Death by Jealousy (Caribbean Murder #6)

“How is Vivien dealing with Allie’s disappearance?” Cindy asked methodically.

“She’s horrified,” said Laura. “The minute the news came, she wanted to go right home. The police wouldn’t let her though, they wouldn’t let anyone. Mac spent a lot of time with Vivien right afterwards, calming her down.”

“Mac, not Tad?” asked Cindy.

“Tad was busy with Peter, wouldn’t leave his side. It was natural for Mac to step in. He likes to play uncle to us all. He’s divorced and his wife and daughter live on the other side of the world. I heard he was quite the ladies’ man -.”

Cindy was fascinated, but decided not to pursue it now. She had to stay on track.

Laura started crying softly, leaned over, and began drawing circles in the sand.

“Allie,” she called out suddenly, “What happened to you? Where are you? Help us out here, please. Give us a sign!”

There was no sign from Allie though, just the sounds of the waves rushing in and out.

*

When Cindy and Laura got back up to the hotel lobby, the groomsmen were gone. Instead, Mac was sitting on the sofa waiting.

“I’m tired,” Laura said hastily as she saw him there. “I’m going up to my room now.”

“Fine,” said Cindy, “thank you so much.”

“Thank you,” said Laura and dashed off.

Mac stood up, smiled and motioned to Cindy to come and join him.

It felt good to be indoors and Cindy was glad to sit down for a moment.

“Can I order you a drink?” Mac asked immediately.

“No thanks,” said Cindy.

“How about dinner?”

“I appreciate that, but Mattheus and I usually have dinner together,” Cindy said. She was looking forward to going over the findings with Mattheus at dinner.

“When Mattheus returned from the police station he started interviewing the groomsmen,” Mac replied. “He’s in their rooms as we speak. It’s going to take a while. For all you know he’s eating with them, and you’re probably hungry.”

Cindy smiled, “I am,” she confessed. Mac had a wonderful, craggy strength about him. Being near him was comforting, like sitting near the jutties at the ocean.

“It’s impressive to see the way you’re handling the case,” Mac went on. “But you’ve got to stop and take a bite for yourself as well.”

It was odd having someone be concerned about her needs. It seemed like a long time since that had happened. Cindy felt looked after.

“I’ll have an appetizer, to take the edge off,” she agreed.

Mac motioned for the waiter and menus.

Cindy ordered soup and salad and Mac ordered crabs.

“You’re an incredibly beautiful woman,” Mac said bluntly, after they’d ordered. “It’s surprising to see you in this line of work.”

“I like what I do,” Cindy replied plainly, “I’m well suited to it.”

“I’m sure are, but there’s a story behind this,” Mac raised his eyebrows, as if waiting to hear more.

Cindy would not go there, though. “I’m here for Peter and Allie, their families and friends,” she replied. “At the moment, it’s your story I’m interested in.”

Mac put his head back and laughed. “I like that. You’re sharp.”

“You said you wanted to talk to me?” Cindy asked, staying on focus.

The soup came in a moment and smelled delicious and warm.

“Have some soup first,” Mac said gently, lifting it off the tray and handing it to her.

For an inexplicable moment, Cindy wanted to cry. She had no idea why, probably tired and shaken by the details of the case. She hadn’t had enough time between cases, to rest up, either.

“Soup good?” Mac asked softly.

“Delicious,” she said, drinking it quickly. “Thank you.”

Mac ate his crabs slowly. “I like you,” he said.

Cindy wondered what was coming next.

“And I don’t want you to go off in the wrong direction,” Mac continued, slowly.

For a second Cindy felt like a young girl in school, being guided by a teacher. Was he trying to make her feel she couldn’t handle things on her own, that she needed him? It was a tactic that would confuse her judgment.

“What’s the wrong direction in this case?” Cindy asked quickly, staying on point as she felt the warmth of his body beside her.

“I don’t know what these girls said to you,” Mac responded, “but you’ll be wasting your time if you focus on Allie’s relationship with Peter.”

“Where does the focus belong?” Cindy took him up on it.

They both stopped talking a moment and looked at each other. Mac’s beautiful eyes pierced hers deeply.

“Focus on me,” he said and smiled.

Cindy could not think for a moment.

“What about you should I focus on?” she finally said, trying to keep centered and clear minded.

“Run your information by me,” Mac continued. “Not only am I interested in what you discover, I can help you separate the wheat from the chaff. There’s a lot of loose wires at this wedding, little time bombs waiting to go off. Most of them mean nothing.”