Jaden Skye - Caribbean Murder 05 - Death by Deceit

by Jaden Skye

  Shelly was dressed in many different outfits, except that she always had the same unusual shell necklace on. Cindy noticed it immediately. No two shells were alike; the necklace seemed to be individually strung. In several photos Shelly’s hands touched the necklace, as if it meant the world to her.

  Cindy stared at Shelly for a long moment. It was hard to imagine that such a beautiful, young woman had been taken down in the prime of life. Same as Clint, thought Cindy. For a moment, she ached for Mattheus, losing someone so precious to him.

  It was strange dipping into the details of Mattheus’s past life. Cindy put the photo on the bed. There were so many of them, she couldn’t leave them all around and make this bedroom their own. She also couldn’t just take them all away, wipe out his memories. It was a delicate balance and Cindy wanted to be sensitive about it.

  As she stood there, scanning the photos and taking some down, the bedroom door opened.

  “Just popped in to see how you were doing,” said Mattheus.

  Cindy turned to him slowly. “Shelly was very beautiful,” Cindy said softly, picking up a photograph again.

  “Yes, she was,” Mattheus echoed, glancing at the photo in Cindy’s hand. “I like having these photos around. I like thinking of her still alive – the way she was, as if nothing ever happened.”

  Cindy put the photo down, suddenly feeling flushed. The day had grown humid and rain was predicted for later on.

  “You don’t have a problem with the photos, do you?” Mattheus asked, coming closer, looking at them strewn on the bed.

  “Not a problem, there’s just too many of them,” Cindy tried to be playful. “We need to make room for pictures of us.”

  Mattheus put his hands on her shoulders. “I get it,” he said. “Down with the old, up with the new.”

  “I wouldn’t put it that way,” said Cindy.

  Little raindrops started tapping the window.

  “Starting to rain earlier than we expected,” Mattheus said, a feeling of gloom coming over him.

  “Let’s take a walk in the rain,” said Cindy. “We can go over to the café near the Waterfalls and have lunch.”

  “I’ve got a lot to do here, though,” Mattheus said, as the phone rang sharply, interrupting their conversation.

  This was the first call they’d received in the house. Cindy had hoped no one would call for a long while, give them time to settle in.

  Mattheus picked up the phone, a little surprised. Cindy watched his jaw clench as he listened.

  “Yes, got it,” he said, his eyes focusing sharply at a point on the floor.

  “When did it happen?”

  Cindy wondered if it were Sand, Mattheus’s old partner down here on the police force. Sand had never liked Cindy, right from the start. He felt it was his job to look after Mattheus and didn’t want any woman taking it away. Cindy was sure he wouldn’t be thrilled to hear that she was back with Mattheus in Grenada now. She wondered if Mattheus had told him?

  “That’s really something,” Mattheus said on the phone in a semi garbled tone.

  Cindy waited for him to make eye contact with her, to clue her in on what was going on.

  “Yes, she’s here,” Mattheus continued. “I’m sure she’ll be fascinated.”

  Cindy took a step closer. It didn’t sound as if it were Sand. The rain began hitting the window early than expected. Cindy hoped it wouldn’t rule out their outing.

  “Yes, of course, we’ll talk it over and get back to you as soon as we can.”Mattheus hung the phone up and shook his head.

  “Who was it?” asked Cindy, “Sand?”

  “No, it was a woman calling from St. Thomas. She tracked us down here through Sand.”

  “You told him he could give out our personal number?” Cindy was irritated.

  “This lady’s daughter just turned up murdered in her own backyard,” Mattheus spoke quickly. “She sounds like a mess over the phone - desperate for help. Someone down at the police station in St. Thomas told her about us.”

  Cindy was stunned. This was the last thing she expected. She and Mattheus had specifically agreed to take time down here alone together. This was the first vacation she’d had in over a year.

  “Bad timing,” said Cindy, shaking her head.

  Mattheus rubbed his foot on the floor, uneasy. “There’s no good timing for a murder,” he said.

  “No, there isn’t,” Cindy agreed.

  “This woman needs us badly now.”

  Cindy looked at him directly. “I need us badly now, too,” she said.

  Mattheus looked startled. “I don’t get it.”

  “What’s there not to get? This is our time to be together, set up house, see where we’re headed.”

  “Headed?”

  “This is our time,” Mattheus.

  “Time doesn’t belong to anyone,” he said. “The girl who was killed in St. Thomas thought it was her time to live, too.”

  Cindy felt her body trembling. “You want to pick up now and take the case?”

  “Yes, of course,” said Mattheus. “Why not?” He seemed confused by Cindy’s reluctance.

  “I told you I needed down time,” said Cindy. “We’ve been on one case after the next.”

  “And we do fabulously on them. We’re an incredible team.”

  “Yes, we are. But I need more than being a detective, Mattheus.”

  “What?” None of it seemed to be computing for him.

  “I need a life, I need to unwind, I need a man to be close to,” said Cindy.

  “You’re close to me. We have a life. A fantastic life, with adventure and also helping others. What could be better?”

  “Really knowing each other could be better - bonding, starting a life.”

  Mattheus’s jaw clenched and his lips pursed tightly. “You plan to stay here in some romantic fantasy and never leave the place?”

  Cindy was stung. “I never said that. I never implied it.”

  “This isn’t the Cindy I knew,” he went on. “You were always thrilled to take on new cases. It excited you. You jumped to the bit. What happened? What changed?”

  “Nothing changed. I just need a break now. I told you that.”

  “Life doesn’t give us breaks just when we want it.”

  “My life does,” said Cindy. “I need to sort out who I am and where I’m headed.”

  Sheets of rain began falling then, coming in through the open windows.

  “Jesus, this storm is going to flood the house,” said Mattheus as he ran to the windows. “I feel like you just pulled the rug right out from under me,” he went on, shutting one window after the next.

  “What?” Cindy was confused.

  “Like you pulled a switch – a one two punch,” said Mattheus.

  Cindy felt hot anger rise within her. Mattheus hadn’t heard a thing she said. He was back to where they’d started, aching to stare down the next killer.

  “Do you actually expect me to call back this woman and say we’re not coming?” Mattheus asked.

  “Tell her what you want. I just can’t do it now! I’m worn thin.”

  Mattheus spun towards her then.

  “I don’t know what in hell you’re thinking, Cindy. You want to give up work, become a housewife, spend your days dusting, shopping for food and taking pictures down?”

  Cindy felt punched in the gut. Where was this hatred coming from? He was the one who’d begged her to move in, said he didn’t want to be here without her. Had he behaved this way with Shelly as well?

  “The last thing in the world I want to do is dust and shop for food for you,” Cindy shot back. “And keep all your pictures up on the wall.”

  Then she turned and flew out of the room.

  “Where are you going?” Mattheus called loudly.

  “I have no idea,” Cindy flung back. “But one thing’s for sure. I’m not staying here with you.

  “You’re turning the tables on me,” said Mattheus.

  Cindy felt afraid.
Her gut told her to get on the next plane back to the States.

  Mattheus came rushing after her. “You’re running out on me? Are you crazy?”

  Cindy spun around, “No, Mattheus. It’s not me running out on you. Take a good look. You’re running out on yourself.”

  CHAPTER 3

  Cindy saw still shaking inside as she walked off the plane back in New York, and she was reassured to look up and see her sister, Ann. It had been a long while since they’d been together and the minute they saw one another, they ran to each other and embraced. Just as soon as she booked her flight home, Cindy’d called Ann and told her she was returning. Overjoyed, Ann immediately booked her own flight from Wisconsin to New York to meet her sister at the gate.

  “God, Ann, it’s so wonderful to see you,” Cindy breathed, unable to believe that her sister had actually come all the way here to greet her. It had been over a year since they’d seen each other.

  “I’ve been waiting for this day,” said Ann, hugging her. “So has Frank. It’s about time you came home.” Then she stepped back and looked Cindy over. “My God, you’ve lost weight. You look pretty though, different too.”

  Cindy was dressed casually, in jeans and a navy shirt. Her long auburn hair had been tied back through the flight, but she let it loose as soon as she got off the plane. Cindy’d lost about ten pounds over the past year of running around with Mattheus, working on cases, not taking much time to eat regularly.

  “What a year it’s been for you Cindy!” Ann grabbed both of her arms and held them. “But it’s over now. You’re home.“

  Cindy looked more closely at her sister. Ann hadn’t changed one bit, she never did. Ann was a bulwark of stability and that was comforting, Ann was dressed in her familiar linen slacks, with a matching blazer and bag. Her dark brown eyes were steady and strong. Cindy hadn’t realized how much she’d missed he sister and how wonderful it would be to see her again.

  “Come on, let’s get out of here,” Ann started to move them along.

  The airport wasn’t overly crowded as Cindy’s plane had landed mid-afternoon. People were drifting around casually. Cindy took a moment to take it all in, to realize where she was. Her sudden decision to leave Grenada and Mattheus had been shocking, but it still felt right. She wasn’t going to stay there with him and have him talk to her like that. Who was he anyway? This was a side of him she’d never seen. The flight had been quick and easy and it was good to be back in the States, too, for now anyway.

  “You look like you’re a bit in shock,” Ann laughed as Cindy gazed about.

  Cindy didn’t want to tell her sister that at this time yesterday she’d been in the process of moving in with Mattheus and that her trip home was unexpected. Ann would definitely not take that well.

  “We’ll get your bags and then hail a taxi,” said Ann, taking the big sister role, as usual, organizing details, guiding Cindy along.

  Cindy smiled. She didn’t really need to be led around anymore, had navigated much more dangerous terrains this past year and half, than a local airport. But how could Ann possibly realize how much Cindy had changed? She hadn’t met Mattheus either, though Cindy had told Ann about him from time to time.

  “You’ll have to fill me in on everything,” said Ann, as she put her hand on Cindy’s arm, steering her towards baggage claim. “To what do I owe this wonderful pleasure of seeing so my sister again so suddenly?”

  Cindy let Ann do what was natural for her, take control, and followed along at her side for now. As they wound their way through the airport to get the bags Cindy wondered how she would tell her sister what had gone on with Mattheus. She hadn’t made sense of it herself.

  “Thank God, you still have the house you bought with Clint,” Ann went on in a chirping tone. “You were right not to put it on the market. Everyone needs a home to return to.”

  Cindy had never thought of Cove Bay as a home for her to return to. It had been Clint’s home town, his family and friends were still living there, and it had been Clint’s dream to raise his own children right there. But, the starter house they bought and lived in so briefly had been difficult for her to let go of.

  “I’m so relieved you’re back, I can hardly tell you,” Ann went on.

  Cindy squeezed her hand. Despite the differences between them, Ann had always been a wonderful sister. It had been painful to realize how upset Ann had been about Cindy’s decision to team up with Mattheus as private detectives. Ann had never come to peace with it, and the bond between her and Cindy had suffered because of it.

  Cindy’s bags came quickly and Ann grabbed the large one, and started wheeling it towards the exit. Cindy lifted the smaller bag and wheeled it, a few steps behind. She felt momentarily disoriented. A few hours ago she and Mattheus were together in his home, happy, nesting, planning a life together. Then it was as if a hurricane had hit, and a huge wave had rolled in from shore tearing them apart suddenly. Not so different from what with her and Clint.

  Ann stepped outside onto the curb and hailed a taxi quickly. Once inside Cindy put her head back on the seat to rest. As they drove along the familiar highway Cindy looked out of the window. It was early autumn, with crisp air and bright skies. She watched the trees roll by as the cab wound its way back to Cove Bay. It was almost as if she’d never left, as if this year and half had never happened.

  “I called the local deli, and had them deliver food,” said Ann, as Cindy was about to close her eyes. “It’s probably waiting outside the door right now.”

  Ann had become familiar with the neighborhood and stores during the time she’d stayed with Cindy after Clint had died. Cindy thought back to those days briefly. She wouldn’t have survived them without her sister at her side. There was never a detail that Ann overlooked.

  “Rest now, if you need to,” said Ann. “Later you’ll tell me what happened with you and Mattheus, why you decided to return so suddenly.”

  Cindy’s stomach clenched. This was definitely not something she could discuss with Ann.

  “And we’ll have fun, too,” Ann continued. “It’s high time you went on a shopping spree and got new clothes for this amazing new chapter that’s coming up in your life.”

  “What new chapter?” asked Cindy.

  “You’re home now,” Ann continued in her balanced tone. “You’ve come back to your senses, I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if your old job on the paper isn’t right there, waiting for you. They told you it would be available whenever you were ready. Didn’t they?”

  Cindy had forgotten about that.

  “I’m sure they miss you,” Ann went on. “Everyone misses you.”

  “Clint’s family does not miss me,” said Cindy, hastily, “they were tremendously relieved when I got out of town.”

  “Forget about them, they’re sick people,” Ann said, sharply. “Besides, they didn’t know what they were saying or doing, they’d just suffered a huge loss.”

  The taxi hit a bump in the rode then, that tossing Cindy and Ann up in the air, interrupting the conversation. Then, in a little while the taxi made a sharp turn and drove down the long, familiar, deserted road, right up to the end. Cindy’s clapboard beach house sat right there, where it had always been.

  They got out, paid the driver, took their luggage and went to the door. As Ann had predicted, the deli had left several bags of food in front. Ann, laughing, picking up the bags cheerfully, as if she were moving back into her own home.

  “Everything we need is right here,” said Ann, opening the front door.

  Once inside the house, Cindy felt momentarily overcome. Just being there brought everything back, the marriage, the murder, the nightmare that followed.

  Cindy walked into the living room. The photographs of her and Clint together were still hanging on the walls. They were smiling, laughing, holding hands. It was as if nothing had ever happened, as if time stood still.

  “I thought you’d taken these photos down,” Ann said, looking around, distressed.

>   “I couldn’t,” replied Cindy.

  Ann went inside the kitchen to unpack the groceries, as she had done so many times. Before long, Cindy smelled the familiar odor of freshly brewed coffee that Ann loved to make.

  “Come on, in. Sit down,” Ann called from the kitchen.

  Cindy walked into the kitchen and sat at the table that was still placed near the window, in the sun. It was still covered with her favorite red checkered tablecloth. Cindy ran her fingers over it. She and Clint had picked it out together.

  Ann poured fresh coffee for them in two hand-painted mugs. Those mugs had been engagement presents from Cindy’s old friends. Somehow she hadn’t returned them. She’d returned almost all the other gifts though.

  “This feels like a trip backwards through memory lane,” said Cindy softly.

  “But it isn’t,” Ann bristled. “It’s a trip into a brand new era. There’s a reason you’re home now, Cindy, and I want to hear it.”

  Ann always felt there was a reason for everything. But life wasn’t as black and white as Ann made it out to be. It wasn’t always possible to pinpoint the cause for whatever happened, although Cindy also used to believe that it was. She’d been a research assistant at a top newspaper in the city, loved tracking down little known facts. Now that she’d been working as a private detective, solving real life crimes, Cindy knew the facts didn’t always add up to anything that mattered. You had to go deeper, trust your intuition, tune into a gut feeling that couldn’t be explained. Whenever Cindy did that, something important happened. That’s why she had trusted her instincts so deeply yesterday, when Mattheus had spoken to her the way he did. Something inside insisted that she get out.

  “Okay, Cindy,” Ann said then, eager to hear more. “Let’s have it. What happened in Grenada? Why the sudden flight home?”

  Cindy wasn’t used to being questioned about her own life. These days she was the one questioning others, looking into dark corners.

  “I needed a break,” Cindy started.

  Ann grimaced and shook her head. She wasn’t buying it.