by Jaden Skye
“How do you know they were happy?” Cindy asked quickly.
“Allie told me that herself,” Edward said, “and she also mentioned it to Mac, my partner and best friend.”
Mattheus took a deep breath and so did Cindy.
“Seems like there are quite a few people to speak to,” said Mattheus.
“Tell me more about Mac?” asked Cindy. Each new person opened a whole new door for them to walk through in finding that one precious detail that could turn it all around.
“Mac’s my partner,” Edward seemed relieved to be talking about his best friend. It settled him down a bit, made things seem more normal. “We started the company together years ago. He’s great with getting new business, a people person. Mac’s known Peter since he was a child, is practically an uncle to him.”
“What difference does any of this make?” Dana cried out, suddenly putting her face in her hands. “Just get Peter out from the grip of the police!”
Edward continued blithely, oblivious to his wife’s cry of despair. “Over the years Mac had something to say about each one of Peter’s girlfriends. But he loved Allie. She was close to him too, spoke to him about things.”
“Have the police interviewed Mac?” Mattheus asked.
“The police have interviewed everybody,” Dana inserted, “but it’s routine stuff, superficial. It’s only Peter they keep grilling and grilling.”
“They need to tie this up, pin it on someone “Edward chimed in. “And, they’ve got to keep as much as possible under the radar. This is not the kind of thing that brings good publicity, especially now with the festival coming. Thousands are headed to the Island.”
“Seems like a strange time to have a wedding,” Mattheus commented.
“No, it’s a grand time,” said Edward, proudly. “Our family comes down for the festival every year. Everyone loves it. The wedding would have been over by the time it began and then the guests could have stayed and enjoyed it. The Batabano festival is a salute to Cayman’s turtling heritage. Batabano refers to tracks left in the sand by sea turtles as they crawled onto the beach to nest. Finding these tracks was a reason to celebrate! It still is.”
Cindy was fascinated. A yearly festival to celebrate the tracks of a turtle in the sand! And what about the tracks of killers she’d discovered, sprawled all through the Caribbean? Was that a cause for celebration as well?
“The festival reflects the heritage and vibrant rhythms of island life,” Edward was speaking as though he were standing at a podium, giving a yearly report. “Did you know that the Cayman Islands are home to a melting pot of over one hundred nationalities? We’re proud of it! One country celebrating many cultures. Multi-culturalism at its best.”
“I wouldn’t have thought that would be something you’d be proud of,” Mattheus commented.
Edward stopped short. “Why not?”
“Most wealthy folks are only interested in keeping their own clan safe and secure.”
Dana pulled her chair back from the table, offended.
“Excuse me, but my husband runs the largest charity on Long Island. He’s a well-known benefactor, concerned with the needs of many.”
Dana wasn’t getting through to Mattheus and Cindy jumped into the breach immediately.
“I told Mattheus, what a fine family you all were, how proud I was to know you,” Cindy exclaimed.
Dana’s face flushed as she reached out her hands for Cindy.
“Thank you for that, Cindy,” she said, “thank you so much.”
Edward stood up from his chair then and pushed himself away from the table.
“I believe it’s time for us all to go to the Interrogation room now,” he said. “They’re questioning Peter again right now. It’s time for you to join them and see for yourself.”
CHAPTER 4
The Interrogation room was a long, narrow conference room on the Mezzanine. One by one the guests and wedding party had been called down here to be interviewed by the police. Peter was called down every day and kept there the longest.
When they entered, Cindy saw a tall, handsome, lanky guy sitting at the front of the table, his head in his hands. Dana and Edward immediately sat down at the opposite end of the table, near the door. Clearly, the police had been informed that they all would be here.
Cindy and Mattheus walked up to the front of the table where two police officers were sitting across from Peter.
“C and M Investigations,” said Mattheus, introducing himself and Cindy.
The two police officers looked up and nodded.
“We heard from Lance that you guys had arrived on the Island,” a small, heavy cop said.
“We’d appreciate the chance to talk to Peter alone,” said Mattheus.
The cops looked at each other. “Okay,” the small one said, “you got half an hour with him, that’s all.” They started to the door. “You want his parents in the room while you’re talking to him?”
“They can come back in half an hour, too,” said Mattheus.
As soon as they all left, Peter took his head out of his hands and looked up. He was a handsome, clean cut young man with chiseled features and large, green eyes that looked dazed and forlorn.
“Really glad you’re here,” he said, “the cops are driving me crazy. They keep asking the same things over and over. Do they think I’m some kind of a fool?”
“They’re trying to break you down,” said Mattheus, “that’s how they get you to tell them things you’re hiding.”
“I’m not hiding anything,” Peter looked bewildered.
“We’re all hiding something,” Mattheus interjected, “even if we don’t realize it at the time. “When we go over things again and again, something new turns up.”
Cindy looked closely at Peter. He had a direct, forthright quality about him, and she liked him immediately.
Mattheus paused. “I’m sorry we have to go through all this again,” he said to Peter, seemingly feeling the same way Cindy did.
“I don’t have anything new to add,” Peter remarked, plaintively. “I have no idea what happened to Allie, none at all. I wish I did.”
“Tell us what you can,” said Cindy, eager for Peter to have a sympathetic ear.
“Allie and I went down for a dive the evening before the wedding,” Peter spoke as if he were suddenly picturing it all again. “Night dives are beautiful. The sun going down creates a glow under the water that you can’t even dream of up here. This time was different, though, there’d been strong winds all day long. The winds and late hour made visibility poor. Sometimes at this time of year, you get nor’ Easters. It wasn’t that bad, but it wasn’t good.”
“Why’d you go diving in those conditions?” Mattheus asked immediately.
“I’d been down in worse conditions,” said Peter quickly. “Allie and I love diving, and we needed time alone together, badly. You can’t imagine the pressure that was building! There were so many people, plans, arrangements. She was getting really nervous and so was I. We’d barely gotten to see each other since we got down. It was becoming overwhelming for Allie.”
“And how about you?” asked Mattheus.
“I wouldn’t say I was overwhelmed,” said Peter slowly, “but I knew we needed to get away for a while. I didn’t like seeing her nervous like that. She kept saying strange things like we should have eloped. Once she even asked if I wanted to run away from her? I told her I didn’t. I promised her I never would.”
“Weddings can certainly become crazy,” said Cindy. She remembered her own wedding with Clint, how little time they’d had alone before it, how she’d hungered for the honeymoon, when they’d be away from it all.
“Why did Allie ask if you wanted to run away from her?” Mattheus zeroed in. “Was the relationship shaky?”
“Not at all,” said Peter, “but sometimes she thought it was. I always had to reassure her.”
“And you did?” Mattheus was focused.
“Of course,” said Peter, “all
the time. Actually, a friend suggested to Allie that we go for the dive to unwind. She thought it was a great idea. We always got closer under the water, playful, relaxed. Heck, there’s the no way you can think of your problems when you’re swimming near coral reefs and fishes.”
“Sounds beautiful,” Cindy murmured.
Peter’s eyes lit up momentarily. “Beautiful is putting it mildly,” he said. “There was no reason not to go. The wind didn’t start getting rough until about an hour before we left. I really didn’t think it made such a big difference.”
“Who suggested that you two go for the dive?” Mattheus asked intently.
“I have no idea,” said Peter.
“Allie didn’t tell you who?” Mattheus wouldn’t let it alone.
“No, she didn’t, and I didn’t ask her,” said Peter, “what difference does it make?”
“Everything could make a difference,” Mattheus replied, “any little detail. You never know what.”
Peter grabbed the glass of water on the table and drank it down quickly.
“You’re an experienced diver?” Mattheus went on.
“Very, and so was Allie,” Peter replied.
“You both checked your equipment before the dive?” Mattheus continued.
“Absolutely,” said Peter. “It was perfect. We were all set to go.”
Peter seemed clear and steady as he spoke, even with all the pressure he was obviously feeling.
“You heard that they found trouble with the air gauge?” Mattheus wasn’t holding back.
Mattheus was being combative and Cindy didn’t understand why.
“I just heard about the air gauge a little while ago,” said Peter, shaking his head. “I don’t understand it. That never happened to me before. Everything looked like it was in perfect order. Look, I loved Allie. There was no reason in the world for me to do anything to her. None at all. I spent all my time trying to make her happy. Anyone here can tell you that. Look at the gifts I gave her, she had the most beautiful jewels of all her friends.”
Mattheus looked down at the floor as he rubbed his foot back and forth. “That’s not necessarily the way to make a woman happy,” he said.
Cindy flinched at Mattheus’s bitterness.
“I made Allie happy in all kinds of ways,” Peter insisted, “we loved each other or things would never have gotten this far. I never would have married her.”
“You didn’t marry her,” Mattheus reminded him sharply.
Mattheus was being cruel. It wasn’t necessary. Cindy didn’t like it.
“We were as good as married,” Peter fought back. “You can talk to anyone of her bridesmaids, they’ll tell you how happy she was.”
Mattheus shook his head slowly. “Women are strange creatures,” he said in a low tone, “one minute they’re happy, the next they’re gone. Go figure it out.”
“I’m sure you loved Allie,” Cindy interjected, “nobody is questioning that.”
Peter looked at her gratefully and Mattheus eased up a bit then.
“If someone at the wedding could have possibly wanted to harm her, who do you think it would be, and why?” Mattheus asked bluntly.
“No one,” Peter answered sharply.
“There was no one who wanted to harm her? No one who could have been jealous of all those jewels?”
“That’s ridiculous,” said Peter. “Her friends were close to her for years, and were happy for her.”
“As far as you know,” Mattheus inserted.
“Allie was proud of those jewels. The first one she showed them to was her mother. It made her proud of herself in her mother’s eyes.”
“Her mother wasn’t proud of her otherwise?” Mattheus was quick on the draw.
Peter made a fist and drummed it on the table. “What are you getting at?”
“You got to let it all out,” Mattheus insisted. “There’s trouble in paradise and you can’t protect anyone here.”
“Who am I protecting?” Peter’s shoulders lifted.
“Look, you’re a top banker and trader,” Mattheus lifted his chin and stared straight at Peter, “you’ve learned how to figure the angles. Are you telling me you can’t imagine that someone here might have been jealous of the two of you?”
Peter’s eyes glass over. Not only was he exhausted, he seemed to refuse to even consider such a thing.
“No, I can’t imagine who,” said Peter.
“Peter,” Cindy came closer to him, “you have to think hard now. We need your help. We’re on your side.”
“There are no sides,” Peter burst out, “no one’s hurt Allie. Can’t it be she’s still alive somewhere? She was a strong swimmer, isn’t it possible she swam up to the surface? Maybe she’s lost on the island and doesn’t know where she is? She could have panicked when she realized she didn’t have enough air, pulled everything off, hyperventilated, wasn’t able to exhale thoroughly! She could have had too much nitrogen! That happens all the time, it impairs judgment and coordination, she may still be suffering from it now. Or maybe she came up too fast?” The words rolled desperately off his tongue.
“Got the bends?” said Mattheus.
“It’s possible,” said Peter, “but I don’t think so. I think she’s lost on the island and is alive.”
Cindy and Mattheus shot each other a quick glance. Neither of them wanted to be the one to say that it seemed unlikely that Allie survived.
“I realize the police don’t agree,” Peter continued. “I see it in their eyes. They think she’s gone, and that someone could have killed her.”
“Why would they think that?” Cindy asked gently.
“Because that’s their job,” said Peter. “It would be a feather in their cap to find a killer. But who could have killed her? That’s just nuts. We got separated, the visibility was bad, the tides too strong and she couldn’t find her way back to me. When she saw she was so low on air, she must have panicked. It didn’t take much for Allie to panic these days. I did my best to help her all the time, I did my best.” Peter’s face grew pale and he closed his eyes. “When I realized Allie was gone, I thought I would die. You think I wanted to come back up alone without her? I didn’t. They had to struggle to get me back up on the boat.”
“Who could have tampered with the air gauge?” asked Mattheus.
“Tampered with it, or did something just go wrong?” asked Peter fitfully.
“Where was it kept? Who had access to it?” asked Cindy.
“Hell, we kept our diving equipment in our hotel room. Both families and the wedding party came in and out all the time. You’re telling me someone came in and did something to the equipment? Wanted to harm her?”
“I’m not telling you anything,” said Cindy. “It’s our job to check carefully though, and find out.”
Peter suddenly put his heads back into his hands.
“We’ll do our best for you Peter,” Cindy said, reaching her arm out to him.
Suddenly, the door to the room opened and Cindy heard someone walked in. Had half an hour passed already? Were the cops returning? Cindy turned to look and saw a tall, rugged, handsome guy in his fifties standing there. He wore jeans, a plaid sports shirt and watched them all intently.
Peter looked up, greatly relieved, “Hey Mac,” he called out, “come in, you’re needed here.”
“Hey buddy,” Mac came over to where they were seated. “I’m never more than a few steps away.”
As he approached Cindy felt a wave of energy flash between her and him. Then she felt him focus on her with a powerful presence.
“You must be the private detective,” Mac said, ignoring Mattheus and sitting down close to her.
“Yes, I am,” Cindy responded, “my partner Mattheus and I are here on the case.”
Mac didn’t look at or greet Mattheus, just turned to Peter then.
“So, is this gorgeous detective making you feel any better?” Mac asked.
Peter tried to crack a smile but could not.
�
��The only thing that’s going to make me feel better is when I hear they’ve found Allie alive,” he said.
“Listen, buddy,” said Mac, “you’ve got to unwind. This is terrible, and the cops are making it worse for you. But it’s their job to draw blood from a stone. They don’t have a thing. You had nothing to do with it and they know it, but they don’t have anything else right now.”
Cindy saw Mattheus bristling, not warming to Mac in anyway.
Mac turned to Cindy then, “Did you happen to hear anything from Peter that he hasn’t told everyone a hundred times by now?”
“Since I wasn’t here the hundred times, I have no idea,” said Cindy, coolly. “But I do think Peter’s a special young man and I’m going to do my best to find out what happened to his bride.”
“He’s more than a special young man,” Mac declared. “He’s a prince and always has been.”
Peter looked at Mac with appreciation.
“There’s no way Peter hurt his gal. I’d give my life for that,” Mac insisted.
Cindy was overwhelmed by the strength of Mac’s conviction, his feelings for Peter and devotion. It seemed as though he were the kind of guy would tear the world apart to protect someone he loved. Peter was fortunate to have a friend like that.
“Peter’s lucky to have you in his life,” Cindy remarked.
“I’m lucky to have him, too,” Mac replied, “and we’re both lucky to have you on the case. It changes the vibe completely. And, I’ve got a feeling that you’ll get to the bottom of things, fast.”
“With Mattheus’s help I will,” Cindy commented, wanting to include him, and make sure Mac knew she wasn’t here on her own.
Mac turned to Mattheus for a fleeting second, “Nice to meet you,” he said, in passing.
Mattheus shifted in his seat glumly, and did not reply.
*
In a few minutes, the door opened again and the police returned. Dana and Edward came in behind them.
Mattheus got up to join the cops immediately. “What’s next?” he asked.
“We’re going to make another visit to the Captain of the boat Allie dove from, a guy named Jared Flay,” one of the policemen said. “He’s runs one of the best Dive Shops around. We’ll talk to him again and look around again.
