Death by Engagement

by Jaden Skye

  “Oh, give me a break, that’s crazy,” the coroner blurted out. “Enough’s enough! What’s wrong with you lousy detectives, prowling around and making trouble for nothing. Doesn’t the family have enough heartache?” Then he slammed the file drawer shut and turned his back toward Cindy, letting her know in no uncertain terms that it was time to go.

  *

  Cindy shivered as she walked down the long hallway. Even though Shari’s bruise was relatively slight, she couldn’t get it out of her mind. Had they fingerprinted it? Probably not. True, there were many ways Shari could have gotten it, but Cindy wanted to know how. It didn’t seem to be something to make light of the way the coroner had.

  Cindy walked out of the coroner’s building into the bright light of day, where people were walking to and fro, happy, laughing, making plans for what they’d do for dinner and dancing that night. Shari wasn’t among them anymore, though, and Cindy wanted to know why.

  As she crossed the street to get a taxi, a car started honking at her. Cindy looked over and to her surprise it was Edward, parked outside, obviously waiting for Cindy to come out.

  “I’m over here, here,” Edward called, waving his hand from the open car window. “Come on over, come in, I’ll give you a ride back to the hotel.”

  Chapter 13

  “They say it’s possible the time of Shari’s death was a couple of hours earlier than we thought,” Cindy said the minute she opened Edward’s car door and got in.

  “I know, I know,” said Edward, excited. “The medical examiner called while you were in there and let me know. We’re on a roll.”

  “That doesn’t look good for Doug, does it?” Cindy commented, as Edward stepped on the gas and began to drive.

  “For Doug?” Edward was stunned for a minute. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean now Doug doesn’t have an alibi. He needs to tell us where he was a couple of hours before he was seen in the bar,” Cindy replied.

  “You got it all wrong, that’s crazy, just crazy.” Edward’s head spun around to look at her, taking his eyes off the road. “It’s not Doug. They loved each other. He’s a fabulous guy. He’ll tell us where he was a couple of hours earlier, with no trouble at all.”

  “If it’s not Doug, who is it?” asked Cindy, as Edward swerved to the right and then made a sharp turn.

  “Just bear with me, bear with me,” Edward answered as he leaned closer to the windshield, watching the road. He was obviously upset and it was hard to see as the sun kept going in and out of the heavy clouds.

  “Rough weather around us,” Edward mumbled as he drove more slowly than before. “This is what happens when storms hit the nearby islands.”

  “Pull over for a minute,” Cindy suggested, putting her hand on his trembling arm. He seemed too distraught to drive safely like this. “We can talk better that way, and you can calm down.” Cindy spoke to him as if he were a child. It worked and he slowly pulled over to the side.

  “Wife’s not doing well.” Edward shook his head, as he brought the car to a halt. “Now she’s talking about suicide. She’s saying she wants to join Shari and see her again.”

  “I am so sorry to hear that,” said Cindy. “I heard you called Shari’s psychiatrist down to the island to help.”

  “I did. Marla knows him and likes him. He’s been taking care of Shari for a long time. He’s a good man.”

  “You’re fortunate to have someone like that in your life,” said Cindy. “I’d like to talk to him as well, if I can.”

  “Sure you can, it’s a good idea.” Edward was pleased that Cindy wanted to be more involved. “You’re a good woman, too, Cindy.” He looked at her kindly. “I’ll never be able to thank you enough for the help you’re giving me now.”

  “I’m pleased to do it,” Cindy said and meant it.

  “I hope your partner, Mattheus, is pleased, too.” Edward looked at Cindy out of the corner of his eye. “Haven’t seen too much of him around.”

  “He’s on the case, he’s helping me,” said Cindy, not wanting to get into that conversation now.

  “Let’s get out of the car for a few minutes,” Edward said then. “I need to stretch my legs and could use some fresh air.”

  “Fine,” Cindy agreed. Clearly he wanted time alone with her and Cindy was fine with it.

  “You know, we’re right near Eagle Beach,” Edward said as they stepped out into the fresh air.

  Cindy looked around. There was a sign pointing to Eagle Beach down the road.

  “Shari and I used to spend lots of time on Eagle Beach together,” he went on. “I took the family to Aruba for vacations all the years Shari was growing up.” Edward looked a little sheepish. “It would be nice to walk along that beach again,” he said, looking up at Cindy, sadly.

  “Sure, let’s do it,” said Cindy. Not only was she willing to accompany him, she was interested in what he might have to say.

  As they walked he looked hungrily at the familiar sights. In a little while they approached the beach, which was dotted with red and white markers everywhere.

  “Those markers are here to protect turtle nests,” Edward explained immediately. “The turtles hatch around sunset and at night. I remember Shari used to love seeing the turtles. She was always so excited when the red and white markers were here.”

  “What kind of turtles?” asked Cindy as they stepped onto the sand.

  “Leatherback, Loggerhead, Green and Hawksbill,” Edward went on, pleased to be telling Cindy about it. “I used to explain that to Shari over and over when she was a little girl. These turtles can have their nests anywhere on the island, but most nests are found here on Eagle Beach. Shari always wanted to run over and see them.”

  “Sounds like she was a wonderful, curious child,” Cindy remarked.

  “You can say that again,” Edward quickly agreed. “She was beautiful, playful, curious about everything. She especially loved the turtle nests. There are about eighty eggs in each of them and Shari loved counting them. She was also fascinated watching the hatchlings find their way to the ocean.”

  “It sounds like a beautiful time,” said Cindy.

  “Yes, it was,” he continued, a little smile on his face breaking into his overall sense of melancholy. “Shari didn’t get depressed until her early teens,” he continued, fitful once again. “Suddenly she got quieter at times and there were even periods when she wouldn’t talk. Sometimes she’d lock herself in her room and we’d hear her crying all night long. We asked her over and over what was the matter, but she just shook her head. She didn’t know. Her doctor, Mitch Boden, said her depression was hormonal. We got right on it immediately.”

  “Hard to watch something like that happen to your daughter,” said Cindy.

  “Terrible,” said Edward. “But we had the best help for her and managed it carefully. There was never any indication it would end like this.”

  “There never is,” breathed Cindy as they walked onto the beach and she dipped her feet into the slightly moist sand. “The sand is moist,” she noted.

  “Air is heavy and humid,” Edward responded. “The nearby storms always affect us, even though the rain may not come.”

  Cindy and Edward wove their way between the red and white markers and arrived at the edge of the water. Cindy couldn’t help but think about Deidre, and how different she and Shari were.

  “It must be odd having twin girls who are so different,” Cindy mused softly.

  Edward turned and faced Cindy then, the wind blowing over his face, which had grown considerably gaunter than the first time Cindy saw him.

  “It’s difficult having twins who are so different,” he agreed, looking up at her from under half-closed eyes. “Not so good.”

  “Let’s sit down on the sand, Edward,” Cindy said then, “and you’ll tell me more.”

  Grateful for the invitation, Edward sat down and smoothed some sand to make space for Cindy to sit beside him.

  “Deidre’s always been very different than S
hari,” he started, after Cindy sat down. “She was jealous of Shari her whole life long.”

  “I suppose that’s natural,” said Cindy. “Sibling rivalry is normal, and must be even more intense for twins.”

  “No,” Edward interrupted immediately. “There’s nothing normal about Deidre.” Then his eyes started to close. “It’s terrible to say this about your own daughter, but I always thought that. I always wondered how she came to be part of our family at all.”

  Cindy gasped silently. That was an awful statement for a father to make. Cindy’s heart went out to Deidre instantly.

  “Deidre seems to get along well with your wife, though,” Cindy said.

  “Sometimes she does,” Edward had to concur. “But even Marla has personally told me that Deidre can be hard on her.”

  “That must make it even more difficult to have Shari gone now,” Cindy commented.

  “It makes it impossible!” Edward’s lips pursed together.

  “Things will fall into place, it will take time,” said Cindy.

  “Who knows?” Edward went on. “But we don’t have any time right now. Marla wants to go back and have a funeral. I don’t want to leave the island until all the evidence is examined and I’m sure about Shari’s death.”

  “How is Deidre handling it all?” Cindy went on, not wanting to go off in another direction. She needed to know more about Edward’s relationship with his other daughter.

  “I don’t know anything about Deidre, really,” Edward finally said. “I have my suspicions, though. I always have.”

  Along with a cool wind that blew in from the ocean then, Cindy felt a chill envelop [cl11] her.

  “What kind of suspicions, Edward?” Cindy could barely ask. She did not want to even imagine what he might be thinking of.

  Edward hung his head for a moment, and then finally looked up, his eyes darting back and forth.

  “Whatever I say is between the two of us, isn’t it?” he asked.

  “Absolutely,” said Cindy.

  “It’s privileged communication?” he went on.

  “Definitely,” Cindy assured him.

  “Okay, you looked at the suicide note carefully, didn’t you?” Edward started.

  “Yes, of course,” said Cindy, shivering. “I even had a forensic graphologist go over it.”

  “That’s not the point, that’s not what I’m getting at,” Edward spit back. “There’s something else, something I couldn’t tell anyone.”

  “What is it?” asked Cindy, feeling alarmed.

  “Have you ever seen Deidre’s handwriting?” he whispered.

  “No,” said Cindy, “I haven’t.”

  “It’s exactly the same as Shari’s,” he burst out. “It always was. People often commented about it. It was always strange.”

  “What are you saying, Edward?” Cindy wanted the bottom line, fast.

  “I have nightmares about it at night.” Edward’s voice grew halting.

  “You think that Deidre wrote the suicide note?” Cindy burst forth, horrified.

  “It’s entirely possible,” Edward finally breathed. “But there’s no one I can say that too. I lost one daughter already and I don’t want to lose another.”

  “You think that Deidre took Shari’s life?” Cindy felt the blood drain from her own face.

  “I don’t know what to think.” Edward’s voice grew louder, so he could be heard over the now turbulent waves.

  “Why would Deidre do that to her sister?” Cindy tried to keep balanced and clear.

  “Lots of reasons,” Edward went on fitfully. “Not only was she always jealous of Shari, she never had any boyfriends of her own.”

  “Why not?” Cindy asked frantically. “She’s a beautiful young woman, too.”

  “Sure, she’s beautiful, but strange. I told you. And she had a way of turning guys into friends. She always tried to be friends with all the boys that Shari dated.”

  “How did Shari feel about that?” asked Cindy.

  “Shari didn’t seem to mind from what I could tell,” Edward said. “Marla and I didn’t like it, we often talked about it, but Shari was oblivious. I think she felt badly for Deidre, didn’t want her to be left out in the cold.”

  “That’s lovely of Shari,” Cindy commented.

  “Yes, Shari was lovely in every way,” Edward said softly.

  “Was Deidre friends with Doug, too?” Cindy asked then.

  “Not really.” Edward shook his head heavily. “That situation was a little different. Doug didn’t take much to Deidre, though she liked him a lot. Deidre complained about that to Shari many times. It was odd too. Even as she was complaining, in the same breath she would say what a great guy Doug was and how lucky Shari was to have him. It wasn’t as though she was trying to break them up.”

  “It sounds like Deidre just wanted Doug to like her too,” said Cindy.

  “Yes, that’s it,” said Edward. “But I didn’t like any of it. It gave me the creeps. Once I told Deidre to get a life and find a guy of her own. I said she didn’t need to be friends with Shari’s boyfriends.”

  “How did she take that?” asked Cindy.

  “Not well,” Edward confessed. “But Deidre never liked anything I said to her. She told me to butt out and get my own life.”

  “Fresh,” Cindy commented, “but you still haven’t told me why in the world she would harm Shari now.”

  “Talk to Deidre yourself.” Edward’s voice got lower and suspicious. “She seems to have taken a liking to you. There could be all kinds of reasons to hurt Shari brewing inside her.”

  “Have you mentioned this to your wife?” Cindy asked, aghast.

  “No,” Edward burst out, “I wouldn’t dare. And remember you said this was confidential, privileged communication. I only wanted to give you a heads-up when you talk to Deidre later on.”

  “Of course,” Cindy concurred, “I appreciate your sharing this with me.”

  “You do?” asked Edward, startled.

  “Yes, the more honest you are the better it will be for all. And the sooner we’ll get to the truth of what happened.”

  Edward took a deep breath and smiled wanly then. “Oh, look at that.” He turned suddenly. “[cl12] “I just thought I saw the turtles making their way to the ocean, look Shari, look!”

  “I’m Cindy, not Shari,” Cindy said softly.

  “Oh God, how I wish it was Shari I was sitting here with now,” he replied, , distraught. “How I wish time had never gone by.”

  *

  A strange peace descended upon Edward as he drove Cindy back to the hotel. They drove quietly, saying little but both of them feeling at ease.

  “I’m proud of you, Edward,” Cindy finally said to him as they were a block or two away. “It took courage to tell me what you were thinking. I’m grateful for your trust in me.”

  Edward closed his eyes and smiled wanly. “You’re a special woman, Cindy,” he repeated. “I couldn’t have said it to anyone else. I know you only want the best for me and Shari. I know you’ll help me find the truth. But you won’t tell anyone, either. If my worst suspicions are confirmed, I don’t want to do anything about it. I couldn’t bear to lose Deidre now, too.”

  Chapter 14

  To Cindy’s surprise, when she got up to her hotel room Mattheus was there with Doug’s sister, Kate. Apparently Mattheus had been spending time with Doug and his family again and Kate insisted on returning with him to see Cindy again.

  “You made quite an impression on Kate,” Mattheus started, as Cindy walked into the room. “She’s been asking to see you all morning.”

  Cindy went over to Kate and gave her a little hug. “I’m delighted to see you again, as well,” Cindy replied.

  “Can we two go and take a walk alone somewhere?” Kate asked then, glancing over at Mattheus surreptitiously.

  “I’m not exactly the enemy,” Mattheus said in a joking manner. “But I completely understand when women need to talk alone.”

  “Than
ks.” Kate flashed a look at Cindy.

  “The girls club,” Mattheus said lightly, “I see it all the time.”

  “I beg your pardon?” Kate seemed to take offense. “I don’t like being called a girl—especially in such a condescending manner.”

  “Whoa!” Mattheus’s eyes opened wide.

  “I consider myself a young woman,” Kate went on. “And what I have to say matters.”

  “Of course it does,” Cindy interrupted. “Mattheus was not suggesting that it did not.”

  “I’m not sure what he’s suggesting,” Kate remarked. “But I have to speak to you alone.”

  “It’s absolutely fine,” said Cindy, “and I’m glad you let us know how you’re feeling.”

  “Definitely,” Mattheus went along. “I was just joking. I’m glad for you to spend time with Cindy, Kate.” He tried to ease her feelings.

  Kate brushed her long hair back over her shoulders, pleased. “Thanks,” she said, glancing once again at Cindy and then looking at the door.

  “Let’s go for that walk now,” said Cindy, picking up on the moment. Then she turned to Mattheus. “I’ll see you when I return.”

  *

  Kate immediately let Cindy know that she wanted to walk along Veneto Lane, which was several miles from the hotel. Cindy agreed without asking why. She was pleased that Kate wanted to talk to her and wanted to make it as comfortable as possible for her.

  As soon as they got downstairs, Cindy hailed a cab to take them to Veneto Lane. Once in the cab Kate breathed more easily and remarked that she was glad to be out of there, wasn’t at all comfortable around Mattheus. Cindy was surprised for a moment and then recalled Mattheus mentioning that he hadn’t liked Kate either. Kate must have picked up on that.

  “It’s okay,” Cindy responded. “We all don’t have to like everyone. I’m glad you like me, though.”

  Kate laughed. “I do,” she remarked. “You’re the kind of woman who doesn’t get pushed around.”

  That comment surprised Cindy.

  “And I can see how easy it would be to get pushed around with a guy like Mattheus,” Kate quipped. “But you don’t. That’s good.”