Death by Devotion (Caribbean Murder #9)

“He’s after me,” said Mattheus. “You’re gonna deny it?”


“I won’t deny it,” said Cindy carefully. “But I won’t confirm it, either. I’d say he has questions about your involvement in the case.”

“That’s ridiculous, he wants to lock me up with Andrea. Then they’re done with everything. Case closed. The killer goes free.” Mattheus was on fire.

“Who’s the killer, Mattheus?” Cindy suddenly had an urgent need to know what he thought.

“I have no idea. But I’ll find out for sure,” Mattheus’s jaw was set. “I’ve got my own string of people investigating. This police force has been bought off, they’re completely useless.”

“Bought off by whom?” Cindy was stunned.

“When we find that out we have the key,” Mattheus shot back, “and we’ll also know the truth about Sean.”

Cindy’s head started spinning. Mattheus was a great detective and she didn’t doubt Mattheus’s motives, but Sean was right. He could be a ticking time bomb.

“Mattheus,” Cindy turned to him swiftly, “why not give the investigation over to me, and back off for a little while. Step away. Get off the Island.”

Mattheus looked stunned. “And leave my daughter in their clutches?”

“I’m on it, I’m good, I’ll take care of her,” Cindy insisted. “And the cops won’t feel so threatened if you’re not around. Then I can get the cooperation I need from them. You put me in touch with your contacts and we’ll penetrate the web.”

Mattheus wouldn’t even consider it. “First of all, Andrea won’t talk to you. She’ll barely even talk to me,” he replied. “Secondly, the way things look to me, you’re swept away by Sean. Before I know it, the two of you will turn on me.”

Cindy sat down on the sofa, unnerved. She had no idea why Mattheus suspected her loyalty so deeply.

“You think I came down here to turn on you?” she asked, deeply saddened.

“No, I think you came down here because you felt guilty,” Mattheus retorted. “You pushed me to meet Andrea - so you have a hand in whatever happened next. I think you came down here to clear your conscience – just like you became a detective to clear your conscience about what happened with Clint. But are you someone I can trust? Are you someone who’s really loyal to me? I’d have to say no.”

Tears stung Cindy’s eyes. “I’m not loyal because I went back home after you told me you were leaving me to be with your daughter?”

“That’s one reason,” Mattheus replied. “You’ve done it before, too. Just pulled out on me without a moment’s notice.”

“And your behavior had nothing to do with it, Mattheus?” Cindy was quick on the draw now. “It’s all me? You’re the victim?”

“It’s normal to want to be there for a daughter you hadn’t seen for her whole life,” he replied, shaken.

“Okay, it’s normal,” said Cindy, “but is it also normal to dump the woman you’re about to get engaged to in the process?”

“I didn’t dump you,” he insisted.

“Of course you did,” said Cindy. “There was no discussion at all about it. You just told me you were going and I was staying behind. There was no mention for how long either. It could have been a year or more, for all I knew. I was disposed of for your convenience and you didn’t even say you were sorry.”

Mattheus listened and then walked to the window. “I was in a shocking situation, Cindy. How often does a guy meet a daughter he abandoned at birth?”

“Sure it was shocking,” said Cindy, “so, the way you handle it is to abandon me, too?”

“In your eyes, I abandoned you. In my eyes, I did what was right,” he insisted.

“So here we are now,” breathed Cindy, now trembling. “And where do we go from here? There’s no way to work for someone who doesn’t trust you.”

“What are you doing,” Mattheus’s jaw clenched, “pulling out on me again?”

“No, I’m not,” said Cindy. “I came down here to solve the case and I intend to do it. I made a commitment to justice.”

“You made a commitment to justice and not to me?” Mattheus asked, startled.

Cindy stopped and they looked at each other. “Did we ever make a commitment to each other, Mattheus?”

There was no way to answer that directly and Mattheus knew it. The muscles in his face quivered.

“I wanted to Cindy, I was about to do it,” Mattheus’s voice trembled.

Cindy said nothing. “Wanting to doesn’t mean a thing. It doesn’t catch the gold ring,” she finally muttered.

“So, you intend to team up with Sean against me?” Mattheus quipped again.

“Not at all. Sean and I are not a team. I’m working the case on my own, but I need police support and protection. And I also need to move out of this hotel. Whoever threw the note, knows I’m here.”

Mattheus nodded bruskly.

“I want to transfer to Hotel Washington,” Cindy continued, “and I want you to move there with me as well.”