Death by Seduction (13 page)

Cindy
decided to tell Taylor more. “I spoke a partner at the company and he said
there was no record of Pete making a down payment.”

“See
that, I was right!” Taylor’s eyes shot open. “The bastards are stealing the
money. And who knows what else was they’re up to?  Pete found out. He must have
wanted his money back and they wouldn’t give it.” Taylor’s eyes flashed as he
spun a web.

He
jumped up from the bench then, agitated.  “Let’s get back,” he said quickly,
“I’m gonna call this guy Eric and get him involved with the case right away.”

Taylor
kept mumbling on his cell phone all the back to the hotel.

“I
got hold of the lawyer,” he finally said to Cindy, “he’s gonna meet us in an
hour at La Costa Nuva in town. We’ll get there just before the dinner hour and
get a table in the back.”

That
was where she and Eric had dinner before.  It seemed strange to Cindy that
Taylor knew Eric. She doubted though that Taylor knew anything about his
involvement with Charma, though. It seemed possible that Pete did, though. How
else could he have met Eric?

“I’ll
go upstairs, shower and change and be down in a little bit,” Cindy said as she
and Taylor walked into the lobby.

“Don’t
dawdle,” Taylor grimaced, “you’re not exactly going to a fashion show.”

Cindy
shuddered at his comment. Taylor was unpredictable, on target at times, nasty
at others. She wanted to take him on, but thought better of it. This wasn’t the
time to assuage her ego, it was the time to keep everything copasetic so they
could all work together as easily  as possible.

As
soon as Cindy got to her room, she flung her bag on the couch and kicked off
her shoes. It had been a long, wearying day. A shower would be the perfect
thing before going to  dinner with Taylor and Eric.

As
Cindy walked to the bathroom her phone sharply rang. She hoped it was Taylor
telling her to take a little more time, that Eric had been delayed.

Cindy
picked up the phone.

 “We
can’t go on like this. I won’t allow it,” Mattheus was on the other end.

Startled,
Cindy gasped.

“Are
you there, Cindy? Can you hear me?”  Mattheus sounded upset, but also
determined.

“I
hear you,” she said quietly.

“This
is crazy,” he breathed. “I don’t deserve this kind of treatment, I didn’t
exactly kill anyone.”

This
was definitely not the time to take on this discussion.  “No one said you
killed anyone, Mattheus,” Cindy tried to calm him down. “It just seems
healthier to let things end when they’re finished and not keep going over it
again and again.”

“So,
you’ve decided it’s over?” Mattheus’s voice rose a notch.

“If
my memory serves me,” Cindy kept her cool, “you’re the one who ran out.”

“I
was tremendously hurt and frustrated,” Mattheus exclaimed.

“Yes,
I understand that,” said Cindy, “that’s what you do when you get upset. And I
take responsibility for what happened, too. It seems there are hurdles between
us that we can’t get over.”

“We
can get over anything we choose to,” Mattheus was irked.

“This
isn’t the time to talk now,” Cindy replied. “I only have a few minutes to
shower and dress and meet someone connected to the case.”

“Okay,
I get that,” Mattheus relented. “Let’s find another time.” He wasn’t letting
go.

“We
will find another time. Things here are heating up here now and I need to stay
calm. I’ll call you as soon as I see an opening,” Cindy promised.

“I
appreciate that, Cindy,” said Mattheus. “I really do.”

Cindy
felt the depth of his relief to be talking to her. And, she had to admit that
she was relieved to be talking to him as well. Ragged edges cut both ways.

“What
do you mean things are heating up on the case?” Mattheus shot in abruptly,
concerned. “Do you have the help you need down there?”

 “I’m
beginning to,” Cindy replied. “Not from the cops, but from interested parties.”

“That’s
not enough,” Mattheus was all over it. “You need to get even one person in law enforcement
working with you.” Cindy could feel how nervous he was for her. “I don’t like
you working a case alone like this. It’s not smart. It shouldn’t be happening.”

Cindy
sighed as she felt the depth of Mattheus’s concern. “I’m okay,” she reassured
him, “it’s a new experience and a strengthening one.”

“I
care about you Cindy, I really do,” Mattheus couldn’t help proclaim.

“I
know you do, Mattheus,” Cindy responded, “but I have to go now. I really do.”

“Okay,
go. We’ll talk later,” he mumbled and hung up.

Cindy
hung up the phone feeling shaken and saddened. If she and Mattheus had simply been
partners at work it would be wonderful to have him here now. But, of course, things
had gone way beyond that. As Cindy walked to the bathroom to shower, she
wondered what would have actually happened if she and Mattheus had settled on a
wedding venue, sent out the invitations and actually gotten married?  Would
that have been a safeguard against his running away? Or would it have made the
problem deeper with no means of escape?

Cindy
jumped into the shower, and let the cool water wash the pain of the day away. She
couldn’t indulge in these thoughts any longer right now. She had to stay clear
and focused, alert to new evidence as it came up.

Once
out of the shower Cindy dressed quickly in a lemon silk dress, shell necklace
and beautiful sandals that glistened on her feet.  As she put on her makeup,
looking in the mirror, Cindy suddenly felt like a beautiful woman, something
she hadn’t felt like for a long while. There were parts of her life had
disappeared, Cindy realized as she grabbed a small matching bag and went
downstairs to meet Taylor.

*

Taylor
stood up the moment Cindy walked out of the elevator, surprised at her
transformation. ““Wow,” he said, “looks like you’re going to a fashion show
after all.”

“Let’s
get going,” said Cindy, pleased by his reaction, and eager to get to the
restaurant. 

They
grabbed a quick cab and Taylor started muttering again. “This guy Eric’s a
straight shooter,” he began, “Peter told me that a couple of times. Eric’s not
going to give us the run around.”

“I
appreciate straight shooters,” said Cindy. “Everyone else is just a waste of
time.”

Taylor
grunted, “My sentiments exactly,” he said.

Cindy
wanted to ask Taylor more about himself then, but this wasn’t the time.

They
needed to stay focused on meeting Eric and see how he could help them sort
things out.

*

As
Cindy expected, the moment she and Taylor walked into the restaurant she saw
the Eric she’d met, seated at the bar. He stood up swiftly the moment he saw
Cindy and Taylor and walked over to them.

“So
we meet again,” Eric zoned in on Cindy. “It’s really good to see you.”

“What
do you mean you meet again?” Taylor didn’t appreciate the surprise.

“I
wasn’t sure it was the same person you were talking about,” Cindy explained,
“but Eric and I met before.”

 Taylor’s
eyes opened wide, looking back and forth between them.

“Purely
a business meeting,” said Eric promptly.

“Of
course. They’re all business meetings there anyway aren’t they?” said Taylor, a
nasty glint in his eye.

Eric
threw Cindy a quick glance of apology and she appreciated it.

“Let’s
go sit down at a table and talk,” Eric suggested, being the consummate
gentleman and taking the pressure off the moment.

As
the three of them made their way through a row of tables, Cindy felt a hand in
the small of her back, gently guiding her.  As she turned and felt Eric close
behind a tiny shiver crept up Cindy’s spine.

“I’m
so glad to see you again,” Eric whispered as they approached the table he’d
reserved for them.

Cindy
let Eric pull her chair out for her as Taylor watched suspiciously. “Looks like
you two have quite a history,” he remarked.

“We
met one other time,” Eric repeated, “and I’m impressed that Cindy is doing a
tremendous job.”

“How
do you know that?” Taylor grew more suspicious.

“Because
I heard about it from Charma,” Eric replied.

Taylor
quieted down. “She’s the one they’re holding for the murder?” he asked.

“Exactly,”
said  Eric.  “I’ve been on the perimeters of the case, helping out. So,
naturally I had to speak to Charma. She told me that she really enjoyed meeting
Cindy. Cindy made a big difference to her.”

As
the caustic look faded from Taylor’s face, Cindy appreciated Eric’s
intervention.

The
waiter came then and brought the table a large bottle of sparkling water. Eric
poured each one a glass before they started to talk.

“Okay,
we need your help,” Taylor jumped in. “I believe the real estate company my
brother was buying his condo from is involved in this. Number one - they told
Cindy they didn’t have Pete’s down payment. Number two, I researched them and
found they’re corrupt as hell.”

“They
have plenty of claims against them,” Eric agreed  slowly.

“I’m
here checking the money trail,” Taylor spit out and getting upset again.

“You’re
a good brother,” Eric said firmly.

“Yeah,
that’s all I am, but at least I’m that. At least Pete always had me,”  said Taylor.

“What
about your parents?” Eric was curious.

“Our
parents were both killed in a car accident when Pete was in college,” Taylor
seemed glad to be talking. “It was about the same time Loretta’s mom was also
killed in the same way. That brought them together big time. They helped each
other get through it. Other than that there was really no reason they should
have been together. They were completely different.”

“Rough
luck,” Eric murmured.

“I
knew the marriage wouldn’t work for the long wrong.  Taylor went on.

“Were
they happy at all?” asked Eric.

“Who
am I to say?” Taylor mumbled. “What about you? You live down here, you got a
wife or something?”

“I’ve
got a law firm I love,” Eric finessed the question skillfully. Cindy was
impressed with how sensitive and sharp he was.

“So,
let’s get back to basics, “Taylor went on fitfully. “I think someone at the
real estate company did it,” he repeated fitfully.

“Possible,”
Eric mused quietly, “but far from definite.”

“I’m
gonna dig into the money trail at Pete’s company now,” Taylor grimaced.  “I
need your help to get into the books there. Every time I call there’s another
excuse.”

“I’
can help you with that,” Eric agreed.

“Good,”
Taylor seemed relieved.

 “What
do you think, Eric?” Cindy joined in, seeing that Eric seemed doubtful that the
money trail was the answer. “Do you have any other ideas?”

“There’s
a guy who’s obsessed with Charma,” Eric said in a low tone, “one of her
customers, John Burnd. He’s a creepy guy, always hanging around her, watching
everyone who she does business with.”

“Her
pimp?” Taylor’s eyes opened wide.

“No,
pimps are illegal down here. The girls take care of each other. This is just a
creepy customer who’s become addicted to Charma. Shanya once found Burnd peeking
in her window from outside and had to drive him away with a broom.”

“Oh
my God,” Cindy uttered, “why didn’t you tell the police about him before? Why
haven’t you said anything?”

“I’m
being careful, taking it slow,” Eric answered in a measured tone. “You don’t
want to sling suspicion on a guy like this, he’s a ticking time bomb, as it
is.”

“He’s
the first one the police should have looked into,” Cindy flushed, amazed  that
she knew nothing about him. “Was he getting more and more possessive and
jealous of Charma’s customers?”

“Yeah,
something like that,” Eric’s voice turned into a drawl, as Cindy suddenly
remembered that Eric was also one of her customers, if not the main one. She
wondered if he’d had confrontations with Burnd? Was Eric scared of the guy? Is
that why he hadn’t said anything about him? Of course Cindy couldn’t say a word
about this in front of Taylor.

“There’s
a lot of lousy, creepy punks at the whore houses,” Taylor chimed in. “But why
the hell would they pick on my brother? Charma had to have had plenty of other regulars!
My brother only went there when he was in town.”

“Good
point,” Eric agreed, “I think Cindy should meet Burnd herself and talk to him.”

“Cindy
should?” Taylor’s eyes opened in fright. “Why the hell her?”

“She’s
the detective on the case, after all,” Eric commented, “and I won’t let her go
alone. I’ll back her up.”

“What
the hell is a punk like Burnd going to tell her?” Taylor grew jittery.

“You
never know,” Eric replied, “when you’re up against a loose cannon all kinds of
things comes out.”

“Good
idea,” Cindy agreed immediately. “I want to go.”

Taylor
drew his chair back. “Well, I’m not going along, that’s for sure. This is where
I had enough.”

“You
don’t have to,” said Eric. “I’ll help you get into the books at Pete’s company
and see what you can find there.”