Death by Devotion (Caribbean Murder #9)

“You swear to death?” asked Natalie, pushing her eggs from one side of the plate to the other.

“Yes,” said Cindy. “All I care about is finding Cain’s killer and learning who beat Andrea up.”

“It’s horrible, horrible,” Natalie whispered, “and it’s going to get worse.”

“More beatings?” asked Cindy.

“Or, she could get killed in jail, for all we know,” Natalie was practically whimpering. The guys told me Andrea’s gonna get it, one way or another. “

“Why?” Cindy asked. “Do Pedro’s guys think Andrea killed Cain?”

“Some people think she did it,” Natalie spoke heatedly, “others are convinced she’s taking the wrap. But whoever it is, they definitely want Andrea out of the way.”

“Who’s Andrea taking the wrap for?” Cindy demanded.

“Nobody’s sure,” whispered Natalie. “Could be her mom.”

“Her mom?” Cindy’s blood started boiling.

“At the end Petra hated Cain like poison and made no bones about it,” Natalie went on. “And Andrea’s whole life was about protecting her mom. And also about protecting about the guy she said loved her. Who knows if he ever really did? Andrea had a lot of hopes about everything.”

“A lot of fantasies,” Cindy interjected. “Natalie, whether he loved Andrea or not, I need to speak to this guy.”

“Why?” Natalie seemed ill at ease.

“Because he and Andrea have some kind of connection and I need to know more about it.”

“This guy has absolutely nothing to do with it,” Natalie insisted. “He doesn’t do drugs, he’s not part of a gang, he’s absolutely fringe. He loved Andrea and she wants to protect him.”

“Just give me his name at least and let me talk to him,” Cindy pleaded.

“I promised Andrea I wouldn’t tell anyone who he was. I’m the only one she ever told,” Natalie cringed.

“But you called me here for a reason, didn’t you? You know your friend’s in danger,” said Cindy.

“She is,” Natalie cried out, tears filling her eyes. “I don’t want her killed in a horrible way, even if she did kill the rotten bastard.”

“Did she?” Cindy asked, appalled.

“I really don’t know at this point,” said Natalie. “But if she did it or not, she had a good reason, and she doesn’t deserve to die like this. At least let them give her a fair trial.”

“You’re absolutely right,” Cindy agreed.

“Yes, I am,” Natalie’s spirits lifted.

“So, let’s give her a chance to get that fair trial,” Cindy continued, adamant. “Give me the name of the guy who loves her and his address if you have it.”

“I do,” Natalie whispered.

“Great,” Cindy breathed. “We can’t leave any stone unturned. For starters, he knows Andrea better than anyone else.”

“Not better than me,” Natalie was offended. “I’m Andrea’s best friend.”

“It’s possible he can tell me something that don’t know. It could be an important clue,” Cindy went on. “That’s how it works when you’re a detective. You hunt for clues everywhere, even in places you’d never expect to find them.”

Natalie suddenly got quiet and listened. “That’s how it works?” she finally asked.

“Yes,” said Cindy, “you follow a trail, you never know where it leads you, you talk to all the people a person knew well.”

“That’s cool,” replied Natalie. “Maybe someday I’ll be a detective, too. Okay, I’ll give you his name and address, but never, ever tell anyone you got it from me. He’s from a big, rich, prominent family. They’ll go crazy if they find out he’s had anything to do with someone like Andrea.”

“I won’t tell a soul,” said Cindy, “and thank you. I just can’t thank you enough.”

*

Natalie and Cindy parted quickly as soon as Cindy had the information . Cindy thanked her again and immediately left the coffee shop. There was no reason to be sitting there, in full view of everyone.

As Cindy stepped out of the coffee shop, to her amazement there was Mattheus, waiting for her. Had he been following her, watching her every move?

“What are you doing here? Cindy asked right away, uneasy.

“I’ve been following you,” Mattheus said with his quirky, sweet smile that had always melted Cindy’s heart. It didn’t now. “Let’s take a walk and talk things over, please.”

Cindy had no desire to talk about their relationship, but she did need to tell him that she’d found out who the guy Andrea had been involved with was.

“It’s good timing,” Cindy continued professionally. “I’ve got a huge piece of new information.”

“What?” asked Mattheus, surprised.

“I’ve got the name of the guy over on the East Side of the island that Andrea claims she was with the day Cain was killed.”

Mattheus’s mouth hung open for a second. “You’re amazing,” he breathed. “How in the world did you get this? No one could.”

“You’ve got to keep it close to the chest,” Cindy demanded. “None of those guys you talk to can know.”