Death by Engagement

by Jaden Skye

  “Nothing much, after all.” Deidre laughed oddly then. “I never really knew how she even ever got a guy like Doug to like her. They met when she was a freshman in college. He always seemed so bright to me. I guess bright guys like dumb girls,” Deidre finally said.

  “Was Shari dumb?” Cindy was horrified to hear her twin sister talking this way about her now.

  “Shari wasn’t dumb, but she played dumb,” said Deidre. “She didn’t speak up, she didn’t speak back. She let our father fill her with drugs. She gave guys what they wanted. Most of them, anyway.”

  The picture Deidre was painting of Shari chilled Cindy to the bone. That was not at all the impression Cindy had of her when they met briefly.

  “That wasn’t the impression I had of Shari when we met.” Cindy had to say that.

  Deidre was surprised. “When did you actually meet her?” she asked.

  “Your sister and Doug ran into me and my fiancé while we were all looking for wedding venues,” Cindy replied.

  Deidre seemed fascinated. “I hadn’t heard anything about that,” she said. “You’re engaged, too? You’re also looking for a place to get married?”

  “Yes, I am,” Cindy answered quietly.

  “You don’t sound particularly thrilled about it, either,” Deidre remarked.

  “Either?” What do you mean,” asked Cindy. “Shari wasn’t thrilled?”

  “Shari said she was thrilled, she acted thrilled, but I had my doubts. After all, even though she was engaged she was still writing to Tad every day and hearing back from him.”

  “Who’s Tad?” asked Cindy, afraid.

  “He’s a guy Shari went out with when she and Doug were broken up the last time,” Deidre went on. “They were broken up for at least six months, not long ago. You know Shari and Doug were always on and off.”

  A few bats woke up and suddenly fluttered past the ledge Cindy and Deidre sat on.

  “Shari just met Tad when she was recently broken up?” asked Cindy.

  “No, they all knew each other in college. Tad and Shari were friends for a long time. They only just began dating though, when she and Doug broke up this last time. I was happy about it, it made sense to me. Tad was more Shari’s kind of guy.”

  “What kind was that?” asked Cindy.

  “Tad’s a simple guy who wears his heart on his sleeve,” said Deidre. “Tad’s not sophisticated and tricky like Doug is, who’s always keeping you guessing. Shari didn’t have to be anyone special for Tad. He was crazy about her just as she was. Anyone could see that.”

  “You dislike Doug?” Cindy asked carefully then.

  “No, just the opposite,” said Deidre, waving away a new string of bats. “I like Doug, I always did. He knows what he wants and he gets it. I respect him.”

  “And Shari was what he wanted,” Cindy commented.

  “Yeah, I guess so,” said Deidre, suddenly deflated, “maybe she was.”

  “Maybe?” Cindy was stunned.

  “I always thought that Cayenne, the woman Doug was seeing when he and Shari broke up, was much better for him. She was smart like him and tricky. Things finally seemed to fall into place when Doug was dating Cayenne and Shari was with Tad. I liked it.”

  “And then what happened?” Cindy was intrigued.

  “That’s the real question, isn’t it?” said Deidre, wrinkling her brow.

  “Have any ideas?” asked Cindy.

  “Sure, I have ideas,” said Deidre, “but why don’t you ask Tad that directly yourself.”

  “Does Tad know what happened to Shari?” Cindy asked, nervously.

  “I don’t think anyone’s told him yet,” said Deidre. “My father forbid us to put it on Facebook, or say anything about it to the world, yet.”

  “Will you give me Tad’s number?” asked Cindy then quietly.

  “I definitely will,” said Deidre, as wave upon wave of sleeping bats awoke, stretched their wings and headed for the opening of the cave, desperate to find supper.

  Chapter 10

  The minute Cindy returned to the hotel and got into her room, she put a call in to Tad. Thankfully, Mattheus wasn’t there yet, and she could do this in private.

  A soft male voice picked up the phone as soon as it rang. “Yes?” he asked expectantly.

  For a moment Cindy couldn’t say a word.

  “Is this you, Shari? Are you calling from Aruba?” The excitement grew as he spoke.

  “Tad?” Cindy replied in response. “This is Cindy Blaine calling from Aruba.”

  “Cindy who? Do I know you?” he asked, taken aback.

  “No, you don’t,” replied Cindy. “I got your contact information from Shari’s sister, Deidre.”

  “Are you a friend of Shari’s?” Tad went on, nervously.

  “I met Shari, but I’m not exactly her friend,” Cindy spoke slowly and methodically.

  “What’s this about?” Tad was becoming anxious. “Why are you calling?”

  Cindy wanted to break the news slowly and carefully to him. “Shari’s sister Deidre said you were an important person to Shari,” Cindy went on.

  “I was? I am,” Tad replied.

  “The two of you dated recently?” Cindy asked cautiously.

  “We were friends for years and then we dated.” Tad’s voice became pressured and tense.

  Cindy felt saddened by the sincerity in Tad’s voice.

  “There’s been some trouble down here,” Cindy went on softly.

  “The engagement’s been called off?” Tad started to get excited.

  “No, nothing like that,” Cindy replied, jarred.

  “What then?” Now Tad sounded frightened.

  Cindy knew she had to get it over with, tell him what had happened. “Shari took her life, two days ago,” Cindy spoke in just a barely audible tone.

  The horror on the other side of the phone was palpable. ““What? What do you mean took her life?”

  “Shari was found at the bottom of a cliff, here in Aruba. She left a suicide note,” Cindy said.

  “I don’t believe you,” Tad started screaming. “It didn’t happen. Is this some kind of horrible joke?”

  “I wish it was,” said Cindy.

  “It’s not possible.” Tad became adamant then. “Shari didn’t kill herself, she never would. She loved life too much, she loved me too much.” Then he became utterly silent.

  “She loved you too much?” Cindy didn’t know what to make of it.

  “She had too much to live for!” Tad corrected himself, hopelessly.

  “Yes, of course, I understand,” said Cindy, “but didn’t Shari also suffer from long-standing depression? Perhaps that caused her to jump?”

  “Nonsense,” Tad bellowed, in pain. “Shari felt better than she ever had these past months. She even stopped taking her medicine while we were dating. She didn’t need it anymore. We were happy.” Tad’s voice began wavering as if he were about to break into sobs. “Listen, I’m coming right down to Aruba. What’s the hotel her family’s staying in?”

  Cindy gave him the information and he hung up without another word.

  After Cindy put the phone down, she took a glass of water, drank it quickly and then went out onto the balcony to breathe some fresh ocean air and clear her mind. Was it possible that Shari was in love with Tad, and couldn’t bring herself to either marry Doug or break off the engagement? Did the bitter conflict cause her to end her life? This new possibility made Cindy feel dizzy. She lifted her head up toward the sky that had grown darker. Strong winds were picking up and Cindy felt them pushing forcefully against her. Even though this was hurricane season most of the local storms usually passed Aruba’s coastline. There was some blowback though, and Cindy wondered if these harsh winds weren’t the back end of some storm raging close by.

  “Cindy, are you here?” Cindy heard Mattheus’s voice now calling.

  “I’m out on the balcony, Mattheus, come out,” she called, relieved that he was back.

  “I’m coming,” he
called and in a minute was out there beside her, his arms flung around her strongly.

  “Backend of a nearby storm,” Mattheus commented as the strong winds blew at both of them.

  Cindy turned and faced Mattheus then, feeling shakier than she’d realized.

  “I just put a call in to a guy named Tad, a recent ex-boyfriend of Shari’s,” Cindy said. “I had to give him the news. He’s on his way down here now, devastated.”

  “A recent ex-boyfriend?” Mattheus asked, his brow curling. “Something serious?”

  “Sounds like it, from the way he took the news,” said Cindy. “Shari’s sister, Deidre, thought so, too. Shari dated him while Doug and Cayenne were dating.”

  “How recently did all this go on?” asked Mattheus, puzzled.

  “In the past year, I believe,” said Cindy. “Doug and Shari were broken up for about six months and dated other people. Then they got back together and got engaged.”

  “That’s not such an unusual story,” said Mattheus. “Lots of time there’s that one last fling before two people tie the knot. This way they’re absolutely positive that they’re right for each other.”

  It definitely made sense, but still Cindy didn’t know why she felt so uneasy about it. Perhaps it was the depth of the despair in Tad’s voice.

  “I just spent some time with Doug,” Mattheus went on. “He’s a lovely guy. Awful that this happened to him. He’s holding up quite well, though. His family just arrived and I asked if you and I could speak to them after they settled in a bit. Doug agreed immediately. He’s not hiding anything.”

  Cindy thought that she’d like to speak to Doug’s ex-girlfriend Cayenne, too, but didn’t say so. She didn’t want to make things more complicated than they were already becoming. Clearly, Mattheus thought they were sailing on a breeze and would be done with the case before she knew it. Cindy felt otherwise.

  “Oh yes, one more quick piece of news,” Mattheus just remembered. “Your mom and Frank are also on the way to Aruba as we speak.”

  Cindy felt jarred. “On their way down here? That’s not just a piece quick news, it’s a bombshell,” she replied. “I don’t know why they didn’t check with me about it first.”

  “They checked with me.” Mattheus smiled.

  “We’re in over our heads as it is. The last thing we need is to spend time with them.” Cindy was uneasy.

  “Not at all,” said Mattheus. “By the time they arrive and settle in, as I see it, our work will be practically done. We can certainly take some time for a family dinner then.”

  “Practically done?” Cindy was astonished.

  “Sure,” said Mattheus. “There’s hasn’t been a piece of evidence to contradict the conclusion that Shari committed suicide.”

  “Plenty of innuendos, though,” Cindy remarked, irritated, “and plenty of trails that haven’t been fully followed.”

  “Cindy, come on, remember what you promised? We’d go over it for a few days and it would be done?”

  “And what if we come to a bump in the road? What then?” asked Cindy, flummoxed.

  “If we come to a significant bump, we’ll deal with it then. But we haven’t,” Mattheus repeated.

  Cindy hadn’t told Mattheus about her time with Deidre in detail, though, and didn’t plan to at the moment.

  “Well, Tad’s on the way down right now, too,” Cindy said. “It’s going to be very important to talk to him.”

  “Why? What are you trying to make of all this?” Mattheus wasn’t impressed. “Are you looking for reasons to prolong the investigation?”

  Cindy’s heart missed a beat. Mattheus wasn’t truly on board, certainly not the way he used to be. He had jumped in, as he said, to expedite matters. But he wasn’t here wholeheartedly, truly open to exploring the possibility that something here was deeply amiss, and there was a deeper reason why Shari had lost her life.

  “Listen, we’ll talk to Doug’s family first thing in the morning.” Mattheus interrupted Cindy’s train of thought. “They’ve come down to comfort their son. If there’s any hidden mystery waiting, there’s a good chance they’ll let us know.”

  “Okay,” Cindy agreed, trying to act cheerful but feeling deeply crestfallen within.

  “And for now, finally, we can spend a little time alone.” Mattheus reached out to Cindy. “We’ll order dinner in, watch a movie, hang out in each other’s arms.”

  “Sounds great,” said Cindy, but was distressed to notice that deep within, she was pulling away.

  *

  First thing the next morning, Cindy and Mattheus spoke with Doug’s family. They all decided to meet downstairs in the outdoor gazebo, located on the rim of beautiful walking paths that wound through the hotel grounds.

  Cindy and Mattheus walked there together slowly. “You don’t seem yourself,” Mattheus commented lightly as they approached. “You didn’t seem yourself last night, either.”

  “Just a lot going on,” Cindy responded as they moved along, spotting the gazebo close up ahead. The gazebo was open in all directions to trees, sky, hills and a magnificent flower garden that stretched out to the side. Little tables and chairs were placed inside, so guests could stop there for a while to refresh themselves.

  When Cindy and Mattheus arrived, she saw a few tables pulled together. Four people were already seated, and there was easily room for a few others to join in. The group had to be Doug’s family, Cindy thought as she and Mattheus walked in.

  “Good of you to join us.” An older man, dressed in linen slacks and expensive shirt, stood up and walked over to Mattheus. “Doug tells us fine things about the two of you.” This had to be Doug’s father, thought Cindy.

  “Thanks for taking the time to talk to us in the midst of your ordeal,” Mattheus replied.

  Doug’s father nodded briskly and led Cindy and Mattheus over to the tables.

  “This is my wife, Andrea, and my daughter, Kate,” he went on.

  Cindy smiled at the two women who looked up and scanned her quickly from top to toe. Andrea was an attractive, well-groomed middle-aged woman who sat there stone-faced, as if she were doing her best to distance herself from these terrible events. The daughter, Kate, was more animated. She had long dark hair and flashing eyes which lingered on Cindy curiously. Cindy slid into the chair beside Kate as Mattheus sat near the father.

  “Cindy and I will just take a few moments of your time,” Mattheus started.

  “Take all the time you need,” Andrea responded flatly, looking past Mattheus into the distance.

  “I know this must come as a terrible shock to all of you,” Mattheus continued, obviously probing for a response.

  “Not for all of us,” Kate piped up vividly.

  “Tone it down, Kate.” Her father raised his hand toward her.

  “Sorry,” Kate said and retreated, unsure of how to go on.

  “Kate and Shari were never the very best of friends,” Andrea spoke flatly. “They got along decently, of course, but big sisters can be overly protective of their younger brothers.”

  “You didn’t like Shari?” Cindy asked Kate, wanting to go forward with the line of questioning.

  “Of course I liked her,” Kate backed off. “Everyone liked her, she was very likeable. She made a point of being that way.”

  “Shari was gracious to everyone,” Andrea chimed in, once again. “That was a lovely quality about her.”

  “I just never thought she and Doug were the best suited couple.” Kate tried to elaborate on how she felt.

  “Family members are not in a position to determine who is best suited to their loved ones,” Doug’s father piped up. “We have to honor the choices our children make. Doug and Shari knew each other for years, they had plenty of time to find out about each other for themselves and make their own decisions.”

  Doug looked at his father thankfully. Obviously Doug and his father got on well, and it also seemed that Doug’s father’s opinion of him mattered a great deal to Doug.

  “Than
ks for that, Dad,” Doug commented.

  “I’m proud of my son,” Doug’s father continued. “He’s handling this better than any of us could have ever imagined.”

  “None of us could ever have imagined anything like this, Fred,” Andrea piped up then. “Doug’s still numb, the reality can’t have possibly hit him yet.”

  Andrea interested Cindy a great deal. She seemed grounded and smart.

  “How did you feel about your son’s upcoming marriage?” Cindy asked her directly.

  “I was resigned to it,” Andrea responded bluntly. “Doug and I discussed the pros and cons many times. But ultimately, I agree with my husband, the choice of my son’s mate was up to him.”

  “What were some of the cons?” Cindy couldn’t help but asking.

  “Do we really have to go into this now, just when Shari’s died?” Doug was becoming flustered. “Isn’t this the time to speak well of her, remember her kindly?”

  “Doug’s just like my mom in many ways,” Kate couldn’t help but speak up. “He always thinks deeply about what’s right for all.”

  “Thank you, Kate.” Andrea took that as a compliment, turned to her daughter and managed a taut smile.

  “I’m not as tactful as my mother, though,” Kate couldn’t help but add. “And I’m not as forgiving. I like to say what’s on my mind at all times.”

  “Was there something you had to forgive Shari for?” Cindy was right on it. It was her job to discover hidden dissension, and she was good at it.

  “I didn’t mean it that way,” Kate replied. “Shari never did anything to me or anyone. But since we’re talking about it honestly, let me just say I was always worried about her mood swings.”

  “She had mood swings or depression?” Mattheus intervened then.

  “Both, I guess,” said Kate. “They’re the same, aren’t they?”

  “Not exactly, but go on,” Mattheus was becoming more engaged.

  Kate jumped on it, obviously needing to talk. “You’d make an appointment with Shari and she wouldn’t show. Everyone thought it was cute, but not me. I thought she just didn’t care enough. And I wondered how could someone like that make a good wife for my brother?” Kate seemed to feel victorious at having finally said what was on her mind.