by Jaden Skye
“Cops said she was living with some guy,” Mattheus repeated in a muted tone.
“Key Lime Pies, Key Lime Pies,” a vendor started to call.
“Shelly loved those damn Key Lime Pies,” Mattheus murmured.
“Seems like the police have done a lot of work. That can help us find whoever did it,” Cindy interrupted.
Mattheus knew Cindy was trying to bring order, calm the raging seas inside of him. But nothing she said could make him feel better. He looked at her as though she were crazy.
“Help us? How?” he said. “How do we even know it’s Shelly? Who identified the body?”
“That’s a good question,” said Cindy softly.
Guitar music was now starting up in the background, and people were singing along. The crowd that came down here was both mellow and quirky. Some seemed to just want to jive on the natural beauty. There were plenty of other kinds too, including streams of tattooed bikers, mixed in with the crowd.
Someone selling coral bracelets passed by, twirling one of them on his finger.
“What a scene, “said Cindy.
“It’s a carnival,” Mattheus said, “Shelly loved it, said it took all the pressure off.”
“Takes off certain pressures, and brings others,” said Cindy, as she suddenly sat bolt upright. “Oh my goodness, here comes Rodney and Alex! What are they doing here?”
Mattheus turned and looked over his shoulder swiftly. Rodney and Alex were walking steadily towards his bench.
“Looks like they’re hot on my trail,” said Mattheus. “Don’t lose any time, do they?
“They’re on Shelly’s trail,” Cindy corrected him.
“What’s the difference?” snapped Mattheus.
“The difference is Shelly’s dead and you’re alive,” Cindy exclaimed.
“Half alive,” said Mattheus.
“And you and Shelly have been apart for six years,” Cindy added.
“Get it,” said Mattheus, “so I should just take this all with a grain of salt?”
Rodney walked over to the bench deliberately and motioned for Mattheus to move over and make room for him.
“Figured we’d find you around here somewhere,” Rodney said.
The guy was being decent about it, but probably didn’t take too well to being run out on, Mattheus thought.
Mattheus got up a minute and made room for them.
Rodney sat down right close up to Mattheus.
“Look, I know this is tough,” Rodney started, “but we still have lots to talk about.”
Mattheus nodded. “Yeah, we do,” he said. “Sorry I just ran out, but the news hit me from out of left field. I was blind sighted.”
“Yeah, I know what a shock this must be,” said Rodney.
Mattheus was incredibly relieved. This was one thoughtful guy, rare to find someone like him these days.
Mattheus took a few deep breaths and pulled himself together. He was actually glad Rodney had come, he would help him put the pieces together. Mattheus decided to jump right in.
“So, my first question is, who identified the body?” Mattheus asked.
“Identifying her wasn’t a problem,” said Rodney. “Your wife had been living down here for several years. She had quite a few friends and also worked part time at the Shelter for abused women in town. Actually, her supervisor there, Victoria, made the identification.”
“She worked at a shelter for abused women?” Mattheus was surprised.
“Yeah, she was good at it,” said Rodney, “people seemed to like her a lot.”
“Shelly never worked in a shelter for abused women before.” Mattheus said. “She was trained as a counselor though, had the skills. She worked other places.”
“Tell me more,” said Rodney.
But Mattheus felt his mind close down. The truth was he had no idea about anything that happened in Shelly’s life these past years. The thought floored him.
“I don’t know what else to tell you,” Mattheus froze. “You tell me what else you found. Let me have it, I can take it now.”
“There were signs of a struggle,” Rodney spoke slowly. “Shelly was strangled.”
Mattheus gasped.
“Look, I’m sorry, I know this isn’t easy,” Rodney repeated.
Despite himself, sobs began to rack Mattheus’s body. “Why?” he asked, “why did it happen?”
Rodney put his hand on Mattheus’s shoulder. “Listen, we have someone in custody. The guy she was living with, Anthony.”
“Go on,” Mattheus felt like he was going to rip the guy limb from limb.
“He’s a musician down here in a big band. Handsome, black guy. He and Shelly had been living together the past three years. People heard them fighting a lot recently, and one night, a week before it happened, he was seen leaving the house late at night, running through town. “
Mattheus could barely breathe. “Running through town?”
“We have enough on him to hold him,” said Rodney. “And, also, his alibi doesn’t hold up.”
Mattheus jaw was locked and he was trembling. “I want to talk to him,” he demanded.
“Cool down a minute,” Rodney said.
“Listen, man, I’m a private detective, I have a right to. She was my lawful wife.”
Rodney threw a quick glance at Cindy.
Cindy nodded slowly. “Mattheus needs to talk to the guy,” she said.
“Maybe?” Rodney was thinking it over.
“You can’t say no,” said Mattheus. “This was my wife.”
“Alright,” said Rodney, “I’ll let you interview him, but first I want you to see the crime scene.”
Mattheus flinched. “Why?”
“Sorry, but I need to do it,” said Rodney. “I know you and your wife spent time down here together. It may bring something back to you, jog a memory. We need to know whatever you might remember.”
“Take me there,” said Mattheus, fury suddenly arising. “Now.”
CHAPTER 7
Green Pebble Beach was located at the eastern tip of the island, straight down a steep hill, wedged between two coral reefs. Instead of sand, rocks covered with green algae and moss, spread over the area that sloped down to the sea. The rocks were so small and glistening, they looked like green pebbles, giving rise to the name, Green Pebble Beach. The water down here was also calmer, greener and had a sweet, pungent aroma that enveloped you the moment you came close.
As Cindy, Mattheus, Rodney and Alex carefully climbed down the hill, Cindy could hear the ocean’s small waves lapping gently up against the stones.
“Very few people come to this place,” Rodney said as they came to the bottom of the hill. “It’s out of the way, not very restful. Most don’t know about it.”
“Shelly knew about it,” said Mattheus, looking around. “She liked it here. We came a few times. She even took some of these pebbles home.”
Rodney stopped in his tracks. “That’s interesting,” he said. “I had no idea.”
“She loved exploring out of the way, hidden places,” Mattheus went on.
“What did she do with the pebbles?” Rodney asked.
Mattheus shrugged. “I have no idea. What difference does it make?”
“None, I guess,” said Rodney, “but if she knew and liked this place it could mean that she came here of her own volition. The person who killed her might have known it and killed her here, rather than somewhere else and dumped her.
Mattheus shivered. Cindy could see that he was still processing everything, it really wasn’t sinking in.
“Anthony’s our main suspect right now,” Rodney continued, “he knew everything about her, of course.”
Mattheus face grew darker. “This guy’s got a record? He’s done something rotten and lousy before?”
“Nothing much, just a few DWI’s. Some assorted complaints.”
“There’s no way Shelly would have anything to do with someone with DWI’s,” Mattheus said flatly. “She wouldn’t – she was
smart, sharp. She would never willingly choose a guy like that.”
“What are you saying?” asked Rodney.
Mattheus’s brow furled. “The bastard coerced her, kidnapped her, maybe?” He was throwing things out, reaching for an answer, something to hold onto. “Shelly’d been in the grip of a monster – she couldn’t get out.”
Rodney and Alex glanced at one another.
Alex shook his head, “Farfetched,” he responded, as they all proceeded carefully onto the pebbles that led down to the edge of the shore.
“Sounds like your wife was an unusual woman,” Rodney said as they continued to walk.
Cindy’s heart clenched. She knew how painful this had to be for Mattheus. All the coals getting raked up again and again.
“I never thought of her as unusual,” Mattheus said succinctly. “She was great to be with, bright, vivacious, interested in lots of things. She saw more than most people, too. When we came down here sometimes she’d look at the pebbles so closely she could see different colors in them. She’d comment on it. She was a sensitive person, aware of these things. I used to tell her to become an artist, do watercolors of the pebbles if she loved them so much. She just laughed it off.”
This was the first time Cindy had heard this about Shelly. It was also the first time she directly realized how deeply entwined the two of them had been, how alive Mattheus’s feelings for her still were.
Rodney walked over to a coral reef and leaned against it. Alex stepped closer to Mattheus, offering support.
“This is where we found her,” Rodney said solemnly.
Mattheus looked down at ground, horrified.
Clearly Rodney was trying to rattle him up, get him to spill something that would help close the case. Cindy wanted to go over and put her arms around Mattheus, but knew she couldn’t now.
They all looked down at the spot where Shelly’s body had been found. The place was clear now, water running over it lightly, no sign left that a life had been lost right here. The running water washed everything away.
“Was she killed here, or found here?” Mattheus asked, his voice was garbled.
“That’s still an open question,” said Rodney. “There’s no direct evidence of where it happened. We’re just sure of the time.”
“No DNA, fingerprints, anything?” Mattheus managed.
Cindy could hear him forcing himself to get a grip, turn back into a detective.
“No direct evidence,” Rodney answered, “only circumstantial. That’s why the case isn’t closed. Whoever did it knew what they were doing. It wasn’t impulsive. They prepared carefully. My guess is they were waiting to do this for a long time.”
Mattheus’s fist clenched tight. All the years he’d spent hunting down the killer had to be coming back to him now, the hate, the helplessness, the obsession with finding him, with staring him down.
“I want to grill the guy you have in custody, now!” Mattheus’s body was in a knot.
“You will,” said Rodney, “in a little while.”
Rodney sat down on the reef and the rest of them did the same. The sultry evening air drifted around all of them. It felt like a warm blanket, to Cindy, holding them all in its arms.
“Tell me more about your wife,” Rodney said slowly.
“She was a beautiful woman,” Mattheus said mournfully, looking out into the sea. “Smart as hell, graduated first in her class in college, loved to snorkel and dance.” He spoke slowly, savoring each detail.
“You guys went dancing together a lot?” Rodney picked up on that.
In the dim light, Cindy saw Mattheus smile, probably remembering wonderful moments he and Shelly had shared.
“Sometimes,” said Mattheus, “not too much though. I was a busy guy, ran my own company - court reporting. We were growing fast.”
“So I heard,” said Rodney.
“Yeah, I liked it,” said Mattheus. “Had a bunch of people working for me when she disappeared. Times were good. We didn’t have any problems.”
All couples have some problems, thought Cindy. Something had to have been wrong. She wondered if Mattheus really thought that everything was as perfect as he was making it seem.
“We’d just bought a house,” Mattheus went on. “Shelly loved fixing it up.”
“Did she work?” asked Rodney.
“Part time, as a counselor for runaway kids who’d been found and returned home. It was a great job for her. She loved the kids. They loved her.”
“You guys were planning to have a family of your own?” Rodney asked.
“Yeah, of course we were,” said Mattheus. “What has that got to do with anything?”
“Don’t know,” said Rodney, “not sure. Just want to keep looking for something to pop out at me.”
Mattheus made a movement to stand up then. “Nothing’s gonna pop out,” he said. “I haven’t got the faintest idea of why she went missing. There was no reason for it. She could have been drugged and kidnapped and afraid to let me know.”
“That’s a strange theory,” said Rodney.
“What else could it be?” Mattheus sounded forlorn.
“Why would she be afraid to let you know?” Rodney pressed further.
“No reason,” said Mattheus, his voice dipping into gloom. “Shelly always wanted me to think the best of her, was very sensitive about that.”
“And did you?” asked Rodney.
“Of course I did. I told her that over and over. Sometimes she believed me, sometimes she did not.”
“Why didn’t? Were you rough on her?” Rodney wasn’t letting up.
“Never,” said Mattheus, “give me a break! We had a great relationship, you can ask anyone who knew us. It’s all on record. The police up in New Orleans investigated this back and forth. They interviewed everyone we knew. Everyone told them we were the ideal couple. They loved being with us.”
“So, infidelity was never suspected?” Rodney looked Mattheus straight in the eye. “You never thought she played around with anyone else?”
“Never!” Mattheus’s voice got louder.
“It’s not so unusual,” Rodney spoke very calmly.
“I never thought it!” Mattheus refused to even entertain the possibility. “I told you we were happy. She was beautiful, we were satisfied. Why would either of us need anyone else?”
Cindy felt a swift pang in her heart. His feelings for her were still so intense. She could never have filled the place Shelly held for Mattheus. It was good that Cindy had left when she did.
“What did you end up believing about your wife’s disappearance?” Rodney finally asked.
“First I believed one thing and then something else,” said Mattheus. “It was never settled. That’s why it was so hard.”
Mattheus got up from the rocks and began walking back and forth on the green pebbles slowly, his shadow moving against the sky. Rodney got up and walked besides him.
“For years some new piece of information about her would float up,” Mattheus went on, “someone thought they saw her, or they found a letter she wrote. We’d track down each lead and it would amount to nothing. It was impossible for me to put the whole thing to rest. It was starting to drive me really crazy.”
“I can understand that,” said Rodney.”
“I finally decided that she must have been taken by transient who killed her and then disappeared. Lots of those types drift down to New Orleans, and you never see or hear from them again.”
“You could live with that?” asked Rodney.
“Not really,” said Mattheus, his face taut. “But life doesn’t always give you things you can live with. You have to anyway. Finally, I made a break, left the states, moved to Grenada, became a cop, started a new life.”
“That’s a big change,” Rodney noted.
“It was a good thing to do,” said Mattheus. “I like tracking down killers. And, it was incredible when I actually found one, locked them up, closed the case. It was the least I could do.”
&nbs
p; “For Shelly?”
“Yeah, I did it for her, for myself, and for all those others out there who were left devastated when someone they loved was lost.”
Cindy took a deep breath. How well she understood his decision. It hadn’t so different for her and Clint. But one thing was tremendously different. She knew that Clint was dead. Mattheus never really had that closure. How could any of this have ever been settled for him?
Rodney tossed a look at Cindy then. “When did you meet Cindy?” he said off handedly.
“About a year and a half ago,” Mattheus said. “Why?”
“Just wondering,” said Rodney.
“Cindy came down to Grenada to work on a case and we met at the police station. I helped her with it. We became friends, then partners.”
Rodney raised his eyebrows and glanced at Cindy appreciatively. “She’s a beautiful woman,” he said.
Mattheus didn’t like that. “You’re not insinuating anything?” he said.
“No, I’m not,” said Rodney. “Actually, we’ve already checked all your records, the story bears out.”
“Cindy’s husband was also killed,” said Mattheus. “On her honeymoon.”
The cops looked over at her again. “Yes, we heard,” they said quietly. “We’ve also heard that she’s a terrific detective.”
“Exceptional,” said Mattheus, “a natural talent.”
Cindy felt warm inside. It was good to be recognized and acknowledged. It was also good to know that the police had taken the time to carefully check both of their backgrounds. They cared about what they were doing.
“We’ve also heard that the two of you are an item,” said Rodney, off handedly again. He wasn’t letting Mattheus off the hook so easily.
Cindy flushed.
“We were an item,” said Mattheus, definitively. “We broke up last week.”
Rodney looked surprised. “What happened?” It seemed like nothing was off limits for him. He wasn’t leaving any stoned unturned.
“It was too soon for us to get together,” Cindy broke in, calmly.
“Natural that you guys would want to though,” Rodney kept prodding. “It’s understandable.”
“There’s a time for everything,” said Cindy, as Mattheus looked at her closely.