“You never did so well with the guys,” Dalia continued. “You were always too bookish. Remember, we used to say that? ”
Cindy felt stung. She realized that Dalia was getting back at her now because she felt threatened by what Cindy said. She didn’t like to have her relationship questioned.
“This isn’t about me,” Cindy responded. “It’s Ames we’re here to find.”
Dalia started making odd patterns in the sand with her hands.
“But it is about you, too,” Dalia wouldn’t let up. “If you don’t trust what I tell you, and if you have weird ways of looking at relationships, then how can you ever find out the truth?”
Cindy felt punched again. She’d come down here to help, and now felt as though she were being attacked. But this was no time for catering to her personal feelings, or for playing games.
“What are you saying to me, Dalia?” asked Cindy. “Are you saying you don’t want me on the case?”
Dalia looked up at her, startled. “Of course not. I never thought that for a second! Why would you assume such a thing? I just told you how glad I was to have you here with me. I just don’t want you to get any crazy ideas. That’s why I told you to check in with me, every time you talked to someone. People here lie. It’s their number one hobby. They make up stories about each other and spread them around. ”
Cindy’s head started spinning. She had to remember that Dalia was not able to handle too much of reality. She’d have to go slow.
“Ames was everything I thought the first moment I saw him,” Dalia continued fervently. “He was loyal, devoted, romantic. We helped each other in every way. Lots of people were jealous of us and might want to make you believe otherwise. Don’t pay attention to what they say. ”
“I’m happy to hear that,” said Cindy gently. “Tell me more.”
“Well, for starters, Ames would write little love notes to me every night.”
That was hard for Cindy to believe.
“I’ve saved every one of them, put them in a scrapbook,” Dalia said.
“Amazing,” Cindy said.
“Ames did everything he could to build me up, and I did that for him, too. His ships were expensive. He needed lots of money to keep the business going. I gave him what I could. ”
“Money from the art gallery?” Cindy asked.
“From the gallery sometimes, and from my settlement, too. I told you Hal left me a very comfortable woman. So, my second marriage wasn’t such a mistake, after all. Something good came of it, in the end. I don’t want you viewing me as a failure. ”
“I’ve never, ever thought of you as a failure,” said Cindy, wondering how much Dalia’s second husband gave her. “You still have most of the money your second husband gave you?” she asked.
“Most of it,” said Dalia. “But I gave Ames quite a bit, too. It made me happy to do that. That’s what happily married people do. ”
“Of course,” said Cindy going along, though she had a squeamish feeling when Dalia said that. She thought then of Mattheus telling her not to judge, and smiled to herself. She was judging Ames and Dalia as well. She had to stay with the facts, though all bells of all kinds were going off in her head.
“Is Ames’s business was doing all right?” Cindy asked then.
Dalia took a deep breath and stretched out her legs.
“It was doing fine,” she said, “until he got more and more involved with a partner. He said he needed the cash flow the partner could provide. ”
“Dale?”
“You know about Dale?” Dalia looked startled.
“A little.”
“What do you know? And how do you know it? Tell me!” Dalia sat up abruptly.
Cindy wondered why it was such a shock to her. “Didn’t you mention him when we first talked?” asked Cindy.
“Not that I recall,” said Dalia.
Cindy found it odd that Dalia would have hid him from her. “Maybe I heard about him from Elizabeth then,” Cindy said lightly. “I heard that Dale was Ames’s business partner. That he owned a Yacht, was a member of the Millionaire Yacht Club. ”
“Why would she tell you that?” the hairs on Dalia’s neck seemed to bristle.
“She just said it in passing,” said Cindy, “didn’t make much of it.”
“Nothing happens in passing with Elizabeth,” said Dalia, sharply. “Elizabeth knows everything pertaining to Ames’s finances. She’s got her claws into them and won’t let go. ”
“I thought they had a settlement,” Cindy said.
“So did I,” said Dalia. “But it’s always up for re-negotiation, every few years.”
Cindy hadn’t realized that.
“And each time she tries to get more. More and more. ” The pitch of Dalia’s voice went higher. “It doesn’t matter to her that he has me to support.”
“Has it been hard on you financially?” Cindy asked, surprised.
“No, it hasn’t,” said Dalia. “The boats do well, I have plenty of money, but I don’t like it. How would you like it if a barracuda had its claws into your husband? ”