Cindy’s heart pounded for a moment. They were being warned to lay low, look away from possible motives and evidence. She wouldn’t have any part of it. Cindy could never tolerate being threatened and she wasn’t going to start now.
“I heard the girl who was killed was the Senator’s favorite daughter,” Cindy continued defiantly, letting Tomas know exactly where she stood. “If the Senator had gotten in someone’s way, this killing would be a perfect revenge.”
“You probably heard a lot of things,” Tomas was trying to keep her down. “You got quite a little lady here,” he said to Mattheus then, closing his lips tight.
“We’re good partners,” Mattheus remarked. “We don’t let a stone go unturned. Not even a worm infested stone.”
Tomas guffawed, “Think you’re pretty hot, eh?”
But Cindy got what these guys were saying, loud and clear. Stay out of the politics on the island. Focus on someone who was inconsequential, like Tad. Let dirty dogs lay.
“Let’s go see the crime scene,” Mattheus broke into the tense atmosphere that was becoming more intense by the moment.
*
“There are many beaches on St. Bart’s,” Jean Pierre was driving with them to the scene of the crime, “one more beautiful than the next. Right now the beaches will all be full. Usually, they’re more empty and private. People can go and be alone with the sand and sea. There are also some great nudist beaches for those who want to really unwind.”
Cindy couldn’t stand the sound of his voice another minute. It was high and nasal, grating at her. He’d taken it upon himself to be a tourist guide, it seemed. Or, perhaps, to distract them from the true purpose of their visit. The roads they drove on were now more crowded too. It was taking a while to get to the beach where Tiffany’s body had been discovered.
They went up one hill and down another, dwarfed by beautiful mountains on either side. The terrain here was jagged and exquisite. Suddenly, the car pulled to a stop. Jean Pierre looked out towards the right. Below them was an alcove with a white sandy beach on it. A few jutties stuck out into the ocean. As Jean Pierre had mentioned, the beach was filled with people, on chairs, blankets, stretched out in bikinis, drinking or running into the sea. It was a time of joy and playfulness.
“That’s where we found her,” Jean Pierre remarked.
“Who found her exactly?” Mattheus asked.
“Actually, I did,” Jean Pierre said quietly.
“Why didn’t you mention that before?” asked Mattheus, disconcerted.
“I didn’t think it was important,” Jean Pierre remarked.
“Did you know Tiffany?” asked Cindy, sharply.
“Not really,” said Jean Pierre. “I’d seen her around. Her family’s famous, but there’s lots of famous people here. The place is known for it – crawling with celebs. You can’t get caught up in it. You get used to them after a while, don’t pay much attention.”
“How did you come to look at this spot?” Mattheus was staying on track.
“We got the call that Tiffany was missing just as it was getting dark,” Jean Pierre went on. “We get calls like that fairly regularly. It’s not unusual for people to get drunk, get high, fall asleep in strange places and forget to find their way home. They usually get back in touch the next day.”
“It didn’t happen like that this time though,” said Mattheus.
“No,” said Jean Pierre. “When we first got the call, we didn’t take it so seriously.”
Cindy wondered if they ever really took it seriously. Had it sunk in that a corpse had been found and that it was their job to make sure another one didn’t turn up after it?
“By the morning,” Jean Pierre was continuing, “when no one had still heard from Tiffany, we decided to spread out on the island and check the beaches and trails. I was assigned this beach and two others. The other two beaches I looked at were empty. Then, I scooted down here. It was almost four in the afternoon when I got here. I started walking on the beach and the sun was in my eyes, so I didn’t see her immediately. He paused, remembering and suddenly looked troubled.
“Then?” Mattheus jogged him.
“The tide was going out. She was right up against the water’s edge, near the rock jetty over there. The first thing I saw was a leg.”
Cindy breathed deeply and looked away.
“Do you want to go down to the spot where I found her?” he asked.
“Yes,” said Mattheus.
Cindy didn’t want to go. This was close enough. She got the picture. She sat still in the car as the two of them got out.
Mattheus turned and looked at her. “It’s important to go down there and be on the spot where it happened,” he said. “There’s all kinds of things you can notice then.”
Cindy knew it was so.
Jean Pierre looked over. “Rough job for a woman,” he said.
“Certainly can be,” said Cindy as she got out of the car.