Cindy put her hands up to Mattheus’s face and stroked him gently. He was dear to her and his distaste with the case made him even dearer. She loved to see him care so much about the people involved. If Mattheus didn’t feel something was fair, he wouldn’t do it. That was one of the main things that endeared him to her so much. Cindy also craved honesty and fairness. That’s what had drawn them together not only as a couple, but as partners in solving crimes.
“You’re right, Mattheus,” Cindy murmured,” Aldon doesn’t have a shred of evidence, that’s why he’s called us down. But, before we call someone paranoid, it’s a good idea to give them a chance to trust their gut.”
Mattheus took Cindy’s hands. “You’re beautiful, Cindy,” he whispered in response. “You’re smart, you’re sexy, you’re kind, you’re everything I’ve ever wanted. I’m happy to investigate a hundred paranoid guys with you.”
Cindy smiled and closed her eyes as Mattheus then drew her into a deep, warm, kiss.
*
The two of them walked back to the hotel slowly then, deciding to stop in the bar for a drink before going to bed. First thing in the morning they’d start digging and see what they could turn up.
When they walked into the elegant bar in the hotel, it too, was almost empty.
“The place must be so expensive, no one comes,” said Mattheus.
“People come to the island for fun and to party,” said Cindy. “They don’t come to a place like this unless they want to be hidden and private.”
Cindy and Mattheus sat down at a little table in the bar and ordered a night cap.
Cindy wasn’t sure how they would proceed. “Where do we go from here?” she asked.
“St Martin is crawling with casinos, adults clubs, nude beaches, the works,” said Mattheus. “Aldon’s gone through conventional channels, must have hired accountants to go through Lynch’s company’s financial records. Everything came up roses. If we’ve got to dig dirt, the casinos and clubs are the places to look.”
Cindy hadn’t thought of it that way. She’d been wondering if Tara or Lynch had a group of friends down here who could give them personal details about the couple that might have been overlooked. “I thought we’d check their friends,” said Cindy.
“Their friends are all going to be at the wedding,” said Mattheus. “The ceremony’s a few days away. You think they’d say something at this point? We’ll do better to go to the clubs and casinos, find somebody we can pay off.”
Cindy shuddered. None of it felt good to her, suddenly.
Mattheus saw the revulsion cross her face. “You’re the one who wanted to take this on,” he said. “If we dig dirt, that’s the way we go.”‘
“I guess you’re right,” said Cindy.
“I am right,” said Mattheus, putting his hand out and covering hers, “but don’t worry about it. I’ll call my pal from the police force Rodney. He’s got a thousand contacts down this way. I’ll just tell him we need an informer, and the rest will be a breeze. The casinos are crawling with informers.”
Cindy remembered Rodney, had always liked him, but began to feel uneasy as well.
“There’s only one chance in a thousand we’ll find anything,” Mattheus went on. “We’ll do a couple of days of digging and put this guy’s mind at ease. It could help the whole family in the long run. Once Aldon realizes there’s nothing wrong with his future son in law, he’ll back off and let them live their own lives.”
“We’ll give it a couple of days,” said Cindy as their drinks came.
Mattheus and Cindy drank silently, then got up and went to their suite on the second floor. It was beautiful, with throw rugs, bamboo furniture and fruit baskets waiting for them on a small table.
“Looks like we’re just going from one honeymoon to another,” Mattheus smiled, looking around and pulling Cindy into his arms. “When we can work together and keep loving like this, we’ve landed full square in heaven.”
Cindy felt the same way. She smiled and lifted her face to his for another kiss. Somehow they’d found the secret sharing it all.
“How did we turn the corner like this?” she murmured, as Mattheus’s face came closer to hers.
“If I could answer that I’d be a rich man,” Mattheus whispered, “and I’d share our secret with the whole world.”
*
There was no time to lose. Cindy and Mattheus got up at the crack of dawn. Before they hit the casinos and clubs, they needed to spend time going over Tara and Lynch’s calls, Facebook pages, and general background information. Often one detail that was jarring, or contradicted everything else, could be the key to a secret lurking in the background.