by Jaden Skye
“I don’t like the way he treats her,” said Cindy.
“You don’t know enough about their relationship,” said Mattheus.
“There’s disrespect there,” said Cindy.
“Bitterness,” Mattheus replied. “Lots of older guys get bitter about their lives. It’s par for the course.”
Cindy wondered if Mattheus expected that to happen to him, too.
“Who knows how the Senator’s relationship to his wife connects to what happened to Tiffany?” Cindy said.
Mattheus put his hand on her arm. It felt warm and comforting suddenly.
“We have to stay focused,” said Mattheus. “There are lots of people involved in this gang, all kinds of interactions. If we go off on a whim, or in a wrong direction, we’ll lose valuable time.”
Cindy agreed. But it was difficult in the beginning to know what was a whim or misdirection and what would lead to where they needed to be. Things that seemed most innocent could have hideous tentacles propping them up. Things that seemed frightening on the face of it, often added up to nothing. It was what fascinated her about investigating, discovering what hunch to follow and what to let go of immediately.
Mattheus took his arm away.
“I’m going to my room now to get going,” he said. “When you’re done with your work, let me know.”
Cindy didn’t want him to leave right at that moment. “Sure, “she said, casually.
He went to the door. Before he left, he turned towards her. “And, while you’re busy investigating, think of what we’ll order up for dinner when we’re through,” he said, giving her a fleeting, whimsical smile.
Cindy grinned. He was cute. She liked that. He could be playful even in the midst of a terrible crisis. It calmed things down, brought perspective, helped her remember that despite the darkness of life, a natural order prevailed.
Mattheus went straight to his room, pulled out his laptop, and brought it out onto the patio that spread over the sea. It was better for him to work here alone, apart from Cindy. He liked it that they had their own separate spaces. It was easier for him to concentrate on what he had to do that way. His former wife never let him out of her sight. It had been a strain that grew worse over time and he appreciated Cindy’s easy acceptance of his rhythms and needs. It seemed she liked her space too. Despite her gentle exterior, Mattheus knew that Cindy was strong, fiercely independent and growing more so day by day. He smiled, she was such an unusual mixture of so many intriguing qualities. He barely knew what he would discover about her next.
Mattheus sat down at a table on the patio, opened the laptop and went online. It was still warm outside with wonderful breezes which calmed him, as he dove into the search engines, looking for all he could find about Sasha Petrovich, the Mogul the Senator was focused on. To his surprise, there was a wealth of information about him online. The guy made his billions in international real estate, buying up prime land and converting it to hotels and casinos all over the world. Petrovich’s picture came online. He was younger than Mattheus had expected, in his early fifties, tall, stocky, sensual, with ferocious eyes, dark hair, bushy eyebrows and an overly full mouth. Whew, this was one hell of a character. One of the homes he owned was here on St. Bart’s, where he came regularly. He had his own private security force, boats, jets and all the women he could handle. There were tons of photos of him at parties with different women. Quite the man about town. There were also pictures of him with top political officials in different countries. Clearly, this guy had plenty of money and knew how to use it. He also had plenty of influence to throw around.
Mattheus switched to different websites to find something about the battle between him and the Senator about building the casino here on St. Bart’s. Strangely enough, he couldn’t find anything. Mattheus found that odd.
Mattheus stretched his legs out and threw his head back. A sprinkle of stars was beginning to come out in the night sky, making a canopy over them. He couldn’t rest and enjoy the evening, though. He knew he had to do better. He had to meet Petrovich personally. He sat up abruptly, and dove back online, searching for anything else about him he could find.
Petrovich came from a small town in Russia raised in a poor family with a shadowy past. He made his money quickly, and flashed like a comet onto the social scene. The guy had never been married and had guests at his home constantly. Vodka and champagne flowed freely at his endless parties, especially around Christmas. That was good. Mattheus checked further and suddenly let out a low whistle. There was a big party planned for the next day at Petrovich’s Villa. Couldn’t be more perfect, the timing was great.
He got up and walked to the edge of the patio, peering out at the ocean below. It shouldn’t be hard to get himself invited to this guy’s villa, meet him in person, talk to the guests, snoop around. Mattheus took out his cell phone and called the Senator’s private number immediately.
“Yes?” a clipped voice answered, eager. It seemed as though he’d been waiting for the call.
“Mattheus here.”
“Yes?” the voice had more urgency.
“There’s a party tomorrow at Petrovich’s villa,” said Mattheus. “Can you get me invited to it?”
The pause on the other end only lasted a minute. “Consider it done,” the Senator said.
“Great.”
“Anything else?”
“Not yet,” Mattheus felt pressured.
“Okay then,” the Senator continued. “Good work finding that out.”
Mattheus grinned. He liked to be praised when he deserved it. This was a nice first step.
“And something else,” the Senator went on, “the wife really liked your partner. She wants to see her again soon.”
“That’s good,” said Mattheus.
“Yeah, but don’t take her to Petrovich’s party.”
“Why not?” Mattheus suddenly felt on edge.
“He’s got a treasure trove of women who will flock around you. You want to find out what they have to say. The last thing you need is another woman hanging on.”
Mattheus took exception. “My partner doesn’t hang onto me.”
“Okay, okay,” said the Senator, “but don’t bring her anyway. It’ll keep the women away.” Then he laughed. “Actually, it probably wouldn’t, they’re an aggressive bunch, barracudas if you ask me, they just take who they like, no matter who he’s with. But, just in case, go alone.”
Mattheus didn’t like being told how to proceed with his investigation. That was his domain.
“You’re a good looking guy,” the Senator continued, adamant. “You’ll create a stir. It will work to your benefit. Listen to me, I know what I’m talking about.”
Mattheus wondered for a second how the Senator knew so much about the women around Petrovich.
“I’ll call him right now,” the Senator said, “and I’m getting an invitation for one.”
Mattheus had no choice but to relent. He was working for the Senator. Petrovich was his contact.
“This time I’ll go by myself,” Mattheus said. “Next time, I’m taking my partner along. I value her impressions and feedback.”
The Senator paused. “You’re a lucky guy,” he said finally, “it’s rare to value someone like that.”
“Yes, it is,” said Mattheus, hung up and then threw a glance over towards Cindy’s patio, a few feet away. He tried not to let himself dwell on how valuable Cindy really was to him. Then he wondered how she was doing with her research. He was getting hungry, almost ready for the dinner, pretty soon they’d order up. He’d give her a few minutes before going over to see what she wanted for dinner and also what she’d found.
*
Cindy sat on her patio, her laptop open, deep into the Facebook pages of Tiffany, Tad, Rori, Shane. There was hours of work before her. She had emails to check, texts, tweets. Tiffany and Rori’s pages were very different. Tiffany’s page was mostly dominated by photos of her and Tad. She had tons of friends she spoke with regularly, mostly about the part
y coming up. Her profile was bursting with things she loved to do, including cooking, painting, dancing, boating, having a wonderful time. Her engagement had been announced and friends from all over had commented on it, wishing her well.
Tad’s page had mostly photos of Tiffany and his sister on it. There were one or two male friends from college as well. Other than that, there wasn’t too much activity. Clearly, he didn’t spend much time this way. His profile stated that he enjoyed reading, writing, museums, and walks along rocky shores. There was nothing irregular, except perhaps how different the two of them seemed. It lead Cindy to take a moment to wonder again about what it was that attracted couples to one another and how happy these two would have ultimately been.
Rori’s Facebook page had a different flavor. She had all kinds of friends splashed across it, including bikers, dancers, rich girls, snobs, and a few good looking Japanese guys. Her profile page was not filled in. There was only one picture of Tiffany on her page and very little mention of the engagement. Rori mentioned that she was indefinitely single. Cindy wasn’t sure what she meant by that.
Cindy was just getting to Tiffany’s ex-boyfriend, Shane’s page, when Mattheus appeared on her patio.
“You’ve got hours ahead of you to work,” he said quietly, as he came up and sat down beside her. “What did you find so far?”
“Just getting a flavor of everything,” said Cindy. “We’ve got quite a cast of characters. The next step should be to speak to Tad’s family. See if they have anything different to add.”
“I’m up for that,” said Mattheus. “Let’s make an appointment to see them early in the afternoon. I’ve set up an appointment for us to meet with the police in the morning. Then, I’m going to Petrovich’s Villa for a party in the evening. The Senator is getting me in.”
Cindy raised her eyebrows. “Good work,” she said. “We’re both going, or you’re going alone?”
“I think it’s best the first time I meet him that I go alone. I’ll stay more under the radar that way.”
Cindy smiled. She didn’t love the idea of Mattheus going alone.
“After all, Petrovich is quite a ladies man,” said Mattheus. “Once he sees you, his concentration will be gone.”
Cindy felt a shot of warmth go through her. She enjoyed it when Mattheus joked around this way. It never left the realm of joking though, and she took it for what it was worth.
“Now, let’s get some dinner ordered,” he said. “We need fuel to keep going.”
Cindy agreed. She was tired and hungry and the hotel was also known for its incredible French gourmet food.
Mattheus called downstairs for diner and included a bottle of aged French wine. He also asked them to send up a drink before dinner for both of them.
Cindy felt badly for stopping and enjoying herself when there was so much left to be done. And, yet, the more she researched online, the more she felt they were on the wrong track.
“I’m not sure we’re even in the ballpark,” Cindy said then to Mattheus after he’d ordered the drink.
“What do you mean?”
“For all we know, it’s none of the people at the party,” she went on. “It’s Christmas on the island. The place is packed. Could be there’s a random lunatic floating around. Maybe he hates the wealthy and is hiding out somewhere, just waiting for revenge.”
“Could be,” said Mattheus somberly. “But why would a random killer focus on the Senator’s daughter? Doesn’t make sense. If the Senator has been fighting building on the island, it makes more sense that he’s stirred up some powerful forces that want to teach him a lesson. There have been demonstrations on Guadeloupe against developing on St. Bart’s. The ruling forces there have shot people down for it. Guadeloupe is only forty five minutes away.”
“Think it’s spilled over here?” Cindy asked stunned.
“Makes sense,” said Mattheus, “there’s millions of dollars involved in this battle.”
The doorbell rang and their drinks arrived. Mattheus took their glasses out to the patio, and they sat down and drank slowly, as the ocean beneath them roared.
“Or, the murderer could be hiding in plain sight,” Cindy mused, picking up the train of thought they’d been following. “Much closer - only a few steps away, right in front of our noses.”
“Stranger things have happened,” said Mattheus, as they stared together into dark night.
CHAPTER 6
The first thing the next morning Cindy and Mattheus were scheduled to meet with the local police in town. Crime was so rare on St. Bart’s that the police station was small, located in an oversized clapboard house on a narrow road, lined with flowers and huge trees. The road, near a mountain, was in a hilly area, slightly apart from the main section of town. Mattheus and Cindy parked down at the bottom of the hill and climbed up on foot. Cindy wore sandals and it was fun walking up the pebbly road in the warm, morning sun. Little lizards jumped out at them as they walked, a slight breeze blew and the air was full of bird song. It was a place you could totally relax in, be yourself, let loose, and deeply unwind. Cindy could see how easy it was to be lulled into a sense of perfect safety here. Nothing in the environment gave the slightest suggestion that anything could ever go awry.
The policemen, called gendarmes, got around the island both on motor scooters and in cars. A few vehicles were parked outside. When Cindy and Mattheus walked in, three gendarmes were waiting for them, sitting at a round table, having coffee and croissants.
The station had an untouched, even lazy atmosphere. There were filing cabinets against the far walls, a few round tables with computers and phones. Some files and newspapers were scattered around. Basically, the place had the feeling of nothing much happening here at all.
One of the gendarmes stood up as Cindy and Mattheus entered. He was tall, fair and elegant looking, in his early forties. He walked over to them and extended his hand.
“Jean Pierre here,” he said in a slight French accent.
“Mattheus and Cindy,” Mattheus replied cordially.
Jean Pierre nodded and then smiled at Cindy.
The other two sat where they were, and continued to drink their coffee.
“Marc and Tomas,” Jeanne Pierre said then, introducing the other two gendarmes. “We all have orders to share our information with you.”
Clearly, Jean Pierre had been appointed spokesman for the group. The other two seemed reluctant to get involved. The entire operation seemed like amateur hour. The crime didn’t seem to have made a dent. Life was simply going on as usual.
Cindy and Mattheus sat down at the table with all of them.
“To begin,” Jean Pierre continued, “I want you to know how unusual it is for us to have a crime like this in St. Bart’s. Actually, it’s unheard of.”
Mattheus raised his eyebrows. “And it was a Senator’s daughter who was killed,” he added, breaking into their casual manner. “That really ups the stakes.”
One of the gendarmes, Marc, perked up. He was in his forties with slicked back dark hair and hazel eyes. Cindy thought he looked more like an actor in a movie than a cop at work on a crime.
“That’s not to say we’re not troubled by the event,” Marc chimed in. “Of course we are. We have been working on it relentlessly.”
The third gendarme at the table, Tomas, pushed his coffee away. He seemed like the most solid of all, stocky with a reddish face and shifty eyes.
“You’re here at the peak of the tourist season,” Tomas said, looking directly at Mattheus. “You may not be aware of it, but the island is packed. The villas are filled and the parties have started. Every day more yachts come into shore. Do you know what would happen if this news became public? Do you know how many holidays would be ruined?”
Cindy couldn’t believe what she was hearing. It was more important to keep the guests happy than find a killer lurking in their midst –or to get justice for a vulnerable young woman.
“What about the Senator’s family?” she said. �
��They’re suffering terribly. They need to find the killer immediately.”
“We’re working on it,” Tomas, said gruffly.
“For all we know there are other victims,” Cindy continued, “or there will be again, soon. The killer could be out stalking his prey right now as we speak.”
“Doubtful,” Jean Pierre muttered.
No matter what she said, there was a wall around the three of them that Cindy couldn’t penetrate. This investigation was way out of their range and obviously these guys were following careful directives. Cindy doubted that they even had the slightest idea about how to proceed.
Mattheus went along with them, though. He was more practical, not going to fight them. Instead, he tried to put them at ease.
“Of course we don’t want to rock the boat,” Mattheus said. “I understand perfectly.”
Jean Pierre seemed relieved and so did Marc. Tomas looked at Mattheus, edgy.
“But we do need to see what you’ve found so far,” Mattheus continued.
“Of course,” said Jean Pierre. “And we also have clearance to take both of you to the scene of the crime.”
Tomas didn’t like that. He tapped his fingers on the table, much the way Mattheus liked to do.
“Great,” said Mattheus, “but first fill us in on what you have so far.”
Marc, walked to a filing cabinet, took out two large files, threw them down on the table. Mattheus opened the files. Photos of Tiffany lying mangled on the beach spilled out in front of them. It was hard for Cindy to actually look at them.
“Body, stabbed twelve times, ultimately strangled with bare hands,” said Marc. “See the marks on the neck.”
“Overkill,” said Mattheus, looking at the photos carefully. “Points to someone she knew.”
“Definitely,” Marc agreed.
“Or else a lunatic, high on drugs, out of his mind, searching for power,” Tomas broke in, his small eyes squinting.
Jean Pierre took exception. “We don’t have those kinds coming here,” he said.
“There’s always a first time,” Tomas, replied. “A killing like this can be the extra high some are searching for. Guests on this island have everything. I mean, where do you go after you get to the top? Where’s your next thrill coming from?”
