by Jaden Skye
Cindy shivered. This guy was grim. But he was more real than the others.
“How do you guys go about catching someone like that?” Mattheus jumped in.
“We call in the police from Guadeloupe,” said Marc. “There’s plenty of back up available.”
“Have you done that yet in this case?”
“The order is in,” Tomas replied.
“What else do you have about the murder?” Mattheus wanted every last detail. “Any physical evidence, DNA?”
Marc stood up and shook his head. “We’ll take you down to see the scene yourself. It was on the beach. The water came lapping up over the body, washing most everything away.”
Mattheus wasn’t having it. “Was she raped in the process?”
“Not sure,” said Marc. “Looks like it, could be. There was definitely damage.”
“That’s important,” said Mattheus. “It changes the picture. Did he leave any semen?”
“No semen,” Marc said fitfully. “Nothing under her fingernails or on her body either to show a fight or struggle.”
“She just succumbed to it?” Mattheus asked.
“Looks like it,” said Marc.
“Or, the guy prepared himself carefully,” Mattheus went on. “Most likely wore a condom and rubber gloves. Could have been a crime of passion, but he also planned it down to the last detail. Had to know police procedure too. Could be we’ve got a real professional on our hands. I’d bet anything this isn’t his first time. How long was she there before the body was found?”
“Almost sixteen hours,” Jean Pierre chimed in.
“Nobody came looking for her before that?” asked Cindy.
“There are lots of parties going on all over,” said Marc. “I guess people thought she was at one and stayed longer than she’d planned. It’s not so unusual.”
“What about her fiancée?” Cindy continued. “He didn’t go looking for her?”
“No, he didn’t,” said Marc. “He said she’d sometimes hang out with friends and forget about time. He figured she met up with some of them and was partying.”
Cindy listened closely. She remembered times she’d been gone longer than usual and Mattheus hadn’t checked up on her either. It had bothered her, but she hadn’t said anything. Clint always had checked up right away. He would never have let something like this happen.
“We’ve talked to the fiancée plenty,” Tomas broke in. “His alibi is air tight. He was scuba diving at the time.”
“I heard,” said Mattheus.
“From everything I heard, their relationship was good,” Tomas continued. “We talked to Tiffany’s family, friends on the boat, and also Tad’s family. No one thinks Tad is involved in any way. They say he was a terrific boyfriend and that she was thrilled about getting engaged. They were happy that night at their party, dancing, laughing, like that.”
Cindy took a deep breath. Tad did seem like a decent young man.
“What about Tad’s family?” Mattheus plunged on.
“They’re rich, cold and haven’t much to say, except what a great kid Tad is. They have a daughter who can be a loose wire, but she had nothing to do with this.”
“Daughter has an alibi?” Cindy burst in.
“Yeah, she does, but that’s going too far,” Jean Pierre said. “The victim was raped. It couldn’t have been a woman.”
“How do you know it was rape?” Cindy said. “Signs of sexual violence?”
“Not really.”
“Could have been the rapist that hit St. Bart’s years ago,” Marc chimed in, “the short guy, who watched couples having sex from behind bushes. Then, when it was over, he’d knock out the guy and rape and kill the gal. Remember him?”
“That was ten years ago,” Tomas made a face. “He was caught. He’s in jail for life.”
They were grabbing at straws, not even sure if Tiffany had definitely been raped. Somehow Cindy didn’t feel sex had much to do with the crime.
“The sex could have had nothing to do with the crime,” Cindy said. “It could have been consensual sex before the murder happened.”
“Odd that there would be no semen left then,” Mattheus said.
“No, I like the way you think,” Tomas focused on Cindy. “I said the same thing myself. No reason to link sex to this killing. The guys from Guadeloupe will look into it more.”
“And we’re also here,” said Mattheus.
Tomas frowned. “We’ll take you to the scene of the crime, and then there’s not much more we can do for you.”
“What about the rich Moguls on the island?” Mattheus threw it out casually, as if he were unsuspectingly tossing a fishing rod into shark infested waters.
“What about them?” Tomas looked startled.
“It was the Senator’s daughter who was killed,” Mattheus repeated. “Could be there was another motive for the crime? I heard the Senator was causing a problem for some rich guys on the island who are determined to build.”
“You mean build the casino?” Marc asked, defensively.
“For starters,” said Mattheus.
Tomas stood up tall then and walked over to Mattheus.
“Now you’re going a little too far,” he said, getting into Mattheus’ face. “This kind of investigation is not a good place to go.”
“Why not?” Mattheus wouldn’t relent.
“This island is run by old, rich, ruling families,” Tomas said under his breath. “It’s been that way for a long, long time. There’s big money at stake here, especially in real estate. These families don’t take it well when outsiders come in and start poking around.”
“You mean they didn’t like the Senator?” asked Mattheus.
“I mean you,” Tomas said huskily, “and your lovely partner here.” He threw a glance at Cindy that was anything but complimentary. “They’re not going to like it if you start poking around in their private lives.”
Cindy’s heart pounded for a moment. They were being warned to lay low, look away from possible motives and evidence. She wouldn’t have any part of it. Cindy could never tolerate being threatened and she wasn’t going to start now.
“I heard the girl who was killed was the Senator’s favorite daughter,” Cindy continued defiantly, letting Tomas know exactly where she stood. “If the Senator had gotten in someone’s way, this killing would be a perfect revenge.”
“You probably heard a lot of things,” Tomas was trying to keep her down. “You got quite a little lady here,” he said to Mattheus then, closing his lips tight.
“We’re good partners,” Mattheus remarked. “We don’t let a stone go unturned. Not even a worm infested stone.”
Tomas guffawed, “Think you’re pretty hot, eh?”
But Cindy got what these guys were saying, loud and clear. Stay out of the politics on the island. Focus on someone who was inconsequential, like Tad. Let dirty dogs lay.
“Let’s go see the crime scene,” Mattheus broke into the tense atmosphere that was becoming more intense by the moment.
*
“There are many beaches on St. Bart’s,” Jean Pierre was driving with them to the scene of the crime, “one more beautiful than the next. Right now the beaches will all be full. Usually, they’re more empty and private. People can go and be alone with the sand and sea. There are also some great nudist beaches for those who want to really unwind.”
Cindy couldn’t stand the sound of his voice another minute. It was high and nasal, grating at her. He’d taken it upon himself to be a tourist guide, it seemed. Or, perhaps, to distract them from the true purpose of their visit. The roads they drove on were now more crowded too. It was taking a while to get to the beach where Tiffany’s body had been discovered.
They went up one hill and down another, dwarfed by beautiful mountains on either side. The terrain here was jagged and exquisite. Suddenly, the car pulled to a stop. Jean Pierre looked out towards the right. Below them was an alcove with a white sandy beach on it. A few jutties stuck out int
o the ocean. As Jean Pierre had mentioned, the beach was filled with people, on chairs, blankets, stretched out in bikinis, drinking or running into the sea. It was a time of joy and playfulness.
“That’s where we found her,” Jean Pierre remarked.
“Who found her exactly?” Mattheus asked.
“Actually, I did,” Jean Pierre said quietly.
“Why didn’t you mention that before?” asked Mattheus, disconcerted.
“I didn’t think it was important,” Jean Pierre remarked.
“Did you know Tiffany?” asked Cindy, sharply.
“Not really,” said Jean Pierre. “I’d seen her around. Her family’s famous, but there’s lots of famous people here. The place is known for it – crawling with celebs. You can’t get caught up in it. You get used to them after a while, don’t pay much attention.”
“How did you come to look at this spot?” Mattheus was staying on track.
“We got the call that Tiffany was missing just as it was getting dark,” Jean Pierre went on. “We get calls like that fairly regularly. It’s not unusual for people to get drunk, get high, fall asleep in strange places and forget to find their way home. They usually get back in touch the next day.”
“It didn’t happen like that this time though,” said Mattheus.
“No,” said Jean Pierre. “When we first got the call, we didn’t take it so seriously.”
Cindy wondered if they ever really took it seriously. Had it sunk in that a corpse had been found and that it was their job to make sure another one didn’t turn up after it?
“By the morning,” Jean Pierre was continuing, “when no one had still heard from Tiffany, we decided to spread out on the island and check the beaches and trails. I was assigned this beach and two others. The other two beaches I looked at were empty. Then, I scooted down here. It was almost four in the afternoon when I got here. I started walking on the beach and the sun was in my eyes, so I didn’t see her immediately. He paused, remembering and suddenly looked troubled.
“Then?” Mattheus jogged him.
“The tide was going out. She was right up against the water’s edge, near the rock jetty over there. The first thing I saw was a leg.”
Cindy breathed deeply and looked away.
“Do you want to go down to the spot where I found her?” he asked.
“Yes,” said Mattheus.
Cindy didn’t want to go. This was close enough. She got the picture. She sat still in the car as the two of them got out.
Mattheus turned and looked at her. “It’s important to go down there and be on the spot where it happened,” he said. “There’s all kinds of things you can notice then.”
Cindy knew it was so.
Jean Pierre looked over. “Rough job for a woman,” he said.
“Certainly can be,” said Cindy as she got out of the car.
The three of them climbed down the slope of the mountain to the beach. Waves of warm, salty air greeted her as she walked close to the sand. The beach was full with people swimming, walking and laughing everywhere.
They walked to the edge of the water slowly and stood there. Little birds walked on the sand and seagulls flew around them.
“This is where I found her,” Jean Pierre said.
It was terrible, Cindy thought, that Tad lad left her alone that afternoon.
“Where did Tad go scuba diving?” she asked. “Far from here?”
“A couple of miles down,” said Jean Pierre. “It’s a well-known place. He went there all the time.”
Cindy looked into the ocean. What had really brought Tiffany to this spot? Tad said she didn’t feel like going scuba diving with him, needed some time alone on the beach. It seemed understandable enough, but nothing was ever that simple, especially where a murder was concerned. The fact that it was right after her engagement party may not have been by accident, either. Had she been too visible? Stirred up too much envy? Cindy suddenly wondered if Tiffany’d had any sense of her destiny? Often people had a premonition before something terrible happened. What had drawn her to this horrendous death? These questions whirled around in Cindy’s mind. She knew that she had to check back in with Tiffany’s mother soon, who was waiting for answers. What in the world could Cindy say? How could a mother absorb something like this?
“What are you thinking?” Mattheus said, breaking into her thoughts.
“I’m trying to sense what happened to her,” Cindy replied. “I’m taking the steps she took with her, in my mind.”
Just then Marc and Tomas joined them.
“Okay,” they said, “we’ve been here long enough. Don’t want to draw attention on the beach.”
Cindy looked up and around. Already a group of people were looking their way. It must have seemed strange to see the police here, gathered together.
They all turned around then and walked back to the car together. Cindy felt badly, as though she were leaving Tiffany stranded on the shore. She almost felt as if Tiffany’s spirit were begging Cindy to stay with her.
When they got back up the hill, Tomas stepped forward.
“Hope that was useful,” he said perfunctorily.
“Everything helps,” said Cindy.
“Next we’re going to talk to Tad’s parents,” Mattheus said.
Tomas bristled. “No reason for it. We’ve talked to them enough,” he sounded resentful. “There’s nothing more they have to say. We’re on top of the case. And the guys from Guadeloupe are on their way up, as well.”
“I hear you,” said Mattheus, “but we’re got our own work cut out, too.”
“You don’t get what I’m saying do you?” Tomas’s voice deepened. “Back off. Take it easy. We don’t want you guys spreading panic on the island. Tell the Senator’s family what you want, but it’s not going to help anything for you to get in our way.” His face was red and his eyes half shut.
“He means what he says,” Marc echoed. “If you step on the wrong shoes here, you can get kicked back pretty hard.”
“Got it,” Mattheus said.
“It’s been nice knowing you,” said Tomas then, as the three of them turned to go.
“Looks like we’ve just been relegated to no man’s land,” said Cindy.
“They can say what they want,” Mattheus grinned, “it takes more than that to get rid of me.”
“I wonder what they’re so afraid of our finding out?”
“Whatever it is, it stinks to high heaven,” said Mattheus, “underneath this luscious island, something’s badly rotting, and it’s time for us to find out what.”
CHAPTER 7
The drive to Tad’s parent’s home was surprisingly silent. Mattheus was in deep thought. He had a lot more research to do on Sasha Petrovich and the political situation on the island, but wanted to personally speak with Tad’s family as well.
When Cindy had called Tad’s parents, asking for an interview, it took a while for them to agree. Cindy had to promise to keep it short, before they finally gave her their address and directions to their home.
“I find it odd how little attention has been paid to Tad’s family,” Mattheus remarked, when Cindy mentioned that she got the appointment. “They’ve managed to escape into the shadows beautifully.”
“Why shouldn’t they? This has to be terrible for them as well,” Cindy replied.
“Maybe it is and maybe it isn’t. Let’s find out. I’m going with you,” Mattheus was adamant.
Cindy wondered what he expected to find.
Now as they approached the home, the narrow road they drove on suddenly grew jagged as it twisted and turned. At the end of the road a large, well-appointed home stood grandly, under huge palm trees.
Cindy was taken aback. “This looks like a little palace,” she said.
“Many of the homes on the island are like this,” said Mattheus, unimpressed. “Getaways for the wealthy, while the rest of us mortals have to work.”
Cindy was surprised by Mattheus’ bitterness.
“What’s wrong with working?” she said. “Working is good. I like what I do.”
“So do I,” said Mattheus, “but we’re rare. There are millions who do not, who work under the thumbs of folks like this.”
Cindy turned and looked at him. She hadn’t realized he had such strong feelings about the wealthy. There was a lot she didn’t know about Mattheus, she realized. It was fascinating watching different aspects of his personality unfold.
“I hope you don’t let your feelings get in the way of the investigation,” Cindy remarked.
Mattheus didn’t like that. “I never let anything get in the way of cases I’m on. Nothing, ever. I’m a complete professional.”
“Wow,” said Cindy. “Looks like I hit a nerve.”
They drove up the driveway, parked along the side and got out of the car together. Unexpectedly, it felt as if about to rain, and the house was surrounded by a mist. Unusual for the weather on St. Bart’s.
They walked up the entrance way and before they got to the front, the door opened. A tall, very slender, elegant woman stood waiting to greet them.
“Mrs. Crane?” asked Cindy, walking to the entrance, extending her hand.
The elegant woman did not blink an eye, or extend her hand in return.
“Come in,” she said in a plain tone, her face impassive and slightly weary.
Cindy and Mattheus walked into the home. It was formal, stark and somewhat forbidding. The floors were grey marble with an angular design and the furniture polished and upholstered in the finest beige satin. It seemed strange for a vacation house on an island. Cindy felt uneasy sitting down on the sofa.
“Sit down,” Mrs. Crane said, motioning to a settee large enough to seat two. Another settee was placed opposite it.
Cindy and Mattheus sat down carefully. Everything about the place was carefully appointed, not a hair out of place. It made Cindy nervous.
“Mr. Crane will be down in a moment,” Mrs. Crane said as she sat, facing them, on the opposite settee.
