Death by Engagement (14 page)

Edward
took a deep breath and smiled wanly then. “Oh, look at that.” He turned
suddenly. “
[cl12]
 
“I just thought I saw the turtles
making their way to the ocean, look Shari, look!”

“I’m
Cindy, not Shari,” Cindy said softly.

“Oh
God, how I wish it was Shari I was sitting here with now,” he replied, ,
distraught. “How I wish time had never gone by.”

*

A strange peace descended upon Edward as
he drove Cindy back to the hotel. They drove quietly, saying little but both of
them feeling at ease.

“I’m proud of you, Edward,” Cindy
finally said to him as they were a block or two away. “It took courage to tell
me what you were thinking. I’m grateful for your trust in me.”

Edward closed his eyes and smiled wanly.
“You’re a special woman, Cindy,” he repeated. “I couldn’t have said it to
anyone else. I know you only want the best for me and Shari. I know you’ll help
me find the truth. But you won’t tell anyone, either. If my worst suspicions
are confirmed, I don’t want to do anything about it. I couldn’t bear to lose
Deidre now, too.”

To
Cindy’s surprise, when she got up to her hotel room Mattheus was there with
Doug’s sister, Kate. Apparently Mattheus had been spending time with Doug and
his family again and Kate insisted on returning with him to see Cindy again.

“You
made quite an impression on Kate,” Mattheus started, as Cindy walked into the
room. “She’s been asking to see you all morning.”

Cindy
went over to Kate and gave her a little hug. “I’m delighted to see you again,
as well,” Cindy replied.

“Can
we two go and take a walk alone somewhere?” Kate asked then, glancing over at
Mattheus surreptitiously.

“I’m
not exactly the enemy,” Mattheus said in a joking manner. “But I completely
understand when women need to talk alone.”

“Thanks.”
Kate flashed a look at Cindy.

“The
girls club,” Mattheus said lightly, “I see it all the time.”

“I
beg your pardon?” Kate seemed to take offense. “I don’t like being called a
girl—especially in such a condescending manner.”

“Whoa!”
Mattheus’s eyes opened wide.

“I
consider myself a young woman,” Kate went on. “And what I have to say matters.”

“Of
course it does,” Cindy interrupted. “Mattheus was not suggesting that it did
not.”

“I’m
not sure what he’s suggesting,” Kate remarked. “But I have to speak to you
alone.”

“It’s
absolutely fine,” said Cindy, “and I’m glad you let us know how you’re
feeling.”

“Definitely,”
Mattheus went along. “I was just joking. I’m glad for you to spend time with
Cindy, Kate.” He tried to ease her feelings.

Kate
brushed her long hair back over her shoulders, pleased. “Thanks,” she said,
glancing once again at Cindy and then looking at the door.

“Let’s
go for that walk now,” said Cindy, picking up on the moment. Then she turned to
Mattheus. “I’ll see you when I return.”

*

Kate
immediately let Cindy know that she wanted to walk along Veneto Lane, which was
several miles from the hotel. Cindy agreed without asking why. She was pleased
that Kate wanted to talk to her and wanted to make it as comfortable as
possible for her.

As
soon as they got downstairs, Cindy hailed a cab to take them to Veneto Lane.
Once in the cab Kate breathed more easily and remarked that she was glad to be
out of there, wasn’t at all comfortable around Mattheus. Cindy was surprised
for a moment and then recalled Mattheus mentioning that he hadn’t liked Kate
either. Kate must have picked up on that.

“It’s
okay,” Cindy responded. “We all don’t have to like everyone. I’m glad you like
me, though.”

Kate
laughed. “I do,” she remarked. “You’re the kind of woman who doesn’t get pushed
around.”

That
comment surprised Cindy.

“And
I can see how easy it would be to get pushed around with a guy like Mattheus,”
Kate quipped. “But you don’t. That’s good.”

Kate’s
comment unnerved Cindy. She was about to defend Mattheus when she abruptly
stopped herself. Better to just be quiet, Cindy thought, and let Kate say what
she had on her mind. Kate had trouble with her own father. For all Cindy knew,
she had trouble with all guys and was just projecting it onto Mattheus now. It
would be interesting to find out.

The
taxi drove quickly and arrived at Veneto Lane in no time at all. Cindy and Kate
got out and stepped onto a cobbly road that wound down near the water. Veneto
Lane stretched out behind a strip of simple shops, restaurants and places to
get fishing supplies. The area, which was not well known in Aruba, attracted
mostly locals, and a few tourists who wanted a simpler taste of life.

“I
like it down here,” Kate started as they got out of the cab and began to walk.
“Whenever I’m in Aruba I come down here and walk.” Kate seemed to feel better
when she was off the beaten path, more able to be who she was. For a second, in
a strange way, Kate reminded Cindy of Deidre.

“This
place is interesting,” Cindy said, looking around. The road they were on was
basically a dirt road with scraggly trees on either end. It was easy to walk on
and oddly relaxing.

 “Do
you come down to Aruba often?” Cindy asked Kate.

“Often
enough,” Kate replied. “My family likes it here and so does Shari’s family.”

“Have
your families vacationed here together?” Cindy asked, interested.

“Definitely
not,” Kate was quick to reply. “Our families are cordial to each other, but not
that close. Certainly not close enough to vacation together.”

Kate’s
vehemence about it took Cindy aback. Was there friction between the families?

“I
don’t know if you realize it,” Kate went on heatedly, “but Shari’s father,
Edward, is definitely off. People say he’s paranoid and no one feels really
comfortable around him. He always thinks the worst.”

“I’m
sorry to hear that,” said Cindy, wondering what Kate was really trying to say.
“Was your family unhappy about Doug’s upcoming marriage?” Cindy felt an opening
to dig in now. Could there have been trouble between the two families? Did that
have to do with Shari’s death?

Kate
turned and looked and Cindy directly. “My family was not thrilled about the
marriage,” she plainly said. “They’d never tell you that, though. They have a
grin and bear it mentality. But my mother urged Doug to think twice about this
marriage over and over again.”

“She
was worried about it?” Cindy was surprised.

“Of
course she was. Why wouldn’t she be?” Kate snapped.

“And
how did Doug respond?” asked Cindy.

“Doug
will never let a woman tell him what to do,” Kate pouted. “That’s what makes
him feel like a man. When my mother asked him to reconsider, she was basically
just pushing him closer to Shari.”

“Really?”
Cindy was taken aback. She hadn’t seen that aspect of Doug at all. He’d seemed
open and receptive to her.

“Lots
of guys have that pattern,” Kate continued confidentially. “My father’s like
that, and probably Mattheus, too.”

Cindy
thought about it. She’d never experienced Mattheus that way. Now she began to
wonder if Kate wasn’t a bit paranoid herself.

“Anyway,
my father wasn’t particularly thrilled about the marriage either,” Kate
continued, “but he couldn’t bring himself to say that to Doug.”

“Why
not?” asked Cindy.

“It’s
a guy thing. In my family the guy’s stand together,” Kate explained. “My father
has a thing about trusting his son’s decisions. I tried to talk to both my
father and Doug about his marrying Shari, but neither would listen to a thing I
said.”

“You
said you were definitely against the marriage.” Cindy wanted to hear her say more.

“Absolutely,
and I let it be known that Doug was definitely getting into trouble marrying
her.”

Cindy
was startled by Kate’s certainty. “Why? Because of Shari’s depression?”

Kate
made a sour face. “You can call it anything you like. A lot of lousy behavior
gets excused by calling it depression. But depression or no depression, Shari
had lots of boyfriends. If she was so depressed how did she manage that?”

“Good
question,” said Cindy.

“And
none of her relationships turned out well,” Kate added. “She tired of guys
easily. If you asked me, they were her toys.”

“I
thought she and Doug met in college and were together for a long time.” Cindy
was confused.

“Sure,
they met in college, but Shari and Doug were on and off,” Kate quickly added.
“When they were off, they both dated other people. I always thought Shari felt
better when they were off and she was with someone else. She was popular with
guys and it gave her a high to be out there dating.”

“So
why did she always end up back with Doug?” Cindy asked.

“I’m
not really sure.” Kate’s eyes narrowed. “She and Doug said they missed each
other, or something. At least that’s what we heard. Doug said nobody made him
as happy as Shari.”

Cindy
stopped walking and looked at Kate. “Could that have been so?” asked Cindy. “It
makes sense to me, it’s possible.”

Kate
rubbed her hands on her face. “Sounds good, doesn’t it? But I never bought it.
You know, the last time the two of them broke up, Doug was dating a terrific
girl, named Cayenne.”

“Yes,
I heard about her,” said Cindy.

“From
who?” Kate seemed surprised.

“Just
basic information,” said Cindy. “Was Cayenne still involved with Doug after
they broke up?”

“No,
not really,” said Kate. “Doug wanted to stay friends, of course, but she
didn’t. Doug always stayed friends with the women he broke up with.”

“Really?”
said Cindy. “How did Shari deal with that?”

“The
funny thing,” said Kate, “is that it didn’t seem to bother her much.”

Cindy
and Kate looked at each other silently then.

“Was
Shari really in love with Doug?” Cindy asked softly.

“Exactly
my point, exactly my question!” Kate looked appreciatively at Cindy. “That’s
what I kept wondering all the time. When I once said that to Doug, I thought
he’d go crazy. He told me never, ever to say that again.”

“If
Shari didn’t love Doug, why would she marry him then?” Cindy felt unclear.

“Let’s
take this turn here and get something to eat,” said Kate then. “I’m hungry and
they have my favorite fresh fish sandwiches with delicious cole slaw.”

Cindy
and Kate turned through a narrow, bumpy path which led out onto Veneto Lane.
The street was filled with shops, eateries and local people lounging around the
streets. A delicious smell of both ocean and cooking wafted over them.

Kate
chose a little restaurant nearby. “I love it here, I’ve been here before,” she
said as she and Cindy entered and took seats at a bar.

The
restaurant was small, but clean and open to both the water and sky. There was a
big, old wooden bar and a few tables here and there. Right now the place was
almost empty.

“Two
fresh cod sandwiches and Cokes,” Kate called out to no one in particular. “The
guy who brings the food is back there now, but he’ll hear me,” she explained.
“It’s not noon yet, but it’s still open. They’re getting things ready.”

Cindy
was glad to be sitting down. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was as well.
Once they were settled, to Cindy’s surprise, Kate reached out and gave her hand
a squeeze.

“I’m
really grateful to you for listening,” said Kate. “There’s no one else I can
really talk to.”

“I’m
grateful to you for talking to me so honestly,” Cindy replied.

 “Everyone’s
so devastated by Shari’s death,” Kate went on. “And I’m not saying my family
isn’t horrified also. When he first heard my father couldn’t sleep the whole
night. He kept pacing back and forth.”

“Of
course,” said Cindy. “And how about you?”

“That’s
what I want to tell you.” Kate stopped talking then and suddenly grinned at the
waiter who emerged from the back, carrying two, huge sandwiches with cole slaw,
French fries and Cokes.

“Boy,
that was fast,” said Cindy as he slapped the sandwiches down in front of her
and Kate.

“They
have a bunch of these sandwiches ready at lunch time,” Kate informed Cindy,
giving the waiter a thumbs-up.

The
sandwiches looked delicious, but Cindy didn’t want to lose track of what she
and Kate had been talking about.

 “Kate,
are you horrified by Shari’s death, too?” Cindy repeated.

“No,
I’m not horrified,” Kate responded, grabbing the sandwich and taking a huge
bite of it. “In a strange way, I’m not even surprised.”

Kate’s
comment stunned Cindy and stopped her from biting into her own sandwich, which
was almost in her mouth.

“You’re
not even surprised? Why not?” The wheels in Cindy’s mind began turning. Was
Kate inferring that she wasn’t surprised Shari killed herself because she was
so depressed? But that wasn’t the picture Kate had presented of Shari. “I
thought you said Shari was happy when she was dating,” Cindy pressed Kate
further. “She couldn’t have been all that depressed.”

“Yes,
that’s right.” Kate chomped on her food avidly. “Shari felt good when she was
dating other guys, but she wasn’t dating now, was she? She was back with Doug
again, and about to commit to him forever. No more dating then.”

“You
think that’s why she killed herself?” Cindy was astonished.

“Maybe?”
said Kate.

“That
sounds a bit extreme,” Cindy replied.

“I
know it does,” said Kate. “But Shari was a confused girl.”

“What
did Doug love so much about her?” Cindy needed to know.

“That’s
the best question you’ve asked all morning,” said Kate, eating the rest of her
lunch in a flash. “I think he loved that he was better than her, smarter than
her, more in charge. And, of course, Shari was beautiful, too, don’t get me
wrong. It made him look good to have her on his arm.”