Death by Deceit (Book #5 in the Caribbean Murder Series)
Read Death by Deceit (Book #5 in the Caribbean Murder Series) Online
Authors: Jaden Skye
DEATH BY DECEIT
(book #5
in the CARIBBEAN MURDER SERIES)
Jaden
Skye
About the Author
Jaden
Skye is author of the #1 Bestselling CARIBBEAN MURDER series, which includes
eight books (and counting). The first book in the series, DEATH BY HONEYMOON,
was a #1 Bestseller, and is now available as a
FREE
download on Amazon
!
Also
in the series are DEATH BY DIVORCE (#2), DEATH BY MARRIAGE (#3), DEATH BY
DESIRE (#4), DEATH BY DECEIT (#5), DEATH BY JEALOUSY (#6), DEATH BY PROPOSAL
(#7) and DEATH BY OBSESSION (#8). She is also author of the romance A PERFECT
STRANGER.
Jaden
has always been fascinated with mystery, wrongful death, lies, deception and
the power of the truth to prevail. Her romantic suspense/mystery novels feature
strong female protagonists who must overcome insurmountable obstacles, and
through them, she seeks to get to the very heart of the nature of justice and
love.
Please
visit
www.jadenskye.com
to find links to
stay in touch with Jaden via Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, her blog, and a
whole bunch of other places. Jaden loves to hear from you, so don't be shy and
check back often!
Books by Jaden Skye
THE CARIBBEAN MURDER SERIES
DEATH BY HONEYMOON (Book #1)
DEATH BY DIVORCE (Book #2)
DEATH BY MARRIAGE (Book #3)
DEATH BY DESIRE (Book #4)
DEATH BY DECEIT (Book #5)
DEATH BY JEALOUSY (Book #6)
DEATH BY PROPOSAL (Book #7)
DEATH BY OBSESSION (Book #8)
THE TOM’S RIVER SAGA
A PERFECT STRANGER (Book #1)
Tap
here to download Jaden Skye books on Amazon now!
Copyright © 2012 by Jaden Skye
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S.
Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced,
distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database
or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the author.
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only.
This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like
to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for
each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was
not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own
copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses,
organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the
author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual
persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
CONTENTS
While soft ocean breezes wafted through palm
trees, no one in Key West was even dimly aware that a brutal killing, filled
with torment, had taken place the night before.
As the sun went down on another day, the body
of a beautiful woman, near the water’s edge, rolled softly towards the mud. In
the background, musicians started to play, getting ready for the sunset
festival, as her shadow dissolved in the fading light.
Unaware of the dead woman’s eyes, open,
staring, streams of people, laughing and dancing, wound their way to the ocean promenade.
They did this every evening to celebrate the sun going down and to say goodbye
to the passing day. As they ate Key Lime Pie, rollicked and played, no one had
any idea that the killer was right among them, laughing, head held up high.
The drenched body was found two days later, as the
sunset celebration was going on. Each day down here was precious, each sunset gorgeous.
Nothing could get in the way of that.
Cindy looked out over the edge of the balcony
at Mattheus’s bare, sun-tanned, rippled chest, working in the garden. He looked
so happy to be back in his home in Grenada, especially with Cindy beside him.
He’d wanted to share his place with someone for so long. It was like a dream
come true, he’d said.
Mattheus had bought the small house a few years
ago, after his wife Shelly had gone missing in New Orleans, six years ago. After
over a year of fruitless searching for her killer he’d come down here to
recover and work. Cindy understood why he’d chosen this house: it was off the
beaten track, isolated, perched at the edge of a cliff, with a fantastic view
of the shimmering, azure sea.
Cindy had been eager to see the house. It was a
place Mattheus had talked about often; it meant a great deal to him and he was
proud of it. Soft breezes wafted upon Cindy as she watched Mattheus clear the
brush to make room for new plantings. There were large rocks on either side of
the garden, and incredible trees surrounded it. A winding wooden path Mattheus
had built with his own hands gently led down. Although he’d been away awhile, the
house had a lived-in feeling, except that the garden was heavy with dead wood
that needed to be cleared. Looking around, Cindy wondered what it would be like
spending vacation time here alone with Mattheus for a couple of weeks.
“I want you to love every bit of the house,”
Mattheus had said in the cab, after their plane had landed. They’d sat close,
pressed together, enjoying their newfound intimacy. Now that they’d taken the
next step in their relationship and made love, the strange tension that had always
been there, under the surface, was mostly gone. Mostly, not completely. Cindy
wasn’t entirely comfortable with her decision to come down to Grenada and stay
with Mattheus in his home—everything, she felt, had happened too quickly. Was
still happening too quickly.
It was actually strange coming back down here, to
the place where she and Mattheus met, where Cindy had taken on her first case
as a detective. It had been right after Clint had died, after she’d discovered
her own husband’s murderer. Life was so different then. She had felt so
abandoned and alone.
This time, during their trip down, Cindy had smiled
the whole time, looking at Mattheus’s handsome, rugged face. He’d kept his arm
around her, pulling her close. What a journey they’d been on, she’d thought. It
was hard to believe that not only were they still together, but that their
relationship had grown.
It felt so good being connected to Mattheus now,
to let her doubts and questions about him fade. She thought of the moment she’d
consciously decided to trust him, as their last case together was ending. Cindy
was ashamed how jealous and suspicious she’d become of him. It was as if a storm
had hit her and didn’t let up. She’d never felt that way before, and when she finally
saw that her distrust was unwarranted, it was a huge relief. As a detective, she
needed to be suspicious, but not, she was beginning to realize, in her personal
life. She had to learn how to separate the two, or her suspiciousness would tie
her in knots she’d never be free of.
“I want you to feel really at home here,”
Mattheus had said as the taxi neared.
“I’m sure I’ll love it,” Cindy said, “how could
I not?”
People came to Grenada from all over the world
to bask in its beauty and be renewed.She deserved to be happy too, didn’t she?
She needed to start her life over again.
“Maybe this will become your home, too?” Mattheus
had murmured in the taxi, stroking Cindy’s shoulder slowly.
Cindy hadn’t responded. She wasn’t sure exactly
what he’d meant and didn’t want to jump to conclusions. She’d gotten into
trouble doing that with him before.
The taxi had wound its way up a steep hill
towards the craggy, stucco house. For a moment, Cindy had a flash of fear,
seeing it perched at the edge of a cliff.
When the taxi pulled up, Mattheus took her
luggage and carried it to the front door. Then he turned around and held his
arms open wide.
Cindy couldn’t hold back another second. It
was time to take the plunge. She ran into Mattheus’s arms with abandon. They
were warm and encircled her, making her feel as if she wanted to stay in them forever.
“Welcome to my world,” Mattheus whispered in
her ear, “a new era has begun.”
Cindy flushed. She’d felt that way too, but was
nervous for the moment. What would this new era bring? What would it be like
for the two of them to be in Grenada, to just spend time alone together without
a case to focus on? They’d decided to give themselves a chance to find out.
Cindy’s stomach fluttered as she let Mattheus lift her up and carry her through
the door.
After what seemed like a long while, Mattheus
slowly put her down and
Cindy looked around. The living room had two
stories, with brick walls, huge glass windows and sprawling plants.
“The place is magical,” she said, taking it in.
Mattheus was pleased. He put his arm around her
waist, pulled her closer, and walked her through the living room to the open flagstone
porch.
“Time for the grand tour,” he said, and they started
walking. “This place has been good to me. I needed to be alone here when I
first got here. It’s great to be back here now with you, though.”
She held his hand tight, thrilled they would
now have the time they needed so badly. She wanted to get to know him more, to
spend long hours with him on the beach, walk in town, go to the Sculpture
Garden, go to the art galleries, sit on rocks near the waterfalls. They’d do
all the things she’d never had a chance to do again with Clint, things they’d
been cheated out of when he was killed so suddenly on their honeymoon.
There are second chances, Cindy mused. When one
wave fades out, there’s another behind it.
Mattheus stopped at a tall window.
“If you look out here you can see seagulls,
wild birds, sunsets. Sometimes it feels like you’re the only person in the
world.”
Cindy smiled, the view was breathtaking. They
went down a few steps to the den, and the walls were lined with bookcases and
shelves holding Mattheus’s mementos, plaques, rocks, awards, and an old,
weathered surfboard.
Cindy winced for just a second. It reminded her
of Clint. This was no time to be thinking of Clint. Cindy had done that long
enough now, and so had Mattheus. Like Cindy, he’d let his wife’s murder run his
life, and when he hadn’t been able to find her killer, he’d become a detective,
chasing down one murderer after another. It had become an obsession, and this
was the time for both of them to pause and be grateful for the unexpected
destiny that had brought them into each other’s lives.
After the den, it was a few steps up to Mattheus’s
bedroom—a guy’s room, filled with a huge, crumpled bed, strewn with magazines. The
walls were covered with photographs – some of the ocean, birds, rocks and many
photos of a beautiful woman, looking straight out at them. In many photos she
was close to Mattheus, nestled in his arms. Cindy stared at her. It had to be
Shelly.
“That’s your wife?” Cindy’d asked. She hadn’t
seen a picture of her before.
“That was my wife,” Mattheus corrected her,
glancing at the photos.
Cindy was taken aback. At first glance, Shelly
actually looked a bit like her, with the same auburn hair and freckles.
“She was lovely,” said Cindy.
“And the woman I’m with now is more than
lovely, she’s ravishing,” said Mattheus, scooping Cindy into his arms.
Cindy blinked, snapping out of it. She stood
there, on the balcony, watching Mattheus working in the garden, she was filled
with both love and longing for him. It was wonderful feeling this way again—and
terrifying as well.
Mattheus must have sensed it, because he turned
around, looked up and waved. “I’ll be up in a minute,” he shouted.
Cindy trembled and smiled. “I can’t wait a
minute,” she called.
He laughed, put the rake down and started back
up.
Cindy held her arms out to greet him.
He rushed into them, lifted her up and carried
her as if she were a feather into the living room. He put her down on the
couch and turned his full attention upon her.
“Do you like it here?” he breathed, excited.
“Love it,” said Cindy.
“I hoped so,” he murmured. “It’s completely
different being here with you. The house feels full.”
Cindy closed her eyes, taking his warmth in. It
had been a long time since she’d felt so wanted.
“Cindy, this house suits you. It belongs to
you, too. I don’t want to be here anymore without you. Will you move in?”
The question came too quickly. Cindy’s mind
began racing. Was he serious? She’d hardly spent any time in her own home since
Clint had died. This past year and a half it had just been her and Mattheus,
traveling, working on cases. The small home she had back in Cove Bay waited for
her. Nothing in it had been moved or changed since Clint had died. Even though
she’d hardly spent a night in it, she’d kept it as a place to return to. One of
these days Cindy thought she’d grow tired of solving cases, would be ready to
return and start a new life. Would it be possible to make a life down in
Grenada? Was it too soon to move in with Mattheus?
“That’s quite an offer, Mattheus,” Cindy’s eyes
opened wide.
He smiled, his beautiful blue eyes glued to her
deeply.
“Move in with me,” he said, in a husky tone.
Cindy knew Mattheus was restless, impulsive. He’d
feel strongly one moment and then something else would come up.
“I’m not changing my mind about this either,”
Mattheus added, as if reading her thoughts.
“This comes out of the blue,” Cindy laughed.
“Not really,” said Mattheus, “I’ve been
thinking about it for quite a while.”
“Well, I’m glad you let me in on it,” said Cindy.
“It makes sense,” he said, his eyes sparkling.
“We fit together in every way. We’re better people with each other, we’re
smarter, stronger.”
Cindy’s heart began pounding. He was right,
they were better with each other. And what was really left back home to return
to? Cindy was happy at Mattheus’s side. She loved working with him, sleeping
with him, talking, travelling. What was there to lose? She took a deep breath
and prepared her response.
