Death by Devotion (Caribbean Murder #9)

“Oh God,” Mattheus groaned. Her fingerprints had to be all over it.

“Oh God, what?” Andrea’s eyes narrowed and she stared at him. “You think I should have just left him lying there like that and walked away?”

“Nobody said that,” Mattheus whispered.

“I didn’t kill him,” Andrea wailed. “How could I kill him? I’m not strong enough to kill him! Someone slashed his throat with a knife.”

“Did you tell them about the knife?” Mattheus continued. He wondered why it had not been mentioned and if they’d had it.

“They know about the knife, they’ve got it,” Andrea said. You think I could have killed him like that?”

Mattheus looked at her askance. “No, of course not, how could you?” he said.”Exactly,” she spit back at him, “but you wanted him dead too. You could have done it, or found someone to do it for you.”

Mattheus could hardly breathe. “Believe me, Andrea, I had nothing to do with this.”

“I don’t believe anything you say,” she whimpered, “and for all I know it could have been you! Get out of here, I’m sick of you.”

“You barely know me,” Mattheus’s voice grew edgier, “it’s too soon to be sick of me.”

“Who said I ever wanted to know you, anyway?” Andrea bit her lip hard as she spoke. “What good did you ever do me? You gave me false hope, came down here and made me feel there was a way out of this mess. You said there was definitely something we could do to get away from Cain.”

“What are you talking about?” Mattheus went cold.

“You said mom and I could get away from the bastard and that something could be done. You don’t remember?”

Mattheus remembered. “I didn’t say you should kill him. Mattheus shut his eyes in horror. Why was she turning the tables on him? Who was she defending? If Andrea didn’t do it herself, was there someone else she cared about that she was protecting?

Mattheus flipped back into detective mode. “If you want me to help you, you’re going to have to tell me everything you know,” he retorted. “Everything.”

“Fat chance of that,” she sneered.

“I’m the best chance you got, Andrea,” Mattheus responded. “This isn’t a game, you’re in big trouble right now.”

“Maybe I am and maybe I’m not,” she replied, suddenly haughty. “The medical examiner results aren’t in yet. No one knows exactly when he died. He might have died a long time before I ever got there.”

“No one knows exactly when you got there, though,” Mattheus said quickly.

“I know,” Andrea spit out.

“That’s not enough. They need cold facts, witnesses.”

“All day long I was with my friends in town,” she went on, “lots of people saw me.”

Mattheus took a deep breath. That was good to hear. “I need to speak to some of those friends,” he said.

“Like hell you do,” she responded. “They’re my friends, my life. It’s none of your damn business.”

“Someone has to speak to these people to confirm you were with them,” Mattheus answered sharply.

“Someone, yeah, but not you,” she exclaimed. “Who said I want you knowing my private business?”

“Have you told the police about this?” Mattheus took a step back.

“Sure, I told them, and they couldn’t care less,” Andrea retorted. “They never even asked me who my friends were, or where I was. They grabbed me and threw me in here. I even saw one of them smiling.”

It was easy having Andrea locked up, Mattheus realized. That way no one had to look at anyone further - except possibly at him.

“You’re in a huge mess, honey,” he said finally, “and you’ve got to trust someone.”

At that Andrea looked at him fiercely. “Trust who, you? Why should I? You ran out on me and mom and never looked back, once. You never cared.”

“You’re going to hold that against me the rest of your life?” Mattheus shot back at her, “no matter what I do to make it up?”

“Yes, I am,” Andrea went on. “And besides, I’ve got other people helping me.”

“Like who?”

“Like mom. She’s coming to see me after you,” Andrea proclaimed.

“Doesn’t seem like she helped you much while you were growing up, did she?” Mattheus blurted out.

Andrea stood up, inflamed. “What do you mean by that? My mom loves me, she takes good care of me.”

“She let Cain beat you, didn’t she? And not only him, but her other husbands too.” Mattheus wasn’t pulling any punches. This was no time for playing games.

Andrea’s eyes suddenly brimmed over with tears. “Mom couldn’t help it, she had no choice.”

“We all have a choice” Mattheus insisted.

“Not down here, we don’t,” Andrea cried out as tears streamed down her beautiful, distraught face.

“Okay,” the guard standing in the back came over to Mattheus now. “Time’s up. Another visitor’s waiting.”

Mattheus was jostled. “Excuse me?” he said.