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

by Jaden Skye

  Cindy smiled and put her head on Mattheus’s shoulder. “I’m tired,” she said. “I’m sure we’ll be very happy later on, but right now we’ve got a lot ahead of us to plan.”

  “Once we’ve made our plans, how about an early evening swim to refresh us?” asked Mattheus.

  Cindy loved the idea. “How about later on tonight?” she picked up on it, a twinkle in her eye. “A moonlight swim could really hit the spot.”

  “I can’t think of anything better,” Mattheus crooned, “a moonlight swim alone with you in the Caribbean waters.”

  Cindy felt Mattheus’s excitement, but for now wanted to stay focused on the case.

  “Do you feel optimistic about the case?” Cindy changed the topic as the taxi swerved sharply towards their hotel.

  Mattheus seemed surprised. “That’s an odd question coming from you,” he said. “I always feel optimistic about solving a case, and so do you.”

  Cindy took a moment to think about it. It was true, she was usually certain they would find the killer. And she felt privileged to make it happen, too.

  “Why do you have doubts now?” Mattheus was interested. “We haven’t even begun to meet most of the players involved.”

  “I don’t know,” Cindy wondered herself. She was put off by Eric Holder, the Chief of Police, didn’t like the fact that he’d described Owen as a con man, had been brooding about that. Cindy also had a strange feeling about the hospital, which was unlike any other hospital she’d ever been in. “It seems like we’ve landed in a strange territory here, with layer upon layer of camouflage.”

  “That’s an interesting way to put it,” Mattheus remarked.

  “I don’t feel grounded yet,” Cindy continued.

  “Could that have anything to do with what you’ve just been through?” Mattheus seemed concerned. “Could it be too soon for you to be taking on another case?”

  “You mean right after losing Ann?” asked Cindy.

  “You haven’t had any time to absorb your sister’s death yet,” Mattheus continued. “You haven’t even spoken to me about her, either. You can’t just shut it all out. I’ve been concerned about it.”

  “I know,” said Cindy sadly. “But maybe the best way for me to absorb Ann’s death, is to go back to work, deal with what’s in front of me now. What good will it do to dwell on the horror Ann went through, or painful memories?”

  “Not dwelling on them won’t make the memories go away,” Mattheus replied. “They’ll keep living right under the surface until you face them one day.”

  “Maybe they will and maybe not,” Cindy remarked. “Maybe Ann is with me right now, guiding me along. Maybe she’ll always be with me, and I can just rest in that.”

  Mattheus ran his hand over Cindy’s hair gently. “Does it comfort you to think that way?” he asked.

  Mattheus’s comment made Cindy uneasy. “It’s not just a matter of whether it comforts me,” she replied. “It’s a matter of whether or not it’s true.”

  “How will you ever know if it’s true?” Mattheus asked.

  “I’ll know it,” Cindy smiled slightly then. “I’ll know it the same way I know it when I suddenly realize who the killer really is in a case. The truth becomes clear all by itself. It will be that way with Ann, too. I’ll know and won’t have any doubts. It will free me from all the pain.”

  Mattheus looked startled. “Wait a minute,” he said, “what do you mean the truth becomes clear all by itself? It becomes clear after we do hours of leg work, interviews, research. We look at the facts and then we come to a conclusion.”

  Cindy saw the worried look in Mattheus’s eyes. Clearly, he cared deeply about her, didn’t want her getting lost in a fantasy or going off on a tangent. But this wasn’t a fantasy and Cindy knew it.

  “Don’t worry about me, Mattheus,” she said. “Everything is not always a matter of gathering facts. I’ll know for sure if Ann is here with me.”

  “Cindy,” Mattheus was becoming alarmed, “Ann is gone, she was killed. It’s a tragedy for you, a horrible loss, but you have to face that.”

  Once again Cindy looked into Mattheus’s beautiful eyes. “But how is it possible that Ann could be gone forever? It doesn’t make sense,” Cindy replied.

  Mattheus put his arm around Cindy gently as the taxi pulled up to the front entrance of the hotel.

  “Things don’t always make sense,” he said softly, “but one thing does. I love you Cindy and always will, that’s for sure. You can always count on that.”

  *

  The cab stopped and Cindy and Mattheus got out. Instead of going up to their room, they wandered slowly hand in hand along the beautiful grounds of the hotel. There were winding paths, pools, tennis courts, and a sprawling golf course far behind. Two world class restaurants were situated on each side of the hotel. There was also an open café near the water for light dining.

  Cindy and Mattheus chose the open café near the water, took seats at a table in front, ordered salads and fried salmon. Then they finally put their heads together to work on the case. Once they made a plan of attack, then they could think about going for the moonlight swim.

  “I’d say we have to take everything Owen tells us with a grain of salt,” Mattheus started, surprising Cindy.

  “Really?” Cindy replied. “I like him very much. I believed everything he said.”

  “Like him or not is not the issue. We’ve got to look further into his background,” said Mattheus. “I’ll take that on.”

  “We can both do it,” said Cindy, eager to learn more about Owen as well.

  “There’s plenty of other things to look into,” Mattheus replied. “Eric Holder was right. Owen is charismatic, weaves a spell. In fact, I think he actually swayed you. It’s a better idea for you to focus on other leads.”

  Mattheus picked up that Owen had touched Cindy. She’d left the interview completely prepared to fight for his innocence. Obviously, Mattheus didn’t feel that way.

  “Owen doesn’t have the flavor of a guilty man,” Cindy went on. “I can see why it’s convenient for Eric Holder to position him that way, though.”

  “What flavor does a guilty man have?” Mattheus looked at Cindy, irked.

  “I believe Owen completely,” Cindy repeated.

  “I know you do,” said Mattheus. “But the fact that you’ve jumped to that conclusion so quickly isn’t good, it bothers me. We have to check him out further.”

  Cindy grimaced.

  “We also have to speak to Alana, Tara’s nurse, look into Tara’s family, “Mattheus went on. “Let’s find out more about Tara and Owen’s marriage, too. He could say they were happy, but how many couples are as happy as he claims after twenty years? That struck me as odd.”

  Cindy didn’t like that. “I hope to be as happy as that someday after twenty years of marriage,” she retorted.

  “I’m speaking in generalities,” Mattheus defended himself. “Of course you’ll be that happy. You’re different.”

  “What’s so different about me?” Cindy looked at Mattheus. Was it actually possible for a love like Owen described to go on for twenty years, she wondered. Did Mattheus believe it was possible?

  Mattheus needed to change the topic, though. “I also want to check Owen’s general background and investigate the hospital and its administration,” he went on.

  Cindy wasn’t going to make a battle out of this. As usual, Mattheus was just being incredibly thorough, wouldn’t come to a conclusion without considering every possibility that stretched out before him.

  “Okay, let’s make a list of who does what when,” Cindy was back to her old self. “At least you’re not claiming Owen’s some kind of con man.”

  “Of course, I’m not,” said Mattheus. “But I am wondering why you feel so called upon to defend him?”

  “A gut instinct,” said Cindy quickly. “I don’t think he killed his wife.”

  “Maybe it’s because both of you so recently sustained a loss and you identify with what
he’s going through?” Mattheus commented.

  That comment stung Cindy. Mattheus was sharp and to the point. He had an uncanny ability to understand the deeper motives behind a person’s actions.

  “Maybe so,” Cindy murmured, “but that still doesn’t mean he’s guilty, does it?”

  “Of course not,” said Mattheus.

  “Look how everyone suspected Ann’s husband of killing her, and it wasn’t him at all,” Cindy flashed on the odd connection between Ann’s death and the case she was working on now.

  “Right,” said Mattheus softly. “And, you’re blending the two cases in your mind. This is a new case we’re on now, Cindy. Ann’s husband was innocent and has been freed. We’re not yet sure about Owen.”

  Cindy felt a huge wave of sadness overwhelm her then. Frank was free, Ann was gone, and here she was now in a totally different island, working on a completely new case. But the similarities between the two cases still struck her deeply. Not only between these two cases, but all cases she worked on. There was always the search for truth and justice that couldn’t let either her or Mattheus rest until they found real answers. Was it going to go on like this forever? Would the search ever end?

  “Okay,” Mattheus pulled a pad out of his vest pocket and began writing notes, as he always did. “First stop tomorrow is to visit Tara’s family in their Villa. We’ll go there together for starters and get a sense of who they are.”

  Cindy nodded as Mattheus listed other tasks and numbered each one.

  Finally, they were done. Mattheus was about to get up to pay the check when his phone rang. He looked to see who was calling and didn’t pick up.

  “Who is it?” asked Cindy nonchalantly.

  “Nothing important,” said Mattheus.

  Cindy was taken aback. “Keeping secrets from me?” she asked playfully.

  Mattheus put the check down, stood up, walked over to her and said plainly, “I’m not keeping secrets, never will and never have. From here on in, you’ve got to trust me completely, Cindy.”

  Mattheus’s fervor took Cindy back. “I do,” she said, surprising herself.

  “And you always will?” he demanded.

  “Absolutely,” answered Cindy softly. “I trust you or I wouldn’t be here with you now. I wouldn’t share a room again, and certainly wouldn’t go for a moonlight swim tonight.”

  Mattheus smiled relieved, “Good,” he replied. “I can’t have it any other way.”

  *

  By the time Cindy and Mattheus left for their midnight swim, they’d rested, had a glass of wine, talked, listened to music and felt clear about their tasks for the next few days.

  “I can’t think of anything better than a quick swim now,” Mattheus smiled, looking at Cindy boyishly, hoping she remembered their plan.

  Cindy remembered and was looking forward to it as well.

  “I’m excited to go, too,” she said. The idea of plunging in the vast, dark ocean with Mattheus was not only exciting, it was soothing. Cindy loved the moon in all its phases and to go swimming beneath it was something she’d always wanted to do.

  They quickly changed into their bathing suits and put light covers over them. Then they headed down to the white sand beach, which spread out in front of the hotel and was deserted at this time of night.

  “I feel like a fugitive from the world,” Mattheus laughed as they took a side door out of the hotel to the ocean, not wanting to walk through the lobby dressed this way at this hour of the evening.

  Cindy smiled, “Actually, that’s not so far from the truth,” she said. “We’re fugitives from something, aren’t we? No one would exactly call us a conventional couple with a house in the suburbs and a white picket fence.”

  Mattheus laughed . “Is a house with a white picket fence something you want for yourself, anyway?” he asked in passing, as they took off their shoes and walked together through the warm, soft sand. “I don’t exactly see you happy with that kind of life.”

  Cindy wondered about it as they walked along the sand up to the ocean. She thought of the beautiful cottage she and Clint had lived in back on Long Island. They’d been very happy there, even though they’d only had a short time before his life had suddenly been snatched away.

  “I always thought I’d be happy with a family of my own,” Cindy answered in a muted tone as she and Mattheus reached the edge of the water.

  “Sure, a family of your own,” Mattheus responded, “but living in the suburbs with a regular kind of guy?”

  “Nothing wrong with a home in suburbs,” Cindy said as ripples of water suddenly came up over her feet. “If you’re living in the house with the right husband what difference does it make where it is?”

  “It makes a difference,” Mattheus broke in.

  “Ann was happy living with Frank in the suburbs. She had a good life,” Cindy replied as she and Mattheus stood looking out into the black ocean with nothing but moonlight gleaming overhead.

  “Was Ann really happy?” Mattheus asked sincerely.

  “Yes, she was happy living that life with Frank,” Cindy answered quietly. “That’s the life she wanted for me, too.”

  “And did you want that for yourself, really?” Mattheus’s voice was inquiring.

  “I never saw myself that way,” Cindy admitted. “Ann and I were different. I never fit in, was always restless for more. The guys I chose were nothing like Frank either, certainly not the kind of guy who ends up surrounded by a white, picket fence.”

  Mattheus held Cindy’s hand tighter. “That’s not necessarily a bad thing,” he said softly.

  “No, it isn’t,” Cindy agreed, “but Ann was always trying to get me to settle down with her kind of man.”

  “She wanted you to be happy in her way,” Mattheus remarked.

  Cindy took a step deeper into the water, and Mattheus followed along. The water was colder than expected and Cindy swiftly caught her breath.

  Mattheus laughed at her surprise. “The water’s invigorating,” he said.

  “Yes, it is,” Cindy laughed along with him, wanting to go all the way in, to throw herself completely on the mercy of the dark waves that seemed to be calling her. “Let’s swim way out to the horizon,” she uttered.

  “Whoah, wait a second,” Mattheus laughed as Cindy tugged on his hand. “We’ll swim, but not that far out. There can be sudden undertows everywhere.”

  “I’m not afraid of undertows,” Cindy laughed as the two of them plunged into the water and started to swim, side by side, under the piercing moonlight.

  It felt wonderful swimming together, not talking or thinking about anything, being bathed by the moon, feeling at peace. Cindy cherished this time here with Mattheus. As they swam together, all of a sudden, from the corner of her eye she saw a tiny flash of lightning way out on the horizon. It flickered for a second and then disappeared.

  “Oh my God, Mattheus,” Cindy called out, “is a storm coming?”

  Mattheus lifted his head and looked around. “What are you talking about?”

  Cindy saw another quick flash of lightning once again. “There,” she pointed to the horizon, “I saw a couple of flashes of lightning. Did you see them?”

  Mattheus turned his head in that direction, looking, as another one quickly flashed and disappeared.

  “There, did you see it?” Cindy called louder.

  “See what?” Mattheus called back.

  “The flashes of lightning?” she answered, her voice echoing.

  “I didn’t see anything,” Mattheus called back.

  “Keep looking,” she called, waiting for another one, which didn’t come.“I saw three flashes of lightning,” Cindy said quickly, “one of them happened right when you were looking that way.”

  “Probably just the flicker of the light of the moon bouncing off the waves,” Mattheus replied.

  “No,” Cindy was certain, “they were flashes of lightning. Or, maybe lights from a boat far out, signaling something?”

  “Who knows?�
�� said Mattheus. “The light of the moon can take all kinds of shapes and look like different things to different people. Do you want to swim back to shore?”

  “Yes, it’s time,” Cindy said, disturbed that Mattheus hadn’t seen the flashes of light, and wondering exactly what they really could have been.

  Chapter 5

  The beautiful moonlight swim had soothed Cindy and Mattheus and they slept deeply and peacefully all night long, wrapped in one another’s arms. When they awoke first thing in the morning they were both refreshed and ready to get going. The next stop was a visit to Tara’s family. Cindy had called setting up an appointment, which was for ten o’clock in the morning.

  Tara’s family was staying at the Villa that Owen had rented during the vacation. Thankfully, it was not far from the hotel. Cindy and Mattheus had time for breakfast together, and a second cup of coffee before they went downstairs to get a cab. When things were going so well between them both of them felt strong, nourished and supported. It seemed as if there was nothing they could not tackle, that they were destined to be working and living together forever like this, side by side.

  “Do you believe in destiny?” Cindy asked, as the two of them got into the cab to drive to the Villa.

  Mattheus grinned. He knew Cindy so well by now, knew just what she was thinking.

  “I don’t know if I believe in destiny,” he responded, “but I sure do believe in love. I can see how great it feels when things are good, what love can do for two people.” Then he kissed her lightly on the top of her head.

  It was a good answer and made Cindy feel better. Mattheus’s love for her had kept her floating during her sister’s loss and was keeping her uplifted now. It was a powerful, sustaining, palpable force

  The cab got to the Villa in no time. As Cindy expected it was huge and sprawling, practically covering the hill it perched upon. As she and Mattheus walked up to the main gate they were immediately greeted outside by a slender a woman in her early forties. Dressed in a cotton print dress, with brown, stringy hair that hung down to her shoulders, her eyes looked bleary and red.

  “I’m Jenna, Tara’s sister,” she said, her voice raspy. “Come right in, we’ve been waiting for you.”