“She wasn’t”, said Mattheus, confidentially. “It was something I concocted to get him to talk.”
Cindy’s heart dropped, but Jeanne Pierre winked.
“Smart tactic,” he said.
CHAPTER 13
Cindy didn’t say much on the drive home. Obviously, Mattheus felt good that he’d gotten the truth out of Frances and was going on and on about guys who cheated on their friends.
“They’re the pits,” Mattheus said.
“Now it’s my turn to tell you not to sit in judgment,” Cindy interrupted. Life happens. I like him.”
“How could you like him?” Mattheus asked, “why?”
“He seems honest, he’s not hiding anything. And I believe he’s in real pain.”
“Listen, I had to give this information to the police,” Mattheus said.
Cindy couldn’t disagree. “Sure, it’s one thing to give them the information, it’s another thing to hate the kid.”
“Who said I hate him?”
“It feels like you hate him,” she said.
“I don’t hate him, I hate what he did. I hate the fact that the Senator’s daughter was left on the beach like garbage, and he could have been part of it.”
“Yes, but you don’t know for sure that he was.”
“Not for sure, but it’s a possibility. A good one if you asked me.”
“How about the Petrovich and his vendetta against the Senator?” Cindy reminded him.
“Possible, but I’m not sure,” said Mattheus. “The Senator isn’t enough of a thorn in his side. And, the nature of the crime was more personal – she was stabbed so many times. Had to be someone who knew her and felt passionately. Frances is a passionate guy and he knew her very well.”
Cindy didn’t buy it. All these logical deductions added up to nothing in her mind. No matter what Mattheus said, she liked the kid. Something about the way he went weak when he heard about the baby, and the way he didn’t defend himself. Mattheus thought it made him look suspicious. Cindy felt the opposite. And she felt they were ganging up on him.
“I’m going to take a quick swim in the pool to unwind now,” Mattheus said as they got to the hotel. “Want to join me?”
Cindy didn’t. She wanted to get back into her room, get to the computer and do more research on Frances, see what she could find out.
“Not right now,” she said to Mattheus. “I want to find out more about Frances first.”
“Have it your way,” said Mattheus. “But, as for me, some of my best ideas come to me when I’m in my bathing suit, swimming in the sun.”
“Have a great time,” Cindy said lightly as she went in the opposite direction, to her room.
The minute she got inside, her phone rang and to Cindy’s surprise, it was the Senator. This was the first time he’d called her directly.
“Where’s Mattheus?” he asked, when she picked up the phone.
“He’s downstairs,” said Cindy.
“Look, I just got news that the police made an arrest in the case.”
“Yes, they did,” said Cindy. “Mattheus tipped them off.”
“When in hell were you guys going to let me know?”
“It just happened a few minutes ago,” said Cindy. “I’m sure Mattheus is planning to give you a call.”
“Who is this kid? What have they got on him?”
Cindy flinched. She wasn’t going to tell Tiffany’s father that his dead daughter had been cheating on her fiancée with this guy.
“It’s complicated,” she said.
“Listen you two are working for me. I need facts, and I need them right away.”
“There was motive,” said Cindy. “He had feelings for Tiffany.”
“That’s it?” the Senator got quiet. “Lots of guys had feelings for Tiffany.”
“What do you mean?” Cindy honed in on that.
“I mean she was a beautiful, young woman. I could see the way guys looked at her. Lots of them. So what?”
“Maybe this time it went further than that,” Cindy mentioned cautiously.
The Senator wasn’t impressed. “That’s all they have?”
“So far there’s no evidence connecting him or anyone to the crime,” Cindy repeated professionally. “Whoever did it took every precaution to leave nothing behind. No fingerprints, no DNA, no trace evidence of any kind. The necklace she wore was missing. That’s all there is.”
“It was premeditated,” the Senator growled. “First degree murder.”
“So, for now we focus on motive,” said Cindy.
“What’s the motive here? This guy was jealous of her fiancée?” the Senator sounded skeptical.
Cindy felt upset keeping this chain of conversation going. Deep within she felt that Frances had nothing to do with the crime.
“He’s just a suspect,” Cindy added. “I’ll let Mattheus fill you in on the details.”
“Listen,” the Senator cleared his throat. “The police are gloating about this. They’re taking all the credit and, also, they want you guys off the case. As soon as possible. They’ve brought other investigators in from Guadeloupe who don’t want foreign detectives poking around.”