by Jaden Skye
Manilla’s pub was oddly spacious, overlooking both water and a string of grimy boats. Most tables were now filled with locals, drinking beer, eating lunch, talking noisily.
Mattheus went directly to the bartender. “Leon Torbitt here yet?” he asked, as though he were an expected guest.
The bartender barely looked up. He had small, shifty eyes, a large square face and kept moving a few glasses around on the bar. “Who’s asking?” he responded.
“Mattheus. Tell Leon that Wilma suggested I talk to him.” Wilma was the name of Leon’s sister. It was also the name of one of the women killed in the murders, though Leon didn’t realize that.
The bartender looked up at him then, suddenly interested. “Leon’s expecting you?”
Mattheus shook his head.
The bartender went to the back room and in a few minutes a smallish, thin guy in tight pants and a black shirt came skirting out. It had to be Leon, thought Mattheus.
The bartender pointed towards Mattheus and the small guy looked at him puzzled.
Mattheus stood up quickly, went over to him and put his hand on his shoulder.
“Leon Torbitt?” he said.
“How do you know my sister?” Leon answered, pushing Mattheus by the elbow over to a side table. “What the hell does she want of me now?”
Mattheus and Leon sat down at the table and looked into each other’s eyes. Mattheus felt as if he’d known him forever, as if they’d been friends their whole life long. Leon seemed incredibly comfortable with him as well
“Wilma needs your help,” Mattheus said then in a confidential tone.
Leon’s eyes opened for a second alarmed, then looked down. “If this is some kind of joke, you’ll pay for it.”
“It’s not a joke,” Mattheus, reassured him. “It’s not your sister either, it’s another Wilma I’m talking about, a lady killed during the hotel murders.”
Leon’s eyes opened even wider. “This some kind of scam?”
“I’m trying to track down the hotel killer,” Mattheus replied, fully expecting Leon to help him. “And I need your help.”
Despite himself, Leon laughed. “The killings are over, it’s done and finished. And the idiots know
that I had nothing to do with it. “You’re looking in the wrong place, buddy,” Leon tapped both hands on the table a few times. “Those murders reek of big business down here and everyone knows it. These rich guys got all kinds of women holed up at expensive hotels. If you asked me, someone was getting revenge on someone and taking a few of their women out. What the hell has that got to do with me? Me and my friends are completely covered. We weren’t even down here when these killings took place. Who sent you down here?”
“Trage,” said Mattheus.
“Police Chief?” Leon looked surprised.
“Right.”
“Then he’s more of an idiot than I even imagined,” said Leon. “He’s sending you on a wild goose chase, he knows we deal in other parts of the island.”
Mattheus stopped and wondered if it could be so? “Why would he do that?” Mattheus asked quietly.
“It’s easy to blame everything on the drug trade, isn’t it?” Leon responded, “but drug guys don’t kill one dame after another, it’s not our style. Besides the killings are over.”
“No, they’re not,” Mattheus proclaimed swiftly.
“What do you mean?” Leon looked perturbed.
“And I’m offering you complete immunity,” Mattheus continued.
“You cracked or something?” Leon scanned Mattheus closely. “Immunity for what?”
“For talking to me,” said Mattheus, “telling me everything you know. A few days ago, another woman was killed. I’m a private detective and the woman who was killed was my partner’s sister.”
Leon looked genuinely distressed. “Sorry to hear that,” he muttered.
“Sorry isn’t the word for it,” Mattheus felt himself getting tight. “She was killed in her bed while down here on vacation with her husband.”
“Listen fella, and listen good,” Leon broke in fast. “We’ve got our hands in plenty of stuff, but nothing to do with those killings. I like women, I don’t kill them. Sorry about your partner’s sister, I hadn’t even heard it happened again.”
Mattheus felt his genuine upset. “Help me find out who did it,” Mattheus suddenly pleaded.
“If you ask me, it’s a wild card. And I’ll tell you something else that’s no mystery. Those damn murders will never get solved. They were an inside job if I ever saw one.”
“That’s not enough, I need more than that,” Mattheus pleaded.
“Why not see who those dead dames had in common?” Leon suggested. “Could have been they were all involved with the same guy.”
“You’d make a great detective yourself,” Mattheus replied. “There’s a lot of pieces to this puzzle I haven’t looked into yet.”
“Just get down here?” Leon asked.
“Yeah,” said Mattheus. “To help my partner out.”
“There’s a nest of snakes down here on the Island just waiting to pounce,” Leon muttered. “The sister just came for a few days, right? On vacation with a husband?”
“Right,” said Mattheus.
Leon cupped his chin with his small hand. “Don’t waste your time trying to solve the hotels murders. Your partner’s sister isn’t part of the chain, her murder’s got to be connected to something else.”
“What?” asked Mattheus swiftly.
“Damned if I know,” Leon replied. “That’s your job, not mine to find out.”
Mattheus began to push his chair away from his table. “Thanks for your time,” he said.
“Hell, hang in a while,” Leon didn’t want him to go. “Never hurts to relax and chill out. Have a couple of beers on me.”
“Wish I could,” said Mattheus, “but time’s short and I got a lot of work cut out to do.”
“You’re a great guy,” said Leon, unexpectedly. “If there’s ever something else I can do to help you, don’t hesitate to let me know.”
Mattheus left the interview ill at ease. Why did Trage send him down to a complete dead end? True, Mattheus had asked to see Leon, but Trage should have stopped him. Cindy was right, they had to develop a laser sharp focus now, hone in on all the right places, before Ann’s case also conveniently went cold.
Chapter 11
Cindy opened Ann’s Facebook page right after she spoke to Mattheus. He’d probably be away for a couple of hours and she wanted to use the time to complete her investigation of Ann’s online world. As Cindy expected, everything looked the same. There was no sense that tragedy had struck, life looked calm and happy. Familiar faces that Cindy had seen over and over were still posted. This was the world Ann had lived in, the friends who circled around her with love. They created a sense that her life was secure and balanced. Cindy looked at the assorted pictures of Ann and Frank smiling along with their other couple friends. There were pictures of restaurants that Ann and Frank frequented and a snapshot of them at a carnival. Everything looked in perfect order, only it wasn’t. Ann had been skating on thin ice, about to be killed.
Cindy scanned through Ann’s messages carefully, but nothing special came up. One friend Loretta mentioned how beautiful Bermuda was and that she wanted to hear all about the trip. A rich uncle of hers had a yacht there, did business in Bermuda with the biggest firm around, Evan Price, Inc. Loretta asked Ann to post pictures, Ann had said she would. What kind of photo could Ann ever post now?
Restless, Cindy picked up the phone and called Mattheus, just to see how it was going.
“Any news?” she asked as he picked up.
“Torbbit’s clean,” answered Mattheus, seeming grateful to talk. “He wasn’t even in town when the murders happened. He said the hotel killings had to be linked to big business here. Nothing else makes sense, does it?”
“That leaves Ann out then,” Cindy said despondently.
“Why?” asked Mattheus.
“She wasn’t linked to big business, neither was Frank, ever. He did well enough in his own world, got some more clients, maybe? But big business, no.”
“Don’t be so sure,” Mattheus murmured. “Let’s talk more when I get back. Where are you now?”
“In my room,” said Cindy. “Still going over Ann’s Facebook page.”
“See you in a few minutes,” said Mattheus, as he hung up.
Cindy read Ann’s Facebook messages one more time before deciding to sign off. This time she read them she paused at Loretta’s comment. Her uncle worked in Bermuda, knew the territory, worked for a top guy here, Evan Price. Price was clearly involved in big business. Perhaps he’d have some ideas about who Cindy and Mattheus could look into? Of course Cindy would first have to call Loretta, ask her to get in touch with her uncle and tell her about Ann’s death. The news would spread like wildfire. Cindy wasn’t ready to do that yet. Maybe she could find out more about Evan Price directly, even talk to him. Right now any lead would be a help. Cindy wanted to do it on her own though, not check with Trage about it. She signed off Ann’s Facebook page and decided to look up Evan Price online, find out more about him herself.
To Cindy’s complete surprise, one article after another about Evan Price popped up online. A huge business magnet, heading a major hedge fund, his name came up again and again. There were pieces written about him in connection with everything –A line parties, charity events, the International Festival of films. Cindy was surprised that Loretta’s uncle worked for someone like him. If the hotel murders had been connected to big business, it seemed that Evan Price would definitely be the man to talk to.
Cindy decided then to put a call into Trage first, to get the whole picture.
“How’s it going, Cindy?” Trage asked the minute he recognized her voice.
“We’re working hard,” Cindy replied, “I’m not sure where we’re going next though.”
“This is a rough one,” Trage agreed, “without some kind of motive for your sister’s killing, it’s hard to know where to turn.”
How could there be a motive for Ann’s killing, Cindy suddenly said. “Ann never did a thing to harm anyone. Maybe the killer was an insane, a random psychopath, preying on anyone they could find. It was definitely someone vicious, judging by the marks on Ann’s neck. Possibly they were high on drugs at the time Ann was slaughtered. Is there someone like that floating around?”
Trage got quiet. “No one we can put our finger on,” he said slowly.
“Anything new come in?” asked Cindy, “even one, small lead?”
“I’m sorry,” Trage replied. “I sent Mattheus down to talk to Leon Torbitt, a big drug honcho, a little while ago.”
“It didn’t pan out to be much,” Cindy responded.
“I didn’t think it would,” said Trage. “Mattheus wanted to go, though. He told me one lead always brings another, even when you least expect it. You got a good man there, Cindy.”
“Who’s Evan Price?” Cindy asked suddenly, wanting to take Trage down a new road.
“Why do you ask about him?” Trage sounded unsettled.
“I just read about him online,” Cindy remarked casually, not wanting to influence Trage’s response.
“Where’d you find his name?” Trage didn’t seem to like it.
Cindy wasn’t going to tell Trage she saw Evan Price mentioned in passing on Ann’s Facebook page. That seemed foolish.
“I’m not sure where he first came up,” Cindy said slowly.
“Not sure? You need better than that. You don’t go into the water, swim with sharks and ruffle their territory without having a good reason to do so.”
The sound of Trage’s voice troubled Cindy. It was interesting to her that he considered Evan Price a shark.
“Anyone who could lead me to Ann’s killer is someone I want to talk to,” Cindy said staunchly.
“But what’s the connection between Ann and Price?” Trage wasn’t buying it.
“Ann was killed in the same hotel where the others murders took place,” Cindy answered plainly. “From what I can gather, most people think those killings were connected to big business.”
“Conjecture,” Trage mumbled. “No evidence of that.”
“Did anyone talk to Evan Price about the hotel murders?” asked Cindy.
“In fact, we did,” said Trage. “If you look through the files you’ll see he was interviewed by us several times. He’s actually been up on charges a few times for other things, as well. The guy never gets caught for anything, though. Price is a smooth operator if ever there was one. He’s meticulous, too, nothing passes him by.”
“What was he been up on charges for?” Cindy was fascinated.
“The usual,” Trage answered slowly, “tax evasion, bribery. Someone went missing a year ago, and he was charged for that as well. The charges never came to anything, though. Exactly how could there be a connection between him, in particular, and your sister’s murder?”
There wasn’t any connection that Cindy knew of, but, judging by how disturbed Trage was, it was something Cindy definitely had to explore.
“I really need to know how exactly how you heard of him, Cindy,” Trage became adamant.
“One of Ann’s friends has an uncle who works for him,” Cindy replied. “Price’s name came up on Ann’s Facebook page.”
“That’s all you got?” Trage sounded suspicious.
“That’s enough,” Cindy replied edgy.
“It’s nothing,” Trage answered quickly, “you know how many people work for him, one way or another? This is an international hedge fund.”
“Now he sounds like someone I definitely need to meet,” Cindy answered briskly.
“Explore what you want,” said Trage quickly. “But, believe me, you’re wasting your time.”
“Got any other ideas?” asked Cindy, “I’m open for anything you can suggest.”
“Talk to your brother in law,” Trage finally grumbled. “If someone’s got the key, he does. He was with your sister right before she was murdered. He knew her, he knows her friends. I believe he holds the answers.”
Cindy felt furious. “I talked to him already, he doesn’t have anything,” Cindy responded sharply, as the two of them hung up at the very same moment, annoyed.
*
“There was no reason for you to upset Trage,” Mattheus said when he returned and Cindy told him what had happened.
“I didn’t upset Trage, the mention of Evan Price did,” Cindy replied. “I didn’t even know Evan Price was someone I should interview until I saw how upset it made Trage.”
“They police had their hands full with the hotel murders,” Mattheus chimed in. “They probably don’t want to dredge up more confusion now.”
“Mattheus,” Cindy suddenly felt razor sharp focus, “The police have already interviewed Price. He’s told them his story. Trage just didn’t like it that I found out about Price by myself. He doesn’t want me talking to him. There’s got to be a reason why.”
“How did you find out about the guy?” Mattheus asked.
“Randomly,” Cindy replied, “completely by chance.”
“There’s no such thing as random in a murder investigation,” Mattheus commented. “If something comes to your attention, there’s a reason why.”
“I found Price’s name on Ann’s Facebook page,” Cindy remarked hesitantly.
“That’s weird,” Mattheus was surprised.
It suddenly struck Cindy how weird it was, too. What were the chances that a possible link to Ann’s murder would be casually mentioned on her page a few days before she died?
“Who posted it?” Mattheus was alerted.
“It was casual,” Cindy insisted. “One of Ann’s friends, Loretta posted it when she heard Ann was coming down here for vacation. She mentioned in passing that her uncle had a yacht down here and worked for a big business guy, Evan Price.”
“Have you called Loretta?” Mattheus asked.
“Of course I haven’t,” said Cindy.
“What do you mean of course? Why not?” Mattheus was perturbed.
“I’m not ready to tell the whole world Ann has died,” Cindy suddenly cried out.
“I understand, I understand,” Mattheus put his hand on Cindy’s arm tenderly.
“That would make it too real,” Cindy felt like sobbing. “Then Ann’s life would be over, her friends would be gone.”
“I’ll call Loretta for you,” Mattheus said. “Let me handle it.”
“Not yet, it’s too much,” Cindy breathed. “We don’t need Loretta’s uncle anyway, I can connect with Evan Price directly.”
“That’s tricky,” Mattheus proclaimed. “And potentially dangerous as well.”
“Maybe it is, but so what?” said Cindy. “What else do we have?”
“I’ll go with you to see him then,” Mattheus relented.
“No, not this time,” said Cindy firmly. “Price will feel less threatened if I see him by myself. This is something I’ve got to do alone.”
*
Mattheus left for a few minutes to go to his room, wash up and bring dinner back for them. As soon as he left Cindy decided to immediately put in a call to Evan Price. She knew she needed to speak to him, face to face.
To Cindy’s delight, when she told Price’s secretary who she was, the secretary immediately put her through.
“Yup?” Price answered without taking a breath.
“Cindy Blaine, private detective. I need to talk to you as soon as possible,” Cindy blurted out, not mincing words.
“What about?” Price sounded taken aback.
“I’m down here from the States,” Cindy went on without pausing. “My sister was just killed at the Greenstone Hotel. I need your help.”
“Help?” Price listened more closely.
“Yes,” said Cindy. “I don’t know who else to turn to.”
“I like your frankness,” he responded swiftly.
“I’ve read all about you online,” Cindy jumped back in. “And a friend of my sister’s uncle works for you.”
“Who?” Price wanted to know.
“I don’t know his name,” Cindy answered, “I just saw your name mentioned on my sister’s Facebook page.”
