Death by Jealousy (Caribbean Murder #6)

“Hopefully, people move on,” said Cindy.

“Peter and Vivien moved on,” said Mac definitively. “They became friends. I wonder why Mattheus didn’t fill you in on all this? He’s had plenty of time to find out about Vivien. The two of them have talked for hours out here at the pool.”

Cindy felt stunned and flustered. Mattheus hadn’t said a word to her about having spent hours interviewing Vivien at the pool. He had said she was beautiful, though.

“Look,” Mac’s voice became matter of fact, “all guys find Vivien irresistible. She’s not a woman who’s going to be alone.”

“Is she dating someone else?” Cindy needed to know more.

“She and Tad have been dating for a while now,” Mac answered.

Cindy slowed down and took it in. Tad had told her that he and Vivien weren’t close.

“Vivien’s a woman who likes men,” Mac continued.

“Promiscuous?” asked Cindy.

“That’s judgmental,” said Mac, pursing his lips.

“It’s important to call something what it is,” Cindy insisted.

“Why call it promiscuous, then?” Mac looked right at her. “Why not call it daring and free? Why not say that Vivien refuses to let herself be tied into a narrow lifestyle that would confine her?”

Mac was playing with Cindy’s mind, creating alternative realities that would take her off track. But Cindy had a more important question for him to answer than whether or not Vivien was promiscuous or not.

“I have a bigger question for you to answer now,” said Cindy, taking back her train of thought. “It’s not about Vivien’s lifestyle, but why someone refused to let Allie live a life of any kind? To answer that question I need to be stone, cold, clear.”

Mac stopped and listened. “You’re tougher than you look,” he said.

“I have a job to do here,” said Cindy.

“I respect that,” Mac replied.

“Thank you,” said Cindy, “I respect you, too.”

Mac seemed taken off guard. “Respect me? Why?”

Cindy felt his warm breath on her face now. For a second, she flinched, feeling he was going to pull her into his arms. The two of them stood there unmoving though, neither of them taking an action of any kind.

“Why isn’t Mattheus right for me?” Cindy finally asked in a throaty tone.

“The guy’s got a short fuse that’s dangerous,” Mac answered directly. “You can do much better than him.”

Cindy felt upset having this conversation, but also wanted to hear more. She wondered again if something negative had happened between Mac and Mattheus.

“Did Mattheus contact you for access to Peter’s emails?” Cindy asked.

“Yes, he did,” said Mac. “I gave him very limited access to one particular, personal email account of Peter’s. He could have gotten it from the police as well.”

“How about the others?” Cindy quickly asked.

“Those are our personal banking accounts. Highly confidential. You’ve got to practically get a court order to get them released. This case doesn’t warrant it. There’s no reason for it.”

“Doesn’t warrant it?” Cindy was surprised.

“Of course we have to do everything we can to find out what happened to Allie, but what I mean is that nothing points to our company. There’s no reason to open our records and files. We’re known for our high integrity and service.” Mac had a way about him that made you trust him, forget the details you were concerned with.

“I’d like to see the office Peter worked in though” said Cindy, “speak to some of the guys he worked with.”

“There’s no problem with that. I’ll take you there myself,” Mac smiled.

Cindy recoiled, “How about Mattheus joining us?”

“Really stuck on that guy, aren’t you?” asked Mac.

“We’re partners,” Cindy repeated.

“For now, anyway,” Mac replied.





CHAPTER 11


The intensity of the wind had grown much stronger and it didn’t make sense to stay outside. Just as Cindy and Mac turned to go into the hotel, their cell phones started ringing at the very same moment. They both picked up.

The first thing Cindy heard was Mattheus yelling, his voice so garbled it was hard to make out his words.

“What’s the matter? What’s wrong?” Cindy asked immediately.

“We have it, we have it!” Mattheus shouted.

“Have what?”

“The body’s turned up! “ Mattheus’s voice grew strident.

“The body?” gasped Cindy, “when?”

“Where?” Mac shouted into his phone then.

“They’ve found Allie washed up on the shore,” Mattheus went on heatedly. “The winds and tides washed her in. Some dancers at the festival found her leg protruding out from under a tree.”

Cindy cringed as she pictured the scene, Allie washed up, like a rag, under a tree. A wave of nausea flooded over her.

“She was badly mangled. It’s a mess.” Mattheus went on.

“My God,” Mac yelled back into his phone.