Death by Request (Book #11 in the Caribbean Murder series)

by Jaden Skye

  “So what?” Mattheus said to Cindy. “This is not a personality contest. Like him or not, he’s a good resource. We’ve got to stay on good terms and keep him in the loop.”

  “You’re right,” said Cindy as they approached the building Owen was being held in, entered and went straight to the interrogation room.

  *

  The moment Owen was brought into the room by the guard, Cindy felt relieved. As she’d guessed, Owen was nothing at all as Eric described him. He was a tall, handsome, distraught man in his late forties, with thick wavy brown hair and beautiful blue eyes.

  Both Cindy and Mattheus stood up to greet him.

  “Pleased to meet you,” Cindy extended her hand, looking straight into his eyes. As Owen’s gaze met hers, she saw deep waves of pain and hope fluctuating in his glance.

  “Thank God, you’re here,” Owen quickly responded to her.

  “This is my partner, Mattheus,” Cindy continued, quickly including him in the encounter.

  “I’ve only heard wonderful things about the two of you,” Owen breathed, rapidly rubbing his hand over his forehead. “There’s so much I have to say.”

  “You all have thirty minutes,” the guard interrupted, before he turned around then and left them there, facing each other.

  “Let’s sit down,” Cindy said to Owen. “We have as long as we need.”

  Owen looked at her gratefully and sat across from Cindy and Mattheus at a narrow, steel table.

  “This is a nightmare I can’t wake up from,” Owen started, focusing almost entirely on Cindy. “The police have decided I killed Tara. But they have nothing to base this arrest upon. I’m constantly in touch with the authorities in the States, but so far am getting nothing but flack. I’m trying to contact my Senator, it’s all a mess.”

  “Tell us everything,” Mattheus started quickly, keeping his eyes glued to Owen’s face, wanting to be included in the conversation. “We need whatever facts you have for us.”

  Cindy was grateful that Mattheus was open to Owen, despite what Eric had said.

  “The fact is I loved my wife,” Owen started heatedly, “and anybody you talk to will tell you that. We were married for twenty wonderful years. Tara never complained about our marriage and neither did I. We were here to celebrate our anniversary, it was supposed to be a beautiful time. After the horrible accident I stayed at her bedside every second. I didn’t leave her alone for a minute, I slept there, held her, begged her to wake up and come back to me again.” His eyes filled with sudden tears.

  Cindy sighed deeply, unnerved. There was nothing about Owen that seemed like a con man. She had no idea where Eric got that idea from.

  “Did Tara wake up, even once?” Mattheus asked suddenly, startling both Cindy and Owen.

  “Not that I know of,” Owen seemed confused by the question. “Some people thought she would. They said it was just a matter of time. I insisted we let the coma go on as long as it had to.”

  “Had to?” asked Mattheus.

  “Until she woke up, or passed on her own,” Owen said suddenly anguished. “Did I think she would pass? Not for a minute. How could a young, beautiful woman leave you so suddenly like that?”

  Cindy took a deep, stabbing breath. She’d grappled with that question herself twice now. How could Clint have left, and now her own sister?

  “Tell us more about the accident,” Cindy recovered herself. “What happened exactly?”

  “It’s written up in all the papers,” said Owen, clearly reluctant to go over it again.

  “I know, but I want to hear about it from you,” said Cindy. “You m ay suddenly remember some little detail that skipped your mind before.”

  “Oh God,” it was obviously hard for Owen to re-live the memory once again. “Tara and I were out on a boat we’d rented. She loved the water and so did I. The day was incredibly beautiful. I remember flashes of sun on the water, making amazing shapes. Tara said they were there just for us.” Owen got quiet.

  “Then what happened?” Cindy gently urged him on.

  “All of a sudden it got windy,” he continued in a scruffy tone.

  “Did the weather forecast predict wind or storm?” Mattheus asked carefully. “Was it wise to go out on the water that day?”

  “I don’t know,” Owen replied sadly, “I didn’t check. It was beautiful when we got out on the boat. That was enough for me.”

  “Doesn’t one usually check the weather before going out onto the water for the day?” Mattheus was pushing, trying to unnerve him and get more.

  In response, Owen just brushed his hand in the air casually, as if brushing cobwebs away. “Then the wind suddenly blew up,” he continued, ignoring Mattheus’s question completely. “Our boat started rocking, and Tara was standing near the edge.”

  “Didn’t you yell at her to get back?” asked Mattheus.

  “Of course, I yelled and I reached out my arm to pull her back in the boat,” Owen added hastily, “but I also had to steer the boat, make sure we didn’t topple over completely. The wind got worse, Tara let out a little yelp, then I heard the huge splash. When I saw her bobbing in the water, I was completely shocked. So was she. She called out to me, I answered. First thing I had to do though was to steer the boat away from her. But it locked, swerved, I couldn’t control it. Next thing I knew the tip of the boat was driving into her head, over and over.”

  Cindy shut her eyes. The picture of it was horrible, terrifying. “What did you do then?” Cindy asked, shaking.

  “What could I do?” Owen’s voice got louder and stronger. “Finally, I had to jump into the water and pull her out. She was alive, she was breathing. I put a call in for help immediately!” He stopped then, had trouble continuing.

  “Help came quickly?” Mattheus asked.

  “In just a little while helicopters surrounded us, landed on the water and air lifted the two of us to the hospital. Tara was still breathing. She was alive then. She wasn’t killed, she didn’t die.”

  “It’s okay, calm down,” Cindy said to him gently.

  “When we got to the hospital they said she was in a coma,” Owen went on uncontrollably. “They put us up on the third floor.”

  “I’m sorry, so sorry,” Cindy murmured.

  Owen looked at Cindy through glassy eyes. “Thank you,” he uttered. “I knew you would be, I knew it.”

  “Go on,” said Mattheus, irritated.

  “I called the best doctors in,” Owen continued. “There was nothing they could do, but keep her comfortable and wait. I was sure she’d recover, positive.”

  “I’m sorry,” Cindy repeated.

  “Yeah, I’m sorry too, but what good does it do me now? After Tara died, things went from bad to worse. The papers jumped in then and now they’re having a field day with me.”

  “There’s serious evidence against you,” Mattheus commented, abruptly changing the tone.

  A look of fear flickered across Owen’s face and quickly subsided.

  “Really? What evidence? As far as I can see there’s nothing.”

  “For starters,” Mattheus went on, “they found toxic material in your wife’s body. She did not die of natural causes; someone put a lethal substance into her IV.”

  “I heard that, of course,” Owen remarked. “But why do they think it was me? It’s preposterous. There’s absolutely no evidence that I would ever do something like that. I have no history of any crime or foul play.”

  “Secondly,” Mattheus continued unemotionally, “you’re the beneficiary of your wife’s huge life insurance policy.”

  “They’re grabbing at anything they can find, don’t you see that?” Owen cried out. “I have no need for the money, none at all.”

  “Why did she even have such a large policy?” Cindy asked deftly.

  “We took it out for her brother and sister,” Owen answered quickly. “Neither of them have the resources we have. We thought that if God forbid Tara ever passed before they did, it would be a good support for them.”<
br />
  “But you’re the beneficiary, not them,” Mattheus commented.

  “Just a formality,” Owen exclaimed. “Tara trusted me to give them the money in careful payments so they wouldn’t squander it. Neither of them are any good with money. Tara worried about them. The policy was no secret, she told her sister and brother that she’d taken the policy out about six months ago.”

  “But what were the chances anyone would collect on this for a very long time?” Mattheus continued. “Tara was a young woman. There must have been other ways she could have helped them.”

  “There were,” Owen insisted, “and she did. She was good to them, she was generous. We gave them large gifts all the time.”

  “Did you tell this to the police?” Cindy questioned.

  “Of course I did,” Owen insisted, “they just listened blankly and couldn’t care less.”

  “I can see why not,” Cindy interjected. “These are inconvenient facts.”

  “I like that phrase,” Owen replied, leaning closer towards Cindy. “You’ve got it right. If the facts are inconvenient, they’re just dropped down here.”

  “Everywhere,” Cindy murmured, as her eyes and Owen’s locked again.

  “Inconvenient or not, facts will surface,” Mattheus insisted. “They’ll stand up for you, build a solid case.”

  “What other facts do you have that we don’t know about?” Cindy continued quickly. She liked Owen and believed him completely, was proud to be working for him.

  Owen’s eyes brightened. “Plenty,” he started, talking heatedly, relieved to finally be heard. “I don’t know if you know this, but another woman died at the Ranges Hospital unexpectedly, a few weeks before Tara did.”

  “Was she also in a coma?” Cindy felt a chill go through her.

  “No, she had just recovered from surgery, was doing well and about to be released,” said Owen. “Then, suddenly, she died out of nowhere.”

  “Did you mention this to the police?” Mattheus joined in.

  “Sure,” said Owen, “they claim the cases were completely unrelated. Said the other woman died of a sudden blood clot that went to her brain.”

  “Okay,” said Mattheus, “that’s got to be verifiable.”

  “But, blood clot or not, I’m not so sure it was unrelated,” Owen wouldn’t let it go. “The woman was young and healthy, like Tara. There was no reason for a sudden blood clot to go to her brain. I’d say check the damn nurses at this hospital.”

  “That’s a leap,” said Mattheus grimly, “these things happen, especially after surgery.”

  “That’s not a good enough answer,” Owen’s eyes began glowing. “The records should be checked carefully to see exactly what happened to the other patient. Check it and follow the course of her recovery.”

  Cindy made note of that. “What else?” she asked. “What do you think happened to Tara? Who do you think killed your wife?”

  Owen’s face suddenly sagged at the notion of his wife having been killed.

  “I’m sorry to put it so harshly,” Cindy remarked.

  “It’s okay,” he finally murmured. “The truth is the truth and we’ve got to find out who did it. I’ve had plenty of time to think this over and I’ve come up with a few different ideas.”

  Cindy was tremendously relieved that they could engage with him so directly, that he was so involved and would be of help. “Yes?” she asked intensely.

  “Firstly,” Owen continued, “I think it could have been one of the local nurses down here who hate the rich. Could have been a totally inside job.”

  Cindy was startled by the thought of it.

  “It’s a good possibility, too,” Owen insisted, speaking in a conspiratorial manner. “One night my eyes were closed as I was resting in the chair near Tara. The main nurse, Alana, must have thought I was asleep. Another nurse on the floor, Betty, dropped into the room, and the two of them started talking. Neither of them had any idea that I heard every word they said.”

  Owen paused and looked at Cindy and Mattheus to make sure they were both listening.

  “Go on,” said Cindy, unable to contain her curiosity.

  Owen grimaced and continued. “Alana said it was a sin to keep Tara alive so long like this, hanging between two worlds. Tara’s spirit needed to leave, but her selfish husband wouldn’t let her go, was hanging onto her for dear life. I was shocked to hear that, believe me.”

  “What did the other nurse reply?” Cindy was spellbound.

  “She agreed, said the rich don’t have any feelings, all they care about is money and power. They don’t know God is watching them.”

  “Oh dear,” said Cindy.

  “Did you report this conversation to the police?” Mattheus stepped in.

  “I tried, but was cut down flat,” Owen said. “They said it was all hearsay, I had no proof of it, so it didn’t amount to anything.”

  “They didn’t interview Alana or the other nurse?” Cindy was horrified.

  “Not that I know of,” Owen replied. “Once they found poison in Tara’s blood, and learned that I was going to inherit lots of money it was all they needed to hear.”

  “An easy way out for them,” Cindy remarked.

  “And for the hospital, too,” Owen insisted. “It’s privately owned and run; they don’t need trouble like this. It could take them right down.”

  “You think the hospital is in collusion with the police?” Mattheus asked.

  “Could be,” said Owen. “You’ve got to check into all of it.”

  It all made sense to Cindy, perfect sense. There was definitely a lot of work to do and Cindy wanted as many leads as possible.

  “What about Tara’s family?” Cindy took the discussion in a different direction now. Owen hadn’t said a word about them yet. “Your wife’s family is here, they visited her, they also had opportunity.”

  Owen threw his head back then, suddenly empowered. “Absolutely,” he commented. “Thank God, someone’s finally bringing them up.”

  “The police didn’t talk to Tara’s family?” Mattheus seemed surprised.

  “Sure they talked to them,” Owen spat out, “the family sobbed and cried and carried on the way they always do, and the police believed every word they said.”

  “What did they say?” Mattheus was insistent.

  “They carried on about how much they loved Tara, how great she was, what a horrible loss. What the police didn’t realize is that this family knows how to put up a terrific front. Behind their front, they love to keep secrets. You never really know what they’re thinking of you, in fact it changes day by day. You’re as good as your last gift to them,” said Owen bleakly.

  “How did the family feel about you? Cindy wanted more.

  “Who the hell knows, really?” said Owen. “I was the sugar daddy, gave them everything, so naturally they were nice enough on the surface. But once in a while, Tara’s creepy brother Hank let something slip that made me feel different.”

  “Like what?” Cindy was fascinated by everything about Owen. He was eloquent, smart and unafraid to face life as it was.

  “Hank once said that Tara’s father, Ralph, was pissed with me. Ralph felt lousy that I took Tara away from the family and gave her more than he ever could,” Owen replied.

  “There was rivalry there,” Mattheus commented.

  “Yeah, at first I just thought there’s rivalry everywhere, isn’t there?” Owen replied.

  “Some places more than others,” Mattheus replied.

  “Well, there’s rivalry in this family big time, though you’d never know it,” said Owen.

  “What about your own family, Owen?” Cindy broke in. “Where are they? Did they come down here as well?”

  “I don’t have a family,” Owen replied, looking at Cindy strangely. “Tara was it, she was everything. I was orphaned when I was nine. Raised by an aunt who’s dead now. I earned everything I have in life on my own, built my kingdom from scratch.”

  “Whew, that’s impressive,
” said Mattheus. “So, Tara’s family was your family, too.”

  “I guess you could call them that,” said Owen. “Tara always said they were my family, but in all truth, I never bought into it. There was always this weird barrier between us. And look, now, is one of them fighting to get me out of jail? Not one of them.”

  “They’re not speaking against you either,” Cindy commented.

  At that Owen jumped to his feet. “Of course they aren’t, because there’s nothing bad to say. I took great care of Tara and of them. Even her stupid, weak father knows it. When all of his crazy business deals fell apart, who put him back on the map? I did. I was right there to step in and make things right.”

  “I’m sorry,” said Cindy suddenly, filled with pain at the thought of Owen’s life.

  Owen grasped onto Cindy’s feelings for him and looked at her with gratitude.

  “Finally someone gets it,” he replied. “Cindy, you’ve got to get me out of here, you’ve got to.”

  I will, said Cindy to herself.

  “I didn’t hurt my wife. I don’t deserve this!” Owen’s voice grew more piercing.

  “We’ll do our very best,” Mattheus calmly replied.

  “I hope it’s good enough,” Owen wailed.

  “It’s more than good enough,” Cindy replied forcefully. “We never leave any stone unturned.”

  Chapter 4

  When the interview with Owen was over Cindy and Mattheus took a cab back to the hotel, exhausted. The late afternoon sun was softer by now and, thankfully, a cool breeze had risen. It had been a long day with lots to process. Neither Cindy nor Mattheus had stopped for a bite of lunch either.

  “We can order food up to the room, or go to one of the restaurants in the hotel,” Mattheus suggested, taking Cindy’s hand as they drove along.

  Cindy felt like laying down and resting, but knew they needed to go over what they’d heard and divide tasks between them.

  “We’ll do better sitting up, outdoors,” Cindy replied, happy to have Mattheus’s hand in hers. “There’s a lot to go over.”

  “You can say that again,” Mattheus agreed. “Not time to get too cozy upstairs. We might forget about everything and just be happy together.”