“You want another detail?” Brayton was joining in. “We found out that Kendra bought an incredibly expensive ruby necklace, about a week before the murder. And what happened to it? You can’t find the piece anywhere in the house. When we showed her the receipt for the sale, she swore she put the necklace in her house safe. When we opened it, there’s nothing there. She said she had no idea what happened to it. And why’d she even buy it for? She wouldn’t tell us. It doesn’t add up. None of it does.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Mattheus agreed.
“It’s all circumstantial,” said Cindy. “So far I haven’t heard any direct link between Kendra and the murder. Do you have any evidence or DNA?”
Nojo stood up at that, and hovered over Cindy. “We put plenty of criminals down on this island, with less circumstantial evidence than this.”
Cindy shivered.
“You got some better ideas?” Nojo’s tone was becoming threatening.
Mattheus stood up between them. “We’ve been called down here to investigate,” he said. “We’ve got to look at everything.”
“Like what?” Nojo’s eyes narrowed into slits again.
“Paul was a criminal lawyer,” Cindy spoke up. “Was there someone he defended who might have had a grudge against him? A case he lost? Someone who got sent to jail?”
“That’s a good point,” said Mattheus.
“Nah,” said Nojo, “this guy knew what he was doing. He had a great reputation. His clients loved him.”
“But someone might not have,” said Cindy. “Did you check any cases he lost? The person might have felt ripped off. Might have spent time sitting in jail dreaming of revenge?”
“I hate it when women think they know everything,” Nojo muttered under his breath.
Brayton bit his lower lip. “Not a bad idea,” he seemed a little embarrassed not to have thought of it himself. “Okay, we’ll look into it.”
“I’ll give you a hand with that,” said Mattheus.
Brayton looked up at him, grateful. “This guy you got here,” he said to Cindy, “is a good guy.”
“I’ll second that,” said Nojo.
Cindy felt at a loss as to what to say. She didn’t have Mattheus, they worked together.
Mattheus stepped in easily, to smooth everything out. “We’re business partners,” he said to the guys. “And I’m equally lucky. Cindy’s a terrific partner.”
Cindy felt grateful, but uneasy as well. She’d stumbled into a male world here that had no room for her. That’s fine, she thought. Mattheus will handle this part, and I’ll take on other aspects of this crime. There’s more than enough to go around.
“Before we check in to our hotel,” Mattheus said, “We’d like to look over the crime scene.”
“No need for it,” said Nojo, haltingly. “It’s been combed back and forth. The guy was found lying in a pool of blood. Medical examiner found stab marks all over his body. Lots of them.”
Cindy closed her eyes. Just the thought of it made her feel woozy.
“What’s wrong sweetheart?” Nojo laughed. “We haven’t found the weapon yet. But, when there’s that many stab marks it’s a crime of passion. The person who did it hated his guts.”
“Let them look,” Brayton broke in. “Another pair of eyes can see something else.”
“Great,” said Mattheus. “Tell us how to get to there and gain access.”
“You got it,” said Brayton, obviously happy to have Mattheus on the team. “But don’t let the little lady go down there alone. You can never tell who’s lurking around. That place has a way of attracting dangerous scum and buzzards, especially after dark.”
CHAPTER 4
There was about an hour left of light in the day, enough for them to familiarize themselves with the crime scene. Even though it was no longer cordoned off, Mattheus wanted to inspect every inch of it.
“The crime scene is always the richest source of information,” he said to Cindy as they walked there along the streets that were bursting with people, life, color and smells. They passed by open shopping stalls that lined the streets, buyers displaying their wares; fruits, jams, nuts, paintings, straw hats, scarves, clothes hanging out, waving slightly in the breeze. The area had something of the feel of a carnival, but with naturalness about it. Some tourists stood around inspecting the goods, others bargained for the best prices. Life was lived there, wide open for all to see. There were ample stores filled with everything from T shirts to crafts to luxury items that lured you in. Charlotte Amalie, long the center of commerce, offers more than just shopping opportunities. The history of the island could be seen in its stores that used to be warehouses or merchant’s homes, centuries ago.
“This island used to be controlled by the Danish,” said Mattheus. “If we took a short walk, we’d end up in Fort Christian, that used to be a military construction that’s been converted to a museum where you can learn all about the island’s history and culture.”