Death by Engagement (7 page)

“Does
Cindy know about the Townsend killings?” Margaret turned to Ben.

“The
what?” asked Cindy, startled.

“Those
were about four months ago. There’s no connection between them and what
happened here,” Ben retorted.

Margaret
shrugged lightly and Cindy felt as if she had a compatriot. “Why so sure?”
asked Margaret.

“Come
on now, give me a break,” Ben burst out. “Are you suggesting that the guy who
killed the two other women came to Shari’s hotel and killed her as well?”

“What
two other women?” Cindy was electrified. Why hadn’t she heard about this
before?

“The
killings happened about four months ago,” Alfred broke in. “Two young women
were killed in rapid succession here on the island. It caused a big stir for a
while, then the case went cold. No one found the killer.”

“Oh
God,” said Cindy, “why didn’t you tell me?”

“One
case has absolutely nothing to do with the other.” Ben was emphatic. “The two
women who were killed came down here with friends for a good time. They hung
out at the casinos, got drunk, gambled, did drugs. Finally, we figure they got
spotted by someone who took their lives. Or they also could have died of an
overdose or too much rough sex. The autopsy showed all of that going on.”

“Who
was the suspect? Someone local?” asked Cindy.

“The
case went cold,” Ben repeated. “In Shari’s situation she was with her fiancé
and family all the time. She left a note.”

“A
questionable one,” Cindy commented.

“Why
would the guy who got those other women suddenly show up and get this one too?”
Ben dug in. “Shari didn’t go to the bars, she wasn’t at the casinos. There was
no motive or opportunity. It doesn’t make sense.”

“She
did go to the cliff alone, though, that night,” Cindy responded swiftly. “I
need to know more about the murder of those two young women.”

“What
are you going to do? Check all our back cases now?” Ben was pissed.

Alfred
stepped in, though. “The main suspect was a local guy, Billy Sears, who was
seen hanging out at the casinos when the girls were there. He lives down in a
rancid part of town, Amaneuten Cove, and was in jail a few times on
drug-related charges. We did our best to nail him, but there wasn’t enough
evidence to even take him in. He slipped out of our hands.”

“He’s
still at large?” asked Cindy.

“Who
the hell knows where he is now?” Ben said. “But I’ll tell you one thing, he’s
not roaming around up here, looking for brides-to-be at wedding venues. That’s
for sure.”

Cindy
tossed a quick glance at Margaret, who was gently stroking the note.

“What
do you think, Margaret?” Cindy asked her.

“I
think it can’t hurt to look further,” she said. “This note’s too calm, I’m not
feeling the energy of someone who’s gonna take her life.”

“Okay
then.” Cindy began to gather herself together and turned to Alfred. “Tell me
how to get down to Amaneuten Cove.”

“Whoa,
hold up right there!” Alfred wasn’t having any of it. “Hope you’re not thinking
of taking the trip alone. That’s no place for a lady to snoop around alone.
Promise me you’re not gonna do that.”

Cindy
smiled, grateful for his concern.

 “You
got to promise, I’m not kidding.” Alfred looked distressed.

 “I
can’t promise you that,” Cindy finally responded. “I’ve already promised
something else.”

“What?
To who?” Alfred grimaced, nervous.

“I’ve
promised Shari’s father I’d find out the truth about how she died,” said Cindy.

By
the time Cindy left the police station it was almost early evening. Mattheus
would surely be finished with his golf game by now, and most likely back in the
hotel. Cindy decided to join him for dinner and wait until the morning to head
down to Amaneuten Cove. She was also eager to fill him in on what she’d found
out. There was no way he wouldn’t be interested in what she’d discovered now.

Thankfully,
the air had cooled as the sun went down and a lovely breeze accompanied her as
she walked a few blocks before hailing a taxi. The days had been more stressful
than Cindy realized and she was glad for the opportunity to walk it off. As she
walked, Cindy wondered whether Mattheus had enjoyed his golf game and if he was
upstairs now, waiting for her to return. She imagined he was somewhere close
around, expecting to see or hear from her.

After
she’d walked a bit, she hailed a cab and returned to the hotel in a few
minutes. She looked forward to seeing Mattheus as she open the door to the
suite and walked in.

“I’m
here,” Cindy called out, expectantly.

No
one answered.

He
could be in the bathroom, or out on the balcony, Cindy mused as she threw her
bag down on the nearby sofa. “Mattheus,” Cindy called again, and again there
was no answer.

First
she walked out onto the balcony and looked around. The slowly setting sun
greeted

her
with dazzling colors spread across the sky. Another day ending, it seemed to
whisper to her. Since she was a child Cindy had always been enthralled by the sky
and sun. She stopped now and took a full moment to enjoy it.

Another
day ending, she wanted to whisper back. It was a good day, though; a lot was
accomplished, not a moment was wasted. I did all I possibly could to find some
answers for Edward Twain, to bring peace to his heart. Cindy felt good about
that. She walked over to the rim of the balcony, wrapped her hands around it
and held on. The memory of her sister, Ann, floated before her, and after that,
the image of Shari, found down at the bottom of the cliff. How could a person
become so deeply despairing that this beautiful life held nothing more for
them? Wasn’t there always something of value to find, even in the midst of the
most terrible pain?

Cindy
thought of her sister and was comforted by the knowledge of how much Ann had
appreciated her life. Yes, it was unbearable to lose her, but at least she had
not committed suicide. Ann had been a victim of a jealous woman, the last thing
anyone in the world thought could have happened to her. But it happened, and
Cindy could deal with it. Cindy wondered if she could deal with it as well,
though, if Ann had killed herself.

As
Cindy stood there reflecting, she felt strong winds arise from the ocean down
below. It was autumn now, in the midst of the hurricane season. Although Aruba
escaped most hurricanes, some did come to their shores. No one expected them
here, though, didn’t prepare avidly as they did on nearby islands.

“Is
that you out there?” Cindy suddenly heard Mattheus’s voice behind her, as his
steps walked to the balcony.

Cindy
was thrilled that he was here and quickly turned around.

“Beautiful
sunset,” Mattheus said as he came up behind her, put his arms around her and
gave Cindy a little hug.

“One
of the most beautiful I’ve seen in a long time,” said Cindy.

“Really?”
he responded, taking her hand.

“I
missed you today, Mattheus,” Cindy said softly.

“I
would hope so,” he answered cryptically. “I, for one, had a great golf game.
The hotel has a fantastic course.”

“Good,”
said Cindy, relieved that he’d enjoyed the afternoon.

“And
I found out incredible new information,” Cindy started, but Mattheus put his
hand gently over her mouth.

“No,
no,” he whispered, “none of that. I’m not on this case, remember?”

Offended,
Cindy took his hand off her mouth. “Have it your way,” she said, turning away.

“We
have an agreement here, Cindy, remember?” said Mattheus.

Of
course she remembered, she was not a child, and didn’t appreciate being spoken
to in that manner. In fact, she was ruffled. Cindy didn’t recall seeing this
aspect of Mattheus before.

“You’ve
made your point,” she answered crisply. “I get it completely.”

“Good,”
he replied.

“You’re
sticking to your guns through thick and thin,” Cindy added.

Mattheus
smiled his wonderful, crinkly smile then.

“I
always stick to my guns through thick and thin,” he responded. “Maybe you just
didn’t notice it before?”

The
vivid beauty of the sunset began fading as Cindy turned back to look at the
sky. The colors had only been at their peak for a few moments, thought Cindy, a
last gift before darkness set in for the night.

“I
thought we’d go into town to L’Crasil Club tonight, for dinner, drinks and a
show,” Mattheus suggested.

L’Crasil
Club was a well-known, noisy hot spot with great food, jazz and a show that
started late.

“What
time does the show start?” asked Cindy.

“Why?”
asked Mattheus. “Are we punching a time clock here?”

“I
want to get up early,” Cindy responded, “and I need to be well rested.”

“Why?”
he asked again, his mouth drawing at the edges. “You’ve got plans for the
morning?”

 Mattheus
was giving her a hard time and Cindy knew it. He was testing her to see what
was more important, him or the case. Cindy didn’t take well to being tested, or
to feeling torn between two conflicting needs. If it was inevitable, that was
one thing. But there was no need for it now.

“Do
you really want to know why I have to be up early?” Cindy asked, petulantly.

“No,
actually I don’t really want to know,” Mattheus responded. “Not if it has
anything to do with the case.”

“So,
if you don’t want to know, don’t ask me!” Cindy’s temper flared.

“On
the other hand,” Mattheus went on more pointedly, “as we are here together, I
do need to know what it is you have in mind for the day, for the trip, for our
lives. You said you missed me when you saw me. What exactly does that mean?”

None
of this sat well with Cindy. “You’re making a mountain out of a molehill,” she
insisted.

“Are
you looking for a fight? Are you trying to find a way to spoil our happiness?”

“Are
you?” he shot back.

The
two of them looked at each other, annoyed and helpless. Cindy took a few steps
away. She’d heard that engagements were always difficult times; all kinds of
issues came up to be worked through before the final commitment was made. But
Cindy definitely thought that she and Mattheus had worked through most of their
differences already. They’d been harmonious about most things. But, she
suddenly realized, most of their time together had been spent working as
partners on cases. They really matched beautifully then. This trip was
different, though, it was supposed to be just about them. Mattheus wasn’t
handling the change in focus well. He wasn’t accepting the fact that Cindy had
decided to spend a few days on the case. It seemed to be all or nothing for
him. Was that how it would be when they were married? Cindy felt confused.

“Sometimes
people do great as working partners,” she mused out loud. “And not as well when
they’re just a couple, living a plain life.”

Mattheus
zeroed in on that. “What are you telling me, now? Are you saying we can’t
function as
just
a couple? What’s wrong with living a plain life?”

“I
didn’t say that.” Cindy felt the need to defend herself now. “I’m just looking
at the big picture.”

“We’re
not talking about the big picture, though, are we? We’re talking about our time
together right here.”

“What’s
wrong with you, Mattheus? What’s going on? What are you really so upset about?”
Cindy felt blindsided.

“I’m
disappointed,” he exclaimed. “That’s allowed, isn’t it?”

“You’re
allowed to feel whatever you feel,” Cindy answered, disturbed.

“I
thought we both wanted this time just to ourselves together. I thought we’d
earned it and that this incredibly romantic getaway would give us both
something we needed badly.”

“What?”
Cindy whispered.

“Complete
trust in each other”—Mattheus’s voice lowered—“and an incredible way to start
our future together.”

“I
have complete trust in you,” Cindy murmured. “I didn’t need this vacation to
give me that. You need it though? You don’t trust me, completely?”

“That’s
not what I’m saying.” Mattheus grimaced. “You’re twisting my words and my
meaning around.”

“So,
tell me what you’re saying,” Cindy demanded.

“I’m
saying I don’t like having you choose the needs of other people over mine,” he
responded.

“You
mean Shari’s father?” asked Cindy.

“Whomever,”
said Mattheus. “When we’re a couple, each of our needs has to come first. If I
say I don’t want to go on a case, respect that.”

“I
do respect it,” Cindy replied. “But does that mean I have to follow suit? What
about my needs in this matter? I need to spend a couple of days helping out.
Someone just died. It’s an emergency.”

“Everything
in life can turn into an emergency,” Mattheus quipped, “especially when you’re
a private detective. But you’ve got to know when to turn it off, Cindy. I can turn
it off and it looks like you can’t.”

Cindy’s
eyes filled with tears that stung badly.

“You’re
addicted,” Mattheus whispered harshly. “This stuff can become like a drug, you
can’t go a long time without it. You need the next case, are secretly panting for
it. I’ve seen that happen to plenty of cops.”

“Hold
on, there!” Cindy stood up taller. “I’m not one of these cops you’ve seen over
the years, and I don’t like being told I’m addicted. I’m doing a job I’ve sworn
to do. My sister just died, and I helped then too. If a terrible situation
appears in front of my eyes, I’m not blocking it out and hunting for wedding
venues. I’m jumping in. It’s who I am. The wedding venues can wait.”

“But
I can’t,” said Mattheus.

Cindy
felt her whole body go cold. “What are you telling me?” she asked directly.

“I
can’t wait anymore to feel like I’ve got someone who makes me first in their
life,” Mattheus mumbled. “I can’t sit here and hope and wonder.”

Cindy
felt as if she’d been punched in her stomach. “You don’t feel like I make you
first in my life?” she echoed. “You have to sit and wonder about it?”

“Right
now I do,” he said bluntly.

“I
don’t know how to answer that, Mattheus.” Cindy could barely speak. “I have no
idea what to say.”

“Tell
me you’ll put this case down right now, and come back with me on vacation,” he
said.

Cindy
felt hot tears falling down her face. “I wish I could, I really wish,” she
whispered, “but I can’t stop now, Mattheus. There’s reason to think the suicide
note was forged. And there’s a killer loose in Aruba. Two young women were
killed a few months ago. I have to go down to Amaneuten Cove in the morning.”

“Go
down to the headquarters for drug dealers by yourself?” Mattheus was horrified.
“Is that what you were planning to do during our engagement celebration?”

“A
killer is loose, anyone else could be his next victim,” Cindy breathed. “How
would you like it if he was holed up near your daughter?”

“Leave
my daughter out of this.” Mattheus’s face flushed. “I left her and her mother
completely for you, remember?”

“Left
them for me?” Cindy was astonished. “You met me long before you ever saw them
again. I was the one who made you find your daughter.”

“That’s
right, you were,” Mattheus exclaimed. “And despite her begging me to stay, I
made my choice. I left her for you.”

Cindy’s
body started to shake. She had no idea what to make of this. “Is that bothering
you, Mattheus?” she said finally. “Are you feeling guilty about it? Do you want
to go back to your daughter and her mother and give your daughter the family
she never had? Is that why you’re making such a big deal about my taking a
couple of days to investigate?”

At
that Mattheus turned on his heel and walked off the balcony and out of the
suite.

Cindy
heard the door slam behind him, as she put her face in her hands and sobbed.

*

After
Mattheus left, Cindy curled up on the sofa, called down for a pot of tea and
sandwich and tried to make sense of it all. Mattheus obviously needed time
alone now to blow off some steam. He was probably walking down by the water, as
he often did when he was upset. The water always brought him back to his senses
and a larger perspective. Cindy dearly wished she could call her sister, Ann,
now and talk this over. Ann had been Cindy’s rock all her life, helping her
make sense out of chaos and take the next steps in her life. No one would ever
replace Ann, either. Since Clint died and Cindy had become a private detective,
she hadn’t spent much time with friends or family. In one way Mattheus was
right; this work had consumed her, prevented her from building her own personal
life. Actually, Mattheus had become her whole support system now, Cindy now
realized with a start. What would happen if he chose to leave? Cindy wondered
what Ann would say about that now. Ann would probably tell Cindy that if
Mattheus chose to leave, let him go, it just meant he wasn’t right for her
after all.

As
Cindy lay there wondering, the phone suddenly rang, breaking into her thoughts.
She rolled over on her side and picked it up slowly.

“Listen,
I love you, I’m crazy about you.” Mattheus was on the other end. “There’s no
one else in the world for me but you. I’m shaken to the core by what just
happened. I’m sorry I ran out. I just needed some space.”

“It’s
okay, Mattheus,” Cindy said softly. “I know you love me and I love you, too.”

“Thank
God,” Mattheus murmured. “What are you doing now?”

“I’m
curled up on the sofa thinking everything over,” said Cindy.

“I’ll
back in a few minutes,” Mattheus replied. “I’m heading right home to you.”

“Take
all the time you need,” Cindy whispered. “I’m here, I love you. I’m not going
anywhere else.”