Death by Betrayal (Book #10 in the Caribbean Murder series) (12 page)

“My
pleasure,” said Evan as he transferred the call to his secretary who told Cindy
exactly how

to
get to the yacht and to be sure not to be late.

*

Evan’s yacht was magnificent, gleaming
white and rising high over the waves majestically as

though
it routinely housed royalty and dignitaries of all kinds. Cindy walked up the
way to the entrance,

slowly,
letting the warm, salt air from the water caress her skin. She had taken extra
pains to dress for

the
meeting, wearing her finest, silk, lime hand printed dress. It flowed over her
body gracefully,

whirring
slightly above her knees. She’d also brushed her hair a long while and let it
hang loosely over her shoulders. This was the first time since Ann’s death that
Cindy had taken pains with how she looked. But Evan Price was a wealthy, magnet
here and Cindy wanted to meet him on his own terms.

When
she entered the gallant boat, Cindy was met with a valet who had been stationed
there to greet her and welcome her on board.

“Mr. Price is awaiting you, in
the dining room on the second floor,” he said to Cindy the moment

she
arrived. “Let me show you there.”

*

The moment Cindy walked into the
dining room, Evan Price stood up to greet her.

Cindy
was stunned to see how young he was, mid-forties at the most. He was a bit
taller than Cindy, with dark hair, wide hazel eyes and well defined features
that made him seem in command. Dressed elegantly in a custom shirt and blue silk
mascot, he looked as though he’d walked off the cover of a men’s fashion
magazine.

Price
was also clearly surprised at the sight of Cindy, stood back a moment to take
her in.

“A
detective?” he said, as she drew closer, seemingly amused. “I thought you’d be
an old, dowdy lady.”

“Detectives
come in all shapes and sizes,” Cindy felt pleased by his visceral response.

“Come
in, sit down,” he seemed pleased to be with her. “Here’s a wine list, please
choose.”

Cindy
didn’t want anything to drink, but chose a glass of Merlot anyway, just to keep
the mood between them and high.

“Talk
to me,” Evan said then, leaning back in his chair, his elbows practically
reaching to the railing of his yacht.

Cindy
listened to the waves lapping against the boat and thought what a beautiful
afternoon this would have been if Ann were here to share it with her. Cindy
felt oddly comfortable now with Evan, was very glad to be here with him. At the
same time it was hard to meet his constant gaze.

“Tell
me whatever you can,” said Cindy, trying hard to remain professional. “I have
to find my sister’s killer,” her eyes unexpectedly filled with tears. “She
didn’t deserve to die so horribly here in Bermuda.”

Evan’s
face grew momentarily grim. “I’m truly sorry,” he said to Cindy.

“Thank
you,” Cindy felt it was so.

“Why
are you convinced her death is connected to the hotel murders?” Evan went on.

Cindy
looked over at him plainly, “I’m not convinced, I just don’t know what else to
think,” she said, at a loss. “It’s just strange that my sister died in the same
hotel as the other women.”

“Yes,
it is,” Evan snapped to attention. “You working with the police?”

“Yes,
we are,” said Cindy.

“We?”
Evan looked curious.

“My
partner, Mattheus, is down here helping me with the case,” Cindy replied.

“Lucky
guy,” said Evan.

“I’m
lucky to have him as well,” said Cindy, wanting to keep things clear. “We
investigate murders in the Caribbean mainly.”

“This
time it hit too close to home, though,” Evan remarked.

“Much
too close,” said Cindy, sadly.

“You’re
honest, you’re frank, I like it,” said Evan. “Did the police tell you to come
here and talk to me?”

Cindy
relaxed a bit then. “No, just the opposite,” she smiled at him. “They told me
to leave you alone, that you’d already been questioned.”

“So,
why are you here?” he asked, taken by surprise.

“I
don’t usually listen to what people tell me,” said Cindy. “I have a radar
inside that keeps me on course.”

“Good
for you,” Evan liked her answer and looked at her appreciatively. “And what does
your radar tell you about me?”

“That
you know the lay of the land, you’re at the center of it. Most people believe
that the hotel murders were somehow connected to big business.”

 “We
talked about that already,” said Evan quickly. “When they don’t know where to
look, they blame big business. Did the police tell you that?”

“No,
if fact they did not. They’ve been quiet about it, said they know nothing.”

“And
you don’t believe them?”

“I’m
not trained to believe, I’m trained to find out what’s real and what isn’t,”
said Cindy definitively.

“A
woman after my own heart,” Evan said and picked up his wine glass. “Let’s
drink, let’s toast.”

Cindy
picked up her glass and lifted it opposite his. Trage was right she thought,
Evan was suave, he was glib. He was also smart with a streak of no nonsense plain
talk that Cindy liked very much.

“To
us,” said Evan promptly, “to finding out the truth about everything, the
murders, your sister, and who’s behind the bloodshed on this island that’s been
spilling over onto me as well.”

Cindy
drank to that eagerly, draining her glass in one long drink.

Evan
laughed, “Wow, you’re thirstier than you think.”

“This
is great wine, said Cindy, holding out her glass as he poured another.

“How
has the bloodshed been spilling over onto you?” Cindy wanted to hear more, as
Evan poured himself a second glass of wine.

“The
first thing you’ve got to know,” he said as he drank more wine, is about
business on this island.” People in Bermuda have one of the highest pay scales
in the world.  But although there’s no sales or income tax, the cost of goods,
including food is pretty high. So, they also have one of the highest costs of
living, have to spend a lot to survive. That’s because eighty per cent of
everything is imported. Bermuda has no natural resources like oil, gas, gold or
anything.”

Cindy
wondered why he was telling her all this and what bearing it had upon what
happened to Ann. She did her best to listen closely and hear what he was really
saying beneath the words, what he really had in mind.

“So,
what are the main industries in Bermuda?” Evan went on. “The two top industries
that control of economy are the International Business and Tourism Industry.
 
Over fifteen thousand
international companies have set up operations here.  The international
business is mainly around insurance, re-insurance and fund and trust
management. Bermuda runs the third largest re-insurance in the world. This has
made it a global magnet for international business - that and the fact that
there’s no taxes for business here. The BMA oversees things making sure there’s
no money laundering, fraud or other financial crimes.” And he smiled.
 

Cindy
recalled then that he’d been brought up on charges on different counts. “You’ve
never run into trouble?” she asked innocently, wanting to flush him out.

“Sure
I’ve run into trouble,” he answered swiftly. “When you’re at the top of the mountain,
everyone underneath wants to bring you down. It’s human nature and I’m used to
it.”

“A
terrible way to live,” said Cindy.

“I
like it, myself,” Evan grinned. “Let them try all they want - no one’s ever
pinned a thing on me, and no one ever will.”

“How
can you be so sure?” asked Cindy, bristling at his arrogance.

“Because
I don’t do anything to deserve it,” he quipped. “I live straight, do my
business straight and am just smarter than most folks.” He drank the rest of
the wine in his glass then and quickly poured another.

Cindy
wasn’t here to dispute his view of life, or look into his business dealings.
She held her focus tight on her sister’s death.

“What
has all this got to do with how my sister died?” Cindy repeated.

“It
could be just coincidence that your sister got killed in the Greenstone Hotel,”
Evan said suddenly then, swerving in another direction. “The last killing there
happened two months ago. Everything’s been quiet since.  I was sure it was all
over.”

“Tell
me about the women who were killed there?” Cindy liked that he was finally
talking and wanted to flush him out more.

“Each
woman was killed the same way – poisoned,” he commented. “They went to sleep
and never woke up.”

Cindy
hadn’t heard that. It wasn’t what happened to Ann, either.

“Each
woman was connected to the glitzy life here,” Evan went on. “Everyone who
investigated the case came up with the conclusion that the killer wasn’t out to
get the women. The killer was after their boyfriends, the big, hedge fund guys
the women hung out with. Finally, they realized that each of the women who got
killed was with a guy from the same hedge fund.”

“That’s
a huge fingerprint,” Cindy murmured, “shouldn’t be hard to come up with the
killer after that.”

“That’s
what I thought,” said Evan. “But when you don’t want to find out something, evidence
conveniently gets blurry, or lost.”

“The
police got rid of evidence?” asked Cindy.

“I
didn’t say that,” Evan’s jaw was set firm. “You’ll never find me accusing
anyone. The whole thing just looks suspicious, if you asked me.”

“What
hedge fund were these guys involved with?” Cindy asked then.

“It
doesn’t even matter now,” said Evan. “It wasn’t my hedge fund if that’s what
you want to know.”

“A
rival company?” asked Cindy.

Evan
laughed loudly then. “I really don’t have any rivals,” he said. “Maybe some
people think they can compete with me, but compared to my assets, they’re all
small fry.”

“What
do you think the motive for the killings was?” Cindy was tired of the
bantering.

“Who
the hell cares?” Evan retorted. “It doesn’t matter a damn.”

“Of
course it matters,” Cindy took exception.

“Not
to me. All that matters to me is that I had no part in it,” Evan declared.
“People get killed all the time over money. Who knows, maybe it was a furious
investor who lost money, getting back at the big guys? Maybe it was a jilted
lover? Maybe it was someone else trying to take the whole fund down?”

“Or,
maybe an inside deal that went bad?” Cindy mused. “And the fund covered its
tracks beautifully. Of course evidence would disappear if the fund didn’t want its
dealings made public. People were paid off, big time.”

“Okay,
so now you proved you’re a terrific detective,” said Evan smiling. “But, just
remember, it wasn’t my fund.”

Cindy
looked directly into his eyes then. He seemed to be thoroughly enjoying their
encounter. His eyes were open and gleaming, hiding nothing. In the flash of a
moment, Cindy trusted him completely. He saw it, too.

 “Thank
you for believing me,” Evan responded quickly. “Listen, there’s no end to the
annoyance factor of this, either. The cops keep contacting me, one way or
another, won’t let it alone. I’m getting sick of it, I really am.”

Cindy
was pleased to hear that the cops were still trying to solve the case though.

“I
don’t like being hounded by anyone,” Evan’s lips grew thin, “let alone by the
police. Doesn’t sit well with me.”

“I’m
sorry about that,” Cindy said softly.

Evan
calmed down at that. “Not you, believe me. I’m not talking about you. I like
having you here.”

“Thank
you,” said Cindy.

“In
fact, I hope I can see you again,” he smiled.

“I’m
spending every minute working on the case,” Cindy replied quickly, “and then
spending what time is left over with my family and partner.”

“Of
course,” Evan replied quietly. “I meant I hope I can help you out with this.”

“I
hope you can, too,” Cindy breathed.

“Tell
me about your sister’s husband,” Evan said then, lowering his eyes.

“Frank
has a mid-sized business of his own, back in Wisconsin. He’s not involved with
any hedge fund,” Cindy assured him.

“You
never know, you’d be surprised,” Evan answered skeptically. “Maybe he’s not involved
with the big investors, but there are smaller funds here that take everyone.”

Cindy
suddenly felt exhausted, both from the wine and conversation.

Even
saw it immediately, and pulled his chair closer. “Look into a guy named Tony
Beggio,” he whispered loudly. “He’s a slimy guy that runs a smaller fund –
always surrounded by questionable characters looking for a quick fix. Maybe
your brother’s involved with him?”