Free Death by Seduction by Jaden Skye

tell you that?”
The smile left his face and his voice betrayed the pain he was feeling.
    “Loretta said you
and Pete were close,” Cindy corrected herself. “You knew him a long time?”
    “Pete and I
worked together for almost five years,” Andy remarked. “He came down here
regularly.  I run the division he worked in, live down here.”
    Cindy liked
Andy’s forthright manner. “What happened to Pete?” she asked directly. “How did
he end up with Charma?”
    Andy’s voice got
caught in his throat. “Listen, it’s a nightmare,” he murmured. “Nobody knows
how this happened.”
    “Loretta’s
convinced someone else killed him and dumped his body in the brothel,” Cindy reported.
    “I heard that,”
replied Andy. “But why would they do that? Why?”
    “Did Pete spend
time with prostitutes?” Cindy honed in directly.
    “Look, he and I
never talked about it,” said Andy. “I knew him as an upright guy.”
    “You guys hung
out together, he was down here alone a lot and he never said a thing?” Cindy
asked.
    Andy grew silent.
    “What about the
company you two work for?” Cindy asked then.
    “What about us?” Andy
was startled.
    “Could that have
something to do with what happened to Pete? I know you guys make financial
investments. Were Pete’s accounts in order? Was he speculating on something
dangerous?” asked Cindy.
    “Absolutely not,”
Andy was emphatic. “Our company’s above board about everything. You can come
check the books, check the records. We speculate in real estate mostly, sometimes
gold and precious jewels.”
    “You’re aware of
the real estate company Pete was buying the condo from?” Cindy continued.
    “Yes, of course.
We’ve helped fund other sales they’ve made,” replied  Andy.
    Cindy needed to
get a grip on things, wanted to get right to the point.  “Who would want Pete
dead?” she demanded again.
    “I have no idea,
I really don’t,” exclaimed Andy. “Why not ask Pete’s brother, Taylor? He might
know more.  I heard he just got down here.  He and Pete were  close. Pete spoke
to me about him many times.”
    “What did he
say?” asked Cindy.
    “He said Taylor
was the smartest guy around, but once he got an idea in his head he could never
get rid of it.  Taylor could be hard on everyone, but Pete loved him to death.
He looked after him. I’d talk to Taylor if I were you.  He’s your best bet.”
said Andy.
    “I will,” said
Cindy making a mental note of it. “And what about the real estate company Pete
was buying the condo from?”
    “What about them?”
It didn’t compute for Andy. “Why in hell would they want Pete dead? He was just
buying a big, beautiful condo. Gave them a huge down payment, too, from what I
heard.”
    “Where did Pete
get the money for the down payment?” Cindy was fishing for something, anything.
    “Pete had plenty
of money of his own,” Andy looked surprised.  “He made great deals down here,
was fantastic at flipping things quickly.  Didn’t you know that?”
    Loretta had said
that but Cindy wasn’t sure. Loretta’s father told her something different, also
said  that he’d funded Loretta’s business completely.  
    “Pete made enough
to put down that down payment on the condo?” Cindy asked.
    “Hell, the guy
could have bought ten condos,” answered Andy. “He could buy anything he wanted.”
    “Did Loretta and
her father know how successful Pete was?” Cindy plunged forward.
    “I don’t know
what they did or didn’t know,” Andy began growing restless.
    Cindy swiftly
changed gears, needed to hold Andy’s attention.  “Did Pete love Loretta?” she
asked.
    Andy looked at
Cindy lamely, “Now how would I know that?” he replied.
    “Guys know how
each another feel,” Cindy suggested.
    “Hell, I can’t
agree with that,” said Andy. “As far as I can see most guys don’t even know how
they feel.  It changes one minute to the next anyway, doesn’t it?”
    Cindy