“Speak for yourself,” Dalia said, “life has been Great to me. A fabulous husband and a villa in paradise. You don’t see me complaining about anything,” Dalia was on the war path again.
“I didn’t say you were complaining,” Cindy felt defensive.
“So tell me more about you and Mattheus,” Dalia was now going on the offensive. “What’s he filling you in on? Why haven’t you been telling me?”
Cindy paused, unsure how much to say at this point.
“If you ask me, the two of you are much too cozy. But you work for Me!” Dalia suddenly snapped. “Not for the police! I’m the one who hired you! You better know what your place is and where your loyalties belong!”
Cindy was taken aback by her anger. She decided it was best to appease her for now.
“Mattheus and I are working on Elizabeth,” Cindy said.
“What about her?” Dalia’s eyes flashed.
“Going over her divorce settlement with Ames, trying to put the pieces together. He’s helping me think it through. That’s all. ”
“What’s there to think through?” Dalia seemed pissed. “It’s up for re-negotiation every two years and he gives her whatever she wants. It’s as simple as that. I could have told you. ”
“How do you know?” asked Cindy, “I thought the settlement was sealed.”
“Ames tells me everything. He doesn’t have one secret from me. Never did and never will. So, what are your conclusions at this point? ” Dalia asked forthrightly. “Do you think Elizabeth’s involved?”
Cindy decided it was time to speak the truth. “If you really want to know what I think, I think Ames may not be coming home.”
Dalia’s face turned white. “Why?”
“I haven’t wanted to say it before or upset you.”
“I hired you to tell me the truth.”
“Well, that’s what I think. There are drug cartels on the island, you know that yourself. There’s the question if there were drugs on the fleet. If there were, these guys are ruthless. ”
“I know,” Dalia said quietly.
“And there’s also the question of the relationship between Elizabeth and Ames. Who knows how much money she kept wanting? Who knows how she would react if he said no? ”
Dalia liked hearing that. She moved closer to Cindy now. “And I’d stopped giving Ames as much money of my own, recently,” she said quietly.
Cindy was surprised to hear that from her. “Really, why?”
“For one thing, I’m running out,” said Dalia. “For another, I got sick of him funneling whatever I gave him to her. She asked and she got. It wasn’t fair. ”
“Didn’t he get all he needed from Dale?”
“Dale’s money went right to the fleet. It wasn’t set up so Ames could get his hands on it. That money wasn’t for his personal use. And Ames loved money. He needed it, used it, threw it around. It made him feel like he was worthwhile. I told you he came from a very poor home. ”
“So he might have been facing a financial crisis,” Cindy said. “That can do all kinds of things to a person.”
“What are you suggesting?” Dalia suddenly said, ice-cold.
Cindy stared back, surprised at her venom.
“Are you suggesting that Ames, my beloved Ames, killed himself?”
Dalia stood, shaking with rage.
“HOW DARE YOU!” Dalia suddenly shrieked, eyes flaming with rage. “THAT’S MY HUSBAND YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT!”
Cindy was horrified, and scared. She had never seen someone so filled with rage, so quickly and unpredictably.
Cindy had never seen Dalia like this before. She had no idea why she had inflamed her to this extent.
Dalia turned around quickly then, and fled.
After a few moments, Cindy decided to follow Dalia to her room. She wanted to get her to calm down and understand more about what happened. When Cindy got there, she stood outside in the hallway a moment and to her horror, heard a voice speaking inside the room.
Cindy opened the door a crack and peered in. There was Dalia, standing in front of her mirror, talking to herself.
“You’re a good person,” Dalia was speaking to her reflection. “Don’t be afraid, I love you so much. I’ll never let any harm come to you. ”
Cindy stopped cold.
“Now, tell me that you love me, too,” Dalia continued and paused. “Go ahead, say it. I need to hear you answer me, or I won’t be able to sleep all night long. ”
Who was this person? Had she completely lost her mind? Cindy felt as if she barely knew her.
Cindy turned and fled through the hall, and out the front door. She had to leave the house, and clear her head, and decide if she wanted to keep working for her at all.
CHAPTER 16