Death by Divorce (9 page)

Cindy wondered what led her to that conclusion.

“You never did so well with the guys,” Dalia continued. “You were always too bookish. Remember, we used to say that? ”

Cindy felt stung. She realized that Dalia was getting back at her now because she felt threatened by what Cindy said. She didn’t like to have her relationship questioned.

“This isn’t about me,” Cindy responded. “It’s Ames we’re here to find.”

Dalia started making odd patterns in the sand with her hands.

“But it is about you, too,” Dalia wouldn’t let up. “If you don’t trust what I tell you, and if you have weird ways of looking at relationships, then how can you ever find out the truth?”

Cindy felt punched again. She’d come down here to help, and now felt as though she were being attacked. But this was no time for catering to her personal feelings, or for playing games.

“What are you saying to me, Dalia?” asked Cindy. “Are you saying you don’t want me on the case?”

Dalia looked up at her, startled. “Of course not. I never thought that for a second! Why would you assume such a thing? I just told you how glad I was to have you here with me. I just don’t want you to get any crazy ideas. That’s why I told you to check in with me, every time you talked to someone. People here lie. It’s their number one hobby. They make up stories about each other and spread them around. ”

Cindy’s head started spinning. She had to remember that Dalia was not able to handle too much of reality. She’d have to go slow.

“Ames was everything I thought the first moment I saw him,” Dalia continued fervently. “He was loyal, devoted, romantic. We helped each other in every way. Lots of people were jealous of us and might want to make you believe otherwise. Don’t pay attention to what they say. ”

“I’m happy to hear that,” said Cindy gently. “Tell me more.”

“Well, for starters, Ames would write little love notes to me every night.”

That was hard for Cindy to believe.

“I’ve saved every one of them, put them in a scrapbook,” Dalia said.

“Amazing,” Cindy said.

“Ames did everything he could to build me up, and I did that for him, too. His ships were expensive. He needed lots of money to keep the business going. I gave him what I could. ”

“Money from the art gallery?” Cindy asked.

“From the gallery sometimes, and from my settlement, too. I told you Hal left me a very comfortable woman. So, my second marriage wasn’t such a mistake, after all. Something good came of it, in the end. I don’t want you viewing me as a failure. ”

“I’ve never, ever thought of you as a failure,” said Cindy, wondering how much Dalia’s second husband gave her. “You still have most of the money your second husband gave you?” she asked.

“Most of it,” said Dalia. “But I gave Ames quite a bit, too. It made me happy to do that. That’s what happily married people do. ”

“Of course,” said Cindy going along, though she had a squeamish feeling when Dalia said that. She thought then of Mattheus telling her not to judge, and smiled to herself. She was judging Ames and Dalia as well. She had to stay with the facts, though all bells of all kinds were going off in her head.

“Is Ames’s business was doing all right?” Cindy asked then.

Dalia took a deep breath and stretched out her legs.

“It was doing fine,” she said, “until he got more and more involved with a partner. He said he needed the cash flow the partner could provide. ”

“Dale?”

“You know about Dale?” Dalia looked startled.

“A little.”

“What do you know? And how do you know it? Tell me!” Dalia sat up abruptly.

Cindy wondered why it was such a shock to her. “Didn’t you mention him when we first talked?” asked Cindy.

“Not that I recall,” said Dalia.

Cindy found it odd that Dalia would have hid him from her. “Maybe I heard about him from Elizabeth then,” Cindy said lightly. “I heard that Dale was Ames’s business partner. That he owned a Yacht, was a member of the Millionaire Yacht Club. ”

“Why would she tell you that?” the hairs on Dalia’s neck seemed to bristle.

“She just said it in passing,” said Cindy, “didn’t make much of it.”

“Nothing happens in passing with Elizabeth,” said Dalia, sharply. “Elizabeth knows everything pertaining to Ames’s finances. She’s got her claws into them and won’t let go. ”

“I thought they had a settlement,” Cindy said.

“So did I,” said Dalia. “But it’s always up for re-negotiation, every few years.”

Cindy hadn’t realized that.

“And each time she tries to get more. More and more. ” The pitch of Dalia’s voice went higher. “It doesn’t matter to her that he has me to support.”

“Has it been hard on you financially?” Cindy asked, surprised.

“No, it hasn’t,” said Dalia. “The boats do well, I have plenty of money, but I don’t like it. How would you like it if a barracuda had its claws into your husband? ”

It was a horrible image and Cindy shivered. “I wouldn’t like it at all,” she said.

“Neither do I,” said Dalia. “And I didn’t like it that Ames needed to take on a partner.”

“Dale?”

“He hasn’t been the best influence,” Dalia said, suddenly sullen. “These silent partners aren’t so silent. There’s plenty he wants back for what he gives. ”

“Like what?” asked Cindy.

“Time with Ames. They go sailing together. Time with us, here at the house. ”

That sounded reasonable to Cindy.

Dalia shrugged then. “I don’t like talking about Dale,” she said.

“I know that you don’t, and I’m sorry,” said Cindy, “but do you think he could be involved with what’s going on?”

“I haven’t thought about it much,” Dalia’s eyes flared then. “I thought someone was holding Ames for money and that I’d get a ransom note.”

“But you haven’t gotten one,” said Cindy.

“No, I haven’t. I guess it’s possible that Dale could be involved. ” Dalia seemed to be closing down then. “I was hoping it would be something else.”

“In what way could he be involved, Dalia?” Cindy asked.

“I don’t know. I’m not the detective. You are. ”

Cindy wondered why Dalia didn’t want to be more helpful. Clearly there was something she was hiding, maybe something she was ashamed of.

Suddenly Cindy had a brilliant idea. It would be a way of breaking a lot of topic open.

“Was Dale close to Nina?” Cindy asked.

Dalia’s jaw dropped when she asked her that.

“Why in the world would you ask something like that? And why would it even matter? ”

“Nina’s a beautiful girl,” said Cindy. “I’m sure the men like her.”

“So what?”

“I’ve heard,” Cindy went on carefully then, “that Nina also likes the guys.”

Dalia stood up then and brushed the sand from her dress. She ran quickly to the edge of the water and stood at it. Cindy got up and followed her.

“You’ve got to talk to me, Dalia,” Cindy said. “We don’t have much time. What good will it do if you hide things from me, and I have to hide things from you? ”

Cindy wanted everything out.

“What things are you hiding?” Dalia’s voice rose feverishly.

“I heard that Nina had all kinds of affairs.” “With who? With Ames? ” Dalia yelled into the sea.

“I heard that,” Cindy said.

“They lie about me always,” Dalia shrieked into the peaceful, blue waters. “They always have. They always will. They always want to ruin my relationships. But it’s a lie! Lie! Lie! Ames was completely devoted to me!”

Cindy put her hand on Dalia’s shoulder, which was trembling like a leaf in the wind.

“I’m sorry, Dalia, I’m so sorry. But we have to get to the bottom of all this. ”

“Ames only loved me. That much I can tell you. But there’s something else you may not know yet. There are drugs on this island. Cartels from Columbia, passing drugs through. There’s no truth at all to Ames’s affair with Nina, but I do suspect there were drugs hidden on Ames’s boats. After he got involved with Dale. There, now it’s out. ”

“That’s big news,” Cindy said. “Why didn’t you tell me up front?”

“People don’t talk about it here. Even the police pretend it’s not going on. You can make a lot of money, down here, pretending. ”

“Is that why you were waiting for a ransom note?” Cindy asked.

“Something like that,” said Dalia. “But it didn’t come. It’s not about money. ”

“What else is it about? Think hard, Dalia,” Cindy said.

Cindy could see that it was hard for Dalia to even let in the idea that someone may have really done Ames harm.

“The Captain,” Dalia breathed then. “He was fired right before Ames went missing.”

“Why?”

“I’m not sure,” she said, trembling. “Business disagreements, some kind of fight.”

“That’s important to know,” Cindy said.

“Everything’s important,” said Dalia. “Ames and the Captain loved each other, though. They were inseparable for years. ”

“I guess it came to an end,” said Cindy.

“Not an end,” Dalia said, irritated, “a break. Nothing comes to an end. People need breaks from each other. Even if they love each other very much. Do you realize that? ”

“Of course I realize that,” said Cindy, taken aback by the ferocity of Dalia’s tone. Obviously, she had plenty of feelings about the relationship between Ames and the Captain.

“I’m going to talk to him and find out more,” said Cindy.

“Oh God,” said Dalia, “I know you have to. But now, things are looking worse. ”

“In what way?” asked Cindy.

“It’s all becoming complex. Too complex. I came down to the islands for a simple life. ”

Then Dalia turned and stormed away from Cindy.

Cindy was shocked to see her just walk off, without another word.

Cindy didn’t tell the Captain she was coming. She heard he was on his boat all day, every day, and had been for years. Even though he’d just been fired, he hadn’t packed up his things and left yet.

Dalia had told her to be careful. “He can be a crusty guy when he wants to,” she said. “But it will be better if I don’t go with you. You’ll get more out of him that way. ”

“What do you mean?” Cindy asked.

The question had annoyed Dalia, “Just go and see him and find out for yourself,” she quipped.

Cindy felt Dalia’s attitude towards her changing as the days went by. More and more, Cindy was beginning to feel like a hired hand, to be moved around at Dalia’s will. She didn’t like that. She’d come down to help a friend, not to take flak from an employer, who wanted power over her. Dalia’s moods shifted like the wind and she seemed to increasingly feel that Cindy had to account for her every move.

As she dug deeper, Cindy was unwilling to do that. Who did she really have to account to, Cindy wondered? Dalia didn’t seem stable enough, and the more Cindy discovered about Ames, the deeper her feeling grew that his life had tentacles that reached into dark places that Dalia knew nothing of at all.

Cindy decided to text Mattheus and let him know she was going to visit the Captain. Then she borrowed Dalia’s car and drove down to the dock where Ames’s fleet was moored.

Five large boats lay there, rocking gently in the water. Dalia had told her that the Captain’s office was on the largest one.

As Cindy walked down the plank to the Captain’s boat, she passed a few local dockhands piling cargo onto a boat. The hot sun beat down on them and they were sweating, laughing, talking to each other as they worked. As Cindy walked up the plank to the Captain’s boat, a few of them looked over her way.

One called out, “Hey, honey, Captain’s boat’s not sailing today!”

Cindy was uncomfortable. His tone was too familiar and had a sleazy edge. She kept walking up the plank.

“Stuck up bitch,” another one called out, and they all laughed in unison, like strange birds squawking across the sky.

Thankfully, she got onto the boat and out of their sight before anything else happened.

Inside, the boat was immaculately clean, large, airy, with polished wooden floors. She turned to the right, as Dalia had instructed, walked a little and then saw a cabin a few steps below with the door open. The Captain must be in there, she thought.

The stench of cigar smoke flooded the air as Cindy grew closer. When she came to the door, she saw a large, heavy man, balding and puffy, sitting at the desk, ruffling through papers, chomping on a cigar. He looked up immediately, when Cindy appeared.

“Who the hell are you?” he said, shocked

“May I come in?” Cindy asked matter of factly.

He half got up to greet her, then thought better of it and sat down again. He seemed to decide she wasn’t worth the trouble.

Cindy walked into the cabin and stood opposite him at the desk.

“Who the hell sent you here? What do you want from me now? ” He squinted his eyes and looked at her closely. His eyes were bloodshot and his bottom lip hung down at the edge. She wondered if he’d been drinking.

“I’ll only take a little bit of your time,” Cindy said.

“Yeah, yeah,” he waved his hand at her, as if it didn’t matter a damn what she said. “So, what’s a young lady like you, coming to visit an old guy like me?” He grinned at her then, lasciviously, looking her over from head to toe.

Cindy shuddered, but stayed calm. “I’m a friend of Dalia’s,” she started.

“Oh brother,” he said and shook his head. “One uptight lady if I ever met one!”

His reaction surprised Cindy. She never thought of Dalia that way.

“If ever I knew a broad who wanted to cling to her guy, that lady is it! She wouldn’t let Ames breathe, if you asked me. ”

Cindy was interested to hear whatever he wanted to say.

“Want a glass of rum?” he asked, pointing to a bottle on the edge of his desk. It was opened, and clearly he’d been having some himself.

“No thanks,” said Cindy, “not right now.”

Cindy watched him pour himself another glass.

“Okay, shoot,” he said. “What brings you here? No, wait a minute, let me guess. You’re trying to help your friend find her husband. You think maybe I got him stowed away here? ” At that he laughed. He had a loud, raspy laugh, that sounded something like a seagull that got caught on the edge of the boat, calling out for help.