Riva took her drink with her as the three of them walked to a table in the rear. Fortunately, it was still early and the back of the place was relatively quiet.
As Cindy watched Riva sway her hips and glide to the back table, Cindy kept wracking her brain to remember where she’d seen the bracelet Riva wore.
After they were seated, Riva still focused exclusively on Mattheus. “Shoot,” Riva said “Ask me any questions you have.”
“You knew Kate well?” Mattheus started.
Riva shrugged. “I knew her a long time,” she answered. “Not that well. We traveled in different circles.”
“How about Sean?” Mattheus continued.
Riva sighed and looked at Cindy out of the corner of her eye, uneasy.
“Sean and I were an item,” Riva started, “at least I thought so.”
“What do you mean an item?” Cindy couldn’t help asking.
“We had it going,” Riva said flippantly. “It was nice between us, great chemistry.”
“I heard Sean was Kate’s boyfriend for a long time,” Cindy commented.
“Yeah, he was,” Riva crossed her legs and picked up her drink. “When they broke up, Sean and I got together.”
“They broke up a lot, didn’t they?” asked Mattheus.
“From time to time,” said Riva.
“I heard they were about to get engaged,” Cindy broke in.
“You always hear all kinds of things about them,” Riva shot back. “They’re together, apart, in love, in hate, getting engaged, getting separated for life.”
“When were they in hate?” asked Mattheus, excited to hear that.
“When they broke up, when it was over and done, Sean would tell me how relieved he was, that Kate was a huge drag on him.”
“How so?” asked Cindy, fascinated.
“Kate was fancy, demanding, used to having every little thing her heart desired. It became a big strain on Sean.”
“Maybe he didn’t want to give her everything her heart desired?” said Mattheus
Riva smiled at him, “Maybe not. Why would he?”
“Did Kate tell Sean he didn’t give enough to her?” asked Cindy.
“Not in so many words,” said Riva. “But there’s all kinds of ways of making a person feel lousy. Sean always felt much better about himself when he and Kate were broken up. I was much better for him, ask anyone. He was a different guy when he was with me. He laughed more, stopped fighting so much.”
So why was he about to become engaged to her?” Cindy probed. She didn’t like Riva or trust her for a second.
“I didn’t hear that until recently,” Riva said to Cindy then, in a smaller tone. “After Kate met Clay, I really thought that Sean and I would be finally together.”
“It didn’t work that way, though, did it?” asked Cindy.
“No, it didn’t, but so what?” Riva said, flipping her hand up and tossing her hair back over her shoulders. As she did her amber bracelet tossed up in front of Cindy again.
“That’s quite a bracelet you have there,” Cindy commented.
“Something wrong with my bracelet now?” Riva asked, rolling her eyes and looking to Mattheus for help.
“Nothing wrong at all,” said Cindy, “it’s beautiful.”
“Thanks,” said Riva, smiling.
Then it hit Cindy hard, like a flash from nowhere. That was the bracelet Kate wore at dinner that night in the hotel. Cindy had noticed it then as well.
Riva put her wrist down then, as if to hide it.
“That’s Kate’s bracelet, isn’t it?” Cindy said flippantly.
Riva stared at Cindy unabashed. “No, it’s mine now.”
“Now?” asked Cindy.
“Sean gave it to me,” Riva uttered.
Cindy and Mattheus stared at each other in shock.
“How did Sean get Kate’s bracelet?” asked Mattheus.
“I have no idea,” said Riva, “I didn’t ask him. I was just happy when he gave it to me.”
“You were happy to be wearing a dead girl’s bracelet?” Cindy asked, horrified.
“Sean gave it to me, it was mine, now,” Riva’s voice got louder.
“So, you had her guy and her bracelet,” Cindy flung back at her.
“Clay was Kate’s guy,” said Riva, growing more nervous. “Didn’t you see on her Facebook page? They’d gotten engaged.”
“Accessory to a crime and you go to jail too,” Mattheus broke in, somberly.
“I didn’t do anything to go to jail for,” Riva’s voice grew teary and scared.
“If Sean took this bracelet from Kate, it means he was with her when she died,” Mattheus said in a no nonsense manner. “You knew he was with her that night, didn’t you?”
Riva began shaking. “No, I didn’t, I swear it. I knew he was upset and needed to see Kate just one more time. That’s what he told me. He said he was going to talk to her. When he came back he said he couldn’t get into her room.”
“So, how’d he get the bracelet?” Mattheus demanded.
“I have no idea about that,” said Riva, trembling, “truly I don’t.”