Death by Proposal (4 page)

Mattheus
stood up and ran his hands through his hair. “Carl,” he said, “I know how
rotten and lousy this situation is. I wish we could help, but we can’t right
now. We’re here on vacation. We need time to ourselves.”

The
words weren’t registering, nothing was.

Carl
continued vehemently, “The paper said that Kate posted all over Facebook that
she just got engaged. That’s nuts. None of us ever met this guy. This was a new
relationship. She wouldn’t do something like that without letting us know first.”

“Are
you sure about that?” Cindy perked up.

“Of
course I’m sure. I knew everything about Kate’s life.”

Tyra
looked up at them then, focusing for the first time.

“He
did, he’s right. Kate loved Carl tremendously. And he loved her.”

“And
I still do,” he cried out.

Mattheus
took a deep breath as his jaw clenched. Cindy saw how hard this was for him,
too.

“How
recently did she meet this guy?” Mattheus asked, beginning to resonate with the
rage Carl was feeling.

“It
was new,” Carl insisted, “They met online.”

“Lots
of good people meet online,” said Cindy, trying to put things into perspective.
“Nothing wrong with that.”

“I
didn’t say anything was wrong with it,” Carl turned to Cindy full force.

Cindy
was struck with how handsome and intense he was and the depth of his feeling
for his niece. She wondered if he’d ever married or had a child of his own.

Carl
stopped a moment and looked right at her.  “I never had a child of my own,” he
said, as if hearing her unasked question. “Three bad marriages and no children.
What does that add up to?”

Mattheus
walked a few steps away, not wanting to hear Carl’s story or get further
embroiled.

“Kate
was the daughter I never had,” Carl went on. “If she were even thinking of
getting engaged she would have told me. This was mostly a long distance
relationship. I believe he came to New York a few times and they saw each other
in person then. It wasn’t a big deal to her, she never said it was, anyway.”

Tyra
began whimpering then. “I had no idea, none,” she managed. Kate never told me a
thing about him. Then I see on Facebook that they got engaged.”

 “She
posted it and then turns up dead? It doesn’t make sense,” Carl stamped his foot
on the ground.

 “Nothing
makes sense when someone dies,” Mattheus intervened, “absolutely nothing.
Slowly the pieces come together. It takes time. It takes patience. It takes
work. I wish we could help you, but we can’t right now. We’re off duty, on
vacation.”

Carl
stood up, stepped too close to Mattheus and stared. “What kind of guy says no
to something like this?”

A
good guy, a fair guy, Cindy told herself, a guy who’s trying to set his
priorities.

Mattheus
took a step closer to Carl as well.  “We would if we could,” Mattheus said unflinchingly,
“but we can’t. Not now.”

After
Carl and Tyra finally left, a pall hung over the early afternoon. Both Cindy
and Mattheus felt rattled and neither wanted to go on an outing, and it was
hard to chat.  The grim situation hung between them and there was little they
could say about it.

“I’d
love to go play some golf,” Mattheus said after a while, “it steadies my
nerves. Would you mind that?”

“Not
at all,” said Cindy.

“Great,”
said Mattheus. “There’s a well known golf course a few miles away. Afterwards,
I’ll come back and we’ll go out on the town.”

“Sounds
perfect,” said Cindy, and it really did. Her nerves were frayed as well, and
she needed some time to walk alone on the beach and absorb what had happened.

Instead
of going to the beach in front of the hotel, Cindy chose to go to Eagle Beach, a
few minutes away, easy to get to, and less crowded. She would enjoy the quiet
and calm after the unexpected wave of turbulence they’d run into.

*

Eagle
Beach was considered one of the world’s most beautiful beaches. Cindy loved it.
The pristine sand was soft, white and very clean, the waves weren’t too big and
the water was a brilliant turquoise.  Cindy could see clear ahead for almost
two miles.

Cindy
put her things down and began walking along the edge of the ocean, feeling the
water run through her toes. It had been a wonderful idea to come here alone.
The sound of the gentle surf on the sand and the endless vista before her
opened her mind. She looked into the water and up at the sky as she walked.

After
walking for a while, Cindy sat down at the edge of the surf and gazed at the
horizon as the soft water rolled up over her legs and down.  It was good that
she and Mattheus both enjoyed time apart. When they returned to each another
they usually felt settled, eager to be together again.

As
she looked out into the horizon, Cindy watched some seagulls flying overhead,
and listened to the fleeting song of other birds that drifted by. Some landed
for a short time, sang their song, and flew away. Others lingered a little
longer at the ocean’s edge. It made Cindy think of both Clint and  Kate, who
had come down to these beautiful beaches, seeking happiness and love. They’d
both found it for a little while, and then an unexpected current came in,
bringing a huge and dangerous wave, that snatched everything away.

It
had been especially unsettling to meet Kate’s mother and uncle. Cindy wondered if
Kate’s father was still alive. Were her parents divorced? Had her father heard
about what happened? Carl seemed to have taken on the fathering role.  Cindy
found Carl powerful and interesting. There was no way he was going to let the
investigation slide. That thought comforted her for a moment, but she also knew
how tricky it could be to work one’s way through the Caribbean police system,
to get beneath the layer of pleasantries and reassurances and discover what was
really going on. There was a dark underbelly here that Cindy and Mattheus knew
how to navigate.  Cindy was sure that Carl didn’t, and once again was struck
with how badly her services were needed.

Cindy
sighed and leaned back on her elbows as she dug them into the sand.  The warm
breezes from the ocean flowed over her, undoing the knots that had formed in
her body and mind. Mattheus was right, this was their time to make things work
between them. The case was not their concern. But Cindy could not shake the
strange feeling that destiny had other plans, was weaving its own web. Whatever
she and Mattheus thought, whatever they’d planned, Kate and Clay had been
brought right to their table, sitting side by side. Kate’s family had also been
brought right over to them as they lounged at the pool. Cindy had wanted to tell
Mattheus that a bigger plan seemed to be working, but she’d been afraid.  She didn’t
want to dislodge the harmony and joy they were finally experiencing together
again. 

 Laying
here on the beach now, Cindy realized that in the past, it had been too easy to
dislodge the harmony between her and Mattheus. Many things had been able to easily
disrupt them.  Cindy thought about relationships and how much work and
attention they demanded.  Was every relationship like that? She didn’t remember
it being that hard with Clint. Things seemed to flow so much more easily
between them.

Cindy
wiggled her toes in the warm water as it splashed around her playfully. Of
course this wasn’t time to dwell upon the past, but she could not help but do
so. She also could not help but think of Clint again now, wonder what he would
do in a situation like this. The answer was immediate.  Of course he would jump
in and help on the case. There wouldn’t even be a moment’s hesitation. That’s
what Cindy had loved so much about him. Clint would have never put himself
ahead of someone in need.

Cindy
got up from the sand energized and started walking along the beach again. It
seemed as if without her realizing it, the Caribbean had become her home. It
had happened only recently though, since Clint’s death in Barbados. Her work as
a detective after that had drawn her down here again and again. But it was more
than that. It was also her promise to herself and Clint not to let the horror
of his murder go to waste.  From the very beginning, Cindy had been determined
to use the pain she’d gone through to help others in the same situation.

Cindy
kicked at the sand as she walked.  What did her promise really entail? Had she
fulfilled it by now? True, she’d helped solve many cases. But here, from out of
nowhere, another case was being thrown in her lap. Did she have the right to
say no to it? Hadn’t she promised she would help? Wasn’t that promise what got
her through her dark and terrible time? Just because she and Mattheus had found
happiness together, was that an excuse for letting the promise go?

Cindy
turned full out to the ocean and watched the waves rippling in. Clint, she
called out in her mind. Can you see what’s happening on this strange earth? Can
you help me do what’s right?

Cindy
felt odd as she called to Clint in her mind. She had done that a lot right
after he’d died.  As time had gone on, she’d done it less, was better able to
make choices on her own. Then came the relationship with Mattheus. Many times
Mattheus’s choices were different from hers. Cindy knew she had to stand strong
in what she believed.  She couldn’t give up her principles in order to hold
onto her new relationship. That would never work.

As
she mused about it, a large seagull seemed to fly out of the sky directly at
her. It had a huge wing spread and came so close that Cindy jumped back on the
shore.  She stared as the gull flew in a circle and then took off again.

After
it left, Cindy took a deep breath and couldn’t help feeling that Clint had
swept in to be with her.  Be true to yourself, Cindy, he had always said.
Follow your heart, follow your path. Life is not worth living without courage.
That was the way he’d lived and she wanted to as well.

A
spray of water splashed up right in Cindy’s face then. She smiled as tears
filled her eyes. She had no right to say no to Kate’s family. It was clear that
she had to take the case.

*

After
they’d both returned to the hotel Cindy and Mattheus showered, changed into
evening clothes and took off for a wonderful dinner in town.

Seated
close together at the trendy bar, they waited for their table at the restaurant
that was packed and filled with smoke, noise, and song.  Mattheus, looking
suntanned and relaxed ordered apple martinis, as he pulled Cindy even closer to
him.

“This
place is crazy, but it’s fun. Like it, too?”

Cindy
did. She enjoyed the lively energy and was glad they were surrounded by people.
It would be easier to tell Mattheus what she had to say in the middle of a
crowded restaurant and lively night. With music playing and people laughing, she
could toss it off as if her decision were the most natural thing in the world.

The
drinks came and Mattheus lifted his glass and toasted, “To the most beautiful
woman I could ever imagine being with and calling my own.”

Cindy
smiled, lifted her glass, touched hers to his and took a sip.

“Like
the toast?” Mattheus was in a light hearted mood. “I meant every word I said. A
woman I can call my own.”

“Beautiful,”
said Cindy, not wanting to make more of it at the moment. Mattheus had a way of
speaking grandly when he was in a good mood. Would he still want to call her
his when she told him what she’d decided to do?

“You
seem a little quiet this evening?” Mattheus said as he drained his glass. “Enjoy
your time on the beach?”

“It
was great,” said Cindy, quietly, “beautiful beaches.”

“Fantastic
golf courses - everything we need is only a few steps away,” Mattheus agreed.

The
bar they were in was obviously a hot spot. In the few minutes since they’d
arrived, more people crowded into the entrance and were pressing up against the
bar. Mattheus was shoved even closer to Cindy, and put his arms around her
tight.

“Too
crowded?” he asked, “we can go down the street to Nevilles. They’ve got dancing
in the back.”

“Mattheus,”
Cindy couldn’t banter with him this way when something so important had to be
discussed. She put her glass down on the bar.

Mattheus
drew to attention, feeling something was coming. “Yes, Cindy?” he tried to
smile, but couldn’t.

Cindy
spoke softly and quickly, “I’ve been thinking and thinking about what happened
at the hotel. A young woman is dead. The families are suffering terribly. The
case been thrown right into our lap. I couldn’t live with myself if we didn’t
take it.”

Mattheus
jaw clenched as she spoke. “
You
couldn’t live with yourself if
we
didn’t take it?” he asked. “Why not?”

The
noise around them grew louder and it was hard to hear what he said. Cindy could
see from the look on his face though, that he wasn’t on board.

“I
can’t stop thinking about that young girl,” said Cindy, “she was beautiful,
innocent.”

“You
don’t know that,” said Mattheus. “She might have been a rotten liar.”

A
chill went through Cindy. “But I can’t stop thinking of her anyway.”

“That’s
called obsession,” Mattheus responded.

“I’d
call it compassion,” Cindy countered.

“Call
it what you want,” Mattheus grew heated, “this is our vacation.” Then he waved
at the bartender and ordered another round of drinks.

“Mattheus,”
Cindy put her hand on his arm. “I made a promise.”

“Yes,
you did. You made a promise to me, remember?”

“I
also made a promise to Clint,” said Cindy.

Mattheus
grew stone cold. “Clint’s dead, Cindy. I am here now. Open your eyes.”

Cindy
sat up straighter as a bolt of energy flashed through her.

“I
made a promise not just to Clint, but to what he stood for,” said Cindy. “And I
made a promise to myself that I would dedicate my life to helping victims of
crime.”

“You’ve
kept your promise and you’re keeping it,” Mattheus insisted, taking the fresh
martini that the bartender brought him and drinking it down. “What about your
promise that you wouldn’t let anything get between us? Doesn’t that count, too?”

“This
doesn’t have to get between us,” said Cindy.

“But
it is,” Mattheus insisted.

“We
can do this together,” Cindy replied, “we’re a team. You taught me all I know
as a detective.”

“I
don’t want to work on a case now. I came down here to be with you,” Mattheus
was definite.

“You
want us to spend our time drinking martinis and dancing when a young woman has
been killed right under our nose?” asked Cindy.

Mattheus
bristled, “Young women and men are getting killed every day all over the world.”

“Not
right where we are. This case has been brought to us directly.”

Mattheus
placed his cocktail glass back on the bar. “There’s always an excuse for
everything, isn’t there? Looks like the roles between us have become reversed. Could
it be that you’re the one now who’s afraid of intimacy? Has it been that way
all along? Are you a workaholic, Cindy, afraid of loving and being loved?”

Cindy
stopped cold. Was it so? Was she running away from closeness and happiness,
hiding in cases? She didn’t think so. She’d been extremely happy to be close to
Mattheus before this happened.  She hadn’t gone out seeking another case. An
emergency had happened, like a sudden summer storm. She was being summonsed to
help. That was different, wasn’t it? How could she say no?

Mattheus
turned his back to her then and ran his hands over his face. Cindy knew he did
that when feelings of hurt and anger started to build.

“I
love you, Mattheus,” Cindy reached out her hand to him, “I’m not running away
from you. I never will.”

“I’d
say you are,” he turned back and stared at her. “It’s one thing to say I love
you, it’s another to live it.”