Death by Seduction Read online

  “So, you and that guy Eric got something going?” Mattheus couldn’t help but ask.

  “Yes, we do. We’re working on this case together,” Cindy answered plainly. “That’s what we have going. Nothing else.”

  “Nothing else, really?” Mattheus continued. “I saw how he was looking at you.”

  “Lots of guys might look at me that way, Mattheus, but it doesn’t mean a thing to me. If you’re going to lose sleep about it, so be it.” Cindy was sick of his suspiciousness.

  “I’m not going to lose a second of sleep about it,” Mattheus suddenly laughed.

  “It’s crazy to think that way,” Cindy couldn’t help but continue. “Especially if we decide

  not to go on with our relationship.”

  “We haven’t decided that, have we though?” asked Mattheus.

  Tears suddenly filled Cindy’s eyes and began to stream down her face. “I don’t know,” she said sorrowfully, “I’m not sure.”

  “Cindy!” Mattheus turned her to him and put his hands on her face. “You’re crying.”

  The tears just kept falling all by themselves.

  “God, I’m sorry, so sorry,” Mattheus kept repeating. “I’m a fool, a jerk, I’ve hurt you so much.”

  “That doesn’t work,” Cindy finally answered. “It’s not enough to say you’re sorry if you just keep repeating the patterns again and again.”

  “If we keep repeating the patterns,” Mattheus corrected her. “And we’re going to break through those patterns, I promise,” he was insistent.

  “When, Mattheus?” Cindy answered, “How?”

  Mattheus said nothing as the taxi pulled up to the front of the hotel.

  “Will you come into the lounge with me and talk things over?” Mattheus asked as they got out of the cab.

  “No, I won’t, not now,” Cindy responded, “it’s late, I’m too tired. And I’m also shocked to suddenly see you here.”

  “When will you?” asked Mattheus intensely.

  “When the time is right we’ll both know,” Cindy replied.

  Chapter 21

  Cindy went to her room and immediately, threw off her shoes, tossed her bag on the couch. Then she ran to the window and looked out at the dark sky which spread out blindly without the trace of any stars. As she stood and looked at the sky, the entire evening rose up before her, her strange dinner with Eric and then the sudden appearance of Mattheus. Cindy thought she should have been shocked when she saw Mattheus, and she was. But at the same time it seemed as if he’d never left. She didn’t know what to make of it.

  Cindy was also upset about her time with Eric and his professed feelings for her. She’d grown to like and respect him and didn’t want to hurt him. But also it became more and more clear as the evening went on, that Eric was also completely enmeshed with Charma. So, what could his feelings for Cindy possibly mean? Nothing, just another fantasy he was clinging to. It distressed Cindy to see a man of Eric’s stature in the grip of such emotional confusion.

  As Cindy reviewed the evening, oddly enough none of what had happened seemed unexpected. The primal rhythms of the Dominican Republic made whatever happened, no matter how outlandish, seem completely normal.

  Cindy knew that the first thing tomorrow morning, she’d have to talk to Loretta and confront her with the new information. It was crucial to find out why Loretta had said Pete had left the down payment, when in fact she had? The discussion wouldn’t be pretty or pleasant, but there was no choice but to have it. It was time to get the full truth out. It might even help keep Taylor safe.

  There was definitely too much to go over for one night and Cindy knew the best thing now would be to take a warm bath, go to sleep, and let the next day bring fresh insights. Cindy jumped into a hot bath to calm herself, and then went to bed quickly.

  Before long Cindy fell into a fitful sleep that lasted all night along. Strange dreams of Clint emerged once again, as they usually did when Cindy found herself at a cross road. Clint was standing there, watching over her, smiling warmly. The dream was so intense that at one point Cindy suddenly awakened. It was only a dream, she assured herself. Clint had died on their honeymoon. Seeing him so vividly in the dream was only her wish to have him back. But, he’d been gone a while, and Cindy was with Mattheus now, she reminded herself. Or was she? Cindy rain her hands through her hair, fell back down on the bed and tried to fall back to sleep.

  When morning came, Cindy rose at the first glimmer of light. There was a lot to do and she was eager to get going. She and Mattheus hadn’t made any plans to see each other that day and Cindy was glad of that as well. She was going to keep to her schedule as though nothing had changed. Obviously, Mattheus was busy working with the police, who were glad he was here, had welcomed him with open arms.

  Cindy ordered a quick breakfast in the room and when she finished the pot of hot coffee, called Loretta. She decided to act cheerful over the phone so as not to scare Loretta away.

  “I need to come over and speak to you for a few minutes,” Cindy remarked when Loretta picked up.

  Loretta’s voice, on the other hand, sounded heavy and slurred. “When?” she murmured.

  “Now?” Cindy replied.

  “Now?” Loretta was disconcerted. “I just barely got up.”

  “Half an hour then?” asked Cindy, wanting to give Loretta a little to get ready.

  “Fine,” Loretta said grudgingly. “What’s it about anyway?”

  “I’ll tell you when I get there,” Cindy answered.

  *

  Cindy hadn’t been in Loretta’s room for a while so she was taken aback when she walked into tremendous disarray. The room smelled stale and musty, clothes were strewn all over the floor and empty bottles of wine stood around.

  Loretta was sprawled out on the coach. She’d left the door open and hadn’t bothered to get up when Cindy walked in. As Cindy looked around she realized that clearly the reality of Pete’s death had been taking its toll on Loretta, turning her world upside down.

  “Come in, sit down,” Loretta mumbled, her head underneath a decorative pillow.

  Cindy made her way through the messy room and sat down at the edge of the couch.“Rough night?” Cindy asked softly.

  “Very,” Loretta mumbled. “And each night is getting rougher.”

  Cindy put her hand on Loretta’s arm to comfort her. “This is going to take time,” she said softly.

  Loretta pushed the pillow off her face. “Well, I got all the time in the world now, don’t I?” she responded, her eyes swollen and blurry. She blinked a few times then, trying to look at Cindy clearly. “Okay, so what’s all this about, first thing in the morning? You found Pete’s killer all of a sudden?”

  “Almost,” Cindy replied quietly.

  At that Loretta pulled herself up. “What do you mean almost?”

  “You can help me with the last few steps,” Cindy answered swiftly.

  The blurriness in Loretta’s eyes started to vanish. “How?” she demanded.

  Cindy decided to get to the main point immediately. “I heard that Pete never gave Val the down payment for the condo,” she said.

  Loretta suddenly looked frightened, like a deer caught in the brush. “What are you talking about?” she asked.

  “I heard that you gave a hundred thousand dollars deposit to someone else at the real estate company, Lou Gran,” Cindy spoke with no emotion. “that’s why Val couldn’t find a record of anything from Pete.”

  Loretta shook her head back and forth a few times. “Wait a minute, say that again,” she muttered, as if she were unable to believe what she was hearing.

  “You gave Lou Gran the deposit, Loretta. Why didn’t you tell me that?” Cindy asked.

  “Are you crazy or something?” Loretta’s eyes flashed open, “coming in here first thing in the morning and handing me junk like that? Where’d you get those lies from?”

  “The police have proof of it,” Cindy stretched the truth a moment to see where it would lea
d.

  “What kind of proof?” Loretta’s hands twisted together. “I never gave any money to Lou Gran, so there couldn’t be any proof. I hardly know the guy. I only saw him once or twice in passing. What are they trying to do now? Frame me?”

  “Of course they’re not framing you,” Cindy was quick to assure her.

  “I told you Pete had plenty of money and he was buying the condo for him and me! You don’t believe me now?” Loretta was back on her game. “You don’t think he loved me?”

  “Of course Pete loved you. It’s not that I don’t believe you,” Cindy replied, “it’s that we have new information.”

  “You don’t have anything,” Loretta flashed back, “just a pack of lies. And how come you believe them, instead of me? That hurts, Cindy, it really does. We’ve been friends since college, not you and the police.”

  “Did your father give you one hundred thousand dollars, Loretta?” Cindy didn’t want to get distracted.

  “Of course not, why would he do that?” Loretta’s eyes flashed fire. “You think Pete couldn’t support me? You think I needed my father for that?”

  Either Loretta was totally in a fantasy world, or she was lying point blank, thought Cindy.“Whatever goes on between me and my father is none of your business anyway,” Loretta exclaimed, growing more irate as she thought about it. “It’s nobody’s business. He’s my father and he has the right to give me whatever he wants.”

  “Of course he does. No one said he doesn’t,” Cindy tried hard to get back to her good side. “I’m on your side with that completely.”

  Loretta’s back arched suddenly like a frightened cat. “No, you’re not. You’re not on my side at all,” she said suddenly. “I thought you were my friend and you aren’t. For all I know Taylor told you those lies and you’re in cahoots with him now.”

  “I’m not in cahoots with anyone,” Cindy tried to defend herself, “and did you know Taylor was threatened? Had to go into hiding?”

  “Let him hide all he wants, I couldn’t care less,” Loretta exclaimed, “he’s crazy, he’s paranoid, everything terrifies him.” Then she rushed to the phone and quickly dialed. “Get over here right away, Angela,” she screamed into the phone. “Right away, right away. And, you get out of here,” she said to Cindy.

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Cindy said softly.

  “You refuse to obey my orders?” Loretta started to shout. “You refuse to leave when I ask you?” Loretta then dove back down on the couch then and buried her head back inside the cushions. “We’ll see what the police think about that,” she threatened.

  Cindy watched Loretta curl up into a ball and stay that way until Angela burst open the door and flew into the room.

  “What’s wrong? What’s going on?” Angela exclaimed, the moment she came in.

  Loretta jumped up from the couch immediately and ran over to her. “Cindy’s after me, she’s threatening me with all kinds of lies. Help me, you have to help me.”

  “What are you talking about?” Angela looked astonished.

  “Cindy came in here and accused me of lying to her,” Loretta started to moan.

  “That’s not true,” Cindy broke in. “I came in here with a few questions, just needed more information.”

  Loretta turned and glared at Cindy, “Well, you’re not getting another thing from me.”

  “It’s okay, it’s okay,” Angela patted Loretta’s shoulders, trying to calm her down. “Cindy’s not a bad person, she tries to do what’s right.”

  “She’s bad,” Loretta insisted. “I want her to leave. Tell her to get off the island immediately.”

  Angela looked distraught. “Okay, calm down. You go into the other room and lay down,” she said to Loretta, “and I’ll tell Cindy to go.”

  “You’ll get her out of my life?” Loretta pleaded as Angela led her shaky, half drunken friend into the adjoining bedroom to lay down and rest.

  Cindy closed her eyes, horrified by the way Loretta had become unraveled. It was probably the drinking that had done it, Cindy decided as she waited patiently for Angela to return and find out more.

  In what seemed like a long while, Angela returned, looking grim.

  “Is Loretta okay?” Cindy walked over to her quickly. “Is she hung over? What?”

  “I don’t know exactly what you said, but you’ve upset her deeply,” Angela did not meet Cindy’s eyes. “She’s taken a lot of steps backwards again.”

  “That was not my intention,” Cindy was surprised by Angela’s reaction.

  “Loretta said you’ve been filled with lies, and that you believe them,” Angela was disturbed. “Is that so?”

  “I’ve discovered new information,” Cindy responded, “and I needed to talk to Loretta about it. I’m here on an investigation.”

  “The truth comes out all by itself,” Angela said in a strange tone, “and when it does it takes care of everything.”

  “Yes, the truth takes care of everything,” agreed Cindy. “But it doesn’t come out all by itself, not unless there’s someone there digging. And someone willing to face the facts.”

  “But you know you have to be careful about what you say to Loretta!” Angela grew frustrated. “We’re working so hard to stabilize her and she’s drinking more than ever now.”

  “I’m sorry about that,” said Cindy.

  “And even so, you barged in here and upset her anyway,” Angela wasn’t budging, determined to protect her friend.

  “I didn’t exactly barge in, I called Loretta first,” Cindy defended herself.

  “You know what I mean, though,” Angela’s face hardened. “You forced her to face things she was not ready to face.”

  “Like what?” Cindy grew angry. “That Loretta gave the real estate company the down payment and Pete never did?”

  “I don’t know anything about that,” Angela backed off.

  “Loretta lied to me, she told me Pete left the down payment,” Cindy wanted to shake Angela from her complacency as well.

  “It wasn’t a lie, it was the way Loretta sees things. We both know that. We’ve talked about it, haven’t we?” asked Angela irate. “Loretta can’t face reality always. She makes up things in her mind and sticks to them.”

  “Loretta runs a successful business,” Cindy flung back. “There are plenty of things she has to face.”

  “I agree with Loretta, you should go now,” Angela said. “Your services are no longer required. Leave the Dominican Republic as soon as you can.”

  Cindy was stunned by Angela’s response. She was in complete compliance with Loretta, unwilling herself to look the truth in the eye.

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Cindy flatly refused. “There’s been a murder committed, a potentially innocent woman is being held for it. As of now the killer is on the loose. It’s my duty to find the truth.”

  “Loretta said your services are no longer required,” Angela repeated blindly. “If you don’t leave on your own, she’ll call her father. In fact, she’s probably speaking to him on the phone right now.”

  “And what’s Henry going to do to me? Throw me out?” Cindy felt irate by the suggestion.

  “I never saw this side of you, Cindy,” Angela’s lips began quivering. “But it’s obvious to me now that Loretta is right. You came down here to help her, and you’ve turned against her. You’ve become her enemy, now.”

  Cindy felt both hurt and furious at the same time. “I’m not anyone’s enemy, Angela,” she insisted. “Not unless they’ve done something wrong.”

  “See that, deep in your heart you’re blaming Loretta,” Angela repeated. “You have no idea how to forgive.”

  “I’m not blaming anyone, I’m just looking for answers,” Cindy insisted, “and what exactly is it I have to forgive?”

  “Forgive Loretta for her blindness, for the terrible pain she’s been living with,” Angela whispered in a soft tone, suddenly. “You’ll make things easier for her if you forgive.”

  “It’s not up to
me to forgive her for that,” Cindy answered, directly. “I feel badly about it, I wish she weren’t suffering, but the way out of it is for her to face the truth.”

  “That may be the way for some, but not everyone, ”Angela began breathing quickly. “Some of us can’t take it. It’s just too much.”

  *

  Cindy left her meeting with Loretta and Angela completely rattled. Loretta was sicker than Cindy had realized. But that did not eliminate Cindy’s need to find out why she gave Lou Gran the hundred thousand. For a moment, Cindy suddenly wanted to call Mattheus and talk it over with him. But she stopped herself, thought better of it. She didn’t want to just step back into their relationship as if nothing had happened. They needed time to talk things over, find a new way to go forward if they decided to do so.

  Instead, to her surprise, Cindy decided to call Eric. He’d been on the case with her step by step up and she wanted to tell him what had happened.

  To Cindy’s delight the moment she called, Eric picked up. “I’m so relieved to hear from you,” he said without hesitation.

  “I want to fill you in on what’s happening,” Cindy answered in a shaky tone.

  “What’s wrong?” Eric asked immediately.

  “I just went to see Loretta,” Cindy went on breathlessly, “I wanted to ask about her being the one to leave the deposit on the condo. Not only did she tell me it was all lies, she got furious and discharged me. She told me to get out of the Dominican Republic immediately.”

  “You’re not going anywhere,” said Eric emphatically. “You’re on the case and if any problem arises, just say you’re working for me.”

  “Thank you,” said Cindy quietly.

  “I had no idea this dame was such a nut,” Eric then continued.

  “She’s not a nut,” Cindy wanted to defend Loretta, “just drinking a lot and finally realizing that her husband is gone. Anyone who brings the truth to her becomes her enemy. Right now she’s spiraling downwards and a bit out of control.”

  “That’s a ticking time bomb and lethal cocktail,” warned Eric.