Death by Proposal (3 page)

Even
though they were technically free to leave the hotel, Cindy and Mattheus
decided to go to the pool, freshen up with a swim and relax on the lounge
chairs for awhile.  Then they could plan the rest of the trip out, decide where
to go, and when.

  
It felt like a new life together walking to the pool, holding hands. The love
word had been spoken. A sense of peace and security surrounded them. Mattheus
seemed to be brimming with exhilaration.

“The
last thing I ever expected was to hear that you loved me so casually,” he
teased.

Cindy
held his hand tighter. “As a detective I thought you’d figured it out long ago,”
she laughed.

“I
thought I did, too,” he laughed as well. “Only things keep changing between us
so fast.”

“A
good detective would have realized that means nothing,” said Cindy. “Change or
not, we always return to each other. That means we love.”

Mattheus’s
nose wrinkled and for a second he looked like a little boy. “Really?” he said.

“Come
on, let’s stop deciphering clues and thinking of the past,” Cindy felt happy,
too. “We’re in a new phase now, let’s celebrate that.”

They
arrived at the huge, sprawling, luxurious pool on the hotel grounds. Bordered
by beautiful palm trees and a low, wooden gate, it seemed particularly inviting
at the moment. They walked through the gate and then a few steps further to
find their place in the sun.

The
pool was surrounded by lounge chairs, striped umbrellas over them, and tables for
poolside drinks on. Thankfully, as it was so early, the lounge chairs were only
half full. Some of the ones at the center were filled with people, talking to
each other, undoubtedly about what happened last night. It was better for now,
to get away from that.

Cindy
and Mattheus chose two chairs off to the side, under a large palm tree, where
gentle, refreshing breezes blew. It was a wonderful idea to come here, thought
Cindy, a great way to debrief before they planned other outings on the island.

“If
this isn’t paradise, I don’t know where it is,” Mattheus grinned as he stretched
his towel out on the chair.

Of
course, even though the two of them spent all their time down in the Caribbean,
this was different. They weren’t on a case. They could relax and enjoy each
other and the new turn their relationship had taken. They could talk about the
future. Cindy could even wonder about an old dream of hers, if a family for
them might be in the works.

Cindy
stretched out her towel, as Mattheus took sun tan lotion from his bag and
gently rubbed it over her arms and shoulders. When they were ready to lay down,
a waiter came over to take their orders and handed them a local newspaper.

Mattheus
ordered drinks and cheese and Cindy took the paper as she stretched out on the
lounge. Once comfortable, she lazily opened it up.

The
picture of the young woman who had died was plastered across the front page.

Shocked,
Cindy stared at it, unable to move.  “Mattheus,” she finally said, in a thin
voice.

“What?”
he turned his head towards her.

“Look
at this,” she held the paper up.

Mattheus
looked at the photo, not registering anything.

“Look,
don’t you recognize her?” Cindy’s voice trembled.

Mattheus
looked more closely. “She looks familiar, but I don’t remember exactly where I’ve
seen her before.”

“Please
look more closely,” Cindy felt troubled.

“Who
is she?” Mattheus finally asked point blank.

“She’s
the young woman who was sitting at the table next to ours in the dining room.
The beautiful one, the ash blonde.”

 “God,”
said Mattheus, “I remember. She was wearing the bracelet you wanted me to look
at.”

Cindy
kept staring at the young, perfect face, a wave of grief flowing through her. She’d
looked so happy and so beautiful that night, everything before her. Now she was
dead and gone. It was hard for Cindy to digest it.

“The
headlines say she’d just gotten engaged the night she died and was so thrilled
and happy,” said Cindy.

Mattheus
shook his head slowly. “Awful,” he murmured. “That’s why we do the work we do.”

“What
happened to her?” Cindy couldn’t help asking. “The whole situation reminded her
so much of what had happened with her and Clint. Losing him at the peak of her
happiness, during the honeymoon.”

“I
have no idea what happened,” Mattheus said softly, “none at all. Please, let it
go.”

“She
and her fiancé seemed fine together,” Cindy ruminated.

“We
all seem something,” said Mattheus. “Things turn around in an instant. A flash
flood, a sudden misunderstanding, a terrible fight, summer storm.”

“It’s
not that simple,” said Cindy.

“Sometimes
it can be,” said Mattheus.

“No,”
Cindy didn’t buy it. “There’s a trail that leads to something like this, tiny
moments, small events, a buildup of strange passions.”

Cindy
couldn’t help think of the way she and the young woman had exchanged brief
glances and smiles. There had been something about her that had struck Cindy
forcefully. Cindy remembered the sadness in her smile. Why would there be
sadness, right after she’d gotten engaged? The headlines said she was thrilled,
happy.

“There’s
no reason to speculate now,” Mattheus said. “Facts are one thing, speculation
another. We’re not going to gather facts this time, and just speculating can
drive you crazy. So, let it be.”

But
Cindy could not. How strange that this young woman had been seated at the table
right next to theirs.  How odd that Cindy actually knew who she was.  She was
so young and alive last night and now gone? How come?

Cindy
could not stop staring at her photo.  The woman’s fiancé must be Clay Peters,
the guy being held for questioning now. Cindy remembered him well.  He’d also seemed
lovely, regal and quiet, focused on the woman he’d loved. The two of them had
seemed so well suited, but of course, who knew?  Then, suddenly, Cindy remembered
the other couple who’d unexpectedly joined them. Could they have had anything
to do with what happened? Were they still at the hotel? That had to be explored
immediately.

Cindy
lifted the paper to read more about it, but Mattheus leaned his hand over and
put the paper down.

“Let
it go, Cindy,” he said softly.

“Do
you remember that other couple who arrived unexpectedly and joined her and her
boyfriend at their table?” Cindy asked.

“No,”
said Mattheus, “I was focused on you. You were focused on them, it seems.”

“They
made an impression on me,” Cindy replied.

“I
thought it was me making an impression on you,” Mattheus smiled.

“Mattheus,
that other couple could have something to do with what happened. I wonder if
they’re still at the hotel.”

“It’s
not for you to wonder,” said Mattheus.

The
waiter arrived with drinks, cheese and crackers.

Cindy
couldn’t drink or eat. It was entire possible that this young woman been
murdered. What if others at the hotel were also in danger now?

Mattheus
looked at her out of the corner of his eye. “Cindy, there’s a time to work and
a time to stop,” he said more firmly. “This is the time to stop.”

“There
could be danger at the hotel right now,” Cindy murmured. “Who knows who’s next?”

Mattheus
spread some cheese on a cracker, and gave it to her.

“Eat
this,” he said, “lay back, relax. There are police on the island, security
guards at the hotel. We’re not the only ones who can handle it. The whole world
doesn’t rest on our shoulders.”

Cindy
relaxed a moment. Of course what he was saying was true, the whole world didn’t
rest on their shoulders. But this seemed different. The young woman who died
had been sitting right next to them.  There had to be a reason she’d been
brought into their world.

“Are
you eating your cracker?” Mattheus smiled.

Cindy
lifted it to her mouth and nibbled it slowly.

Mattheus
rolled over on his lounge chair towards her then. “Good,” he said softly. “Now,
eat another. Unwind, relax, I love you, Cindy.”

“And
I love you,” she murmured back, in return.

They
finished the crackers, jumped into the pool, swam, splashed, hugged and
returned to their lounge chairs, ready to order lunch.

When
the waiter came to take their orders, Cindy noticed a man and woman walking close
behind him, coming their way.

“Here
they are,” said the waiter, as they got closer.

Cindy
and Mattheus sat straight up.

“Excuse
me,” said the waiter, as though Cindy and Mattheus had been waiting to meet the
couple, “this is Tyra Hallerson and Carl Duncan.”

Carl
nodded to the waiter, “Thank you. Please come back to take orders a little
later.” Then he pulled some nearby lounge chairs close to Cindy and Mattheus.

Carl
seemed to be in his mid-fifties. He had dark hair, was tall, in charge, well
dressed, and nervous.  Tyra, blonde and exquisitely groomed was bleary eyed and
seemed a few years younger.

Carl
began speaking quickly. “I’m Kate’s uncle. This is Kate’s mother, Tyra.”

For
a moment Cindy and Mattheus were uncomprehending.

“Kate
Hallerson was the young woman found dead,” Carl spoke fitfully. “We arrived on
a private jet as soon as we heard the news.”

“I
am so sorry,” Cindy said to him.

Carl
nodded his head and looked at his sister, who crept closer to him as he spoke.
She seemed unable to register what he was saying, kept running her hand across
her face.

Carl
cleared his throat and continued. “We heard from the police that two incredible
private detectives happened to be staying at the hotel right now,” and he
looked back and forth between Cindy and Mattheus.

Cindy
and Mattheus sat quietly, saying nothing.

“You’ve
got a great reputation for busting strange cases wide open. Especially in the
Caribbean.”

Tyra
started to cry softly then. “Why are we talking to detectives, Carl? I don’t
understand it. I can’t believe this is happening,” she mumbled. “I want to see
Kate myself.”

Cindy
reached out her hand to comfort Tyra.  “It takes a long, long while to realize
what happened when there’s a terrible shock,” she said softly.

Carl
looked at Cindy gratefully as his hands clenched into fists.

“We
don’t have much time,” Carl spoke fervently. “Time is the enemy, they get away.
Before you know it, the case goes cold. We’ve got to nab the killer right away.”

“The
police say it looks like a suicide,” Mattheus broke in calmly.

“Suicide,
my ass,” Carl shot back. “Kate was beautiful, happy, she loved life.  I was
there the day she was born and watched her grow up into a star. There was
nothing she lacked, nothing.  We were always close, she told me everything,
came to me if there was something wrong. There’s no reason in the world she
would have killed herself. Absolutely none.”

“Everything
he says is true,” Tyra started weeping.

Obviously,
both of them were in terrible pain.  Cindy wondered how she could help ease
their agony.

“I’m
so sorry,” she repeated, though it sounded empty to her.

Carl
barely heard anyway. “Kate had everything ahead of her,” he went on, “she had
everything anyone could have wanted.  She had friends, money, talent, a
fantastic family. Why in hell would she ever kill herself?  She wouldn’t. 
Someone came and snuffed out her life. Who?” He zeroed in on Cindy.

Cindy
took a deep, painful breath. “I know this is a nightmare,” she said.

“The
medical examiner will go over the body and determine the cause of death,”
Mattheus continued, trying to ground things as best he could.

“Medical
examiner, my ass,” Carl shot back. “You think I give a damn about what some
idiot guy says happened to her?  Someone did it. Just let me find out who! Let
me get my hands on him.”

Tyra
gasped, “Stop it Carl, you’re making it worse.”

“Nothing
can be worse,” he bit his lips hard, in rage.

“You’re
hurting me, Carl, you have to calm down,” Tyra insisted.

“I’m
not hurting you Tyra, I’m trying to help,” he insisted.

“I
know you are, but it hurts me when you get so angry like this.”

“How
am I supposed to feel? What am I supposed to do? Sit back and listen to the
half assed police force on the island?”

Cindy
saw the veins in Mattheus neck begin to bulge. Carl sounded the way Mattheus
had so many times before he’d found his wife’s killer.

Carl
turned swiftly to Cindy and Mattheus then, “We need your help. I’ll pay top
dollar. Cost means nothing to me.”