Death by Jealousy (Caribbean Murder #6)

Cindy’s eyebrows raised. “It’s still a missing person case though, isn’t it?”


Douglas threw her a hostile glance and turned on his heel away.

Lance quickly stepped into the conversation, “Of course, formally, we have a missing person’s case. At the moment the body has not been recovered. But by now, that’s just a formality. No one expects to find her alive. What are the chances that the victim swam up from the depths and landed safely on shore? Highly unlikely, I’d say. And the bigger question would then be, where did she escape to, from whom and why?”

Cindy was interested to hear them refer to Allie as a victim. Did the police feel she was the victim of an accident or of a crime?

“Authorities have scoured not only the waters, but every inch of the Island by now,” Lance continued. “It’s common not to find the body in a scuba diving accident. There are all kinds of predatory fish that live under the waters, tangled plants, moss, reefs. Parts of the body could have gotten separated, something stranded here or there. I don’t mean to be graphic -,” and he gave Cindy a narrow smile.

Cindy did not smile back. She felt uneasy listening to him.

“Of course the families are grieving and frightened,” Lance continued. “That’s to be expected. It’s a bit unusual to call private detectives in, though. We have the best reputation for police work in all of the Caribbean.”

“It’s not personal,” Cindy said directly to him. “I know the groom’s mother.”

“Interesting,” replied Lance. “Well,” he said to Mattheus, “we’re glad you’ve arrived. I’m going back up to the Interrogation room now. Come and join us when you’ve unpacked.”

“We will,” said Mattheus, “and thanks for everything.”

*

The hotel room was unexpectedly beautiful, luxurious, a super deluxe suite. There were burgundy silk bedspreads with gorgeous hand painted throw cushions on it. Under the marble tables were exquisite rugs, and large open windows overlooked the sand. Their luggage had already arrived and was neatly placed in one corner. On a large table in the center of the room, was a bouquet of fresh flowers and a gift basket awaited them filled with fruit, wine and candies. The only thing missing was rose petals on the floor. Except for the two single beds, they could certainly have been entering a honeymoon suite.

“To what do we owe this honor?” asked Mattheus letting out a low whistle as he took it all in.

Cindy went over to the gift basket. There was a small note besides it and she opened it up.



We cannot thank you enough for joining us here and helping. We’ve done all we can to make your stay pleasant. Please make yourself comfortable and then let us know when you have arrived. We are most eager to have you meet everyone here. Edward McPharlen.



Edward McPharlen was Dana’s husband, Peter’s father. Clearly he’d arranged all of this. A well-known financier, who worked both in the States and down here on the Islands, he would certainly know just who to contact to arrange the perfect amenities.

“How well do you know this McPharlen guy?” Mattheus asked, taken aback by their quarters.

“The McPharlens were good friends of Clint’s family for years,” said Cindy. “I met them a few times in passing. They were actually guests at our wedding. Edward, the father has a fine reputation. As I recall he’s an upstanding guy, sponsors one of the biggest charities on Long Island.”

Mattheus kept looking around, taking it all in. Cindy was surprised that it made him so uneasy.

“They’ve sure got lots of money to spread around,” Mattheus murmured. “These guys can have weddings wherever they like, invite hundreds of guests - it doesn’t mean a thing to them.”

“Yes, they’re wealthy,” said Cindy, “but they’re also generous. His money helps many people.”

Mattheus clicked his tongue a few times and turned to Cindy, “We really don’t know anything about how he operates,” he said. “For all we know somebody got jealous of him – very, very jealous.”

Cindy watched Mattheus’s eyes roam around the room and wondered if it was himself he was talking about. Was he was jealous of this wealth?

“Do you begrudge Edward his success?” Cindy asked directly.

Mattheus looked over at her, stung. “I wouldn’t say I begrudge anybody anything,” he said abruptly. “But there are plenty of people out there who could live for years on half of what this wedding cost – the wedding that never took place, after all.”

Cindy didn’t like Mattheus’s comment. She felt strangely unnerved by it. Her wedding to Clint had taken place, but they’d never had a chance at their marriage either. Mattheus himself had come from more modest circumstances than she had, but none of it meant a thing to her. Cindy hadn’t seen this side of Mattheus before so clearly. But then again, they’d never been faced with this kind of lavishness before.