Death by Seduction (8 page)

I tell everyone it’
normal.  Just remember why you decided to get married in the first place.”

Cindy shivered.
Loretta was giving her heartfelt guidance just after her own husband had died.  “Thank
you for that, Loretta,” said Cindy quietly.

“Do you love Mattheus?
Does he love you?” Loretta asked again, repeating a tried and true formula. “If
you love each other, take my advice. Don’t let anything get in between you.
Not  lies, not rumors, not families or disappointment. There’s nothing more important
than having a beautiful marriage, like the one Pete and I had.”

*

After Cindy and
Loretta spent a little more time together, Loretta went back to be with Angela,
and Cindy went downstairs to the hotel lobby to meet Pete’s friend and
colleague,  Andy.

As Cindy sat in
the lobby, she thought about what Loretta had said. It was strangely comforting
to know that many couples wanted to call the wedding off at the last minute. It
made Cindy feel better about herself for getting this far down the road with
Mattheus. But, on the other hand, she had no intention of going back.  Even
though she missed him, it was  freeing to be here taking the case on her own, made
her feel strong and independent. Although she missed going over evidence together
and hearing his views, Cindy also liked not having to check in with him about her
choices.

Cindy sat
drumming her hands on the edge of the sofa as she waited. Soon a lovely
looking, suntanned man, dressed in slacks and a blue shirt, came walking
towards her. It had to be Andy.

“Cindy?” he asked,
stopping where she sat.

“Andy?” replied
Cindy as they both smiled at exactly the same moment. “Please sit down.”

“You’re a doll
for coming down here to help with this,” said Andy, sitting down beside her.

“I’m sorry about
the loss of your colleague,” Cindy started.

“Not just my
colleague, my friend,” Andy insisted. “Didn’t Loretta didn’t tell you that?”
The smile left his face and his voice betrayed the pain he was feeling.

“Loretta said you
and Pete were close,” Cindy corrected herself. “You knew him a long time?”

“Pete and I
worked together for almost five years,” Andy remarked. “He came down here
regularly.  I run the division he worked in, live down here.”

Cindy liked
Andy’s forthright manner. “What happened to Pete?” she asked directly. “How did
he end up with Charma?”

Andy’s voice got
caught in his throat. “Listen, it’s a nightmare,” he murmured. “Nobody knows
how this happened.”

“Loretta’s
convinced someone else killed him and dumped his body in the brothel,” Cindy reported.

“I heard that,”
replied Andy. “But why would they do that? Why?”

“Did Pete spend
time with prostitutes?” Cindy honed in directly.

“Look, he and I
never talked about it,” said Andy. “I knew him as an upright guy.”

“You guys hung
out together, he was down here alone a lot and he never said a thing?” Cindy
asked.

Andy grew silent.

“What about the
company you two work for?” Cindy asked then.

“What about us?” Andy
was startled.

“Could that have
something to do with what happened to Pete? I know you guys make financial
investments. Were Pete’s accounts in order? Was he speculating on something
dangerous?” asked Cindy.

“Absolutely not,”
Andy was emphatic. “Our company’s above board about everything. You can come
check the books, check the records. We speculate in real estate mostly, sometimes
gold and precious jewels.”

“You’re aware of
the real estate company Pete was buying the condo from?” Cindy continued.

“Yes, of course.
We’ve helped fund other sales they’ve made,” replied  Andy.

Cindy needed to
get a grip on things, wanted to get right to the point.  “Who would want Pete
dead?” she demanded again.

“I have no idea,
I really don’t,” exclaimed Andy. “Why not ask Pete’s brother, Taylor? He might
know more.  I heard he just got down here.  He and Pete were  close. Pete spoke
to me about him many times.”

“What did he
say?” asked Cindy.

“He said Taylor
was the smartest guy around, but once he got an idea in his head he could never
get rid of it.  Taylor could be hard on everyone, but Pete loved him to death.
He looked after him. I’d talk to Taylor if I were you.  He’s your best bet.”
said Andy.

“I will,” said
Cindy making a mental note of it. “And what about the real estate company Pete
was buying the condo from?”

“What about them?”
It didn’t compute for Andy. “Why in hell would they want Pete dead? He was just
buying a big, beautiful condo. Gave them a huge down payment, too, from what I
heard.”

“Where did Pete
get the money for the down payment?” Cindy was fishing for something, anything.

“Pete had plenty
of money of his own,” Andy looked surprised.  “He made great deals down here,
was fantastic at flipping things quickly.  Didn’t you know that?”

Loretta had said
that but Cindy wasn’t sure. Loretta’s father told her something different, also
said  that he’d funded Loretta’s business completely.  

“Pete made enough
to put down that down payment on the condo?” Cindy asked.

“Hell, the guy
could have bought ten condos,” answered Andy. “He could buy anything he wanted.”

“Did Loretta and
her father know how successful Pete was?” Cindy plunged forward.

“I don’t know
what they did or didn’t know,” Andy began growing restless.

Cindy swiftly
changed gears, needed to hold Andy’s attention.  “Did Pete love Loretta?” she
asked.

Andy looked at
Cindy lamely, “Now how would I know that?” he replied.

“Guys know how
each another feel,” Cindy suggested.

“Hell, I can’t
agree with that,” said Andy. “As far as I can see most guys don’t even know how
they feel.  It changes one minute to the next anyway, doesn’t it?”

Cindy appreciated
Andy’s frankness, but she also felt he was holding something back.“Can we talk
again later?” Cindy asked, sensing Andy growing restless.

“Why do we have
to talk again later?” Andy looked perturbed. “I’ve told you everything I know.”

Cindy wanted to
believe him, but didn’t. “I’ll need to check Pete’s accounts, look into the
books, track the deals he made,” Cindy repeated. “Will that be alright with
you?”

“Yeah, sure, it’s
fine,” Andy heaved a loud sigh. “And look, I got to go now.”

“Absolutely,”
said Cindy, standing along with Andy, as he reached out his hand to shake hers,
in a quick good bye.

“Did
you like Andy? Was it a helpful conversation?” Loretta called a minute after
Andy walked away.

“It
was okay,” said Cindy, nondescriptly, not really wanting to share everything
with Loretta yet. “How’s it going with Angela?”

“Fine,
but tell me more about Andy,” Loretta seemed on edge.

“He
had only good things to say about Pete,” Cindy reassured her.  Cindy thought
for a moment about speaking to Loretta about Pete’s financial status, but this
wasn’t the time or way.

“That’s
what I thought Andy would say,” Loretta seemed to quiet down. “There was
nothing else to say about Pete, only good things. He was a fine, upstanding,
upright guy. Who would want to put him down?”

“Who
would want to take him down?” Cindy took the opportunity to ask again.

“What
are you doing next?” Loretta asked quickly. “Checking out the real estate
company?”

Cindy
had no intention of giving Loretta a blow by blow description of her plans. “I’ll
be talking to the real estate company soon,” she replied evasively.

“Thanks,”
Loretta was relieved, “you’re doing a wonderful job. Why don’t you take off a
little time and enjoy yourself. Go take a swim in the pool, or go to the beach.
You’ll feel brand new afterwards.”

“That’s
a great suggestion,” said Cindy, actually agreeing. “I might just take you up
on it.”

Cindy
decided to take up Loretta’s suggestion and go to the beach for an afternoon
swim.  Some time to herself would help her go over everything, see where she
stood and what her next steps should be.

Before
she left, Cindy checked her phone for messages, and to her distress, found another
message from Mattheus waiting for her. This time it was a text:

  I’m
not your enemy, answer me! Whatever we decide, we can’t just leave ragged edges.

Cindy
shut her phone off abruptly. She found the message Mattheus left jarring. She
wasn’t the one who’d left ragged edges or ran away when things got tough. It
was him. Responding to the text would just be a way of keeping things going. No
answer was an answer in itself.  This was definitely the time to get away for a
swim, to clear her mind and unwind.

*

Cindy
wanted to leave the main tourist spots far behind and chose a hidden beach that
was part of an inlet at a craggy part of the island. The beach was surrounded
by hills, rocks and an array of beautiful birds.  As she stood on the rocky
stand Cindy could even  make out Iguanas creeping over distant rocks.

Cindy
walked to the edge of the water and jumped in.  It was invigorating to splash
around in these murky waters, surrounded by raw nature. Cindy suddenly understood
Pete’s desire for extreme adventure. It must have connected him with something
primal inside himself that was missing in his life. Loretta was definitely the
opposite. She was so put together and socially driven that once again Cindy wondered
if Pete’s marriage was fundamentally out of kilter and  unfulfilling? Could
that be a reason he might have been driven to see someone like Charma?

Cindy
swam fervently and then turned and floated on her back, looking up at the cloud
covered, threatening sky.  It was good being away from everyone and have a
chance to think her own thoughts. Cindy didn’t yet have a real sense of Pete,
only the idealized  image of him Loretta clung to. Her talk with Andy hadn’t
fill in the gaps, either. He’d also stayed on the periphery, unwilling to go
deeper. Cindy was eager to meet Taylor, Pete’s brother.

The
sky suddenly grew darker and winds blew up, threatening rain.  Cindy suddenly
realized how crucial it was for her to talk to Charma as soon as possible.  Pressure
from Loretta had definitely taken a toll, causing Cindy to delay the meeting.  How
ridiculous, she thought. Charma was the first person she should have talked to.
She’d be the perfect one to fill in the gaps about Pete, if she actually knew
him.

By
the time Cindy got out of the water and back onto the sand, her plan was clear.
The very next stop would be to talk to Charma.  She wouldn’t say a thing about
it to Loretta, though. There was no need to. After she spoke to Charma, she’d
contact  Taylor and get the picture of Pete rounded out.

Cindy
spent a little while longer on the beach, then gathered her things together.
She would go back to the hotel, change and then make her way down to the police
station where Charma was being held.

On
her way back  Cindy looked at her phone once again. Mattheus’s text stood
there, unanswered, glaring at her. As much as she wanted to say something,
Cindy forced herself to remain silent. She wasn’t going to respond in a knee
jerk manor, or keep dancing this dance they’d been doing. A clean break was
better, she thought.

*

Before
going down to the police station Cindy called to make sure they knew she was
coming down to speak to Charma.  Fortunately,  Ron, the cop she’d met at the
brothel, picked up.

“I’ll
be there in about an hour,” said Cindy, “I need to speak to Charma.”

“It’s
a good idea,” Ron replied, “we’ve been waiting for you. Charma heard that
you’re  working the case and keeps asking why you don’t come down and talk to
her, too?”

Cindy
was glad to hear that and once again was upset for taking so long to come down
and meet Charma herself.

*

Cindy
waited in a small, airless room as Charma was brought out of her holding cell to
talk to her.  Finally, the door opened slowly and Charma was led in.  In her
late twenties with long, wild, curly hair and huge beautiful , brown eyes, she
looked like a wild, trapped animal with frantic energy exuding from every
cell.  The minute she walked in, Charma lunged towards Cindy, but the police
officer with her, directed her to sit down. Once she did, the cop, looking
bored, turned and left them alone.

“You
sure took your time about coming to see me,” Charma shook her thick mane of
hair back over her shoulders. “But I got all the answers you need, so what kept
you waiting so long?”

“I
was stupid,” said Cindy.

Charma
grinned. “Yeah, most cops are stupid as hell.”

“Sorry,”
said Cindy lightly, agreeing with her.

“Were
you scared to come and see a whore?” Charma baited Cindy, her eyes flashing.

“Not
at all,” said Cindy, lying.  “There were just lots of people I had to speak to.”

“Nah,
“ Charma’s mouth opened wide, showing ragged edges to her teeth. “There’s only piece
in this puzzle. Me. They’re pinning it on me.”

“Because
they found your fingerprints all over the victim, “Cindy said abruptly.

”Sure
my fingerprints are all over my guys,” Charma held back a laugh. “Where else
would they be? That doesn’t prove a dang.”

“Pete
was one of your customers?” Cindy took the opening, afraid to hear more.

“Oh
brother, are we in kindergarten or something?” Charma looked up at the ceiling,
then back at Cindy. “Sure he was one of my customers. Why wouldn’t he be?
Something wrong with me?”

“Of
course not, I didn’t mean that,” Cindy felt horrified for Loretta.

“Pete
was one of  my regulars and boy, did he like me!” Charma added for good
measure, shoving it in Cindy’s face.

 “He
came to see you often?” asked Cindy, saddened.

“He
came when he needed to,” Charma became flippant. “I don’t exactly keep a list
of how many times my guys come to see me. They come when they’re bored, or
lonely, or get hungry as hell.”

Cindy
shivered. “Which was it for Pete?” she asked.

“All
three,” Charma laughed. “I’m sure you’ve seen the lady he married,  a moving
stiff if ever I saw one.”

“When
did you get to meet Loretta?” Cindy felt alarmed.

“I
didn’t actually meet her,” Charma backtracked. “I was out on the street once,
walking with another John, and saw Pete and her passing by. I knew who it was
cause he’d showed me her picture.”

Cindy
shivered. “Why would Pete show you his wife’s picture?” she asked.

“Lots
of the guys do, believe it or not,” Charma was thoroughly enjoying the
conversation. “Maybe it makes them feel less guilty, or something,” she said,
“as though they’re letting their wives in on it too.”

“But
the wives know nothing, do they?” asked Cindy, amazed.

“Of
course not,” said Charma. “I’m the dirtiest secret these guys have. If the
wives found out there’d be hell to pay. So when I saw Pete and his wife walk by
I pretended not to notice. But I got a good look at her, and she glanced at me,
too. She had no idea who she was seeing, though. She never thought in a million
years, I was doing her man, making him happier than she ever could.”

Cindy
looked away, overwhelmed.

“You
looked creeped out,” Chama’s voice suddenly lowered. “You never had a guy
hungry for you? You don’t know how to make a guy incredibly happy?”

Cindy
had no intention of answering that question, unclear how they’d even gotten to
this point.

 “They’re
also found your fingerprints over the knife that killed Pete” Cindy instantly
refocused.

Charma
didn’t miss a beat.  “Anyone could have stabbed him and wiped my prints on the
knife, couldn’t they? That’s not why they’re pinning it on me.”

“Why
are they’re pinning it on you?” asked Cindy, sourly.

“Because
it’s easy and convenient to blame a whore,” Charma grinned. “I’ve been blamed
before, I’m used to it.”

“When?”
Cindy was on the alert.

“You
don’t know my criminal history?” Charma stopped for a second and really looked
at Cindy. “You don’t know I have a record of assaulting a John once with a
knife. “

“No,
I didn’t know that,” said  Cindy, wondering why someone hadn’t mentioned that
to her before.

“Some
detective,” Charma sneered. “But that time was different. I had to do it,  My John
was coming at me in a drugged stupor, going for my neck. It was kill or be
killed. Everyone realized it.  I got off.”

Cindy looked
more closely at this beautiful, sensual young woman, horrified by

by
her life.

“Everyone
in the business runs into shit like that,” Charma went on. “It’s the law of the
streets, if you’ don’t know how to protect yourself, you end up dead.”

“I’m
sorry,” said Cindy, suddenly moved. “It’s a terrible way to live, Charma.”

Struck
by the sincerity of Cindy’s feeling, Charma grew quiet for a moment and bit her
lower lip.

 “The
life’s got  good points too,” she said softly then. “It ain’t all bad or I
wouldn’t be doing it.”

“What
would you be doing?” asked Cindy, truly wanting an answer.

At
that Charma threw her head back and guffawed. “Maybe I’d be a detective, like
you. But that’s not such a great life, either though, is it? We can both get
killed in a second flat.”

Cindy
never thought of it that way.

“At
least I got protection, and a home to live in.  I got regulars who really care
about me” Charma’s eyes half closed, looking at Cindy like an alley cat. “How
about you? What do you get out of what you’re doing?”

Cindy
felt deeply disturbed by the question.

“Listen,
I should have been out of here a long time by now. This is getting ridiculous,”
Charma went on. “You got to help me out. I want you to get hold of a guy named
Eric. The girls  at the house have his number.  Eric’s my number one, regular
John. He’s a big lawyer down here and he’ll do whatever he can to help me.  Tell
him  Charma said her ass is up against hell. He’ll know what I mean, in a
second flat.”

“Have
you told the police to contact Eric?” Cindy asked immediately.

Charma
frowned and her face grew darker. “What kind of idiot do you take me for? What
Eric and I got is secret. It’s okay for you to call him, but don’t tell anyone
about it. Eric will lead you to the killer. He’s smart, he’s connected, he’ll
figure things out.”

“Are
you nervous about this, Charma?” Cindy asked.

“Sure
I’m nervous,” Charma retorted. “At first I thought it would all just work out, but
it’s taking too long. Now I’m wondering.”

“Who
wanted Pete dead?” Cindy asked fervently.

“Damned
if I know,” Charma growled.

“He
ended up dead in your room, though,” said Cindy.

“Yeah,
but most of the night I wasn’t even there,” Charma suddenly thundered. “I was
out with Eric, if you want to know. We went to a fancy motel and then he
brought me back to the house much later on.”