Death by Jealousy (17 page)

“So,
here you are,” said Edward to Mac, relieved to see him. 

 Mac
stood up to greet him. “Good to see you Ed,” he said.

 Edward
turned to Cindy, “I hope we’re not interrupting anything.”

“Cindy
felt momentarily agitated. Edward had no idea that Ann and Frank were family,
that this was personal time she was taking, a much needed break.

“I
need to speak to you briefly, Mac” Edward continued, “something has come up. Can
you join me and Tad at another table for a few minutes?”

“I’d
rather you join us here,” Mac replied, puzzled, glancing at Cindy.

“This
is a personal matter,” Edward said then, in a garbled tone.

“Ann
is Cindy’s sister,” said Mac, playing for time, “and Frank is her brother in
law.”

“This
is a business matter,” Edward insisted. “It’s urgent.”

“Do
you want me to be present as well?” Cindy asked then, briskly.

“I
would,” Edward nodded swiftly.

Ann
and Frank looked at each other and then back at Cindy. This was an occupational
hazard, Cindy realized, of being on a case. If something came up suddenly, it
had to be attended to right then.

Ann
seemed to get it. “Frank and I will have our dinner at another table,” she
offered Cindy. “We’re not leaving until the morning, so we’ll get some time
later on, to talk alone.”

The
two of them got up and were seated at a table close by. Edward and Tad took
their seats promptly.

“I
had no idea that you’d given Mattheus complete access to our company files,”
Edward said, turning to Mac.

“I
gave it to him for the day,” said Mac matter of factly. “He needed it to tie up
the investigation. The records have been gone over by the accountants. There’s
nothing to find.”

Edward
took exception. “Cindy and Mattheus have been hired by me. Dana and I brought
them down to the Island.”

“I
realize that,” said Mac, irritated at being publicly chided.

“You
at least owed me the courtesy of letting me know you were allowing Mattheus to
rummage around in our system. Instead, I had to find out from Tad.” Edward’s
voice grew brittle.

“I
suppose I should have said something,” Mac said calmly. He looked over at Tad
then, “and what’s Tad doing here with you now?”

“Peter
called me into a meeting at the office today,” said Tad. “Peter doesn’t belong
in the office now, he’s not himself. He’s said all kinds of things to Mattheus.”

“What
kind of things?” Mac looked confused.

Tad
threw a quick glance at Cindy.

“Say
whatever you have to in front of Cindy,” Mac insisted. “She’s working for us.
She’s part of the team.”

“So
is Mattheus,” Cindy insisted.

“There
are limits to this investigation,” Edward broke in, still upset with Mac. “And,
exactly why are you here having dinner with Cindy without telling me? I do not
appreciate being left out. Is this dinner related to Mattheus’s explorations in
the office?” Edward was clearly agitated.

“I
was almost run over,” Cindy interrupted. “Someone in an old green car turned a
corner and came directly at me. I was pulled out of the way by a second. “

Edward’s
face blanched.

“I
never heard a word about this,” Edward could barely speak. “Does Mattheus know?”

“No,
he doesn’t,” said Cindy, “there wasn’t time. I haven’t told him yet.”

“Cindy
called me right after it happened,” Mac interjected.

“Why
wasn’t I informed?” Edward could barely get the words out. “Who in the world
would be after her, and why?”

Cindy
looked over at Tad, who showed absolutely no reaction at all.

“What
do you think, Tad?” Cindy asked him pointedly.

“I
didn’t know anything about this,” said Tad in measured tones.

“Who
else knows this happened?” asked Edward clicking his teeth together.

“No
one at the moment,” said Cindy.

“You
definitely plan to tell Mattheus?” Edward seemed astonished.

“When
I see him I will,” Cindy responded, tapping her fingers on the table. “When he’s
done hanging out with Vivien.”

Tad
still showed no response.

Cindy
turned to him abruptly. “Does it trouble you that Vivien and Mattheus are
spending so much time together, Tad?”

“Does
it trouble you?” Tad shot it right back to her.

“Mattheus
is my business partner,” Cindy responded. “Vivien is your girlfriend.”

Tad
lifted his eyebrows slightly. “Mattheus is passing diversion to her. It doesn’t
mean a thing.”

Again,
silence descended over the table.

“In
my opinion,” Edward said to Cindy then, “it would be best for you and Mattheus
to go home immediately. Your services are definitely no longer required. You
are both off the case, as of now.”

Tad
took a deep, swift breath of relief.

“That’s
sudden and harsh,” Mac objected. “Cindy’s done her best, worked incredibly
hard. She’s even put herself in danger.”

“That’s
exactly why I want her to go home,” Edward stamped his foot on the floor as he
spoke.

“The
last thing I need is more trouble down here. Trouble that has nothing to do
with the case at all.”

“I
agree,” said Tad heatedly.

“Why
don’t you go back up to the States with your sister and brother in law,
tomorrow?” Edward asked, casting a quick glance over at Ann and Frank. “There’s
no reason for you to put yourself in danger, especially without your partner
around.”

Cindy
felt a long chill run up her arms.

“And
take Mattheus with you,” Tad commented, “enough’s enough. The case is closed.
There’s no need for more probing. It’s time to let the wounds heal.”

Cindy
looked up and just at the moment saw Mattheus standing at Ann and Frank’s
table, greeting them.

Edward
looked over as well. “Well, speak of the devil! Now we can personally tell him
it’s time to go.”

“This
is way too abrupt,” Mac demanded, “I refuse to let Cindy go.”

 Cindy
trembled at the intensity of Mac’s response.  She felt caught up in an
undercurrent, as if tossed by a sudden series of waves.

Edward
looked at Mac aghast. “Seems as if things have gotten a bit out of control
between you and Cindy,” he said in a hoarse voice.

 “Things
have never felt better to me in my life,” Mac replied staunchly.

“Are
you saying you want Cindy to stay here on the Island with you permanently?”
Edward pushed on.

“I’m
saying she can’t leave right now,” Mac was unshakeable.

“Why
not?” asked Tad, suddenly agitated. “Has Mattheus told you what he found in the
office? Have you spoken to Peter, yet?”

“No,
I haven’t spoken to either of them,” said Mac, confused, “why?”

“There’s
all kinds of stories floating around in their heads,” said Tad as a muscle in
his jaw started clenching.  “When you hire detectives they have to earn their
money, keep digging for something, even if it doesn’t make sense.”

“What
are you suggesting?” Edward stepped in strongly.

“Mattheus
has been poking around all day, keeping himself busy. He even took the liberty
of going into my personal business email account,” Tad replied.

“Preposterous,”
said Edward.

“Heck,
it’s what they do. If they don’t find anything, they make something up,” Tad
continued.

Cindy
felt her whole body tightening. “Are you impugning Mattheus’s honesty?” she
asked.

Tad
turned directly towards her. “Yes, I am, if you don’t mind the truth.”

Cindy
flushed. “Not only don’t I mind the truth, I crave it.”

Everyone
became silent.

“Not
only did Mattheus poke around in personal email accounts, I found him and
Vivien having a romantic dinner. Does that have something to do with the case,
too? Give me a break. He’s abusing his position, taking advantage of everyone.”

Edward’s
hands clenched into a fist. “How do you know Mattheus and Vivien were having a
romantic dinner?”

“I
was at the bar in the restaurant and I saw them there,” Tad turned to Edward. “They
didn’t see me, though.”

“I
am sorry,” said Edward.

“So
am I,” said Mac.

“Sorry’s
nice,” Tad’s face grew tighter. “But there’s no reason for keeping either
Mattheus or his partner, Cindy around.”

“I
have to agree with that,” said Edward. “Absolutely agree.”

Cindy
turned and looked over at Ann and Frank’s table again. Mattheus had turned
their way and was now staring at them all.

“I
suggest you call Mattheus over to our table, Cindy,” Edward said tartly.

  
Cindy motioned to Mattheus to come over.  He nodded succinctly and began to
walk slowly to where they were seated.

 “What
are you doing here?” Cindy asked Mattheus as he approached.

“I
finished for the day and was looking for you,” he replied. “The hotel desk said
you were here, dining. They didn’t say Mac was with you.”

  
“He’s not
with
me,” said Cindy abruptly. “He’s here for dinner.”

 
“Why?” asked Mattheus.

 “Why
not?” Cindy retorted.

  
“What are you all gathered here for?” Mattheus scanned the crowd at the table.

 
 “Edward wanted to talk to Mac and I am meeting Vivien in the lobby in a few
minutes,” Tad interjected.

  Edward
stood up abruptly, as though he’d had more than enough.

  “Mattheus,”
Edward said, “I just told Cindy that I think it best for the two of you to
return to the States. Your services are no longer required.”

Mattheus,
shocked, faced Edward swiftly.  “Excuse me a minute, this case isn’t closed,
there are still loose threads hanging.”
“The police disagree,” Edward replied. “Dana and I hired you to help Peter. He
no longer requires your services. Now that things are settled, there’s nothing
further that concerns you here.”

“Things
are far from settled,” said Mattheus, moving closer to Cindy.  “And, my partner
and I decide when a case is closed.”

Edward
stared at Mattheus furiously. “Cindy was almost run over, hit by a car aiming
right at her. What is the point of keeping her down here in danger?” he said.

 “Almost
hit by a car?” Mattheus was dumbfounded. “What are you talking about?”

“You
heard me,” Edward growled.

Mattheus
face grew taut. “You never told me,” he breathed to Cindy.

“I
didn’t have a chance,” she replied. “You were too busy elsewhere.”

“You
were in danger and didn’t call me? Are you crazy?” Mattheus was dazed.

“She
called Mac instead,” Edward filled him in. “Highly inappropriate in my opinion.”

“Absolutely,”
Tad agreed.

The
color drained from Mattheus’s face. “Is that true?” he asked Cindy after a long
moment.

“You
were too busy with Vivien,” she replied.

“Jesus
Christ,” Mattheus called out in a strangled tone. “I can’t believe what I’m
hearing.”

At
that moment, Tad quickly stood, and to everyone’s shock, Vivien herself
approached the table.

“I
was tired of waiting in the lobby for you,” Vivien said to Tad, brushing by
Mattheus and totally ignoring him.

 “We’re
just finishing up here,” Tad said softly, putting his arm around her.

  “Let’s
get out of here,” Vivien said in a raspy tone. “We definitely need some time
alone.”

  “Hold
on a minute,” said Mac, going over to her suddenly, lifting her hand and looking
at the glimmering emerald bracelet on it.

  
“Where did you get this?” Mac’s brow creased.

  
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” said Vivien lightly.

  
“Very beautiful,” Mac repeated, “where did you get it? And when?”

  
“Tad gave it to me,” she went on, proudly. “What’s the big deal?”

  
“It’s a very big deal,” Mac retorted. “That’s the bracelet I personally gave
Allie for her wedding gift.”

Cindy
stood beside Mattheus in their hotel room as he wrangled with the police over
the speaker phone.

“You’re
making a big deal over nothing,” the police officer said to Mattheus, “there’s
absolutely no reason to explore this further. There are all kind of emerald
bracelets floating around down here. There’s no way to prove that Vivien has the
one that belonged to Allie.”

  
“You’re glossing things over,” Mattheus responded, upset.

  Even
though he was right, the sound of Mattheus’s voice was grating to Cindy. She
wondered if she should start packing, as Edward insisted when they’d parted in
the restaurant. But Cindy agreed with Mattheus on that point completely. It was
their decision about when the case was over and it was time to go. Something
was obviously amiss here or they all wouldn’t want them out so fast.

After
the conversation downstairs ended, Tad and Vivien left together quickly. Edward
said he needed to talk more to Mac alone. After that, Cindy and Mattheus went
up to their room without saying a word. They hadn’t had time to de-brief either,
and Cindy hadn’t spoken to her sister yet, either. It had been a bad idea to
call Ann and Frank down for dinner. Cindy was very sorry that she had. There
was no way she could spend time with them while all of this was going on.

Mattheus
finally banged the phone down and start pacing back and forth in the room. Cindy
had no idea what to say to him. It seemed as if they occupied spaces at the
opposite ends of the world right now.

Cindy
walked out onto the balcony, to wait for Mattheus to calm down. After what
seemed like an eternity, his footsteps quieted down and Mattheus came outside
and stood beside her. It was a dark night out, with few stars, nothing but the
sound of the surf and cool wind from the sea blowing on them.

“I’m
trying to make sense of this all,” Mattheus finally said, when he could speak.

Try
harder, Cindy thought, though she didn’t say a word.

“I
fail to understand how you could have been in grave danger and not called me, or
told me about it. That boggles my mind. Obviously you and Mac have developed
some kind of attachment to one another.”

“Not
at all,” said Cindy succinctly. “‘I’d just seen him a few minutes before it
happened, and he was close by.”

“That’s
hard to believe,” Mattheus uttered.

“Believe
what you want,” said Cindy, running her hands through her hair. If they’d
reached the point where they could no longer believe one another, what was
there left to say? “I can’t believe you, either,” she continued, “so exactly
where does that leave the two of us?”

“What
do you mean you can’t believe me?” Mattheus became overwrought again.

Cindy
turned and faced him point blank. “You told me you were working late at the
office tonight. Then I learned you were out having dinner with Vivien.”

“It
was part of the investigation,” Mattheus mumbled in a hoarse tone.

“Spare
me that,” said Cindy. “Our agreement is to tell one another exactly where we
will be and what we have found, step by step. You said nothing at all about
Vivien. Not a word.”

“I
could say the same about you and Mac,” Mattheus retorted.  “Are you going to tell
me your time with him was part of the investigation as well,” Mattheus replied.

“I
am,” said Cindy.

“And,
either I believe you or I don’t,” said Mattheus.

Suddenly
this was tiresome and exhausting.

“What’s
the point of going on like this?” Cindy said. “We’re wasting time distrusting
each other instead of focusing on evidence. Edward may be right about his
suggestion that we pack up and get out of here. Face it, we’ve become useless.”

“That’s
always your way, isn’t it?” Mattheus stopped in his tracks. “Pack up and run
when things get tough.”

Cindy
took exception.  “From where I stand it seems like just the opposite. I run directly
into danger time and again. With or without you!”

“You
run into danger during an investigation,” said Mattheus, “but you definitely
run away from love.”

A
silence fell over the two of them. Cindy thought about Clint. She hadn’t run
away from him. The hand of darkness had taken him from her.

“It’s
harder not to run away from love,” Mattheus continued.

“I
don’t disagree with that, “said Cindy, “but I don’t consider what’s happening
between us to be love.” 

Mattheus
smiled and moved closer. She felt the warmth of his body beside her and took a
step away.

“Why
are you moving away? Do you have feelings for Mac?” Mattheus sounded shaken.

“I
like Mac, I trust him. He’s an interesting guy. Am I in love with him? Definitely
not,” said Cindy.

“You’re
positive?” Mattheus needed a clear answer.

“Positive,”
Cindy replied.

 “So,
why did you call him instead of me when you were in trouble?” Mattheus said.

 “Why
did you take Vivien out for a romantic dinner and not say a word to me about
it?” Cindy countered.

“It
just happened,” Mattheus said. “I thought I’d get more information from her.”

“That’s
not the whole story,” said Cindy.

“No,
you’re right. Vivien’s a beautiful woman,” Mattheus spoke softly, “was I
attracted to her? Yes, I was. Would I have ever taken things to the next step? No,
I wouldn’t, absolutely not. Feelings are one thing, actions another. But, look
at us, caught in the web of jealousy. It runs through this place like an
overgrown vine.”

“Yes
it does,” said Cindy.

 Mattheus
moved closer once again. “The truth is that I kept thinking of you when I was
with her. I kept wishing the two of us could be together, that you would be
with me, again. You were the one I was longing for. You’re the one who’s been
pushing me away.”

The
intensity of Mattheus’s feelings ripped through Cindy’s defenses.

“It’s
not safe for either of us to work on a case when things between us are
unsettled like this,” Cindy said softly,

 “No,
it isn’t, I agree,” said Mattheus.

 “Can
we take a few steps back for now and focus on the case,” Cindy asked, sadly. “There’s
important information that I’ve found.”

 “So
have I,” said Mattheus. “We need to go over it.”

“Great.
Let’s give our relationship a rest until the case is closed,” Cindy suggested
as she felt the wind blow around them, and thoughts of Allie fill her mind. She
suddenly knew for sure that Allie’s death was far from solved. Cindy was eager
to tell Mattheus about the drug dealer and how Mac, Tad and Jared had turned up
at his place.

“You’re
right,” said Mattheus, as if waking up from a dream. “Let’s get to work. I’m
going to call downstairs and order in a pot of black coffee, so we can stay up
as late as we need.”

*

Mattheus
was horrified when he heard that Cindy had gone down to speak to Carlos alone.
He gulped what was left of his coffee and pushed the mug away.

“That’s
nuts,” Mattheus exclaimed, “it’s just asking for trouble. You set yourself up
as a point blank target.”

“It
was perfect timing,” Cindy replied. “Not only did I talk to Carlos, but two
other guys who were dealing with him arrived.”

“No
wonder someone came after you,” Mattheus continued. “It had to be one of those
guys. They don’t take well to having their territory invaded. Especially by a
detective.”

“Wait,
there’s more,” said Cindy. “While I was there Mac appeared, with Tad and Jared
in the back of his car.”

“What?”
Mattheus banged his fist on the table. “Damn it, this changes everything! You
should have called me immediately. That piece of information is a game changer.”

“Before
I called you I wanted to find out all I could from Mac. I drove back with him
and we talked. He was nonchalant about it, said Tad bought pot for company
parties and Jared used it for guests on his boat. It was routine on the island.
Even though the drug laws are strict, police often look the other way.”

“When
they’re paid off enough, “Mattheus growled. “I’ve heard that people come down
here to get large stashes of pot. But who gets the money? Where does it go? I
found some files messed up on Peter’s computer system. One was missing, the
other scrambled. Peter discovered that there’d been large deposits of cash
unaccounted for, and then withdrawn in unusual ways. I also found an email from
Peter calling in Tad for an urgent meeting.”

“My
God,” said Cindy.

“I
called Peter right away and asked him to come over and talk,” said Mattheus.

“Did
he come?” Cindy was aghast.

“Absolutely,”
said Mattheus. “He came right away. Peter’s a straight up guy. He wanted to
help in any way he could. He said he’d had a meeting with Tad before Allie
died, to let him know about the deposits and withdrawals.”

“Money
laundering in the firm?” breathed Cindy.

“Possible,”
said Mattheus. “Not sure yet. We have to trace those deposits and withdrawals,
see where the trail leads. Peter will help us. He didn’t want to say anything
until he was positive. Before Allie died Peter told Tad. He was about to tell his
father and Mac, but wanted to run it by Tad first.”

“What
was Tad’s reaction?” Cindy asked briskly.

“Tad’s
a hard guy to read,” said Mattheus.

“How
about Mac?” Cindy continued.

“I
don’t think Mac knows yet,” Mattheus replied. “I’m not sure about Edward. My
guess is he doesn’t know yet either.”

“So,
why does Edward want us out of here so fast?” asked Cindy. “What’s the sudden
rush?”

“Good
question,” said Mattheus. “Could be Tad just told him. Maybe Tad wanted to
protect Peter from having to tell his father about it. Especially now with what
Peter’s going through.”

“You
think Tad is that protective of Peter?”

“Tad’s
Peter’s right hand man. He’s been his friend for years, always second to him.
He’s Peter’s cushion.”

Cindy
stood up and started walking back and forth.  She didn’t like Tad, but there
was no reason for it, just a visceral response. She couldn’t let that get in
the way of her thinking this through carefully.

“When
I took Vivien to dinner, I tried to find out more about the relationship
between Tad and Peter,” Mattheus continued.

Cindy
stopped pacing and looked over at him. Mattheus had stepped to the door of the
balcony and was gazing out over the horizon.

“What
did you find about them?” Cindy asked intensely. All of this new information
was like a shot of adrenalin for both of them.

“Not
much,” said Mattheus, somberly. “They all keep a united front. Make it look
like a pretty picture.”

Suddenly,
those words struck Cindy like a bolt of lightning –
a united front.
   Was
it possible that Tad had been using Vivien as a decoy to split her and Mattheus
up, confuse them, muddy the investigation.

 “Oh
my God, they’ve made a fool of you,” Cindy suddenly breathed into the dark
night air.

“What
are you saying?” Mattheus seemed startled.

“What
if Tad and Vivien have been working together, and he used her as a decoy to
make you feel good, turn you on, and create a rift between us?” said Cindy.

“Ridiculous,”
Mattheus said bitterly, obviously insulted.

“It’s
a distinct possibility,” Cindy continued. “The more diversion they create, the
less we check in with each other, the more trouble we get into, the harder it
is to see what’s really going on.”

“You’re
going way out on a limb,” Mattheus insisted.

“No,
I’m not,” said Cindy. “Tad got Vivien to pull at your heart strings. You fell
for it, it was all an act.”

“It
wasn’t all an act,” Mattheus suddenly pleaded, “Vivien needed me.”

Cindy
was startled by his response. Obviously Mattheus craved being needed. And, he
had feelings for Vivien, more than he realized.

“Those
kinds of people play on our needs,” said Cindy.

“How
would you like it if I said that to you?” Mattheus turned it back on her then. “What
if I said Mac was used as a decoy to make you feel young and beautiful again,
to get between us?”

The
thought of it jarred Cindy, but what was worse was the bitterness in Mattheus’s
tone. Her

suggestion
about Vivien had hurt him and he was trying to get back at her now.  They
obviously needed time to collect themselves and calm down. Otherwise they would
never find the connection between the drugs, flow of cash in the company, and
Allie’s untimely death.

Cindy
turned, ran into the room, and sat down on the edge of the bed.

“Why
don’t you answer me?” Mattheus insisted.