Elizabeth looked up and winked. “Some hunk, that Mattheus! Don’t get any ideas though-- he’s not available. ”
Cindy flinched. Why in the world would Elizabeth think she’d get any ideas about Mattheus? The idea disturbed her. But she couldn’t let personal feelings get in the way. She had to find out what Elizabeth meant.
“Is Mattheus married?” Cindy asked.
Elizabeth smiled. “I don’t know if you really are na?ve or it’s just part of your weird cover. You think because a guy’s married it necessarily means he’s unavailable? Think again. Mattheus is not married, he’s just not available. Period. Ames, on the other hand, was available to everyone, although your friend Dalia refuses to believe it. Another idiot. Eat your food, it’s getting cold. You don’t seem the least bit like a detective and this whole lunch is creeping me out. ”
Cindy looked at the food on her plate, but couldn’t eat a bite. Her appetite had completely gone. What was Elizabeth saying? Had she tried to date Mattheus and been rejected? Why wasn’t he available? Cindy wondered about both him and Ames.
“So, Ames went with lots of other women?” Cindy asked bluntly.
“Naturally,” Elizabeth shrugged. “It was common knowledge.”
“But not to Dalia?”
“Dalia lives in a world of her own. Don’t ask me about her-- I don’t like her and have almost nothing to do with her, except for my son. She and Ames took him at times. She was nice enough to my son, that’s all I cared about. ”
“So, you and Ames stayed close?”
“I told you, I wouldn’t call it close,” said Elizabeth. “We stayed in touch because of our son. We were civil to each other. He was guilt ridden, so he gave me whatever he had. You know, Dalia was quite rich too, when he married her. She had a big settlement from her last husband. That made a difference to Ames. ”
“He needed her money?”
“I wouldn’t say needed,” said Elizabeth, “but it came in handy, plenty of times. He used it for his business. Those cargo ships take a lot of cash. And he liked the big lifestyle, Yacht Clubs and stuff. I’m sure her settlement helped with that also. He never belonged to a Yacht Club when we were married. Who knows what he really married her for? ”
Cindy tapped her fingers on the table. She felt anxious and unsettled, not knowing how much to believe about the discrepancies between what Elizabeth and Dalia were telling her.
“Your friend Dalia is odd,” said Elizabeth. “Everyone on the island knows that. She’s beautiful, but odd too. She only sees what she wants to - especially about Ames. That could have gotten pretty nerve wracking for him, too. Maybe that’s why he took up with others. ” Then she finished every last bite, left on her plate, practically licking the crumbs clean.
Cindy could see she was almost finished talking. She wanted to get one last question in before Elizabeth shut down.
“Who was Ames seeing before he disappeared?” Cindy managed to ask.
“Go talk to Dalia’s precious assistant Nina and find out for yourself.”
“Nina knows?” Cindy was flabbergasted.
Elizabeth seemed to enjoy Cindy’s consternation. “You’re pretty stupid for a detective,” she said. “It figures that Dalia would bring someone like you down.”
Cindy felt the blood rush to her face. Elizabeth probably enjoyed goading everyone, bringing out the worst in them.
Cindy took a long sip of her drink then.
Elizabeth leaned closer. “I didn’t say that Nina knows who Ames was sleeping with. I’m saying he was sleeping with her. ”
Cindy felt the drink burn in her throat. Nina? Dalia’s best friend.
“Nina and Ames shacked up late at night all the time, right in the gallery,” Elizabeth said. “Ames was like that. He liked them young and he liked his love a little bit weird. ”
“How do you know?” Cindy stiffened and looked at her from a distance, trying to sift out truth from fantasies and lies.
“I know a lot more than you give me credit for,” Elizabeth quipped. “Everyone thinks I’m some kind of decadent broad, indulging myself night and day. That’s the rap about me. But I have my ways of finding out stuff, and honey, you’ll wise up soon, spending time on this island. And you’ll see that everyone is wrong. ”
CHAPTER 7
Cindy felt shaken during the cab ride home to Dalia’s place. Elizabeth was a tough customer. She had a lot at stake in the situation and Cindy wouldn’t put it past her to play with her mind, make up lies, lead her down useless trails. When the cab pulled up to the door, Dalia was outside, waiting for her.
As Cindy got out of the cab, Dalia rushed over to her, anxious.
“She’s something isn’t she?” said Dalia. “You stayed longer than I thought you would.”
“Yes,” Cindy said, “quite an afternoon.”
They walked together into the house.