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

“Listen, you’re not gonna have to spend too much time down here,” Ron wanted to take the pressure off her. “We got the girl, Charma, in custody. Pete was a regular customer and we got her fingerprints all over him. We even got the knife she used to kill him. Case is open and shut.”


Cindy needed to push the envelope. “Pete’s wife denies that he ever visited a prostitute,” she declared..

“Yeah, yeah,” Ron looked weary. “What else is a wife supposed to say?”

“She means it,” Cindy pressed forward. “She said someone dumped her husband here and framed Charma.”

“Yeah? So, how come we got Charma’s fingerprints are all over her man?” Ron countered, looking at Cindy as if she were a child. “Believe me, there’s nothing much to investigate, honey. Just a pained wife wanting to remember her husband in a better way.”

“Why would Charma kill Pete? What does she say?” Cindy needed much more than what Ron was giving her.

At that Ron rolled his eyes back into his head. “Why is a question that has no answer down here. These things happen all the time, too much drugs, rough sex gone bad, a fight breaks out, a knife nearby in easy reach and another guy bites the dust. You take your life in your hands when come into these places. Nobody tells these guys that, but they do.”

Cindy could easily see that. “The women who work here live in this house?” Cindy wanted to know all about them.

“Yeah, in this place they do. In others they don’t,” Ron went on. “Sometimes guys come and take them out and return them when they’re done. Some go to hotels. In this place, most of the time the customers come here to see the ladies. It’s legal here, nothing to do about it. It’s not legal to be a pimp, but the rest of it is legal. You know that the Dominican Republic is one of the biggest destinations for sex tourism, didn’t you?”

Cindy didn’t actually know that.

“They got all kinds of hungry guys travelling down here for the thrill,” Ron went on.

“Do you have evidence that Pete was a regular customer?” The image of lots of hungry guys coming down to these places disturbed Cindy. For the moment she only wanted to focus on Pete.

At that Ron stopped, looked up and grinned at her again. “We don’t have any evidence that Pete was a regular customer, or that he ever saw Charma before,” he replied. “The girls here don’t exactly keep records. But it doesn’t matter, the physical evidence is all we need. The case is open and shut.”

“Does Charma know this? Did she confess?” Cindy asked anxiously.

“Nobody down here confesses,” he laughed. “Of course she claims she didn’t do it. What else is she supposed to say? And for all we know she doesn’t remember. These girls are on drugs most of the time.”

Cindy refused to buy into Ron’s confident, easy going attitude. “Did you test Charma for drugs, or for Pete’s semen?” Cindy kept probing.

“Nah, nothing like that,” Ron rubbed his head. “We didn’t need to.”

“Why not?” Cindy was horrified.

“I told you, we got her fingerprints all over the guy,” Ron repeated. “And we got the knife she used to stab him. What more do you want?”

“I want to speak to Charma,” Cindy replied, remembering, once again, how negligent the police could be down on the Islands, especially about protecting the life of a prostitute.

“Sure, go talk to Charma all you like,” Ron agreed. “But it won’t amount to a thing. First go check the medical examiner’s office and find out more about the dead husband. That’s a better way to use your time, if you asked me.”

Cindy suddenly realized that Ron was trying to be supportive. He was telling it as he saw it, trying to save Cindy heartache.

“Thanks Ron, thanks so much,” Cindy said appreciatively.

Ron looked surprised. “Thanks for what?”

“Thanks for being here, thanks for helping,” she said.

Ron seemed touched. “Sure, I’m here and I’ll help you. It’s a crazy thing for a lady to come down and work on this alone. I kind of remembering hearing about you, that you had some kind of partner, right?”

“Yes, C and M Investigations,” Cindy filled him in.

“So, where’s the M right now?” asked Ron.

“He’s busy somewhere else,” said Cindy.

“That’s a hell of a partner, if you asked me,” Ron was surprised. “Look, this place is crawling with drugs, bad money, and lies. If I were you, I’d spend a few days, and then let the police take over. Tell the wife the police are doing just fine. It’ll all work out in the long run.”

Cindy shook her head. “I can’t do that,” she replied. “A life was lost here and someone is on trial for it. I have to be sure exactly what happened.”

Ron took a step closer to Cindy. “Listen, this guy’s life was lost long before he ended up dead here. People come here every day with their lives lost. It’s only a matter of time what happens next.”

Cindy liked and respected Ron. “That’s a good way of putting it,” she replied.

“Well, thanks for the compliment,” Ron was pleased. “And do what I say. Don’t knock your head against a wall. Go to the beach. Enjoy a swim. Take it easy on yourself.”





Chapter 4