Death by Jealousy (Caribbean Murder #6)

“Peter must have known about this,” Douglas started pacing back and forth.

Laura stood and faced him squarely. “No, he didn’t,” she called out sharply. “Allie hid it from him. He found out once, back in the states and made her promise not to do it. He didn’t want to be part of anything like that.”

“It’s pretty obvious when someone’s high,” Douglas stared her down.

“Peter didn’t pay attention to every little thing,” Laura exclaimed. “Allie told me that he had no idea at all that she was still using. That’s why I went with her to get them.”

“Come on,” Douglas was closing in on her, “you’re telling me that Peter didn’t smoke at all?”

“No, he didn’t” Laura said emphatically. “He’s uptight that way.”

“No one else in the wedding party smoked, ever?” Douglas was taunting her now.

“I don’t know about anyone else, but I know Peter didn’t,” Laura stood her ground.

Cindy stood up beside her now and confronted Douglas directly.

“That’s enough,” she said. “Laura is helping us out. I’m going to go down and speak to Carlos directly.”

“You’re not going alone,” Douglas pivoted towards her. “We’ll go with you.”

“I’ll do better if I go alone,” Cindy said, “Carlos is more likely to talk then.”

Mattheus stood up as well. “Cindy and I will go together,” he announced. “First we have to speak to Allie’s parents, and I need time to go through Peter’s company records. Then Cindy and I will drive down and talk to Carlos.”

“The company records have been audited by a forensic accountant,” Douglas announced curtly. “There’s no reason to look into them further at this point.”

“As you said, the case has turned a corner. We’ve got a body,” Mattheus said.

“You’ll have to get the okay to go through company records from Mac,” Douglas looked away.

Cindy wondered if Mac also had the police in his hand.

“Cindy can talk to Mac about it” said Mattheus. “I’m sure he’ll be happy to give her whatever she wants.”

Cindy wasn’t exactly sure how to take that, but before she had chance to wonder, Douglas reached for the phone.

“I’m having Allie’s parents come down to interrogation now,” he said.

Cindy objected. “I’d rather see them in their room. It will be too difficult for them to talk down here.”

“We need to hear every word they say,” Douglas insisted.

“I’ll report back to you,” Cindy said.

Douglas hesitated and scratched his face.

“That’s what we’re here for,” said Mattheus.

“Yeah, sure,” Douglas agreed, “I guess I can trust the two of you.”

Cindy turned fiercely and stared at him then.

“There’s no guessing about it. You can trust us with your life,” she proclaimed.





CHAPTER 12


Allie’s parents needed about half an hour to get ready to be interviewed and Cindy and

Mattheus decided to wait for them outside on the hotel Veranda. Small, colored lights that trimmed the wooden Veranda fence were on, bringing a soft glow to the evening.

Cindy and Mattheus sat down next to each other and Cindy put her head back on the tall, rattan chair. They’d been going since early morning and the news seemed to never end.

“You’re doing a fabulous job,” Mattheus said quietly.

“Thanks,” said Cindy, absent mindedly.

A compliment from him usually meant a lot, but right now it felt hollow. She went back over the past few hours in her mind, it had been one thing after another. Cindy felt a mixture of loneliness, fear and sorrow. She thought of the interview with Vivien and Tad, her strange encounter with Mac, the new information about Mattheus’s time with Vivien, the discovery of Allie’s body and news about drugs. Cindy felt discombobulated. It was way more than she could readily digest.

“Things will calm down soon,” said Mattheus, seemingly aware of her painful mood. “The investigation is on a whirlwind right now. They’re even speeding up the autopsy and we should have results in a little while.”

“What good will that do?” asked Cindy.

Mattheus was jarred. “What are you talking about? This is one of the most important parts of the investigation. A body doesn’t lie.”

Cindy wasn’t optimistic about it. “What exactly do you think they’re going to find?”

“My guess is that Allie was high when she went diving,” Mattheus replied, “her judgment was off, visibility was poor. When she and Peter got separated and she panicked. The rest is history.”

“The air gauge wasn’t recording the amount of air properly,” Cindy interjected. “It said full when it was almost empty. That had nothing to do with being high on drugs.”

“Who knows? That particular gauge could have been a faulty product. It happens once in a while. If you’re high on drugs, how can you cope with it?”

“Too much of a coincidence,” said Cindy.