Death by Divorce by Jaden Skye

were telling her.
    “Your friend Dalia is odd,” said Elizabeth. “Everyone on the island knows that. She’s beautiful, but odd too. She only sees what she wants to - especially about Ames. That could have gotten pretty nerve wracking for him, too. Maybe that’s why he took up with others. ” Then she finished every last bite, left on her plate, practically licking the crumbs clean.
    Cindy could see she was almost finished talking. She wanted to get one last question in before Elizabeth shut down.
    “Who was Ames seeing before he disappeared?” Cindy managed to ask.
    “Go talk to Dalia’s precious assistant Nina and find out for yourself.”
    “Nina knows?” Cindy was flabbergasted.
    Elizabeth seemed to enjoy Cindy’s consternation. “You’re pretty stupid for a detective,” she said. “It figures that Dalia would bring someone like you down.”
    Cindy felt the blood rush to her face. Elizabeth probably enjoyed goading everyone, bringing out the worst in them.
    Cindy took a long sip of her drink then.
    Elizabeth leaned closer. “I didn’t say that Nina knows who Ames was sleeping with. I’m saying he was sleeping with her. ”
    Cindy felt the drink burn in her throat. Nina? Dalia’s best friend.
    “Nina and Ames shacked up late at night all the time, right in the gallery,” Elizabeth said. “Ames was like that. He liked them young and he liked his love a little bit weird. ”
    “How do you know?” Cindy stiffened and looked at her from a distance, trying to sift out truth from fantasies and lies.
    “I know a lot more than you give me credit for,” Elizabeth quipped. “Everyone thinks I’m some kind of decadent broad, indulging myself night and day. That’s the rap about me. But I have my ways of finding out stuff, and honey, you’ll wise up soon, spending time on this island. And you’ll see that everyone is wrong. ”
     

CHAPTER 7
    Cindy felt shaken during the cab ride home to Dalia’s place. Elizabeth was a tough customer. She had a lot at stake in the situation and Cindy wouldn’t put it past her to play with her mind, make up lies, lead her down useless trails. When the cab pulled up to the door, Dalia was outside, waiting for her.
    As Cindy got out of the cab, Dalia rushed over to her, anxious.
    “She’s something isn’t she?” said Dalia. “You stayed longer than I thought you would.”
    “Yes,” Cindy said, “quite an afternoon.”
    They walked together into the house.
    “Did rotten Elizabeth say something nasty about me or Nina? It’s par for the course. Don’t believe it. She jealous of everything about me, has to take everything down. ”
    They went into the living room and Cindy sat across from Dalia on the lovely, printed upholstered loveseats that were in a corner, under trellised windows.
    There was no way she could let her Dalia down, especially after the doubt that had been planted in her mind about Ames. How awful it would be if it were true. The idea of mentioning it to Dalia was painful to Cindy.
    Cindy sipped her coffee slowly. “Do you really love living here?” she said.
    “Of course I love it,” said Dalia, “I told you that. From the minute I got here. Have you ever been to a more beautiful place? ”
    Cindy had to admit that she hadn’t.
    “Once you get used to living here, no other place in the world will do.”
    “You’re right, it’s beautiful,” Cindy repeated. “More beautiful than I could have ever imagined.” But deep down, she was beginning to sense the other side of the island, the shadiness of the people and the lives they lived. There was heartlessness about it.
    “Don’t let that bitch sour you on the island,” Dalia said. “Tell me what she told you.” And she crossed her arms and leaned back, focusing intently on what Cindy said.
    Cindy knew it was part of the arrangement that she would report to Dalia whatever she learned from each interview. But right now, she didn’t want to. There was no reason to stir the flames and