Death by Jealousy

by Jaden Skye

  “I want to hear every detail of what happened,” Mac said solemnly, sounding like a detective himself. Cindy smiled. She felt better, away from the center of town.

  “Someone was out to mow me down,” Cindy said simply. “From out of nowhere an old car ripped around the corner and came right at me.”

  Mac whistled between his teeth. “Damn idiots,” he muttered.

  “You know who they were?” Cindy asked.

  “Green car?” Mac asked, “scratched up?”

  Cindy hadn’t time to look at the details. “It happened fast,” she said. “Someone told me it was an old, green car. I just saw a bullet out of hell suddenly coming at me.”

  Mac drank his whole glass down fast. “I’m very sorry about this,” he murmured. “Not kidding.”

  “Sorry?” Cindy thought that was an odd way to put it, as though he could have done something to prevent it.

  “Of course I’m sorry,” Mac said. “I should never have left you alone after I took you back to the hotel. What were you doing in town?”

  “Does that matter?” asked Cindy.

  “It could,” he said.

  “I was taking a walk to clear my head, buying a gift for my sister. Why?”

  “Listen, you stepped into uncharted territory this morning, and you did it alone. The guys down there have no idea what you’re looking for. They probably found out that you’re a detective. That’s all they needed to know. Those guys are goons, they can be dangerous. They’re protecting their turf.”

  “Dealing? Smuggling? What?” asked Cindy.

  “I told you gangs are spreading,” Mac said.

  The waiter came over with menus, but Cindy didn’t have the energy to glance at them.

  “Let’s have the lunch of the day,” Mac said, “everything here’s delicious. Crab cakes, soup, salad.”

  “Fine,” said Cindy.

  “Cindy,” Mac said then, in a low, deliberate tone then, “there’s no reason for you to stay here on the Island. Allie’s body was found, the autopsy’s in. In a day or two the police will declare it an accident. Case closed. What’s left to do?”

  “I don’t like being bullied,” said Cindy grimly. “I don’t like being driven out of town.”

  Mac smiled. “You’re amazing, you’re spunky. But no one’s personally bullying you. It’s just the way things work. These gangs eliminate whatever feels like danger to them. You made those guys uneasy.”

  “So they run me over?” Cindy said, “and the police won’t care?”

  “They can’t do a thing about it,” said Mac. “Besides, nothing actually happened, you weren’t hurt.”

  “And if I was?”

  “You weren’t,” said Mac. “Let’s stay with the facts.”

  For a strange second Cindy felt as if she were sitting here with Mattheus, going over their day, encouraging each other to stay focused on the facts. It was eerie.

  The food came and Cindy and Mac both ate hungrily. It was delicious and filling, and particularly comforting for Cindy to be eating with someone she felt at ease with.

  “You spend most of your time down here on the Island?” Cindy asked Mac, as she finished the squash soup.

  “Recently,” he mumbled. “When we started the company, I split my time between here and the States. After my divorce, I mostly settled down here.”

  “I’m sorry,” said Cindy.

  Mac smiled. “Nothing to be sorry for,” he said. “The split hurt for a little while, but in the long run, was the best thing that ever happened to both of us.”

  Cindy wondered who his wife was and what had happened between them. “Any children?” she asked.

  “I’ve got a daughter who won’t talk to me, even if I beg. She feels I let her mother down. Never saw what her mother was up to - and I never told her. Girls have to look up to their mothers,” Mac spoke and ate quickly.”

  For no reason at all, Cindy felt tremendously sad for him. She could now see why it was so important to him to take care of everyone else.

  “I’m sure there are plenty of women down here to date,” Cindy said as she finished her salad. “It’s a good place to be if you’re divorced.”

  Mac smiled wanly. “There are plenty of women everywhere,” he said, “but not any of them like you.”

  Cindy was taken aback.

  “It’s a playground down here,” he continued, “I hang out at beaches, casinos and gals of all ages are happy to spend time with me.”

  “I can imagine,” said Cindy.

  “Can you?” asked Mac.

  It was almost time for coffee and dessert.

  “And what about you?” Mac asked before they ordered. “Why didn’t you call Mattheus when that car came at you. Why did you call me?”

  It was a good question and he had a right to ask it.

  “It’s a long story,” Cindy said, suddenly exhausted. “We don’t have all afternoon.”

  “I have all day, all night, all week, all season,” Mac murmured.

  “I don’t,” said Cindy. “I have to get back to see my sister, and I need time to rest.”

  “Of course,” Mac said, “but at least tell me why you didn’t call Mattheus this afternoon?”

  Despite herself, Cindy could not resist. She desperately needed someone to talk to, and didn’t really want to tell her sister everything. It would only upset her and Ann would insist that Cindy return home with her immediately. They’d fight about it. Cindy didn’t want that.

  “I’ve found out some things that have been going on behind my back,” Cindy looked directly at Mac. “I don’t do well with hiding and lies. If you’re my partner you’ve got to be open with me. Without trust -.”

  “There’s nothing,” Mac finished her sentence.

  “Exactly,” said Cindy.

  “I’m with you on that,” Mac said strongly. “Been there myself. What did you find out about Mattheus?”

  Cindy looked down a moment. It wasn’t like her to talk like this, but perhaps Mac could shed light on what was happening.

  “I don’t know if you realize,” Cindy started, “but Mattheus and Vivien are spending lots of time together quietly, behind everyone’s backs.”

  Mac looked away.

  “It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what’s going on,” she said.

  “How did you find out about this?” Mac was clearly ruffled.

  “Someone up there is looking out for me,” Cindy smiled.

  “I’m sure they are, but tell me how you found out?” Mac was insistent.

  “I just happened to have a massage early this morning with the woman who massages Vivien, too,” Cindy said.

  “The masseuse told you?” Mac seemed amazed.

  “Yes, she had no idea who I was, just kept talking and talking to fill up the time. They do that. People give them bigger tips then. Obviously, she talked to Vivien and Vivien talked back. Vivien told her all about Mattheus.”

  Mac’s face darkened. “What else did Vivien talk to her about?”

  “I haven’t the slightest idea,” said Cindy, “but after that I went through Mattheus’s emails. There were tons of them from Vivien. She’s after him, big time, doesn’t leave him alone.”

  Mac bit his lips. “Son of a bitch!” he burst out, “she doesn’t have enough in her life to keep her busy?”

  “I thought she and Tad were a couple?” Cindy sparked to Mac’s anger.

  “They are,” Mac said, bitterly. “Tad’s crazy in love with her, from what I can see.”

  “Really?” Cindy’s back arched. “When I first met them Tad told me the two of them weren’t close.”

  “Tad’s a minimal guy,” Mac spoke deliberately. “He comes from a poor family, feels lucky to be where he is. He downplays whatever he gets, is always afraid of losing it. If he says something doesn’t matter to him, then he probably figures it won’t hurt so much when it’s taken away.”

  Cindy was impressed with Mac’s insight.

  “Tad’s based down h
ere and Vivien flies down to the Island all the time to be with him. They’re good for each other. I’ve been encouraging the relationship. I was sure they were in love.” Mac looked agitated.

  Cindy raised her eyebrows. “I guess there’s all kinds of ways of being in love?”

  “Tad’s a great catch,” Mattheus continued, “he does whatever you ask of him. He’s dependable, quiet, and gives Vivien everything she asks for. I’ve never seen him look at another girl either, not even when she’s away.”

  “So, why is she running after Mattheus, then?”

  “My guess is that Mattheus is running after her!” Mac replied vigorously. “Vivien’s a gorgeous girl, lots of guys want her.”

  “From the emails it looks like she’s after him,” Cindy exclaimed.

  Mac’s face flushed. This was getting to him more than Cindy expected.

  “Hell, Vivien’s a loose wire,” he finally said, “l told you before. From time to time she plays the field. It doesn’t mean much to her, though.”

  “Was that why she and Peter broke up?” It was all becoming clearer to Cindy.

  “Yes, it was,” said Mac. “Peter’s a straight arrow, can’t deal with anything like that. It was way beyond his comfort zone.”

  The way Mac said it Cindy was suddenly struck with the horrible feeling that Mac and Vivien also had a fling at one point, too.

  “You also had a fling with her?” Cindy asked in a hushed tone.

  Mac’s hands clenched as he stared in Cindy’s eyes.

  “It was nothing,” he insisted, “just a crazy, wild drunken night. We both forgot about it the day it was over.”

  “Does Tad know?” asked Cindy.

  At that Mack pushed himself back from the table and stood up tall.

  “Tad doesn’t know and he never will,” Mac pronounced vehemently. Cindy thought he was going to bang his fists through the table. “And you’ll never tell him or Mattheus, will you?” he looked fiercely into her eyes.

  “Of course not,” said Cindy, equally fierce. “But for all I know Mattheus is using Vivien now to gather all this information.”

  “What information? What the hell’s Mattheus going to find out? That a bunch of lonely people played around with each other from time to time!” Mac’s jaw clenched, “Don’t fool yourself, Mattheus is just taking an opportunity for a welcome diversion. The guy probably needs to unwind.” Mac shook his head. “I’m sorry for Tad though, thought Vivien was through with this.” Then he suddenly realized the whole picture, and looked at Cindy, sadly. “And I’m very, very sorry for you.”

  Cindy stood up, irritated. “Don’t be sorry for me. I’m glad I found out. Who said I need Mattheus? I’ve got a whole, new world in front of me.”

  “Yes, you do,” said Mac emphatically, “and I only hope you’ll include me in your whole, new, beautiful world.”

  Cindy was silenced. “Include you, how?”

  “That’s for us to find out, isn’t it?” Mac asked, as he and Cindy sat back down.

  CHAPTER 16

  Mattheus had been sitting in the slick, well-appointed office, digging through the computer files for hours by now. Nothing so far. Everything looked in perfect order. He had complete access to all the files and no intention of stopping. Once in a while, one of the guys in the office stopped by to ask if he needed or wanted something. They were all expensively dressed, well groomed, living high on top of their game. Tad was in an office three doors down, in a meeting. He sent a note that he’d be in to help Mattheus as soon as his meeting was over. Tad was taking over Peter’s duties until Peter could come back to work. It could be a while and there was lots Tad had to be filled in on.

  This company was run like a well-oiled machine. The records were kept to perfection. Mattheus went over the audit by the forensic accountants once again. Everything carefully and duly noted. The company dealt with international clients who invested in major companies around the world. Clearly Peter was being groomed by his father and Mac to eventually take over.

  From what Mattheus could see, Peter did a flawless job, was in very early and worked late. He let nothing distract him, not even the many emails from Allie, asking if he could leave earlier that evening, spend more time with her. Peter answered each one of her emails, telling Allie that he loved her and would see her when he got back. Beyond that, there was nothing that Mattheus could find that was a problem in their relationship. And even that didn’t seem like a problem.

  Mattheus stopped digging a minute and leaned back in the comfortable leather chair, put his legs up on the desk and took a deep breath. What the hell did he expect to find, anyway? A sign of financial wrong doing, a power struggle in the company? So far there was no reason to suspect either of them. The only thing that made Mattheus suspicious was that everything was all tied up too neatly - no rough edges anywhere.

  Mattheus’s telephone rang. It had to be Cindy, checking into see how he was doing. They usually spoke by this time of the day. For the past half hour, he’d actually been wondering why he hadn’t heard from her yet.

  “Nothing yet to report,” Mattheus said, as he picked up the phone.

  To his surprise, Vivien was on the other end.

  “I heard you were spending the day in the office alone,” her voice was lilting and sweet.

  “Who’d you hear that from?” Mattheus felt odd talking to her at the moment.

  “Tad told me,” Vivien went on. “How long are you going to be there? Can we have an early dinner alone together before you run back to her?”

  “Listen, Vivien,” Mattheus was going to tell her to forget it, when something overtook him. There was no reason to say no, she was closely connected to all the people here. Why shouldn’t he take an extra hour and spend it with her? She was great to be with anyway, made Mattheus feel as if whatever he said or did made such a huge difference. At least someone looked up to him.

  “Please,” Vivien’s voice broke into his thoughts. “I really love talking to you. I need to. Tad’s so busy these days he won’t even realize. I’ve never seen him so caught up.”

  “An hour or so won’t hurt,” Mattheus agreed reluctantly.

  “Does that mean yes?” Vivien sounded excited.

  “Only an hour or so,” Mattheus’s voice deepened, as he took a deep breath.

  “That’s beautiful,” Vivien murmured, “but don’t mention it to Tad, whatever you do.”

  “Wait a minute,” Mattheus felt uneasy.

  “Will you call me when you’re ready, or should we just meet somewhere?” Vivien was breathless.

  “I’ll call you,” said Mattheus put off. “Why shouldn’t I mention it to Tad?”

  “Just don’t,” Vivien replied, “I’ll tell you why later.”

  “Tell me now,” Mattheus said.

  “It’s obvious, isn’t it?” said Vivien, “and if it isn’t, figure it out yourself. You’re the detective, aren’t you?” Then she hung up.

  What was obvious? That Vivien wanted to be alone with him, enjoyed a clandestine relationship? It wasn’t like him to go along with something like that. And what about Cindy? Should he not mention it to her either? Mattheus realized at that moment that he didn’t know much about Tad. Was something strange going on in his relationship with Vivien?

  Mattheus pulled his legs down off the desk, went back into the computer and decided to switch accounts and scroll through Tad’s business email account. To his surprise there were just a few emails from Vivien. Most of them were from Peter, Mac and other guys at the company.

  Mattheus decided to open the ones from Vivien first.

  I’ll see you at eight tonight, she wrote. And, thanks for the bracelet. It’s beautiful. You can’t imagine how much I’d love the matching necklace, too.

  One thing at a time, Tad answered; remember I told you patience, patience.

  Allie doesn’t have to be patient, Vivien wrote promptly back. She gets what she wants the minute she wants it.

  Sweetheart, Tad responded, y
ou’re gonna get whatever you want, too. And more, believe me. I’ve got deals in the works.

  Mattheus’s eyes opened wide. What kind of deals was Tad talking about?

  You always say you have deals in the works – now Vivien sounded petulant.

  That’s the business I’m in, Tad responded. We make deals and then pick up the cash later. When I get my cash, you get your jewelry.

  Mattheus shuddered momentarily. The guy had a hungry girlfriend who was pressuring him. Sounded a bit like pay to play.

  Mattheus stopped scrolling through the emails for a moment, got up and went to the coffee machine in the room and poured himself a cup. This was probably just the old story, a gal after a guy for what she could get. It wasn’t the feeling Mattheus had about Vivien, but hell, there it was in black and white.

  As Mattheus brought the coffee back to the desk and sat down to drink it, he thought about Cindy. She was nothing like that. To his shock, he realized that he’d never even bought her one gift all the time they’d been together. For a second he felt half badly about it, but then stopped himself. Were he and Cindy even together now anymore? It had been a long time since they’d shared a bed. She’d run out on him right after they moved in together, just because he wanted to take on a case. Was that really a reason to run out on him? Look at these guys here – working from morning until night. Look at Vivien, happy to get even an hour alone with him tonight.

  Mattheus finished what was left of his coffee and went back to Tad’s emails. You never knew what else might be hidden in them.

  Most emails were about business meetings, letters to send, calls to make. Then Mattheus opened an email from Peter to Tad.

  I need to see you as soon as possible, it said. Please come into my office right away. Peter sounded agitated.

  This is a rough day, Tad answered. Busy every minute- how about tomorrow?

  Come right now, it’s an emergency, Peter wrote.

  What was the emergency? Mattheus wanted more. None of the other emails between Peter and Tad mentioned anything further. Then Mattheus started opening Tad’s emails to the other guys at work. One was to a guy named Ned.