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

“Nothing to be sorry about,” Loretta quickly backtracked. “We ended up having a good marriage anyway because we gave each other lots of space.”


Cindy quickly wondered how much space Loretta and Pete had to give each other? “A lot of space?” asked Cindy.

Loretta laughed at Cindy’s tone. “Well, yes, I gave Pete tons and tons of space and he gave it to me. I was very busy with the boutique and he not only loved exotic travel, but worked down here on the island a lot. More and more as time went by, really.”

“Did that bother you?” asked Cindy.

“Sometimes,” Loretta mumbled, “that’s why we were buying a condo down here for the two of us. We needed more quality time together, I won’t hide that. But when Pete went away, I know he missed me.”

“How do you know that?” Cindy asked.

“He always brought me back the most beautiful bracelets,” she said, thrusting out her arm proudly, displaying a ruby bracelet she was wearing at the moment.

“It’s gorgeous,” said Cindy, impressed.

“Yes, it is,” said Loretta proudly, “and he got me a few like this one, one in amber and one in pearl. They all have my names engraved on the inside.”

“That must have made you very happy,” said Cindy.

“Of course it did,” Loretta tilted her head back. “It showed me how much he loved me.”

“So, there was no worries when he travelled then?” Cindy quickly picked up on it. You trusted him completely?”

“Definitely,” Loretta insisted, the wind blowing her hair around. “Pete swore to me that he would never make me ashamed. He swore it.”

Cindy shivered, thinking of what she knew about Pete’s life. Of course she could not mention it to Loretta right now, Loretta would feel Cindy was attacking her and see her once again as an enemy.

“How did you handle so much time alone?” Cindy asked instead.

“Well, if truth be told, a glass of wine now and then did wonders,” said Loretta.

“Now and then?” asked Cindy playfully, wondering if it were true that Loretta had developed a drinking problem.

“What else does one do on lonely nights?” Loretta mused. “A good marriage doesn’t mean everything’s perfect, that you’re together twenty four seven.”

“No, of course not,” Cindy went along. “You just have to learn how to deal with the times of loneliness, I guess.”

“Right, you got it!” agreed Loretta. “You have to learn how and I did. And then Pete would always return with those gifts, saying he loved me. And I trusted him completely.”

“No question about that,” Cindy echoed and Loretta seemed happy that Cindy understood.

The sound of the waterfalls became almost deafening then. As Cindy listened to them and watched the floods of water relentlessly pour to the ground, she was struck with great sadness for Loretta. Loretta seemed so helpless sitting there, hugging her arms around her knees, completely lost in her dream.

*

By the time Cindy and Loretta returned from the falls, evening was almost approaching and Loretta suddenly became listless and sad.

“I was supposed to have dinner with Angela tonight,” she said to Cindy, “but I’m tired now. I just want to go to bed. Will you fill in for me?”

“Of course,” said Cindy, delighted for the opportunity to talk to Loretta’s friend and find out more.

“Thanks,” said Loretta, “I appreciate that. I wouldn’t want to leave Angela stranded, and besides, she’s told me she’s looking forwarded to talking to you.”

“No problem at all,” said Cindy. “I’m looking forward to meeting Angela, as well.”





Chapter 18


Cindy met up with Angela at a little park in the center of town. By the time Cindy arrived, Angela was already waiting under a gazebo, near a water fountain. Fortunately, Cindy had seen her once before and knew who she was right away. To Cindy’s surprise, Angela seemed delighted when Cindy approached.

“Thanks so very much for meeting me,” Angela reached out and gave Cindy a quick hug. Angela was beautiful and bubbly, a true friend to Loretta’s, and seemed thrilled to have Cindy on board.

“Thank you for your time,” Cindy countered, liking Angela immediately.

“Isn’t it lovely here?” Angela pointed to the charming park. “When I first came down to the Dominican Republic Loretta and I came here often. Now, it’s harder to get her to leave her room. I’m so glad she went with you to the waterfalls.”

“Yes, so am I,” Cindy agreed, wondering if the reality of Loretta’s situation was finally dawning on her. “Sometimes reality sets and the person freezes,” Cindy commented. “It can become hard to do anything.”

“Absolutely,” Angela agreed, “I thought that from the beginning, wondered when Loretta would actually realize that Pete was gone.”