Death by Seduction (Book #13 in the Caribbean Murder series)

After Cindy and Loretta spent a little more time together, Loretta went back to be with Angela, and Cindy went downstairs to the hotel lobby to meet Pete’s friend and colleague, Andy.

As Cindy sat in the lobby, she thought about what Loretta had said. It was strangely comforting to know that many couples wanted to call the wedding off at the last minute. It made Cindy feel better about herself for getting this far down the road with Mattheus. But, on the other hand, she had no intention of going back. Even though she missed him, it was freeing to be here taking the case on her own, made her feel strong and independent. Although she missed going over evidence together and hearing his views, Cindy also liked not having to check in with him about her choices.

Cindy sat drumming her hands on the edge of the sofa as she waited. Soon a lovely looking, suntanned man, dressed in slacks and a blue shirt, came walking towards her. It had to be Andy.

“Cindy?” he asked, stopping where she sat.

“Andy?” replied Cindy as they both smiled at exactly the same moment. “Please sit down.”

“You’re a doll for coming down here to help with this,” said Andy, sitting down beside her.

“I’m sorry about the loss of your colleague,” Cindy started.

“Not just my colleague, my friend,” Andy insisted. “Didn’t Loretta didn’t tell you that?” The smile left his face and his voice betrayed the pain he was feeling.

“Loretta said you and Pete were close,” Cindy corrected herself. “You knew him a long time?”

“Pete and I worked together for almost five years,” Andy remarked. “He came down here regularly. I run the division he worked in, live down here.”

Cindy liked Andy’s forthright manner. “What happened to Pete?” she asked directly. “How did he end up with Charma?”

Andy’s voice got caught in his throat. “Listen, it’s a nightmare,” he murmured. “Nobody knows how this happened.”

“Loretta’s convinced someone else killed him and dumped his body in the brothel,” Cindy reported.

“I heard that,” replied Andy. “But why would they do that? Why?”

“Did Pete spend time with prostitutes?” Cindy honed in directly.

“Look, he and I never talked about it,” said Andy. “I knew him as an upright guy.”

“You guys hung out together, he was down here alone a lot and he never said a thing?” Cindy asked.

Andy grew silent.

“What about the company you two work for?” Cindy asked then.

“What about us?” Andy was startled.

“Could that have something to do with what happened to Pete? I know you guys make financial investments. Were Pete’s accounts in order? Was he speculating on something dangerous?” asked Cindy.

“Absolutely not,” Andy was emphatic. “Our company’s above board about everything. You can come check the books, check the records. We speculate in real estate mostly, sometimes gold and precious jewels.”

“You’re aware of the real estate company Pete was buying the condo from?” Cindy continued.

“Yes, of course. We’ve helped fund other sales they’ve made,” replied Andy.

Cindy needed to get a grip on things, wanted to get right to the point. “Who would want Pete dead?” she demanded again.

“I have no idea, I really don’t,” exclaimed Andy. “Why not ask Pete’s brother, Taylor? He might know more. I heard he just got down here. He and Pete were close. Pete spoke to me about him many times.”

“What did he say?” asked Cindy.

“He said Taylor was the smartest guy around, but once he got an idea in his head he could never get rid of it. Taylor could be hard on everyone, but Pete loved him to death. He looked after him. I’d talk to Taylor if I were you. He’s your best bet.” said Andy.

“I will,” said Cindy making a mental note of it. “And what about the real estate company Pete was buying the condo from?”

“What about them?” It didn’t compute for Andy. “Why in hell would they want Pete dead? He was just buying a big, beautiful condo. Gave them a huge down payment, too, from what I heard.”

“Where did Pete get the money for the down payment?” Cindy was fishing for something, anything.

“Pete had plenty of money of his own,” Andy looked surprised. “He made great deals down here, was fantastic at flipping things quickly. Didn’t you know that?”

Loretta had said that but Cindy wasn’t sure. Loretta’s father told her something different, also said that he’d funded Loretta’s business completely.

“Pete made enough to put down that down payment on the condo?” Cindy asked.

“Hell, the guy could have bought ten condos,” answered Andy. “He could buy anything he wanted.”

“Did Loretta and her father know how successful Pete was?” Cindy plunged forward.

“I don’t know what they did or didn’t know,” Andy began growing restless.

Cindy swiftly changed gears, needed to hold Andy’s attention. “Did Pete love Loretta?” she asked.

Andy looked at Cindy lamely, “Now how would I know that?” he replied.