Read Death by Devotion (Book #9 in the Caribbean Murder Series) Online

Authors: Jaden Skye

Tags: #Fiction, #Romance, #Suspense, #Thrillers, #Mystery & Detective, #Women Sleuths, #General, #Police Procedural, #Private Investigators, #International Mystery & Crime, #Contemporary

Death by Devotion (Book #9 in the Caribbean Murder Series) (5 page)

BOOK: Death by Devotion (Book #9 in the Caribbean Murder Series)
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Chapter 6

 

 

Cindy
couldn’t believe she was actually headed back down to the Caribbean. She was
both relieved and nervous as she stood waiting to board the plane. Ann had
refused to take her to the airport.She didn’t want to hear a thing about
Mattheus’s predicament, couldn’t care less.

“If
they throw him in jail it might well be the best thing for all concerned,” Ann
had said flippantly.

That
was too much for Cindy.  “He’s in grave trouble now and he doesn’t deserve it,”
she replied. “Our relationship is one thing and his trying to save his daughter
something else.”

Ann
had made a sour face. “There’s always a reason for everything, isn’t there? Since
you were little you always managed to come up with a smart answer.”

There
was no talking to Ann now and Cindy knew well enough to back away. “I’m not
going forever,” she said over her shoulder, as she walked to the bedroom to
pack.

“Go
for as long as you like, but don’t tell me when you’re returning,” Ann called
back.

“I’m
done playing this game with you.”

Cindy
had closed the door between them then. She knew she’d disappointed Ann, and was
truly sorry about that, but Mattheus was in dire trouble. That was something
entirely

different.
Cindy also knew that Ann couldn’t possibly understand what dire trouble was
like. Living safely and comfortably in a long term marriage, Ann never had to
face real danger herself. She’d always had solid anchors around her, and tried
to be an anchor to others as well. But the situations that Cindy and Mattheus
had lived through, had nothing to do with occupying a safe or predictable
world. Life could be snuffed out in a moment. Lies and backyard deals could
throw an innocent person into jail, with no one caring what happened to them.
The person could rot in jail forever, unheard from again.  The laws and protections
Ann lived by, were unknown in many places in the world.

The
line to board the plane was starting to move. Cindy promised herself this trip
would be a professional one, only. She was going as a detective, and nothing
more.

*

Although
Cindy hadn’t told Mattheus exactly what plane she’d be on, he was waiting at
the airport when she arrived. The moment he saw her, he ran to her with open
arms.

“Cindy,
how fabulous to see you,” he said breathlessly.

Cindy
took a step away. “I’m only here to help,” she said in a professional tone.  

Mattheus
stopped in his tracks. “You’re not happy to see me?”

“Mattheus,
I came down as a detective, to help. I’m horrified by your situation. That’s
it, nothing more.”

Mattheus
took it in, dropped his head for a second. Then he looked back up at her. “Okay,
I got it,” he responded. “I’m grateful for that, at least.”

“At
least? It’s a lot,” Cindy quickly responded.

“Yes,
it is, you’re right,” Mattheus agreed. “I’m grateful you’re here.”

“Okay,”
Cindy went on quickly, glad the boundaries had been clearly established.

“I’ve
got a cab waiting,” Mattheus continued. “First stop is the police station.”

“Good
idea,” said Cindy as they walked towards the taxi stand. “I want to meet the cops
on the case, let them know I’m down here on it, too.”

“They
know already, I told them,” said Mattheus, uneasily.

“Really?
And how did they take it?” asked Cindy.

“They
snickered,” Mattheus said. “They’re a strange lot. Private detectives don’t
have much clout down here.”

“Especially
women detectives, I imagine,” Cindy filled in.

“Who
cares what they think?” Mattheus grew restless as he hailed the cab he had
waiting.

“I
care,” said Cindy. “Cooperation is good. I like getting the police on our team.”

“Sometimes
you get cooperation, sometimes you don’t,” Mattheus stood a bit taller,
sounding more like his old self. “It’s a good idea for them to meet you, but
don’t count on much on their support.”

Cindy
realized with a flash that she wasn’t counting on anything much anymore, not
from the cops, from Mattheus, or even from her sister, Ann. But rather than
feeling deserted, she felt an unusual sense of strength. She was doing what was
right and she knew it. When she did that, she also knew that the support she
needed would inevitably come to her.

The
cab drove up to them quickly and Mattheus tossed Cindy’s luggage into the trunk.

“Just
one bag? You travelled pretty light,” he commented. “Not planning to stay very
long?”

“Just
long enough to get the job done,” Cindy replied, as they got into the cab and
it drove away to the police station, without their saying another word.

*

The
police station was housed in a low, squat building in front of a cluster of
overgrown trees. As soon as they walked in, a sense of oppression came over
Cindy. The stucco walls of the hallways were a dull beige and the floors were
made of harsh tiles.

“Follow
me,” Mattheus motioned, as they walked along to the main receiving room.

“Can
I help you?” a lovely Caribbean woman sat in the receptionist seat.

“This
is Cindy Blaine,” Mattheus responded gruffly. “She has an appointment to see
the Chief of Police as soon as she arrives.”

The
young woman raised her eyebrows and looked Cindy over. “I’ll let him know you’re
here,” she said, picking up the Intercom.

*

Chief
of Police August Herring walked down the corridor with big, noisy steps,
finally stopping about a foot away from Cindy.  He didn’t so much as give
Mattheus a glance. Clearly, no love was lost between them.

“So,
you’re real – not a figment of Mattheus’s imagination,” he said to Cindy
looking her right in the eyes.

Cindy
was taken aback. “Mattheus and I work together as private detectives,” she commented.
“It’s a matter of record.”

“Yeah,
yeah, I heard the whole pitch, even read all about you in the papers,” August
Herring stopped her right there. “Okay, come into the office.”  Then he turned
his back and Cindy and Mattheus followed him to a door with his name on it.

Once
inside, Cindy and Mattheus sat down opposite him, as he eased himself into a
large, leather chair. Then, without a moment’s hesitation, he started drumming
his thick fingers on the wooden desk. All of this seemed like a tremendous annoyance
for him.

“I
appreciate your time,” Cindy said, breaking the uneasy silence that was
growing.

“What
do you want from us, Miss Blaine?” August asked, a look of boredom settling on
his thick face. Clearly, he was letting her know that their meeting was a
formality. He had no intention of including her in the investigation.

“I
need whatever you have,” Cindy responded coolly. “Time of death, suspects, all
physical evidence.”

August
grinned slowly as the outside door opened and another police officer entered.

“Come
in, Sean,” August beckoned to the guy who’d just entered. Sean was about

Cindy’s
age, tall, toned, blonde and handsome.  He looked as out of place as she felt
and Cindy wondered what in the world he was doing on the force down here.

 “I
thought we’d assign Sean to help you out,” August continued. “He’s an ex pat
from the States.”

Cindy
and Sean nodded to each other, and Sean seemed impressed.

 “This
is my partner, Mattheus,” Cindy quickly continued, wanting to make sure he was
included.

“Precisely
the problem,” August interrupted the introduction. “Number one, your partner’s
behavior has been questionable.  Number two, it’s his daughter we’re holding in
custody.”

Sean
looked over at Cindy quickly and their eyes met in a flash. His eyes were
interested, kind and yet, totally uncompromising. He seemed to want to assess
how much Cindy knew about what had gone on.

Cindy
quickly returned to the comment August had made. “How has Mattheus’s behavior
been questionable?” she asked, feeling as though she were a mother talking to a
teacher at school about an unruly son.

 “Mattheus
was heard threatening the victim a day before he died,” Sean filled Cindy in.

“The
guy was abusing my daughter,” Mattheus retorted, “and also abusing the mother.”

August
made a sour face. “The mother, Petra, was married to the victim.  He had a
right to say to her whatever he wanted.”

To
Cindy’s surprise August spoke of the victim with a touch of fondness. It made
Cindy wonder if the two of them knew each other, or if they’d been friends.

“I
wasn’t threatening the guy,” Mattheus jumped back in. “I was just warning him
not to push my daughter around. He’d grabbed her elbow and swung her hard.”

Cindy
gave Mattheus a quick look out of the corner of her eye, warning him to shut
up. Nothing he said would do him any good.

“Andrea
also happens to be Cain’s stepdaughter,” August sounded disgruntled. “Someone’s
got to discipline these lousy kids. How do you know what she was up to? How
much do you really know about her at all?”

That
quieted Mattheus down. “Not much,” he agreed solemnly, “but no one deserves to
get pushed around.”

“So,
what brings you down here, now?” August leaned forward. “That’s something we’re
also looking into.”

“Mattheus
came down to see his daughter because of me,” Cindy spoke up definitively. “He
and I were about to get engaged and I didn’t want this hanging over our heads. First
I wanted him to find his daughter, meet her, and get things straightened out. Who
knew what would have happened if she turned up one day and we were married and
had a family of our own?” Cindy felt she owed them a swift and honest
explanation.  It was easy to get lost in a maze of suspicions and she needed to
clear the air right away.

Both
August and Sean listened to her intently.

“So,
you’re the one who wanted him to meet her?” August’s eyes narrowed. “Are you
telling me that basically, he didn’t give a damn?”

“I’m
not saying anything of the kind,” Cindy was exasperated.  “Of course Mattheus
cared.”

“Prove
it to me,” August demanded.

“Mattheus
searched for Andrea and found her,” Cindy shot back. “Once he met her, he even
ended our relationship in a second so he could be a dad to her.”

All
the men in the room grew silent and Sean took a deep breath.

“What
do you mean ended your relationship?” August asked stiffly. “You’re right here.”

“When
Andrea met me she didn’t want anything to do with me,” said Cindy. “She didn’t
want anyone getting in the way between her and her dad. She needed him though,
and asked him to come and visit. On one condition only - he had to leave me
behind.”

“And
he agreed?”  Sean asked, fascinated.

“In
a second,” Cindy responded, once again meeting Sean’s eyes.

“I
wasn’t leaving forever,” Mattheus jumped into the fray, “just for however long
needed to get to know her.”

“But
who knew how long that would be?” Cindy continued briskly. “And, Mattheus did
it without a second of consultation with me.  There was no hesitation, no
decision. That’s how much he cared.” Cindy stared at Sean, who was transfixed
by her now.

“That
must have hurt like hell,” Sean commented.

“Yes,
it did,” Cindy replied.

“So,
what are you doing down here now?” August leaned in closer.

“I
came down on a professional basis to help by old partner out,” Cindy responded.
“I’m not going to let him get waylaid by rumors and suspicion. I live for the
truth, I find it at all costs and then and let the truth speak for itself.”

August
took a deep breath and shook his head slowly. “Honey, you’re really something.  Now
I see why they wrote all these articles about you. Mattheus was one lucky guy
to have had a partner like you.”

Mattheus
looked out of the window, distressed as August spoke. “I still am one lucky
guy,” he responded.

August
turned back to him in a flash. “Not as lucky as you think. Your daughter’s in big
trouble, and for all we know, you may be too.”

Sean
walked over and put his hand on August’s shoulder. “Let’s take it slow before
we jump to conclusions. One step at a time.”

August
nodded, he seemed to really like Sean. “Okay, my boy, you take over here. Do
what you can with these two.”

 Sean
reached into his pocket then, and gave Cindy his card. “You can reach me at
this number,” he said. “We need to stay in touch.”

Cindy
was grateful to have a link to the police. And she was particularly pleased to
be able to work with someone from her own country, like Sean.

“Thanks
so much,” she answered.

BOOK: Death by Devotion (Book #9 in the Caribbean Murder Series)
9.6Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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