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

Even though Cindy would have liked nothing more than to take a swim at the beach, she headed directly to the medical examiner’s office after she left the brothel. Fortunately, it was only a short cab ride away.

To her surprise the medical examiner, Andrew Grone, was ready for Cindy when she arrived. A balding, middle aged Caribbean man, dressed in white, he greeted her professionally and invited her into his small office.

“We have most of the results ready for you by now,” he started out.

Cindy sat down in his office opposite him. “An open and shut case?” she asked.

Andrew smiled wistfully. “Is that what the police told you?” he asked.

“Yes,” Cindy nodded. “They probably say that about most cases, right?”

“Well,” Andrew paused, “I wouldn’t put it that way exactly. But in this case they’ve got a lot of evidence. I can see why they’d say open and shut.”

“They’ve got her fingerprints all over him,” said Cindy.

“Right,” he replied.“ And her fingerprints on the knife.”

“Where were the wounds, exactly?” asked Cindy. “What exactly was the final cause of death? And, what time did he die?”

“Wow,” Andrew’s eyes opened wide, surprised. “You’re not taking anything for granted, are you?”

“Of course not,” said Cindy. “Everything has to line up in perfect order.”

“Don’t I know it,” Andrew’s voice dropped. “But most cases don’t line up in perfect order, do they? Not down here anyway. There’s always some strand left hanging that you can pick away at.”

Cindy was grateful for his comment. “But the police don’t pick through those strands, do they?” she asked.

Andrew leaned his elbows closer to Cindy on the desk. “Most of the time they don’t,” he conceded. “They’re satisfied with a preponderance of evidence. And sometimes they can smell the killer a mile away.”

“That’s where I come in,” Cindy smiled. She liked Andrew and respected his honesty. “I’m hired to explore at all possibilities.”





“You’re hired to see if someone else killed this guy?” asked Andrew.

“Absolutely,” said Cindy. “I’m also hired to see if there were drugs or poison in his body? Is there a way to tell if he’d ejaculated recently? Has that all been looked at?”

Andrew leaned a bit back. “There were some drugs in his system, recreational drugs. Nothing particularly significant. We didn’t check for poison, or to see if he’d ejaculated. His death was caused directly by repeated knife wounds he suffered to the neck. Mr. Twain bled out. Time of death was around two a.m.

It was strange hearing Pete suddenly referred to as Mr. Twain.

“The claim is that the prostitute stabbed him,” Cindy zeroed in. “Didn’t Mr. Twain scream out? How is it possible that no one heard him?”

“That’s not my purview,” Andrew stopped her questioning in midstream. “Good questions, though.”

“Have the police asked or answered these points?” asked Cindy.

“Look, I’m not here to defend the police,” said Andrew. “I’m just here to tell you about the condition of Peter Twain’s body. The time of death was around two a.m. The police were called about 6 a.m.”

“He was just left lying there bleeding?” Cindy was appalled. It didn’t make sense.

“The woman in custody, Charma, could have panicked and ran out before she realized the extent of his wounds. When she came back later, she found him,” said Andrew.

“Charma claims she didn’t do it,” Cindy repeated.

“You’ll have to take questions like that up with the police. All I can tell you is that the victim was repeatedly stabbed and died of his wounds,” Andrew really had nothing more to add.

“Can you check the contents of his body further?” asked Cindy.

“Not unless I get a request from the police,” Andrew began pushing himself back from his desk and then stood up, suddenly finished with the conversation. ”Thanks for coming and checking,” he said then before turning away. “You’re one tough gal, that’s for certain. This guy’s wife must mean business. She certainly found herself a great detective.”

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