“We do not want your help. Get off the island. Go home. Listen to me.”
A rush of pain flew through Cindy. She wanted to say, I have no home to go to anymore. There is nothing else I can do now but track down killers here on the islands – end up with wild men like you on Christmas Eve. Instead, she breathed deeply, trying to find her lost bearings.
“I can’t leave Tiffany’s family in the lurch,” she insisted.
“This is much bigger than Tiffany’s family,” Hanuah suddenly spoke in a confidential tone. “Now they’re sending in people from Washington. We cannot tolerate that. We’re not sure who they are, but we’ll find out soon. If we’re not careful, they’ll be calling Interpol next. Big reputations are at stake. You’re making more trouble than you know. This little, miserable murder case has to be closed, and fast.”
Cindy looked at him simply and openly. He stopped speaking and their glances met.
“Who killed Tiffany?” she asked softly. “Tell me and we’ll close the case one, two, three.”
“I don’t know,” he breathed, “and I don’t care! She’s inconsequential, at best.”
Something struck Cindy vividly at that moment and she started trembling from head to foot.
“Has there’s been another murder?” Cindy gasped, terrified. “Is Tiffany is just the tip of the iceberg?”
He put his hand on her arm to steady her.
“No, there hasn’t, not yet,” he said. “But there could be if you don’t leave soon. Murders often happen in threes down here. As an island detective with a big reputation, you should know that. I don’t want to see more bloodshed. And neither does Sasha. Once bloodshed starts, it’s hard to stop. Petrovich is a very wise man. And, by the way, he seems he likes you very much.”
Cindy made a terrible face.
Hanuah smiled, baring his perfect teeth again.
“And I can see perfectly well why he does,” Hanuah added.
Despite herself, Cindy liked Hanuah too. Under different conditions, she and he could have become friends.
“I appreciate what you’re doing,” Cindy said.
“Appreciate it or not, it doesn’t matter,” Hanuah muttered, “just do what you’re told. Go home.”
Then he turned, went back into the car, spun it around on its heel and sped down the dark road.
CHAPTER 17
After Hanuah left, the guard called a taxi which came and drove Cindy home. She felt both sad and proud to be coming home alone. She didn’t have to stay there and watch Mattheus carry on like that. It was way beyond the call of duty. She also realized that they were working on a case and had to find a way to keep going until it was closed. The warning she’d gotten from Hanuah had power behind it and Cindy knew they had to take it seriously. She and Mattheus had stumbled onto something that was way larger than they’d realized. The police and government were involved. It could be anything, money laundering, smuggling, humongous profits made on dirty deals. Big reputations and careers were obviously at stake. Cindy believed that the Senator was aware of what was going on. He’d been to Petrovich’s parties, tangled with authorities. What had he been thinking when he called Cindy and Mattheus? Probably shocked by the death of his daughter and determined to get justice.
But, Hanuah was right. Tiffany’s death was inconsequential to them. It wasn’t inconsequential to Cindy, though. Although Cindy never met her, she felt a growing connection to Tiffany, cared for her a great deal. The more Cindy found out about her, the more alive Tiffany became. Cindy could almost feel her calling out for help and justice now. There was no way Cindy could go home and leave the case open. And what about Frances? An innocent guy, who most likely had nothing to do with the crime, would probably be found guilty. One life ruined after another.
Hanuah could threaten Cindy all he liked. She was not budging. And, oddly enough, she was not afraid.