Death by Divorce Read Online Free PDF Page A

He would have told me he was going. He would have told me that she was bothering him. He never said that. Once we were married, he never said a word about Elizabeth at all. I heard about her from other people, friends down here who know her. ”
    “You think she’s involved in his disappearance?”
    “Maybe, but not sure. Could also be that someone is holding him somewhere. There are poor people here on the island, crooked dealers, people who are jealous of his success. There are also people who get pleasure out of scaring someone. ”
    “Has anyone asked you for money?” Cindy asked.
    “No one has. I waited for a note like that for a long time. But there were so many police crawling all over the place, that whoever may have him might be too smart to contact me yet. They could be waiting till things quiet down. Ames is worth a lot more alive than dead. There’s no reason why anyone would kill him, but they could want ransom. We have to find out where and why!
    She suddenly stood up and started pacing.
    “You also need to talk to Rocko Lansing, the Captain of his fleet. He knows more about Ames’s business contacts and activities than anyone else. You also need to talk to his business partner, Dale. He comes regularly and will be in town for the Millionaire Yacht Festival in a little while. It takes place each year. I’ll also introduce you to the police who have been on the case since day one. They’ll tell you what they found.
    You’ll listen to everything, put it all together, and the answer will come. And I want you to let me know what you find each step of the way. I’ll keep you from covering ground that’s already been covered and the dead ends. ”
    Cindy felt a bit overwhelmed for a moment, out of her league. What had she gotten herself into? Did she really have the skills or tools to do what was needed of her?
    “Did you ever think of getting a real professional detective?” Cindy asked then.
    Dalia looked put off. “Why?”
    “I’m not a professional. I’m new at this. The only case I ever investigated was my husband. ”
    “And you uncovered the truth, when no one else did, including the FBI.”
    “It wasn’t dumb luck: you searched everywhere, you were smart, you wouldn’t stop, even when your life was threatened.”
    That was true.
    “Are you afraid to do this again for me?” Dalia turned and faced her directly.
    “No, I’m not afraid,” Cindy said. “I just want to make sure that you have the best person you possibly can.”
    “I have the best person,” Dalia said definitively, and threw her arms around Cindy, giving her a hug. “And I’ll pay you well for it, too. I plan to give you $10,000 up front. When you find Ames alive, you’ll receive another $50,000, all cash.
    “And, by some very strange and distant chance,” Dalia continued, “if Ames turns up and he’s not alive, I’ll pay you $40,000.”
    Cindy was shocked. She wasn’t doing this for the money.
    “I don’t want anything,” she said. “That’s not why I came.”
    “Nonsense,” Dalia said, dismissively. “It may not be why you came, but if you’re going to work for me, you get paid. Everyone who works for me gets paid. ”
    Cindy felt odd. She didn’t like Dalia’s tone, the idea of working for her, of being her employee. But she could see that money meant nothing to her at all, and that she wouldn’t accept her help otherwise.
    “Are we good?” asked Dalia. “Will you do it?”
    Cindy looked out the window, off into the horizon, thinking long and hard. She saw the crashing waves against the sunset, and thought, once again, of Clint.
    If she had had someone like her, to help her search for Clint at the beginning, maybe it could have made a difference. Maybe Clint would still be alive today.
    How could she possibly say no?
     

CHAPTER 5
    Cindy decided to spend the rest of the afternoon looking over each room in the house, examining Dalia’s photo albums, and reading the articles Dalia had