“The drug part might,” said Cindy.
“I have my money on Petrovich,” said Mattheus
“You think he killed Tiffany?” Cindy asked point blank.
“Not him, once of his henchmen. He’s got them spread out, like tentacles, all over the place.”‘
“What’s the motive?” asked Cindy.
“Not exactly sure yet, but getting closer,” said Mattheus, definitively.
“Fill me in,” said Cindy.
The waiter brought the food and placed it luxuriously down in front of them. Mattheus started to eat. He seemed happy to be there, and hungry. As he ate, Mattheus looked up at Cindy and talked in a low voice.
“Petrovich is head of a smuggling ring, money laundering operation, and huge real estate empire. And, he personally controls every part of it. The cops, politicians and intelligence agents are all in his grip. And it’s a tight grip, let me tell you.”
“How’d you find all this out?” Cindy asked.
“I put it together,” said Mattheus, talking to the folks around him.
“You mean the red head?” asked Cindy.
Mattheus looked up at her with a strange look, “let’s not get into that again.”
“I’m not getting into anything, just asking,” said Cindy. “Is she part of his covert operation?”
“Yes,” said Mattheus. “She doesn’t think I know, but I do. She told me last night she was an intelligence agent, with her own questions about Petrovich.”
“She’s a double agent?” Cindy remarked.
“I’m sure of it,” said Mattheus, his eyes narrowing.
Cindy picked up her fork, but couldn’t eat.
“So, she’s feeding you false information?” said Cindy.
“Right” said Mattheus grinning, “but I’m two steps ahead. I know how to ferret out the truth and read between the lines.”
Cindy put her fork down.
“What’s the matter?” asked Mattheus, “the food’s fantastic.”
“I’m not so hungry,” said Cindy.
“You need a strong stomach for the work we do,” Mattheus looked directly at her. “You can’t let developments affect you like this.”
Cindy realized he was right. She had to learn to deal with whatever this life laid out before her.
“Tell me more about the cop you ran into,” Mattheus asked.
“Sanchez Hanuah, from Guadeloupe, showed me his badge. Wanted me to go for a ride with him.”
Mattheus stopped eating. “Yeah, a ride straight to hell.”
“He warned us to stop poking around and get out of town as quickly as we could. He wasn’t kidding, Mattheus. He meant business.”
“So do I,” said Mattheus. “I looked this guy up after you mentioned him. There’s no record of anyone like that on the police force in Guadeloupe.”
Cindy was startled. “Could he be working for Petrovich?”
“I asked Petrovich about him, too,” said Mattheus. “He denies knowing anyone like that.”
“That doesn’t mean anything,” said Cindy, “Petrovich’s security guy at the door knew who he was. The two of them had a relationship.”
“I should have been there with you,” Mattheus said firmly. “Don’t run away like that again.”
Cindy felt a flush of heat as he said that. “There’s more too,” she said quickly, defending herself, “Hanuah said you were a typical ladies man. Someone who easily fell into the trap and that I wasn’t safe with a partner like that.”
“I’m not a lady’s man,” said Mattheus definitively. “I was once, years ago. Those days are over forever. You are completely safe with me.”
Cindy shrugged. “Just telling you what he said.”
Mattheus looked sad. “Sounds like he got to you and turned your head inside out. That was his intention, make you insecure, split us apart, take your power, dislodge our investigation. That tells me we’re getting close to something big.”
Cindy wondered if it were true? Had she simply fallen into a trap? It was frightening to contemplate. For a moment she felt way out of her depth.
“Listen,” Mattheus said, pushing his plate away from him, “I have an appointment in an hour with the person from the party. I’ll grill her on Hanuah, as well as everything else.”
“An appointment with who?” Cindy was startled.
Mattheus pushed his chair back.
“I left our discussion midway last night. There’s more stuff I need to get from her.”
“The red head?” asked Cindy.
“You’ve got to drop that,” Mattheus said. “This is a murder case we’re on.”
Cindy’s heart started pounding. He was right. She had to pull herself together immediately. He had every right to talk to anyone he liked.
“You’re right,” said Cindy, as strongly as she could. “Find out about Hanuah, and while you’re at it, I’ll go check out the guy who sold drugs to Tiffany.”
“Wait until tomorrow when I can go with you. Those guys are low lives. Don’t go alone.”