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

by Jaden Skye

  “Dinner’s almost ready,” Ann called in from the kitchen. “Finished unpacking yet?”

  As always Ann’s voice snapped Cindy back to the moment, to what had to tended to right now.

  “I’m almost finished,” Cindy called back.

  “Great,” Ann answered. “It’s so much fun cooking for the two of us again.”

  Cindy stood up and ran her hands through her long, auburn hair. It had grown unwieldy, needed a trimming. She was also hungry and the smell of dinner wafted into the bedroom through the open door.

  “Come eat,” Ann called louder. “I’m hungry. I bet you are, too. You can finish unpacking later.”

  *

  After a delicious dinner of homemade soup, fried chicken and salad, Cindy and Ann went into the living room, dropped down on the charming sofas and kicked their legs up on the old, wooden, slatted coffee table.

  “Nothing changes here,” Cindy murmured.

  Ann smiled. “That’s good,” she said. “We all need a place where nothing changes.”

  Of course by now Cindy knew that was an illusion. Despite the comfort of returning to an old, familiar spot, everything changed all the time. And, Cindy had no idea what she could truly count on anymore.

  “If you want to talk about Mattheus,” Ann started, “I’m all ears.”

  Cindy couldn’t bring herself to though, right now. It was all too fresh. She’d been enjoying living with the memory of Clint, didn’t want to go think of Mattheus at all.

  “Not yet,” Cindy put up her hand to halt the conversation.

  “Okay, I get it,” said Ann. “You need to unwind. He hurt you too much.”

  “It’s not that he hurt me, he took me by surprise, knocked me off balance,” Cindy replied, feeling winded. “I’ve lost my bearings for a little while.”

  “Not good,” Ann responded.

  “And I do need to unwind,” Cindy agreed, grateful that Ann wasn’t pushing it. There’d be plenty of time to talk about Mattheus later. Right now she just wanted to get him out of her mind.

  “The welcome home party for you is at one o’clock tomorrow,” Ann quickly changed the topic. “Lots of people who love you and care about you are all still around. They’re excited to see you again.”

  Cindy couldn’t say she felt the same way. She would have actually preferred time alone to herself, but she would never say that to her sister.

  “Thanks so much for arranging everything so beautifully, Ann,” Cindy replied.

  “Thank you for returning,” Ann whispered.

  *

  Cindy was determined to look beautiful for the welcome home party. She slept late and awoke refreshed after a thankfully deep and dreamless sleep. Then, right after breakfast she retreated to the bathroom to spend lots of time getting ready. Cindy drew a hot, bubbly bath which she soaked in for a long, long time. Then she shampooed and dried her lavish hair and brushed it until it shone. After a quick manicure, she chose a lovely, amber wool dress that was hanging in the closet. Once dressed she sprayed on a bit of her favorite lavender perfume and finally felt ready to face the world once again.

  When Cindy finally stepped back out into the living room, Ann, took a deep breath.

  “Wow,” she said, “you look fantastic! Like you’ve walked off the cover of a magazine. Nobody would ever know you’ve been through hell.”

  Cindy smiled, “thanks Ann.”

  *

  At one o’clock sharp, the doorbell rang and the guests started arriving. To Cindy’s surprise, she was happy to have them around her. It was fun to step back into time, even for an afternoon. In the festive atmosphere, Cindy felt as though she were picking up from where she left off.

  Two of the women who’d been part of Cindy’s book club in Cove Bay, Alana and Jewel, were the first to arrive. They walked in, took off their coats and rushed over to Cindy all smiles.

  “My goodness we’ve heard all the wonderful things you’ve been doing,” Alana started, staring at Cindy.

  “You’re famous,” Jewel echoed, reaching over to give Cindy a hug.

  “Is it true that you’re really coming back to live here?” Alana interrupted. “You know how rumors fly wild in Cove’s Bay.”

  The doorbell rang again and in walked some of Clint’s old friends, Tina, Barbara and Moira. They walked in together, had obviously met up before they arrived.

  “Cindy, it’s so fabulous to see you,” Tina came over first. “It’s a bit like having Clint back, even.” Then she caught herself, wondering if she should have said that.

  The other two women quickly joined her, interrupting what could have been an awkward moment.

  The doorbell kept ringing and Ann kept opening it, welcoming everybody.

  Cindy chatted with the women, as the door opened again and Al, Clint’s best man arrived. He carried a large food basket with him and was bundled in a heavy coat.

  Ann took the basket and thanked him as the doorbell rang again. This time Reverend Tom Mallord walked in. He was the pastor who’d married Cindy and Clint.

  Cindy began to feel strange, and wondered what Ann had told everyone about her plans.

  “Cindy, how absolutely wonderful to see you,” Al came right over to her now, took her hands and looked into her eyes. It was clear to Cindy, that Al had been missing Clint a lot and

  having Cindy here was a welcome connection to him. “You look absolutely beautiful,” Al went on, stepping back and looking at her, surprised. “Seems like the adventurous life has treated you well.”

  Cindy hardly knew what to make of the comment. She imagined they all had their own ideas about what she’d been doing. Cindy suddenly wondered if they knew about Mattheus and what they might think of that.

  “And, at the same time, we’re all glad your time as a detective is over,” Al went on. “In truth, it made everyone nervous.”

  “Over?” Cindy asked uneasy.

  “Your sister Ann told us the good news that you’re returning,” Al said. Then he stopped a moment and took in Cindy’s surprise. “It’s true isn’t it?”

  Cindy simply smiled. She didn’t want to let anyone know how annoyed she was feeling with Ann at the moment. Cindy realized that this was Ann’s way of helping Cindy settle, by providing an anchor for her here so she wouldn’t take off again. She looked over at Ann happily serving quiche and warm punch, making everyone feel at home.

  “And how have you been Al?” Cindy asked, simply changing the topic.

  “I’m good,” he said whole heartedly. “And I’m even better since I was able to do a real favor for my old friend, Clint.”

  Cindy looked at him puzzled.

  “Come here, sit down on the sofa,” Al said, excited. “I have something great to tell you.”

  Dismayed, Cindy went with him to the sofa, and sat down.

  Al took her hands and squeezed them.

  “Listen, Cindy, as soon as I heard you were coming back, I knew it wouldn’t be so easy to make the adjustment, so I took the liberty of helping a little. I called a good friend of mine at a top newspaper in Manhattan.” Al was speaking so quickly Cindy could barely follow him. “How would you like a column of your own as a crime reporter for the New York Herald?”

  Cindy gasped. The New York Herald was one of the best papers in the world. That had to be anyone’s dream job.

  “In all truth,” Al went on, “they’d be lucky to have you. And also, you’ve returned at the perfect moment. There’s an opening right now for a crime reporter to have their own column. The guy who used to write the column just left. With all the success, publicity and newspaper experience you’ve had, the job’s a natural fit for you.”

  This was hard to take in. “Talk more slowly, Al,” Cindy breathed, wanted to make sure she was hearing correctly.

  Al grinned. “Sure. My friend Hal’s in charge of hiring and he’s excited about you. Of course he wants to meet you and talk to you in person, but basically, between you and me, the job’s yours if you want it.”
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br />   Cindy was stunned. She stared into Al’s eyes. They looked hopeful and sad at the same time. She could see how badly he wanted to make things right for his dear friend’s widow.

  “Thank you so very much for your efforts, Al,” Cindy said, feeling a bit woozy. Things were happening too fast. Although she’d loved working on a paper and always dreamt of one day having her own column, she hadn’t expected it to happen just yet.

  “You have to let Hal know by day after tomorrow,” said Al. “They need someone on this right away.”

  “I’m really grateful to you,” Cindy said and meant it. “I need to sleep on it.”

  Al seemed slightly taken aback. “Okay,” he said, “no problem. But I thought you’d jump on it just like that.”

  Cindy didn’t just jump on anything just like that anymore. Her experience investigating cases now made her pause and take a closer look at everything. Of course it seemed that Al had only the best intentions. But as Cindy listened to him she also remembered how Al had sent that photo of Clint’s old girl friend, Heather, to Clint just before the wedding. Clint had never received it, but Cindy did. Clint never found out that his girlfriend had given birth to his child a few years before. Al knew the truth though. He also knew that she was happily married when the photo arrived and her husband thought the child was his. Cindy always wondered why Al had sent Clint the photo. Had he wanted to break up Clint’s relationship with Cindy? Everyone else had tried to. Was Al making amends for this now by getting Cindy this column? Or, was there something else he had in mind?

  The job sounds wonderful,” Cindy reassured Al, who was looking at her quizzically.

  “But you’re not one hundred per cent positive,” Al echoed.

  “Not yet,” she answered. “Can I sleep on it?”

  Fortunately, just then Pastor Mallord came over and interrupted the conversation.

  “Cindy, my goodness, you look wonderful,” he said, “so good to see you.”

  Cindy’s eyes filled with tears at the sight of this kind man. She remembered how deeply he’d cared for her during her ordeal and the little Bible he’d left for her as a gift. It had to still be tucked away in her room.

  “You’ve become a great force for the good, Cindy,” Pastor Mallord was saying now. “We’re so proud of you. You’re incredibly courageous. You’ve helped many.”

  “Thank you, thank you,” Cindy felt humbled.

  “Don’t give up, never give up,” he went on, “I’m sure there are many more victims of crime out there who are waiting for your help.”

  Cindy shivered. She felt it too, but had no idea what her next steps would be. Was Pastor Mallord giving her a message, and what did it have to do with this job offer she’d just received from Al?

  Chapter 3

  After everyone had left, Ann and Cindy were sitting on bed talking and Cindy told Ann about Al’s offer.

  “This is a fantastic, amazing offer,” Ann said, her eyes getting big.

  “There’s no way I can make up my mind about it overnight,” Cindy replied.

  “Just go meet the guy,” Ann insisted, “let him know you need a little think to think about it.”

  “Maybe?” said Cindy.

  “Maybe?” Ann was astonished. “This is too good to pass up. I remember all the years growing up, you always dreamt of having a column of your own.”

  “That was then,” said Cindy.”There’s no reason for me to trust Al. He was involved with sending Clint that photo before the wedding, do you remember?”

  “I do now that you’ve reminded me,” said Ann. “But what has that got to do with anything now?”

  “Who knows?” shrugged Cindy. “Why would Al be so interested in setting this up for me? It really doesn’t make sense.”

  “You’re becoming paranoid, Cindy,” Ann looked horrified.

  “No, just careful,” Cindy replied. “There’s a web of strange relationships here in Cove Bay. Al’s close to Clint’s family. They couldn’t stand me from the beginning, never wished me well.”

  “Marge told me she wants to straighten that all out,” Ann interrupted.

  “I’m not so sure,” said Cindy. “Why would she? She’s tricky, you know that.”

  “Cindy,” Ann put her hand on Cindy’s arm, “this is not a case you’re investigating. This is life, people can be trusted. They aren’t all criminals. Being a detective is making you paranoid.”

  “There’s a fine line between being paranoid and being smart and vigilant, Ann. You have to consider all the angles.”

  “That’s a terrible way to live,” Ann breathed, “not trusting anyone.”

  “Of course I trust - when my trust has been earned,” Cindy quickly replied.

  “Well, thank God I’m not on your list of suspects,” Ann grinned, trying to break the tension that was forming.

  Cindy smiled back. “Of course you aren’t, but we don’t really know Al, do we? How do we know he’s not setting me up?”

  Ann got up from the edge of the bed. “Cindy, it’s just an interview with a guy at the paper. Go check out the situation yourself. Take time to think it over. If they really want you, they’ll give you the time you need to make a decision. For all you know, it might be something you’d love to do.”

  There was no arguing Ann’s logic, there never was. But Cindy still felt hesitant. Suddenly she thought of Mattheus and wondered what he was doing right at that moment. By now he’d probably arrived in Anguilla. Had he met up with his daughter or her mother yet? Cindy wondered what it would be like for him, seeing the woman again he’d had a child with, after all these years. Although Cindy definitely didn’t want to go forward with Mattheus, it was hard to imagine never seeing him again. She thought of his handsome, suntanned face and the picture of her walking with him on the sandy beaches flashed through mind. She thought of the excitement they always felt tackling a new case together. The two of them had been good in so many ways, despite the endless ups and downs.

  “If I took the job it would be the end of my time in the Caribbean,” Cindy said, musing out loud.

  Ann looked at Cindy closely then. “The job at the paper would mean that you’d be based in New York for now, that’s all,” she said.

  Cindy swallowed hard. It was too much to decide all at once.

  Ann tried to soften things. “You’d be here for as long as the job lasted,” she went on. “You’d make new friends, take on new challenges. Who knows, you might even like it better than being away from your entire family all the time?”

  Cindy felt a moment of remorse, but let it slide.

  “You could always return to the Caribbean, if you had to,” Ann was doing her best to cover all bases.

  “That’s true,” said Cindy.

  “You might not ever have to, though,” Ann went on, hopeful. “For all you know you might meet a wonderful guy and settle up here. The two of you might have children. You’ve always wanted children. I always thought you’d be a wonderful mother, Cindy.”

  Tears filled Cindy’s eyes. She’d always thought so too. She remembered how she and Mattheus had been recently talking about having a family, how wonderful that had felt, how

  badly she’d wanted to have a child with him. She’d also dreamt of having a family with Clint. Neither had worked out. She couldn’t go through this again.

  Cindy looked straight into Ann’s eyes then. She could see that Ann only wanted the very best for Cindy, and to have her dear sister close.

  “Of course it’s true, Ann, anything can happen,” Cindy said, wanting to ease her sister’s feelings. “Who knows who I could meet?”

  Ann snapped that right up. “You could be happy here Cindy, finally settle down. Then you might not be so addicted to living in the Caribbean and putting yourself into danger over and over solving horrible crimes.”

  “It’s not an addiction,” Cindy protested.

  “What is it then?” Ann was insistent.

  “I’m needed there,” Cindy responded. “I know the te
rrain, and the ways people operate. It’s complicated, a tangled web. On the surface it looks beautiful, but you can’t imagine what goes on underneath, on winding streets and in hidden corners. It can be truly dark and dangerous. People get killed and no one cares.”

  Ann wouldn’t have any of it, though. “That’s not why you stay down there,” she was exasperated. “You stay in the Caribbean to re-live what happened with Clint. You feel responsible for it and want make it right, again and again. You feel it’s up to you to bring all killers to justice. It doesn’t make sense.”

  “It makes perfect sense,” said Cindy. “I am responsible for justice, so are you and everyone else.”

  “But I don’t spend my time hunting down killers,” said Ann. “I live a normal life and do what I can to help when a situation presents itself. You actively go hunting.”

  “And I like doing it!” said Cindy, feeling a rush of pride, thinking of the exquisite triumph of the moment when the true culprit in a case was revealed and taken into custody. There was nothing like it. It was as though the world, which had been out of kilter, was suddenly set straight again. Someone wrongly accused, was often set free. The pain of a family eased, fear dissipated. It was like watching the sun come out after a horrible storm. If Cindy was addicted, it was to that moment, to feeling she’d set things right in the world once again. “I like it, Ann, I really do,” she insisted.

  Ann let out a long, troubled sigh. “Cindy, in your mind you’re getting revenge on Clint’s killer again and again. I’m telling you, it’s an addiction.”

  “That minimizes what I do. It offends me,” Cindy protested. “Someone has to step forward and bring justice.”

  Cindy jumped up off the edge of the bed then and started walking around the room, to release the tension that was forming. As she moved about her eyes fell upon the small, bible that Pastor Mallord have given her when Clint died. It was still there, where she had left it.

  Cindy paused, went over and picked the bible up. It was comforting to hold it. She opened the pages randomly, and her eyes fell upon the following words:

  What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?