Death by Proposal (13 page)

“Clay?”
Cindy called out louder, trying to break the spell he seemed to be under.

His
head shot up quickly, and when he saw Cindy, Clay’s eyes opened wide.

“What
are you doing here?” he asked nervously. “Is there more news? Have they found
someone? Do they know what happened to Kate?”

Cindy
moved closer him to calm him. “May I join you here, Clay?” she asked.

“Of
course, sit down,” his eyes were fluttering.  “What brings you here? Tell me,
what?”

“It’s
okay,” said Cindy as she sat down on the grass beside him.

“Why
is it okay? What happened?” Clay turned and looked at her through his azure
eyes.

“Nothing
happened,” Cindy said softly. “I was just taking a walk and I saw you here. I
wondered what you were doing?”

“I’m
spending time with Kate,” Clay said quietly, “quality time, the two of us alone
together. I’m looking over the emails we wrote to each other. Reading them
again and again. They were beautiful emails.”

“I’m
sure they were,” murmured Cindy.

Clay
liked that.  “Kate loved me tremendously,” his voice deepened. “It’s all over
these emails. Here, take a look.”

Cindy
sidled a little closer. “I’d love to see them,” she said.

He
turned the computer towards her so she could read.

Clay,
I can’t tell you what it means to have found you. Frankly, I have no idea how I’d
get through the days without you
.
You make everything better, I can’t
wait to get the next email from you.
Thank you for being you and thank
you for being there. Kate.

Beneath
that email was an answer from Clay.

Kate,
the minute I saw your picture, it was all over for me. I knew you, I recognized
you, I realized that you and I belonged together. These past weeks of emailing
have changed my life for good. I’ll never go back to the way it used to be. I
just can’t wait to get up there to Long Island and meet you. And I know you
feel the same way, too.

Yes,
I do,
said
Kate, simply.

You
do what?
Clay wrote back.
You can’t wait to see me, or you feel the same way I do? Tell
me, I love to hear. You also recognized immediately that I was the One?

I
do feel so much better when I hear from you, Clay
, Kate replied
simply.

I
knew it, I knew you felt the same way I did,
” Clay wrote back ecstatically.
I
think about seeing you every day. I’m even beginning to plan the trip to your
home.

Wow,
Kate
answered.

That
made me smile, Kate,
Clay continued.
I love the way you say Wow. I can just picture your pretty
face crinkling up in a beautiful smile. I can just imagine how new and
surprising this is for you, too. It is surprising, isn’t it Kate?

Very
surprising,
she
wrote.

And
I know I’m the first man you’ve ever felt this way about,
Clay continued.
I can’t imagine you’ve ever experienced anything quite like this. Have you?

Nothing
quite like this,
Kate
answered.

Kate’s
comments seemed brief and cryptic to Cindy.

“She
doesn’t say much does she?” Cindy remarked.

“What
do you mean?” asked Clay, offended. “She answers each email immediately. Do you
notice the times between them?”

Cindy
hadn’t paid attention to that.

“It’s
extremely important to notice the times between emails,” Clay went on
emphatically. “Did she make me wait to hear back? Did she dangle me on a
string?”

“Did
she?” asked Cindy.

“Absolutely
not,” said Clay. “If you look at the times of her emails you’ll see that she
was kind, thoughtful, empathic.  Almost as soon as I sent an email I got a
response in return. No time in-between. That speaks volumes, doesn’t it?
Obviously, Kate was sitting at her computer waiting for me. She couldn’t wait
to hear and answered instantly.”

Cindy
hadn’t thought of it that way. “Does she actually say she loves you?” she asked.

Clay’s
eyes opened wider and his stare suddenly grew icy.

“What
exactly are you implying?” he asked.

“Did
Kate invite you to her home, or did you invite yourself? Did she say she loved
you, or did you believe it was so?”

Cindy
felt Clay freeze as she questioned him. He grabbed the computer from her then
and quickly scrolled further down through another string of emails between them
and then another. Finally he found what he was looking for.

“Read
this,” he said, jutting the computer into Cindy’s hands.

I
can’t wait to see you, I really can’t. I love you too, Clay, more than anyone.
Even more than my Uncle Carl, who never really understood me. Not like you do.
I’ve been so alone all my life, until I met you. Kate

This
time Cindy checked to see when the email had been written. It was just before
they were headed down to Aruba.

“She
wrote this after the two of you had met up in Long Island,” Cindy remarked.

“Now
you’re getting the point. We’d had a few dates in person by then,” Clay filled
her in. “We were coming down here for the big week-end. See, Kate did actually
say she loved me. Not only that, other women also care about me. They realize
what I’m worth. Look at these emails I got from Riva the past few days.”

Clay,
I’m so, so sorry you’re going through this. It’s awful. Riva.

Thanks,
said
Clay,
that’s nice of you.

 I
know what it’s like to lose someone you care for
, Riva’s next
email said
. If there’s anything I can do to help, let me know.  

That’s
kind of you, Riva,
said
Clay.

You’re
worth it, Clay,
Riva answered.
You don’t deserve something like this
.

“See,
Clay went on more strongly, “even Riva knows I’m worth it. And it’s nothing
compared to how Kate felt. She absolutely loved me.”

Cindy
breathed a long sigh. Love meant so many different things to so many people.
What had Kate really meant by it? Was she grateful she’d had someone to help
her get through the breakup with Sean? Obviously, Clay was totally smitten,
even before they met.

“The
minute you saw Kate you had such strong feelings,” Cindy decided to probe.

Clay
turned to her coldly again, “Is there something wrong with that?” he asked
tersely.

“Of
course there isn’t,” said Cindy.

“You’ve
never heard of love at first sight?” Clay was on the defensive.

“Of
course I have,” said Cindy.

“But
you’ve never experienced it yourself. That’s as clear as day, isn’t it? People
who don’t know what love is are always suspicious of those who do. They think
we’re idiots and pushovers, that it’s easy for people to play us.”

“I’ve
never thought anything like that about you,” said Cindy.

“Yes,
you have. You think it now. I see it in your eyes,” Clay insisted.

“No,
you don’t,” said Cindy. “You see sorrow in my eyes, sorrow for both you and
Kate.”

That
quieted Clay for a moment, but then he just grabbed the computer away from her
again.

“Kate
said she loved me in that email and she said it in so many other ways, ways you’d
never even begin to understand.”

A
chill pass through Cindy. Maybe he was right, maybe she didn’t understand the
language of love.

“I’d
like to understand,” said Cindy, wanting to hear more.

“But
you never will,” Clay suddenly turned snapped the computer shut. “You’re not
real, you’re not honest. You’re not any different from the rest of them.”

Cindy
was stunned by the sudden change in his mood and tone. “Wait a minute, Clay,”
she tried to reach out to him.

But
then, with the computer under his arm, he quickly got up and rushed away.

“Guess
what we’re doing first thing tomorrow morning?”  Mattheus announced, as soon as
Cindy returned the room.

“What?”
she was startled to see him suddenly so cheerful again.

“We’re
off to The Spot,” he grinned.

Cindy
was baffled. “What spot?”

The
Spot is one of the windiest places on the planet,” Mattheus continued, “the
fantastic winds and shallow water makes it a great place to learn Kite boarding.
I have always wanted to Kite board. How about you?”

“Hang
onto a kite and fly above the water?” asked Cindy nervously. She’d heard of it
vaguely, but had never been interested.

Mattheus
laughed. “Why not? We’ll have fun together and decompress. There’s nothing
wrong with it. It’s the perfect place to cheer us up and take our minds of
everything for a while. I’ve scheduled a beginning Kite boarding lesson at the
Spot for us, he said, suddenly scooping her up in his arms.

This
was definitely the last thing Cindy expected. Obviously Mattheus was determined
to get their relationship back on track. He was determined to hold onto his
conclusion that the pressure on the case was off, that Sean was their man. This
was now the time to focus on them.

 “We’ll
make it an early night and get there first thing in the morning, forget about
our cares,” Mattheus went on.

“But,”
Cindy started.

“No
buts allowed,” he interrupted. “It’s time to unwind. I’ve found out so much
after researching Sean that for all intents and purposes the case is closed. We
have the right the take time off now and play in the sun.”

 Cindy
wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. “Case closed? That’s a pretty big
statement, isn’t it? she said.

“Yes,
it is,” said Mattheus, “and a good one. Why aren’t you happy about it?”

 Cindy’s
surprise meeting with Clay had been troubling. There was something about him
that seemed strange. She wished she could talk to Mattheus about it, but right
now he would have only brushed her off.  Of course Clay had just been through a
trauma that would unbalance anyone, but his relationship with Kate intrigued
her. She needed to know more about it.

“Are
you game?” asked Mattheus

“Yes,
I’m game,” said Cindy, trying to throw the specter of Clay out of her mind for
the moment.

“Great,”
said Mattheus, “that’s the Cindy I know and love.”

“I’m
definitely up for an outing,” said Cindy. “But, as for the case being closed,
that’s another thing.”

Mattheus
led Cindy to a big leather ottoman in the room and sat her down on it. Then he
pulled another one over and sat opposite her.

“Listen,”
he said, “Everything I found out about Sean points to trouble.  The kid is
impulsive. He has two DUI’s. His records show that along with a black belt in
Karate, he has an anger problem with lots of fights, growing up. Out there it’s
common knowledge not to cross Sean, or else.”

Cindy
was surprised that she hadn’t sensed that about him. She’d seen a different
side, one that cared and felt deeply Kate.

 “Sean
actually even almost had a fist fight with Kate’s Uncle Carl,” Mattheus
continued.

 “I
don’t believe it,” said Cindy, surprised.

“Why
not?” asked Mattheus, “you think that Carl is above something like that?”

“Actually,
yes,” said Cindy. “He’s dignified, powerful -.”

“Whoah,
here we go again,” Mattheus shook his head hard. “You like this guy.”

“Like
him? I respect him, I value him, but do I like him like that?  No, of course
not,” Cindy was emphatic.

“No,
you do. You like him,” Mattheus insisted.

 “Stop
it, Mattheus, stop it!” Cindy demanded. “You’re starting again.”

“I
can see it in your eyes,” he said.

“Mattheus,
you’re being insecure. You’re confusing me with your ex-wife.”

“Okay,
okay, you may be right,” said Mattheus. “I’ll stop. I’m overly suspicious at
times.”

“That’s
putting it mildly. Slightly paranoid, I’d say,” said Cindy.

“Could
be,” Mattheus smiled and backed down.

“So,
Cindy continued, tell me about the fight Sean almost had with Carl.”

“If
you ask me, it was inevitable,” Mattheus continued, “the two of them hate each
other.”

“Hate
is a strong word. I knew they didn’t like each other,” said Cindy. “But hate is
something else.”

“It
says volumes, doesn’t it?” said Mattheus. “But it’s not surprising, paints a
better picture of Sean. Not only that, Sean lied to us, too.”

Evidence
was quickly piling up and Cindy could see the personal pleasure Mattheus was
taking in nailing Sean, backing him into a corner. That bothered her.

“How
did Sean lie to us?” Cindy was suddenly gripped with sorrow for Sean. Despite
everything Mattheus said, she couldn’t bring herself to believe he killed Kate.

“Sean
told us he never cheated on Kate. Well, he did,” said Mattheus, gleefully. “He
and Riva got together once before, when Sean and Kate were still together. Then
he and Riva broke up.  This time they were back for the second go round. I dug
it all up. People were talking about it. Did Kate find out? Maybe she did,
maybe not?”

“You’re
positive about this?” the news was unexpected.

“Absolutely,”
said Mattheus. “I have air tight proof. Not only that, I got in touch with the
woman Sean mentioned who saw him banging on the door. She admitted to opening
her door and seeing him there that night. She heard him yelling for Kate. She said
he seemed like a lunatic. I asked why she hadn’t told the police and she hadn’t
wanted to get involved. So, now we have an eye witness that puts him on the
scene.”

“I’m
sorry to hear this,” said Cindy, quietly.

“Sorry’s
an understatement, isn’t it?” said Mattheus. “A young woman is dead.”

“You
think Kate opened the door and let him in?” asked Cindy.

“That’s
right,” said Mattheus. “It’s obvious. And I think he’s the one who pushed her
off the balcony.”

“But
there was no sign of a struggle, nothing disturbed in the room,” Cindy
countered.

“Why
would there be a struggle if she opened the door?” said Mattheus. “Clay was
obviously sleeping and Kate brought Sean went out onto the patio. He must have begged
her to leave Clay. She must have said no, and in the heat of jealous rage, Sean
must have pushed her over.”

“It’s
a theory,” said Cindy, her heart beating fast.

“More
than a theory, we have all kinds of circumstantial evidence lining up.”

“There’s
no physical proof though,” Cindy continued. “There’s no evidence he was in her
room at all. The police would have found fingerprints, something. Especially if
he pushed her.”

“That
would have been nice,” said Mattheus, “but it doesn’t necessarily happen that
way. Besides, how carefully do you think the cops down here scoured the room? 
The crime scene was compromised very early on, with all kinds of people walking
through it.”

“If
Sean came in, they fought and he pushed her, Clay would have heard something,”
Cindy insisted.

“Not
if he was in a drunken sleep,” said Mattheus.

Cindy
scanned her memory. Clay hadn’t seemed so drunk the night she’d seen him and
Kate at dinner. In fact, he’d seemed quite calm and clear.

Cindy
stood up from the Ottoman, stretched and walked to the patio of their room. It
was dark out by now and she found comfort standing under the canopy of
sparkling stars that stretched out over the night sky.

“Why
are you fighting me like this?” asked Mattheus. “Everything I say makes perfect
sense.”

“I
just don’t buy it, though,” said Cindy.

“There’s
a reason you’re hanging onto the stubborn possibility that Sean isn’t the one.
Why? What does it do for you to keep the case open?”

Cindy
was deeply insulted. “It’s not about me, Mattheus,” she retorted.

“Well,
I don’t buy that,” Mattheus stood up as well and walked closer to her.

“Do
you think it was a suicide?” he kept probing as they stood out staring into the
night.

“Not
necessarily,” Cindy answered.

Mattheus
put his hands on her shoulders and turned her to him abruptly. “Then what?”

*

The
first thing the next morning, right after breakfast, Cindy and Mattheus left
for their Kite boarding lesson. The class was being held at the edge of the
water and a few other tourists were waiting there to learn about Kite boarding
as well.

The
instructor, Andy, a tanned, a blonde haired young man, in his early twenties, led
the class naturally, as if he’d done it hundreds of times. He seemed to be
enjoying every minute of it.

“The
first step we will learn is steering, turning and flying of the kite. Then we’ll
learn about the power window,” he said. Andy seemed terrifically at home here
near the water, as if he were just where he belonged. Cindy wished for a moment
that her life could be uncomplicated like his, planted in a place she adored,
focusing on something simple.

“It’s
awesome when you get up in the air,” Andy went on with passion, “the closest
thing to flying free you’ll ever feel.”

Mattheus
took a deep breath. Cindy could see how much he loved being here, how much he
longed for the freedom of flying.

“We
won’t get up to flying today,” Andy continued, “but we’re going to get a great
foundation. We’re also going to learn the use of the kite harness to hold the kite
power. You’ll also learn line management and then preparation for the body drag
lesson.”

“Fantastic,”
said Mattheus.

“Actually,
if you want to go further, this afternoon we have the body drag lesson, which
takes from two to two and a half hours,” Andy continued, looking right at
Mattheus. “Then after that, we do the board lesson, almost two to two and a
half hours more, and then you’re ready to fly.”

“Let’s
do it all,” said Mattheus, raring to go.

“One
lesson is good for starters,” said Cindy.

“Of
course, it’s great,” said Mattheus, grabbing her hands. “Thanks for joining me
with this.”

“Thank
you,” said Cindy, as the instruction went on and they all followed along.

The
class was basic, practical and useful. Cindy mostly enjoyed being out near the
water, hearing the waves flapping on shore and feeling the sun grow stronger,
soothing her.

“The
weather’s been crazy these past couple of weeks,” Andy commented as he spoke
about the winds. “It’s unusual to get storms down here in Aruba, but could be
one or two are coming our way. You get to know when they’re coming when you
work so closely with the wind.”

The
other tourists in the class grumbled a little about how windy it even was now.

“No,”
Andy corrected them, “wind is good for what we are doing. It keeps our kite’s
flying, it keeps us happy in the sky.”

After
the basic lesson, everyone went to the edge of the pier where there was an
outdoor stand that sold coffee, sandwiches and pastry. Cindy and Mattheus
followed along.

“Want
to do the next class this afternoon?” asked Mattheus.

“Not
quite sure,” said Cindy. “Let’s get some coffee first and see.”

Cindy
and Mattheus sat down on a bench with their coffee and pastries, looking out
ahead of them.

“Andy’s
right,” said Mattheus drinking down his coffee in a huge gulp, “I feel a storm
coming in from the West, too. It’ll probably close the island down for a day or
two.”

“Could
be,” said Cindy, having no sense of that herself.

“You
had a good time today, didn’t you?” asked Mattheus.

“Yes,
very,” said Cindy.

“But
you’re quieter than usual,” Mattheus went on, squeezing the paper cup in his
hand. “Something’s on your mind.”

“I
ran into Clay unexpectedly yesterday in the back of the hotel,” said Cindy. “He
was sitting there with his computer reading his correspondence with Kate over
and over again.”

“That
guy’s had bum, rough luck,” said Mattheus.

“Clay
showed their correspondence to me,” Cindy continued. “Seems as if he fell for
her hard, right away, and she was taking it slower.”

“So?”
Mattheus didn’t make much of that.

“In
their correspondence Kate answered Clay’s questions simply. I think he read a
lot into them,” Cindy said.

“Guys
do that,” said Mattheus. “Girls don’t give as much as guys do. Sometimes guys
don’t even realize it when a girl’s leading a guy on.”

That
was a new take on things. Cindy disagreed and once again, felt a sharp need to
defend Kate.