and I’m in more danger then. Who the hell can really protect me, then? Idiots like you?”
Katrina felt her only safety was in taking Flan’s abuse. But there was more to it and Cindy felt it. If Flan made her watch when he was with other women, was it possible that Katrina saw Flan murder Shelly? Could she be an eye witness to the crime?
“What happened when Shelly get between you and Flan?” Cindy asked quickly.
Katrina stopped in her tracks. The memory of it agitated her. She smacked her hands against her thighs, as if she were getting a slow horse to run.
“When she found us together near the Shelter, first the bitch flirted her ass off with him,” Katrina said, “she acted all charming and coy. He liked it, too, I could see it. She was getting to him, so, I told her to back off. After all, she was my counselor! Then Flan turned on me, all nasty, about to give me hell. That’s when Shelly got between us physically and told Flan to leave me alone. He grabbed her arms and gave her one of his famous looks, scary and sexy. Then he shouted at her that no lady in her right mind tells him what to do!”
Cindy shuddered. “Shelly was risking real trouble for you.”
Katrina’s eyes spit fire. “It wasn’t for me! She wanted my man all to herself. She had the hots for Flan. Any idiot could see it.”
“I can’t believe that,” Cindy defied her.
“Believe it, baby, because it’s true.”
Cindy shook her head, egging Katrina on.
“Please believe it,” Katrina’s voice was suddenly sad, like a little girl, pleading.
“I’m sorry you have to go through this, Katrina,” Cindy said then and meant it.
“Really? You are?” Katrina quieted down for a moment, then got up and started pacing around. She was a loose wire, easily agitated, the way lots of the women in the Shelter were. Cindy would have to talk to Flan herself about Shelly. It was amazing that no one had done it so far.
“I’m going to talk to Flan about Shelly myself,” Cindy said.
Katrina guffawed and stopped pacing.
“I wouldn’t do that. It’s the last thing you need. He won’t cop to a thing, just charm your ass off. Listen to me, I’m sure he killed Shelly. Why wouldn’t he?”
“Why would he?” Cindy countered. “Has he killed anyone else before?”
“Almost,” Katrina whimpered.
“Who?” asked Cindy alarmed.
“Me,” said Katrina, thrown off balance. “And you’d better get out of town before he hears about you. Flan doesn’t take well to women snooping around on him. You won’t be safe here for long either.”
Cindy stood up, her face full of perspiration. Not only had it grown hot and stuffy, but Katrina’s anxiety was overwhelming. Cindy was eager to get out of there, under the trees, into a cool breeze and have time to sort all this out.
Cindy extended her hand. “Thank you, Katrina,” she said, “I’m really grateful for all you’ve told me.”