“He didn’t come home,” Cindy said slowly.
“Oh I’m so sorry.”
“He was murdered down on the island.”
“My God,” Nina said.
“That’s always a possibility here, too,” said Cindy.
Nina shivered. “I can’t let myself think that way,” she said. “I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night. I wouldn’t be able to work during the day. ”
“Were you and Ames close?” It was hard for Cindy getting the words out.
“Of course,” said Nina, innocently, “very good friends. I do my best to be friends with everyone. ”
“Nina,” Cindy put her hand out then, stopping her banter. This was important and she needed to impress that upon Nina. “Listen, carefully.”
“What?” Nina asked, her eyes growing large.
Cindy decided to jump right in. “I’ve heard that you and Ames were more than friends.”
Nina didn’t blink. “You mean that he spent time with me in the bedroom?” she pointed to the back room.
“Yes,” said Cindy. “Did he?”
“Once in a while,” said Nina, unflinchingly. “It wasn’t such a big deal, just part of the job.”
Cindy couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Does Dalia know about it?”
“Of course not,” Nina said, quickly. “Mr. Ames said not to say a thing to anyone. He said he still loved Miss Dalia, but he liked to be with me, too. It didn’t hurt anything between him and her. He told me to think of it as part of the job. ”Nina suddenly looked at Cindy, nervous. “I’m telling you this because he’s gone now, and nobody knows where he is. I want to tell everything to somebody. Maybe it will help. ”
“Where do you think he is, Nina?”
“I have no idea,” she said, suddenly looking very sad. “But I miss him very much.”
She seemed like a very young girl then, who had fallen into a situation way over her head. Cindy felt sad for her as she sat there, looking around, probably wondering what had become of him.
“I’m praying he comes back soon,” Nina said.
“He may not,” said Cindy.
“But I’m praying he does. And there’s a place I can go on the island, where prayers are answered. ”
Cindy was touched by her sincerity, but had to stay with the facts.
“He may never return, Nina.”
After a moment of silence, Nina’s eyes filled with tears. “Do you think somebody killed him?” She suddenly seemed very, very sad.
“It’s possible,” said Cindy softly. “Do you have any idea who it could be?”
Nina hung her head for a long moment. Then she looked up. “I can’t even imagine such a thing. There’s no reason anyone would want to harm him. He was a good man, so good. He gave so many beautiful presents to me, made me feel like his beautiful princess. ”
Cindy sighed deeply. Nina had no sense at all of having done wrong. What happened between her and Ames was just natural to her, all part of the way life flowed down here.
“I’m sure he loved you,” said Cindy.
That took Nina back. “Yes,” she said downhearted. The she looked up swiftly, as if something just occurred to her.
“Have you spoken to the Captain of his ships?” Nina whispered. “He knew everything that went on in Mr. Ames’s life. Everything and more. He didn’t like Miss Dalia, but that doesn’t matter. He was jealous of everyone around Mr. Ames, wanted him all to himself. I always heard Mr. Ames and the Captain on the phone together. They were hardly ever out of touch. If there was trouble brewing, the Captain would know it. ”
Cindy’s mind reeled. She wondered just how many people were involved in his life, and just how deep this web would spin.
CHAPTER 9
Cindy had to remember she was down here for a purpose. She couldn’t allow her ever-changing feelings about what was happening to get in the way of what had to be done. These interviews had to be sorted out. She had to uncover conflicts, contradictions, fantasies, lies, and that one hidden detail which would break it all open. It was hidden there, waiting for her, she felt it.
As she heard more and more about him, her impression of Ames kept changing. Clearly, he was a man with many sides, including a strong taste for women. Had he left of his own will? Was he swept away by someone new? Had he decided to run off and be with her? Had the two of them had packed up and disappeared?
Cindy wouldn’t put it past him. He seemed to feel entitled to have anyone he wanted. And he was great at keeping it all from his wife.