Death by Seduction (10 page)

It
was almost evening by the time Cindy arrived at the brothel, dressed plainly in
a blue striped dress and sandals, her hair tied primly back. As soon as she
walked in, Cindy was greeted by a Dominican woman, in her late forties, in a
splashy red dress, her hair piled up on her head and large gold hoop earrings.

“Come
in sweetie pie,” the older woman said, reaching for Cindy’s hands. “I’m Shanya.
Charma called and said you were on the way. We’ve been expecting you for a
while.  

“I
got here as soon as I could,” said Cindy struck by her warm, easy going manner.

“You
got here just fine,” said Shanya, leading Cindy right into the main parlor,
which was oddly empty at the moment, except for a few articles of clothing
strewn here and there.“The girls are getting ready for a big night tonight,”
Shanya smiled slowly, looking at Cindy’s face. “Big night every night here. Can
I get you something to eat?”

“I’ve
actually just eaten,” Cindy lied. She wanting to be through with the interview
as quickly as possible.

“Don’t
like it here much, do you?” Shanya grinned.

Cindy
felt at a loss.

“Don’t
worry, sweetheart, you don’t have to stay for long. I did my best to get hold
of Eric for you. He’ll be here to get you in a few minutes.”

Cindy
looked at her gratefully. “Thank you so much,” she said.

“No,
honey, thank you for helping out Charma,” added Shanya. “She’s a good girl, she’s
one of our best.”

“In
what way is she the best?” Cindy was quick on the uptake. “You mean Charma has
the most customers?”

At
that Shanya laughed out loud. “She sure has plenty of customers, no denying
that, but she’s smart too, and she’s fun. Charma’s good to the girls. Everyone
cares about her.”

Cindy
shivered quickly, realizing that this place was a family for those who lived
here. The girls needed and cared for each other.

“Charma’s
in big trouble now, though,” Cindy replied as calmly as she could.

“Nah,”
Shanya waved her hand flippantly. “Always seems like everyone’s in big trouble
and then it blows over in a few days, like a flash of lightning on a summer
night.”

Cindy
was struck by Sanya’s calm. “This kind of thing happens a lot down here?” Cindy
asked. “Customers get killed? The girls are taken in?”

“To
be perfectly honest, yes,” Shanya pursed her lips, slowly rambling over to a
sofa  and fluffing the cushions on it. “When the police need a suspect, they
take the girls in.  It’s a game we all play. The cops usually release the girls
in a few days.”

“Do
they also usually find the killers?” asked Cindy.

“I
didn’t say that,” Shanya turned and looked at Cindy squarely. “I said it’s
usually blows over. The whole thing goes away.”

Cindy
wasn’t sure exactly what Shanya was implying and waited for her to elaborate.
She didn’t, just continued fluffing cushions out on the sofa.

Cindy
walked closer to her, then. “Charma says you were here when she got home the

night
Pete was killed.  You saw her walk through the door with her date for the night
and that she returned about an hour after Pete died.”

“That’s
exactly right,” mumbled Shanya.

“Who
did she come back with and what time exactly?” Cindy needed to hear it directly
from Shanya.

“That’s
privileged information,” Shanya demurred.

“That’s
Charma’s alibi,” Cindy corrected her. “It could save her life.”

“There’s
plenty of other things that can save Charma’s life,” Shanya retorted.

“Like
what?”Cindy felt agitated. wanted to take Shanya on.

“Like
finding the real killer,” Shanya smiled slowly. “Like you talking to all the
right people, not missing a trick, if you know what I mean.”

“Talking
to Eric?” Cindy asked.

“Exactly,
honey,” Shanya smiled again. “He’s the perfect one to talk to. Eric’s not about
to let his honey hang in jail for too long.”

“Charma’s
his honey?” Cindy needed to be absolutely clear about what Shanya was saying.

“Well,
you’re gonna ask him that yourself, aren’t you now?” Shanya turned to Cindy as
the smile suddenly wiped off her face.

“Of
course I’ll ask him,” answered Cindy. “Did Eric just find out that Charma was
taken in?”

Shanya
suddenly became more confidential. “Not at all, we all knew about it. But,
between you and me, everyone expected her to be home by now.”

“And
why isn’t she?” asked Cindy.

“Now,
that’s for you and Eric to work out yourselves,” Shanya pushed her chin down onto
her chest and then lifted it up suddenly, as if she were a horse about to buck.
“My job is to look after all my girls, not to track down the bad apples that
roll into town.”

“Looks
like you do a good job, Shanya,” Cindy suddenly replied, wanting to bolster her
up.

“You
better believe I do,” she laughed, “even though someone like you can’t really  imagine
what that means.”

Cindy
felt  suddenly slapped across the face by Sanya’s curt response. She was going
to say something in return, but just then a tall, well dressed, handsome
American guy walked into room interrupting their conversation.

“Hell,
Eric my boy,” Shanya responded, “you came just in time.”

Eric
threw a quick glance at Cindy and paused, seeming surprised.

“This
here is the woman detective I told you about,” Sanya’s voice grew harsher.

“How
do you do,” said Eric walking over to Cindy. Suntanned, he had wavy brown hair,
beautiful hazel eyes, and looked as though he’d stepped off the cover of a
men’s magazine.

“How
do you do,” replied Cindy, unnerved. She couldn’t image what was a man like
this doing at the brothel.

“We
appreciate the help you’re giving Charma,” Eric started. “The wife hired you,
right?”

“Yes,
she did,” said Cindy, finding it hard, for a moment, to focus in his presence.

“The
wife doesn’t believe Charma did it, does she?” Eric continued.

“Absolutely
not,” said Cindy. “In fact she’s positive that Pete doesn’t know her at all.”

“Eric’s
one of the best lawyers we got down here in the Dominican Republic,” Shanya
chimed in. “He gets everything right.”

“I
can see that,” Cindy tried to smile.

“Not
everything, almost everything,” Eric looked at Cindy impressed.

“It
looks like you know exactly what you’re doing,“ said Cindy.

“Looks
are deceptive,” Eric joked, “but I certainly do my best.”

“I’d
love to talk to you more about Charma’s life and customers,” Cindy said, and
then suddenly remembered that Eric was one of them. For a second she was afraid
that she might have offended him. “I don’t mean any offense.”

Seeing
Cindy’s unease, Eric laughed out loud. “It’s okay, you’re obviously new to this
scene.”

“I
am,” Cindy confessed.

“Why
don’t you take the little lady outside for a walk and to a proper restaurant
for dinner,” said Shanya.

“That’s
a good idea,” Eric smiled at Cindy wanly for a moment. “There’s a great
restaurant three blocks away, we can sit down and talk in an atmosphere you’ll
feel better in.”

Cindy
was going to protest, but she suddenly realized how hungry she was for dinner,
and also how badly she wanted to get out of this place. It would certainly be
easier to talk to Eric in a neutral setting.

“I’d
love to go there,” Cindy perked up noticeably.  “It’ll be a better place to
talk.”

Eric
turned then and winked appreciatively at Shanya. “Thanks for the suggestion,
darling,” he murmured.

“It’s
my pleasure, lovey,” Shanya replied. “You two go sit and talk all night if you
have to. I just want you find a way to bring my Charma home fast.”

*

Cindy
and Eric walked out of the brothel into the humid summer night. Cindy felt
oddly at ease walking with him. She was actually relieved to have someone of
substance to talk to. Having the full weight of the case on her shoulders alone
had been more difficult than Cindy had realized.

She
and Eric arrived at the restaurant quickly.  The place was festive and lively, stretched
out over the entire block

“One
of the best spots in town,” Eric mentioned as they approached the main door.

“It
smells delicious,” Cindy said the moment they walked in. The was filled with
people, music and the smell of hot, spicy food cooking.

“It’s
beyond delicious,” Eric replied, as he lifted his hand to motion for a table
for two.

Eric
obviously knew everyone at the place and they knew him. Cindy wondered if he
came here with Charma, as well, but then realized it was unlikely. Charma had
said that no one could know about their relationship. Obviously, he had to keep
her under wraps.

Cindy
and Eric were quickly seated at the far end of the restaurant, where it was a
little quieter than at the entranceway.

“This
is a good spot,” said Cindy as she took her seat.

“You’re
incredibly beautiful,” Eric replied, staring at her. “And you’re incredibly
innocent, it’s an intoxicating combination. You’re definitely not someone I’d
ever take for a detective.”

Cindy
was startled, barely knew how to reply. Eric was not someone she would have
ever taken to frequent brothels either, or be a prostitute’s main John. The
picture didn’t fit.

“You’re
here from the States?” Cindy quickly turned the conversation down a different road.

“Yes,
I am,” Eric replied quickly, “from the Midwest, if you want to know.”

Cindy’s
eyes lit up and she smiled.

“Let
me guess,” he jumped at her reaction. “You’re from the Midwest as well?”

“Wisconsin,”
said Cindy, “and so is Loretta, Pete’s wife.”

Eric
frowned a moment. “Didn’t realize that,” he said.

“Loretta
and I were friends in college,” Cindy filled him in. “That’s why she called me
to help.”

“You’ve
also got a huge reputation for solving murders in the Caribbean,” Eric looked
puzzled a moment. “CM Investigations, right?”

“Right,”
Cindy responded. Eric had done his homework, as she would have thought he
might.

“What’s
the initials stand for?” he went on.

“Cindy
and Mattheus,” she answered plainly.

“Your
partner?” he asked.

“My
former partner,” said Cindy. “We’re actually in the process of dissolving the
partnership as we speak.”

Eric
looked strangely sad for a moment. “I’m sorry to hear that,” he said quietly.

“Thanks,”
said Cindy, unnerved that they were having such a personal conversation, that
it was so easy and natural to speak to him. It was as if they’d known each
other forever.

“I’ve
heard that you’re a big time lawyer down here,” Cindy continued.

Eric’s
eyebrows lifted a little. “What else did you hear about me?”

“Charma
said you’re her number one customer,” Cindy forced herself to stay on track.
“She said you’ll do all you can to help her get out.”

Eric
flushed as Cindy spoke.  “Yes, I will,” he answered promptly.

“I
realize that no one can know about your involvement with Charma,” Cindy’s voice
dropped as the waiter approached them.

Eric
waved the waiter away. “That’s exactly right,” his low tone matched hers. “I will
help Charma through you,” he said.

“Through
my finding the killer?” asked Cindy.

“Exactly,”
Eric replied. “And no one will know I’m involved at all. If people think
anything, they’ll think I’m involved with you. Some kind of brief encounter.
Tons of things like that go on down here.”

Cindy
nodded. She was glad that they weren’t mincing words, but laying out things
directly. Above all Eric had to be frank with her and had to trust her, as
well.

“I
understand you were with Charma the night Pete was killed,” Cindy went on.

“Yes,
I was,” Eric responded, with only a moment’s hesitation.

“And
that you brought her home after the time of Pete’s death,” Cindy added.

“That’s
correct,” Eric replied.

“So
Charma has a clear alibi,” Cindy continued, struck by that point.

“Not
so clear because I can’t testify to it,” Eric quickly added. “If anyone knew I
was involved with her  my company would go down the tubes.”

“I
understand,” said Cindy looking away.

“No,
you don’t understand,” Eric suddenly put his hand over Cindy’s suddenly.
“You’ll never understand, it’s beyond you to understand. I see that written all
over your face.”

Cindy
wanted to pull her hand away, but didn’t want to offend Eric in anyway. They
needed each other to solve this case.

“I
can understand enough to do my job,” Cindy replied. “And I certainly understand
your need for confidentiality.”

“Please
don’t get upset with me,” Eric took his hand away. “I have no intention of
insulting you, just putting things where they belong. You’ll never understand
why I see Charma, or care so much about her.”

There
was no reason for Cindy to dispute that.  She had to agree that she might never
understand why a man of this caliber would be so involved with a prostitute, who
had other customers as well.

“It’s
confusing, of course,” Cindy admitted.

“That’s
fine,” Eric’s voice rose. “I appreciate your honesty, Cindy.”

“But
I don’t have to understand you to find Pete’s killer do I?” Cindy continued.

“Well
put,” Eric seemed pleased. “You don’t understand me and you never will. We come
from the same life style, both bright and successful, but that’s where our
roads part ways.”

Cindy
nodded. “I suppose so,” she murmured.

“No
supposing about it,” Eric insisted. “So I’ll do everything I can to help you
find Pete’s killer, as long as you don’t try to understand me. Don’t try to
figure out why I’m with Charma.”

Cindy
smiled despite herself. “Alright, I won’t, that’s fair enough,” she agreed
though she couldn’t help feel what a strange request Eric had made.

“Okay
then, we’ve got a deal?” he said.

“We
have a deal,” said Cindy  as the waiter came over once again so they could
order a delicious dinner for two.