“Marc and Tomas,” Jeanne Pierre said then, introducing the other two gendarmes. “We all have orders to share our information with you.”
Clearly, Jean Pierre had been appointed spokesman for the group. The other two seemed reluctant to get involved. The entire operation seemed like amateur hour. The crime didn’t seem to have made a dent. Life was simply going on as usual.
Cindy and Mattheus sat down at the table with all of them.
“To begin,” Jean Pierre continued, “I want you to know how unusual it is for us to have a crime like this in St. Bart’s. Actually, it’s unheard of.”
Mattheus raised his eyebrows. “And it was a Senator’s daughter who was killed,” he added, breaking into their casual manner. “That really ups the stakes.”
One of the gendarmes, Marc, perked up. He was in his forties with slicked back dark hair and hazel eyes. Cindy thought he looked more like an actor in a movie than a cop at work on a crime.
“That’s not to say we’re not troubled by the event,” Marc chimed in. “Of course we are. We have been working on it relentlessly.”
The third gendarme at the table, Tomas, pushed his coffee away. He seemed like the most solid of all, stocky with a reddish face and shifty eyes.
“You’re here at the peak of the tourist season,” Tomas said, looking directly at Mattheus. “You may not be aware of it, but the island is packed. The villas are filled and the parties have started. Every day more yachts come into shore. Do you know what would happen if this news became public? Do you know how many holidays would be ruined?”
Cindy couldn’t believe what she was hearing. It was more important to keep the guests happy than find a killer lurking in their midst –or to get justice for a vulnerable young woman.
“What about the Senator’s family?” she said. “They’re suffering terribly. They need to find the killer immediately.”
“We’re working on it,” Tomas, said gruffly.
“For all we know there are other victims,” Cindy continued, “or there will be again, soon. The killer could be out stalking his prey right now as we speak.”
“Doubtful,” Jean Pierre muttered.
No matter what she said, there was a wall around the three of them that Cindy couldn’t penetrate. This investigation was way out of their range and obviously these guys were following careful directives. Cindy doubted that they even had the slightest idea about how to proceed.
Mattheus went along with them, though. He was more practical, not going to fight them. Instead, he tried to put them at ease.
“Of course we don’t want to rock the boat,” Mattheus said. “I understand perfectly.”
Jean Pierre seemed relieved and so did Marc. Tomas looked at Mattheus, edgy.
“But we do need to see what you’ve found so far,” Mattheus continued.
“Of course,” said Jean Pierre. “And we also have clearance to take both of you to the scene of the crime.”
Tomas didn’t like that. He tapped his fingers on the table, much the way Mattheus liked to do.
“Great,” said Mattheus, “but first fill us in on what you have so far.”
Marc, walked to a filing cabinet, took out two large files, threw them down on the table. Mattheus opened the files. Photos of Tiffany lying mangled on the beach spilled out in front of them. It was hard for Cindy to actually look at them.
“Body, stabbed twelve times, ultimately strangled with bare hands,” said Marc. “See the marks on the neck.”
“Overkill,” said Mattheus, looking at the photos carefully. “Points to someone she knew.”
“Definitely,” Marc agreed.
“Or else a lunatic, high on drugs, out of his mind, searching for power,” Tomas broke in, his small eyes squinting.
Jean Pierre took exception. “We don’t have those kinds coming here,” he said.
“There’s always a first time,” Tomas, replied. “A killing like this can be the extra high some are searching for. Guests on this island have everything. I mean, where do you go after you get to the top? Where’s your next thrill coming from?”
Cindy shivered. This guy was grim. But he was more real than the others.
“How do you guys go about catching someone like that?” Mattheus jumped in.
“We call in the police from Guadeloupe,” said Marc. “There’s plenty of back up available.”
“Have you done that yet in this case?”
“The order is in,” Tomas replied.
“What else do you have about the murder?” Mattheus wanted every last detail. “Any physical evidence, DNA?”
Marc stood up and shook his head. “We’ll take you down to see the scene yourself. It was on the beach. The water came lapping up over the body, washing most everything away.”
Mattheus wasn’t having it. “Was she raped in the process?”
“Not sure,” said Marc. “Looks like it, could be. There was definitely damage.”
“That’s important,” said Mattheus. “It changes the picture. Did he leave any semen?”
“No semen,” Marc said fitfully. “Nothing under her fingernails or on her body either to show a fight or struggle.”
“She just succumbed to it?” Mattheus asked.