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

“Guys know how each another feel,” Cindy suggested.

“Hell, I can’t agree with that,” said Andy. “As far as I can see most guys don’t even know how they feel. It changes one minute to the next anyway, doesn’t it?”

Cindy appreciated Andy’s frankness, but she also felt he was holding something back.“Can we talk again later?” Cindy asked, sensing Andy growing restless.

“Why do we have to talk again later?” Andy looked perturbed. “I’ve told you everything I know.”

Cindy wanted to believe him, but didn’t. “I’ll need to check Pete’s accounts, look into the books, track the deals he made,” Cindy repeated. “Will that be alright with you?”

“Yeah, sure, it’s fine,” Andy heaved a loud sigh. “And look, I got to go now.”

“Absolutely,” said Cindy, standing along with Andy, as he reached out his hand to shake hers, in a quick good bye.





Chapter 8


“Did you like Andy? Was it a helpful conversation?” Loretta called a minute after Andy walked away.

“It was okay,” said Cindy, nondescriptly, not really wanting to share everything with Loretta yet. “How’s it going with Angela?”

“Fine, but tell me more about Andy,” Loretta seemed on edge.

“He had only good things to say about Pete,” Cindy reassured her. Cindy thought for a moment about speaking to Loretta about Pete’s financial status, but this wasn’t the time or way.

“That’s what I thought Andy would say,” Loretta seemed to quiet down. “There was nothing else to say about Pete, only good things. He was a fine, upstanding, upright guy. Who would want to put him down?”

“Who would want to take him down?” Cindy took the opportunity to ask again.

“What are you doing next?” Loretta asked quickly. “Checking out the real estate company?”

Cindy had no intention of giving Loretta a blow by blow description of her plans. “I’ll be talking to the real estate company soon,” she replied evasively.

“Thanks,” Loretta was relieved, “you’re doing a wonderful job. Why don’t you take off a little time and enjoy yourself. Go take a swim in the pool, or go to the beach. You’ll feel brand new afterwards.”

“That’s a great suggestion,” said Cindy, actually agreeing. “I might just take you up on it.”

Cindy decided to take up Loretta’s suggestion and go to the beach for an afternoon swim. Some time to herself would help her go over everything, see where she stood and what her next steps should be.

Before she left, Cindy checked her phone for messages, and to her distress, found another message from Mattheus waiting for her. This time it was a text:

I’m not your enemy, answer me! Whatever we decide, we can’t just leave ragged edges.

Cindy shut her phone off abruptly. She found the message Mattheus left jarring. She wasn’t the one who’d left ragged edges or ran away when things got tough. It was him. Responding to the text would just be a way of keeping things going. No answer was an answer in itself. This was definitely the time to get away for a swim, to clear her mind and unwind.

*

Cindy wanted to leave the main tourist spots far behind and chose a hidden beach that was part of an inlet at a craggy part of the island. The beach was surrounded by hills, rocks and an array of beautiful birds. As she stood on the rocky stand Cindy could even make out Iguanas creeping over distant rocks.

Cindy walked to the edge of the water and jumped in. It was invigorating to splash around in these murky waters, surrounded by raw nature. Cindy suddenly understood Pete’s desire for extreme adventure. It must have connected him with something primal inside himself that was missing in his life. Loretta was definitely the opposite. She was so put together and socially driven that once again Cindy wondered if Pete’s marriage was fundamentally out of kilter and unfulfilling? Could that be a reason he might have been driven to see someone like Charma?

Cindy swam fervently and then turned and floated on her back, looking up at the cloud covered, threatening sky. It was good being away from everyone and have a chance to think her own thoughts. Cindy didn’t yet have a real sense of Pete, only the idealized image of him Loretta clung to. Her talk with Andy hadn’t fill in the gaps, either. He’d also stayed on the periphery, unwilling to go deeper. Cindy was eager to meet Taylor, Pete’s brother.