The Empty Chair ~ Murder in the Caribbean

by Penny Goetjen

  Once inside, Colton became a much more hospitable host, rummaging the refrigerator for refreshments.

  Olivia slipped out onto the gallery with Jake at her heels, returning to the spot on the railing she had staked out the first night she arrived, looking out over the harbor. Only this time she wasn’t seeing what she was looking at. Jake settled down not far from her and curled up with his back to the railing, keeping an eye on the situation.

  Colton joined her with two drinks in hand. He didn’t have to ask. He handed her a glass of white wine and he hung onto a bottle of beer.

  “Well, how about that. You’ve got wine.” She wore a wide grin, despite the solemnity of the circumstances that brought her to his doorstep.

  He paused for a moment. “I bought some the other day . . . in case you came back.”

  His gesture spoke volumes to her. She suddenly felt worse that she had hurt him. It had been an irrational moment, one she wished she could take back. She prayed she had not caused irreparable damage.

  “Colton, I am sorry—”

  He held up his hand. “It’s water under the bridge. Let’s move on. You have more important matters to deal with right now.”

  “I know but—”

  He reached out and placed a finger gently on her lips.

  She couldn’t help herself, she kissed it.

  In response, he reached out with one arm and slipped it around her waist. Olivia allowed him to pull her closer to his body. Her wine sloshed above the rim of the glass, spilling down the side as she lurched forward, but he didn’t seem to care. Her face was inches from his. Leaning closer to each other, their lips connected in a passionate kiss. She got lost in the pleasure.

  A tingling sensation stirred throughout her body. Their kiss eased quite naturally into a hug. She didn’t want to let go of him. Her nose was buried in his hair and she breathed in deeply. He smelled incredible. It was hard to discern exactly what it was, but it reminded her of a natural, woodsy scent. She hung onto him and he didn’t pull away. His body was remarkably strong and sturdy, like he could go up against any foe and come out victorious.

  He seemed to sense she needed the support. They held each other as the night sky twinkled above them and the sea breezes caressed their bodies.

  Flames flickering against the night sky suddenly crashed through her mind. She tried to push them away, aching to be lost in his arms instead. Without realizing, she pulled away from him slightly.

  He sensed her movement. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. I’m fine. . . . Happy to be here.”

  “Look, why don’t we go over to your mother’s place. I’ll go with you. Let’s see what’s going on.”

  “I can’t. I’m sure there’s nothing left to see.” The unbearable images were forever burned into her memory. “I just . . . can’t,” she confessed, taking a sip of wine.

  Colton seemed to understand and turned back to his beer. They silently let their eyes wander out to the blinking lights in the tranquil harbor.

  As they watched a small boat traverse the water, he still appeared to be thinking about the fire. “All right, then why don’t you try to get some rest? Maybe I’ll take a ride over and see what I can find out.”

  “That’s sweet of you. I’m sure there’s not much to learn, but I appreciate the offer.”

  Colton drained the dregs of the beer from the bottom of the bottle. He took her glass and refilled it in the kitchen, returning with another beer for himself as well. They slipped an arm around each other’s waist. Olivia hung on tight and sipped her wine, taking in the harbor in silence. Even with the tropical breezes off the water, she shivered. Colton pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head.

  After finishing her second glass of wine, she felt drowsy. Her head became heavy and found a resting place on Colton’s chest. He offered to let her sleep in his bed. He would take the couch.

  Olivia didn’t have a lot of options. He was being unexpectedly sweet despite how she had treated him. As her eyelids grew heavy, she allowed him to guide her away from the spectacular view from the gallery. Again, he vowed to take the couch.

  Their hands intertwined as they walked to his bedroom. Jake trotted along with them but remained outside the door. Olivia drew on the warmth of his hand. She turned to face him. They embraced. Their lips connected again in a more passionate kiss. Olivia was completely drawn in by him. Their two bodies slipped easily onto the bed, t-shirts and shorts scattered across the floor.

  Colton’s eyes shifted to her bandage. He opened his mouth to ask and looked into her eyes. In response, she pressed a long slender finger onto his lips to silence him.

  “It’s nothing,” she insisted.

  He looked concerned as if he knew it was more than “nothing” but chose to honor her wishes to ignore it.

  Two tanned, youthful bodies embraced again and became one. They explored each other’s bodies in the excitement of being the first time they had touched intimately and then made love, slowly and passionately. They held each other tightly afterwards. Her grip was approaching desperation—his was more along the lines of cradling. He stroked her hair and whispered in her ear. “You’re so beautiful.” She fell asleep in the comfort of his arms wrapped around her from behind.

  The sea breeze played with the light cotton curtains at the windows.

  In the middle of the night, he slipped out from under the sheets into the cover of darkness.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Olivia awoke to sunshine spilling into the small bedroom through east facing windows. Naked in a sea of sheets and a little groggy, she replayed the beautiful evening she and Colton had shared the night before. She rolled over, wincing from shooting pain in her shoulder while grabbing an armful of Egyptian cotton to snuggle with, hoping to go back to sleep. There was no one else sharing the bed she was in.

  Her face fell. Was the night before just a dream? Or perhaps a mistake. The fiery scene from her mother’s house came crashing back, and she wished it had just been a nightmare.

  She called out, anxious to see if he was still in the bungalow. “Colton?”

  His voice could be heard from the kitchen. Before long he showed up at the door to the bedroom wearing only boxers, with two mugs in his hands. His hair was tousled from sleeping the night. His broad shoulders seemed to just slip through the doorway.

  Olivia was touched by his sweet gesture. As he approached, she could see wisps of steam escaping from the tops of the mugs. She guessed it was coffee. He sat down gently on the side of the bed she was on. Rolling over toward him, she gathered up the sheets to retain as much coverage as she could manage. They looked into each other’s eyes. Then she realized she had just opened hers, and she might look even worse than she had the night before, if that was possible. Quickly rubbing sleep from her face and running her fingers through her hair, she decided that would have to do. It was all she had to work with.

  “I couldn’t remember how you take your coffee. I guess I was focusing on something else the other morning. There’s some milk and a little sugar in it.” He looked at her expectantly as he passed it to her. Too much time elapsed before she answered.

  “Oh, you prefer tea, don’t you?” His face fell.

  “Oh! No . . . no, this is fine,” she insisted, not wanting to diminish his thoughtfulness. Tightening her grip on the sheets next to her chest, she sat up. She didn’t want to make a fuss. It didn’t matter. Not in the big picture, anyway.

  “Oh, no. I’m starting to figure you out.” He leaned back and grinned as if getting a better perspective. “White wine usually means tea. If it’s red wine, then it’s coffee.”

  Olivia just looked into his eyes, with her eyebrows raised and her forehead furrowed, imagining all the women he’d had in his bed.

  “Oh, really,” she teased, nodding with a smirk, examining his face more closely.

  Colton’s guilty expression made her giggle, but she had no intention of making him feel any worse. Instead, she had other
ideas. The night before had not been enough.

  She thanked him and took the mug from him, taking a couple sips, trying hard not to shudder. He sipped his and beamed while gazing at her. When she couldn’t stand it any longer she put her mug down on the bedside table and grabbed his free hand. He let her pull him toward her and just landed his mug on the table before sprawling on the bed.

  He wiggled up next to her as she pulled the sheets aside to let him in. He encircled her body with his muscular arms. Breathing in his scent, she became drawn in. He quickly slipped off his boxers and then moved in closer. She exhaled and relaxed, allowing him to take control of her body. They embraced and kissed passionately. Again their legs and arms entwined in one another. It was beautiful, gentle lovemaking. She accepted him easily and willingly. He kissed her sweetly on her breasts and neck, brushing an errant strand of wavy blonde hair from her face. She closed her eyes and became one with his body. It lasted longer than the night before, as if neither wanted it to end. Afterwards she lay in his arms and watched the sea breeze pushing its way past the curtains.

  Noticing his feet protruding from the end of the loose sheet, Olivia was tempted to ask about the missing toe on his left foot but decided against it. She wanted the moment to last forever, but before she was ready Colton whispered in her ear.

  “I have to go.”

  Determined to prolong their time together, she rolled over and lay on top of him, gazing longingly into his eyes. The warmth of their bodies connected. She inhaled deeply to be able to remember his scent after he was gone.

  Her finger found its way to his lips. “Shhhhh.”

  “I have to take the boat out today. I’m meeting a family that comes every year from Connecticut. They’re very sweet.” He grinned as if recollecting humorous details about them. “A little quirky, but nice. I’ll be gone all day.”

  “Oh.” Olivia’s face fell. She was deeply disappointed.

  “I would love to say I’ll be back later, but my band has a gig tonight. The timing is usually pretty tight. I tend to go straight there from the boat.” Then he added, “Stay as long as you’d like.”

  Her eyes glazed over and she stopped listening. She hadn’t seen it coming.

  He slipped out of bed and she watched as he dressed, admiring his physique and longing for his touch. He leaned over, brushed a thin blonde tendril from her face, and gently kissed her forehead. He slipped on his brown flip-flops and then left without another word.

  Feeling as though she had been discarded, Olivia tried in vain to push aside the feeling it had all been a mistake . . . or they had different expectations of their relationship. She rolled back to her side of the bed. The coffee mugs were still sitting where they had hastily placed them. The steam was no longer rising.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Olivia remained between the sheets in Colton’s bed, worries, doubts and fears swirling inside her head. Someone had torched her mother’s house. She couldn’t imagine who would commit such a vicious act or why. Her paltry possessions had been reduced to nothing more than the clothes on her back. Of course, at that moment, she didn’t even have those on. And after her surveillance mission the previous night, she was no closer to finding out what had happened to her mother. She had no choice but to return that evening. The mere thought chilled her to the core, but she had to go.

  In the meantime, she would have to come up with more clothes to wear. Perhaps she would head downtown and pick up a few things. Though uncomfortable with using her credit card, she didn’t have much choice. She would have to shop wisely.

  Alone in the quiet bungalow, sadness tugged at her heart, and she tried to fight it off. Self-doubt crept in. Was she ever going to find out what happened to her mother? Could she? Who was working against her? Who had set fire to the bungalow? What were they after? And why?

  Olivia gasped. If they were after her, they could hurt Colton if they followed her to his house. Shuddering, she knew she couldn’t stay—she was putting him in danger.

  Slipping out of bed, contemplating the potential peril she had inadvertently dragged Colton into, Olivia gathered her clothes strewn across the floor and dressed quickly. When she got to the kitchen she realized Jake didn’t seem to be there and called out, “Jake? . . . . Jake?”

  No response. She looked around.

  “Jake?”. . . Silence. No pitter-patter of paws on the floor. Disappointed, a corner of her heart felt empty. Colton must have taken his furry companion with him. But did that make sense? He was going to be on the boat all day.

  Grabbing the handle of the refrigerator she pulled but quickly became uneasy nosing into his things. Deciding she had no business helping herself to his food she closed the door and stepped away. It was time to head downtown and do some shopping for herself. Under the circumstances, her situation could be construed as an emergency. She would deal with the credit card bill when it arrived.

  Olivia freshened up as much as she could and then gathered her few remaining belongings. Her wallet, phone, car key, and camera. A wave of dizziness washed over her, and she tried to brush it off but knew she needed something in her stomach. Reluctantly she returned to the kitchen and grabbed a sandwich roll from a package on the counter, vowing again to shop for her own food. Setting her sights for the Jeep in the driveway, she decided it was time to return to the ashes and face the truth.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Olivia steered the Jeep into the familiar driveway but all familiarity ended once she passed the mailbox. Considering the risk of showing up where the police would expect her to frequent, she swore she wouldn’t stay long. Slowly she guided the vehicle down the meandering asphalt path. The stench of ash and burned wood was thick in the air. Her eyes quickly scanned the scene, trying to take in the devastation laid out in daylight’s stark reality. Yellow police tape cordoned off the area as if the damage could be confined within its boundaries.

  The left side of the house was completely gone. Charred piles of timbers lay haphazardly where the walls had been. The scattered debris looked as though glowing embers lurked below the surface and would reignite with the stir of a stick. The outside wall on the kitchen side was partially intact and the attached gallery was also recognizable. Evidence pointed to the fire starting on the left side, where her mother’s studio had been, moving toward the kitchen. Firefighters must have gotten there in time to try to fight it from the gallery side.

  Then something struck her. There, in the middle of the charred remains, stood the refrigerator. At first she didn’t see it because it was blackened from the fire and blended in, but she could make out its shape, standing tall in all of the blackened mess. A chuckle escaped her lips as she found frivolity amid the heartache.

  In her peripheral vision, she noticed her mother’s chair out in the side yard. It had been far enough away from the house to remain untouched during the fire. She turned and walked deliberately toward it, knowing her mother would be pleased the chair remained unscathed. Olivia stood for a moment and examined it up close, in case she would never see it again. She ran her hand along one armrest and then the other. They were unexpectedly smooth, as if worn from years of use. She turned around and sank down into it, gazing out to the bay and beyond. Whoever had committed the unthinkable act could never take away the incredible view. That was completely out of their control. Her thoughts returned to her mother and how much she loved her colorful bungalow and the view beyond.

  “Mom, I’m sorry. I know how much you loved this place, and I really wanted to be able to keep it.” She choked on her words. Both eyes welled and she clenched her teeth, trying to fight the tears. “God, I wish I could have made it happen.” Anger rose inside of her. “There’s nothing left!” Sitting forward on the edge of the seat she clasped her forehead with both hands. The idea of never coming back, never having a place to come back to on the island, was agonizing. A stabbing pain in her gut grabbed her attention. Hunger had passed. Her stomach was sick from the painful loss.

  The sme
ll of burned wood had been a pleasant scent for her. Fireplace fires during Boston winters. Roasting marshmallows over the coals. Not anymore. The aroma would now have a tainted smell.

  Olivia was convinced someone had set fire to the house, and she endeavored to understand what her mother had been involved in that could have triggered such an act of destruction. What could her mother possibly have done to provoke someone to do something so horrific?

  Olivia pushed away the reality only several yards away from her and let her eyes rest, instead, on the intense sunshine shimmering on the water. She allowed herself to be completely pulled in and she remained there. It was a safe place. In spite of it all, she didn’t feel threatened. Time had no meaning there. The firm seat was becoming familiar to her, unexpectedly comfortable. This was her home. It was her mother’s home, even if there was no longer a structure on the land.

  A vibration in her pocket disrupted her serenity. She stood up to pull out the phone and her face fell. She didn’t feel as though she had any other option than to answer it. There was no point in postponing the inevitable. She took a couple steps away from her mother’s chair.

  “Hi, Dad.” Her voice was as even as she could manage.

  “Hey, Ollie.”

  Silence for a moment.

  Olivia clenched her teeth in anticipation of the impending conversation. She had no intention of telling her father about the tragedy at Serenity Villa. Not having any good news at all to share with him, she was regretting answering the phone. Her feet started shuffling back toward the house.

  “Thought I would check back in. Are you wrapping things up?” His voice was matter-of-fact, as if he were talking to a subordinate.

  She had known the call would come at some point, and she swallowed hard.