Death by Seduction (Book #13 in the Caribbean Murder series)

“Who?” Cindy was stunned.

“Hell if I know,” muttered Burnd. “What difference does it make?”

“It makes a huge difference,” said Cindy, completely on edge. “Who was hanging around outside Charma’s window the day Pete died?”

“Who knows? Who cares?” Burnd exploded. “I just found the bracelet because it’s the spot I always hang in to check on my honey. Habit, I guess.”

Cindy looked closely at this odd man, tremendously grateful he was on board with her.

“Do you know where the other bracelet you found is, Burnd?” Cindy asked, desperate to see it.

“Right here in my pocket,” Burnd was gleeful. “I decided to keep it with me until Charma got out, then give it to her as a welcome home present.”

“I need to see the bracelet immediately, “ Cindy said with bated breath.

“Sure, why not?” Burnd pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to Cindy, proud.

Cindy took the bracelet from him and looked at it. Even though it was coated with mud and grime Cindy could tell that it was exactly like the one Loretta had, but this one was amber. Cindy had heard that Pete gave each of his girls bracelets that had their names engraved on the back of them. If the name was engraved on this one, it would tell who else knew that Pete was going to be killed, and was waiting outside for it to happen. Cindy would have an eye witness, and direct evidence linked to the scene of the crime.

Cindy carefully scraped off the mud and scratched it clean to see if a name was engraved on the back. When the mud was gone, she held the bracelet up to the light. Slowly she could see faint, blurry letters. In a few seconds more the letters came together and she could read the name.

The moment Cindy realized who the bracelet belonged to, she clutched it to her breast.

“What’s the matter?” asked Burnd, seeing how upset Cindy suddenly became.

“Loretta,” mouthed Cindy.

“So?” asked Burnd.

“This bracelet belonged to Pete’s wife,” Cindy uttered.

“Is that so?” Burnd grinned.

“What was Loretta doing outside Charma’s window?” Cindy’s eyes flashed as her voice plunged down to a place deep inside her.

Burnd jumped away, frightened. “What’s the matter? What’s wrong?” he began to retreat. “All kinds of women were jealous of Charma. Give me the bracelet. I want to give it to her.”

“It’s not that simple,” Cindy called out, “there’s been a murder here. I need to hold onto it for a little while, Burnd.”

“So, hold onto it! What the hell do I care?” Burnd seemed blind sighted.

There was no reason Loretta’s bracelet should have been found under Charma’s window, unless Loretta had been there. How was that possible? Loretta had said she’d never seen Charma or been near the brothel. Cindy thrust the bracelet into her bag then, pulled out her phone and called Mattheus.

“I’ve got hard evidence,” Cindy breathed when Mattheus picked up the phone.

“What?” Mattheus was startled.

“I’m on my way over to Loretta’s room now,” Cindy’s voice got louder. “Stay where you are, more to follow.”

Cindy felt shaken to the core as she hung up and then called Loretta to tell her she needed to see her right away.

“I need to talk to you, Loretta,” said Cindy, in as casual a tone as she could manage.

“Of course, come over,” said Loretta, “we’re having a gathering here in a few minutes, anyway. Angela and my father are coming. Everyone thinks you’re the greatest. They’ll be happy to see you.”

“Thank you,” Cindy stayed as calm as she could manage. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

*

When Cindy arrived Loretta was dressed in a lovely mauve dress with matching scarf. Her hair brushed, and make up done, she looked almost as Cindy remembered back in college. What have the yeas done to you, Cindy mourned as she and Loretta looked at each other, eye to eye.

“You’ve done an amazing job,” Loretta rushed over to give Cindy a hug. “They’ve got Val, who engineered everything. Pete was obviously killed due to the greed of the company.” Loretta was putting it all together in a way she could live with.

Cindy wished she had more time to get into the heart of the matter slowly, but Angela and Henry were on the way over and Cindy needed to talk to Loretta privately.

“Let’s go out on the patio,” Cindy suggested, “it’s good to get a fresh breeze.”

“Of course,” said Loretta, smiling. “The days have been so muggy and I’ve haven’t been spending enough time outdoors since all of this happened.”

As Cindy and Loretta walked outside, Cindy looked across the wide expanse of sky and watched some birds flying across it. Gripped with fear, Cindy had no idea how Loretta would respond to seeing her bracelet again, or the questions Cindy had about it.

“You know I found something surprising,” Cindy started calmly.