“Did you think it was an engagement present for you from Sean?” asked Cindy.
“No, I didn’t,” Riva practically spit out. “I’m not that stupid. Yeah, I thought Sean loved me for a long time and that we’d be together someday. He told me that and I believed him. But when I saw how crazy it made him to lose Kate, I realized it wasn’t true. He couldn’t stand being away from her for a long time - let alone forever. He was so furious when he heard Kate found someone else that I told him to go talk to her Uncle Carl. Carl was the only one who could influence Kate. Believe it or not, I tried to help Sean and Kate get back together.”
“You loved him that much?” said Mattheus.
“I don’t know anymore,” Riva’s mouth pursed shut. “The more I think about it, the more mad I get.”
“What happened when Sean went to see Kate’s Uncle Carl?” asked Cindy, wanting to stay on track.
“Carl told Sean that Kate was going down to Aruba with a guy named Clay. It was over between them. That was the first time Kate had ever been with another guy. It flipped Sean out. It was mean of Carl to tell him that.”
“You knew that Carl hated Sean though, didn’t you?” asked Cindy. “Didn’t you realize he’d tell Sean to back off?”
Riva looked furious. “Sean didn’t deserve to be treated that way by Carl. Who the hell did Carl think he was? Always getting between Sean and Kate, always making Sean feel like dirt. And stupid Kate always listened to her Uncle. It was all pathetic if you asked me.”
“Pathetic or not, it upset Sean a lot, didn’t it?” asked Mattheus.
“That’s putting it mildly,” said Riva. “Sean begged me to come down to Aruba with him so he could stick it to her.”
“He wanted to upset Kate by having her meet you?” asked Cindy.
“He wanted to even things out,” said Riva, “regain his lost pride.”
“Why did you agree to go if you knew he didn’t love you?” asked Mattheus.
“I just did,” said Riva. “He and I were friends at least. You do things like this for your friends when they’re hurting. But I didn’t really want to go, I felt trouble coming. Believe me, I never thought it would come to this.”
“To someone killing Kate?” asked Cindy.
Riva’s eyes opened, terrified. “I thought police were saying suicide? Did they prove someone killed her?”
“Pretty close to proving it,” said Mattheus.
Kate put her hands over her face. “I’m sorry, it’s awful. It’s terrible.”
“And you’re wearing her bracelet,” Cindy repeated.
“So, what does that mean?” asked Riva, trembling now.
“You’re implicated,” said Mattheus.
“But I didn’t do a thing, nothing,” Riva’s body was shaking harder now. “I’ll talk to the police about Sean, if you want me to. I’ll tell them he was out of control at the end.”
“You’ll turn on him, just like that?” said Cindy.
“I’m not turning on anyone,” Riva insisted, “I’m just telling the truth.”
CHAPTER 17
Mattheus called the news in to the police immediately. As soon as they heard that Riva was wearing Kate’s bracelet, and that she got it from Sean, they had enough to arrest him. It was the final piece of evidence they needed.
“They’re arresting him,” Mattheus said to Cindy as he hung up the phone. “That does it. Case is closed.”
“Just based on a bracelet?” asked Cindy, startled.
“Not just a bracelet,” Mattheus was annoyed. “It was Kate’s bracelet. Obviously Sean took it from her. That places him with her on the night of her death. Then, after the creep took it from Kate, he gave it to his girlfriend. What’s worse than that?”
“Not good,” Cindy agreed.
“Well, it’s good for someone,” said Mattheus. “At least Clay and his family will be off the hook and allowed to return home.”
Cindy felt a wave of uneasiness wash over her at the thought of it. She didn’t want them to leave yet. Not any of them. She felt unsettled.
“When will they go?” she asked, petulantly.
“The police said they’ll tell them they’re free to go,” said Mattheus, victorious. “My guess is they’ll leave tomorrow.”
Cindy grew pale and faced Mattheus directly. “You’re so sure about Sean? This is enough evidence to lock up a guy for life?”
“The bracelet and Riva testifying against him are a knockout punch,” said Mattheus. “You did a great job spotting that bracelet and recognizing where it came from.”
Cindy felt upset that she had.
“Come on,” said Mattheus, “let’s walk back to the hotel.”
Cindy and Mattheus started walking slowly. It was late afternoon, but had grown very cloudy and the winds that were really blowing up.
“Crazy weather for this time of year,” Cindy commented.
“Could be that storm about to hit,” said Mattheus. “I’ve got to go over to the police station to file a report on this. Why don’t you go back to the room and check the news on TV. I’ll catch up with you there, later.”
“Fine,” said Cindy, relieved to have some time alone to think about what to do next.