Free Death by Jealousy by Jaden Skye Page A

good detective’s been there. You’ve got to be
willing to get de-railed sometimes, go after wild speculations.”
    That’s
how Cindy used to feel, but Mattheus had grounded her, taught her to stay with the
facts. For the moment it seemed as though they’d switched places. Maybe it was
still the shock of having found his wife’s body so recently.
    “I
think someone killed Allie,” Mattheus said flatly then.
    Cindy
was stunned. This wasn’t like him either. He never jumped to conclusions like
this.
    “There’s
no real evidence of that,” Cindy responded.
    “A
tampered air gauge speaks loud and clear.”
    “What
was the motive?” Cindy shot back.
    “Jealousy,”
Mattheus responded without thinking. “It oozes all over this place.”
    Cindy
hadn’t seen any evidence of jealousy, except between Allie and Vivien.
    “Jealousy’s
a powerful, rotten emotion,” Mattheus spoke under his breath.
    Cindy
couldn’t help feeling that Mattheus was talking about himself.
    “Why
would these people be jealous?” Cindy probed further. “They all have what they
need.”
    “But
it’s never enough,” Mattheus whispered, “don’t you know? The more you have the
more you want.”
    The
discussion had taken on a strange tenor and despite herself, Cindy’s heart began
pounding.  She wanted to change the mood between them, take a break.
    “Did
you have dinner yet?” she asked, determined to take things in a different
direction.
    “Hungry
as hell,” said Mattheus, relenting, when suddenly, their hotel phone rang.
    They
both looked at the phone as though an intruder was pushing its way between
them.
    “Take
the call,” Mattheus grumbled, “looks like the day isn’t over yet.”
    Cindy
picked up. “Yes, we’re both here,” she said professionally.
    Mattheus
perked up and listened.
    “Let
me ask Mattheus if he’d like to do that?” she said. “Well, I don’t know. Let me
ask him.”
    Then
she turned to Mattheus. “Mac wants to know if you and I would like to join him
for dinner downstairs in the restaurant?”
    “Not
particularly,” said Mattheus, tapping his foot on the floor.
    “He
said he wants to talk to both of us, “said Cindy.
     “We
don’t have much choice then, do we?” said Mattheus. “Tell him we’ll be down in
a few minutes.”
    Before
going down to dinner, Cindy slipped into the bathroom to freshen up and changed
into a silk, flowing, mauve dress. She brushed her long, wavy hair, and let it
loose over her shoulders. Then she chose a lovely coral necklace, and sprayed
on some of her favorite lilac perfume for a finishing touch. When she walked
out of the bathroom, Mattheus looked up and his eyes opened wide.
    “Wow,”
he said, “you grow more beautiful day by day. You come more and more into your
womanliness.”
    Cindy
flushed.
    “I
wish we could erase what happened and start fresh,” his voice now had that
boyish quality Cindy so loved.
    She
walked closer to him and extended her hands. He took them in his.
    “We
can’t erase what happened,” Cindy said in a soft tone, “but we can learn from it
Mattheus, then we can start fresh.”
    Mattheus
grinned.
    “Let’s
learn tonight,” he murmured, “let’s start fresh right away.” Then he pulled her
to him, in a long, powerful embrace.
    *
    Cindy
and Mattheus met up with Mac in the main restaurant of the hotel, The Swann. It
was large, formal and elegant, with reservations required.  Each table had
fresh flowers and candles, and a huge, dimly lit, crystal chandelier hung in
the center of the ceiling, throwing soft light over them all. The moment Cindy
and Mattheus arrived, the Maitre D’ guided them to the table Mac was sitting
at, not far from the bar.
    Mac
stood up to greet them, looking at Cindy admiringly.
    “Really
grateful you two decided to join me,” he said immediately. “Everyone at the
wedding is talking about you guys. You both made a huge impression.”
    Mattheus
pulled out the chair for Cindy then, and she sat