The Empty Chair ~ Murder in the Caribbean

by Penny Goetjen

  The detective gave his assurances her father would be dealt with fairly, and he apologized for the way it turned out. If there was a misunderstanding like her father insisted, he would be released as soon as it was cleared up.

  Leaving the detective behind at the curb, Olivia carried her heavy heart toward the airline ticket counters, pulling her father’s rolling suitcase behind her. Trying to shrug off the buzz around her, Olivia scanned the crowd until her eyes came to rest on a familiar face. She stopped dead in her tracks.

  Leaning up against one of the round cement pillars along the sidewalk, a man held a small black puppy in one arm. His other arm was in a sling. A larger dog sat obediently at his feet. The man was smiling at her.

  As a rush of conflicting emotions overwhelmed her, she did her best to sort through them and consider her next words.

  “Where the hell have you been?” Anger won out over the rest of her feelings.

  He closed his eyes as if wincing in pain.

  Glancing at his sling, she crept a few steps closer. She felt herself soften but vowed not to give in entirely until she got an explanation.

  Watching him slowly open his eyes, she detected a look of remorse, as if he were pleading with her to forgive him.

  “So, what happened?” She wasn’t going to ask why he hadn’t called. That sounded entirely desperate, and she certainly wasn’t going to let herself slip into that category.

  “I’m glad I caught up to you before you took off.” He ignored her question, laughing somewhat nervously.

  Olivia didn’t share his amusement.

  “It was like you fell off the grid.” Extending her arm, she finished her sentence with a flourish.

  “Yeah, it’s been ridiculously frustrating being without a phone.”

  Biting her lip, it took everything she had not to react. Was he really going to pull the “my phone died” excuse? Trying to stay calm, she pushed further.

  “What happened?” she demanded more firmly, not wanting to drag the story out of him. “I imagined the worst when I didn’t hear from you.”

  Lifting his injured arm, he raised his eyebrows as if to ask why she hadn’t put the pieces together yet. “I lost my phone the other night, along with all my contacts in it, the same time I got this.” He paused and his expression turned stern. “You never came back to my place. I stopped by your mother’s a few times but, of course, you weren’t . . .” His voice trailed off.

  “It was you that night.” Terrifying images crashed through her mind from the landfill. “I’m sorry you got hurt. . . . It was because of me, wasn’t it? You came after me, didn’t you?” The blame lay firmly on her. “I should never have gone in there. Oh, what was I thinking? I’m so sorry, Colton.”

  Relieved he was okay, she felt herself falling for his sparkling blue eyes all over again.

  “Yeah, I was shocked to see your car at the end of Landfill Road.” He reached out and pulled her toward him. She hugged him gingerly, trying to avoid his injured arm and the tiny puppy, remaining close with her hands on his hips after their embrace. They kissed passionately, stirring feelings inside her again.

  “I know it was foolish, but I wanted to find out what my mother had gotten involved in.”

  “You put yourself in incredible danger, Olivia.”

  “I know. And you as well. I’m sorry.”

  Standing together in the warmth of the Caribbean sunshine, they reflected on how lucky they both were to have survived, relatively unscathed. Colton brought it back to the present.

  “And from what I understand, this little guy belongs to you.” He handed her the squirming furry pup who promptly washed her cheek with his rough, wet tongue.

  She recognized him from the fateful night. He had a small white bandage on his side she imagined was keeping stiches clean. “How did you know?”

  “I know some people down at the shelter. We got it all figured out.”

  The twinkle in his eyes suggested it was more complicated than he was revealing.

  “That’s where I got Jake.” Colton reached down and stroked his loyal dog’s head.

  Olivia pulled the puppy in close. His tiny pink tongue darted in an out wildly until it found her nose. Burying her face in his soft warm fur, she was relieved he smelled noticeably better than the first time they had met. The humane society had taken good care of the pup.

  “I’m thrilled to see him again.” Her heart swelled with puppy love. “Thanks for bringing the little guy.”

  “You can take him with you. I brought a dog carrier you can use for the trip. It’s regulation size for the airlines. They shouldn’t have a problem with it. They’re used to dogs being rescued off the island all the time. There’s one condition if I loan it to you, though.”

  She furrowed her brow and looked at him expectantly. “And that is . . .”

  “You have to bring it back.” He smiled coyly.

  She returned his smile, loving the idea.

  Leaving Colton at his position on the pillar, Olivia checked in with the airline. Before she entered the double doors to get into line for Customs, Olivia bolted back toward the sidewalk to Colton with the puppy tucked under her arm.

  “Did they give you any problems with the pup?”

  “Oh, they pushed back a little and told me I should have made arrangements ahead of time, but I wasn’t going to take no for an answer. I just waited patiently until the ladies behind the counter had their say. If you keep your mouth shut and let them talk long enough, they talk themselves into it.” She giggled softly.

  He chuckled in response to her somewhat limited, yet effective, street savvy.

  She grabbed him around the waist with her free arm and kissed him passionately again, hanging on longer than the previous encounter. It had to last her all the way back to Boston. They separated and looked deep into each other’s eyes.

  “I will be back . . . soon.” She placed one more kiss on his lips and then turned and walked away to face the unenviable task of accompanying her mother back to the States one last time. Reluctantly closing the distance between her and the door to Customs, Olivia turned back to wave one more time and silently mouthed, “Good-bye.” Feeling heartbroken with her eyes brimming, she swiftly brushed away a tear before it could spill over onto her cheek. Colton’s eyes seemed to reach out to her in her sorrow.

  Raising his hand to wave in return, Colton watched as the doors closed behind her. The tips of his fingers curled and his arm drooped as if from an imperceptible weight, but then smoothly transitioned toward his loyal companion. Reaching down he stroked the coarse fur on Jake’s back, a wistful feeling churning in his abdomen. He and Jake slowly headed back to his Jeep, plodding along. There was nowhere they needed to be any time soon.

  CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

  Olivia took one look at the long line, predominantly made up of tourists who snaked their way up and back within the black ribbon line dividers, and her eyelashes fluttered in aggravation. It was going to be a long, sweltering wait. Taking a second glance around, she had to admit it was an interesting crowd.

  Next to her in line was a family that could easily have been the same dysfunctional foursome from Izzies. In front of them was a young couple leaning into each other with interlaced hands, who looked to be heading home from their honeymoon. On the other side of her was a middle-aged guy with dark skin, dreadlocks, and a guitar at his feet whose head bobbed to inaudible music. There were no visible headphones.

  Amused by the characters surrounding her, she hid her smirking face in the soft fur of her little pup. Euphoric to be reunited with the little guy, it occurred to her he would need a name, but she wanted to take the time to give that some thought. It was important to get to know him first, so that task was pushed to a back burner.

  A boisterous voice from behind her came from an elderly woman.

  “Isn’t he the lucky one to get rescued!” she gushed, her voice uncomfortably louder than it needed to be.

  Olivia turned toward he
r, and the woman gasped as she took in the full view of the sweet pup.

  She was a short, heavyset woman, dressed in a short-sleeved white polyester pantsuit and matching white high-heeled sandals that made her look like she was teetering on the brink of falling. She sported short, bleach blonde hair that stuck out on the sides and round tortoise shell glasses too large for her face. Thick lenses magnified her large brown bloodshot eyes framed with heavy mascara-coated lashes. Her lips were puffy and accentuated by bright orange-red lip color. Beads of moisture randomly punctuated her forehead. Her meek and mild husband looked like a “yes dear” kind of spouse and stood behind his wife, dressed in shades of beige.

  “Oh! He is just precious! Look at those sweet brown eyes.” Her voice escalated with each sentence as she reached out to pet his fur.

  The elderly woman’s unexpected advance caused Olivia to flinch away from her. The pup shivered in response, nuzzling his head into her neck.

  “He’s a little shy,” Olivia explained, shielding her little furry friend.

  The older woman retrieved her hand slowly, narrowing her eyes to examine Olivia’s face. Her demeanor soured from Olivia’s rejection. It spurred her on but in a different vein.

  “Of course, if I could live on this beautiful island, I don’t know if I’d want to leave it.”

  At first Olivia was struck by her insensitivity, but the woman had no way of knowing the circumstances the little dog had been rescued from. Nonetheless, her words still hung in the air.

  As the line started to move, Olivia turned around and inched forward to keep up with the person in front of her, pushing the empty dog carrier with her foot, hoping her turned back would signal she was through chatting. But the woman behind her was not finished.

  “But I mean really! Maybe these dogs don’t want to leave.” She went on to expound on why people shouldn’t be allowed to take them.

  Olivia had stopped listening. She was stuck on the woman’s initial declaration that she wouldn’t want to leave if it were her home. Suddenly her eyes grew wide. Snatching up the dog carrier, she turned abruptly toward the elderly couple behind her, pushing her way back toward the end of the line, clutching the small pup and excusing herself as she went. Before long she reached the glass sliding doors and exited back out to where the airline ticket counters were located. She walked straight to the counter she had just checked in to, ignoring the line of people behind the ropes waiting to be called next.

  The young woman on the other side of the counter looked up in surprise, recognizing her from before.

  “You have to get my mother off the plane,” Olivia demanded, leaning forward for effect. She didn’t have to mention anything about a casket. The ticket agent knew what she meant.

  “What? There’s no time. I couldn’t possibly—”

  “Yes, you can. The plane doesn’t take off for over an hour.” She stared deep into the woman’s eyes until she blinked. Olivia wasn’t backing down.

  “I’ll have to see . . .” Appearing helpless, she looked around, searching for someone to assist her.

  Olivia maintained her stance at the counter, trying to look as tall and confident as she could muster.

  Not readily locating anyone, the ticket agent became less certain she could make it happen. “I really don’t think I can do that.” A look of despair filled her eyes as she continued to search the area.

  “Of course you can. There is plenty of time. I would bet she hasn’t been loaded into the cargo hold yet.” She sensed the woman was either new to her job or had never dealt with the situation of transporting a coffin.

  “Security would have to get involved. There would be more inspections. Certainly more questions. I don’t know if the appropriate staff are available. This is an entirely unusual request.”

  Olivia stood firm, held her body rigid, and looked into the woman’s eyes with a puzzled look on her face. The message was clear. The woman was not making any sense, and Olivia was going to stand there until she did.

  The agent’s navy-and-red-striped scarf, tucked under the collar of her blue cotton shirt and tied in a loose knot at the base of her neck, flapped wildly in the breeze off the water. Nothing else between them moved. It had turned into a standoff. Olivia folded her arms across her chest on top of the puppy to convey her intentions not to budge.

  Finally an older woman, who Olivia prayed was a supervisor, approached the counter. After Olivia explained what she was requesting, the rookie fell silent and let the other agent take over. She picked up the phone and made a discreet call to locate Olivia’s mother’s casket. It quickly became clear the precious cargo had been loaded, but they would be able to unload it before the plane departed.

  After confirming the airline had her cell number, Olivia dashed out to the sidewalk in front of the tiny airport. She surveyed the line of cars inching past the drop-off area, glancing left and right, searching for a familiar car. Her hand flew up, waving frantically, and her face lit up.

  Spying Colton a few cars back, she ran toward him, cutting across the slow-moving line. As she approached, his mouth fell open and his eyes grew wide. Putting the Jeep in park, he shooed Jake into the back seat and then leaned over and grabbed the handle to open the passenger door for her. She slid in with the small brown pup still tucked under her arm, tossing the dog carrier into the back seat. It ricocheted off the inside of the car and tumbled onto the seat, knocking up against the Australian shepard. His back legs twitched in response.

  “Sorry, Jake,” Olivia offered but he didn’t seem to be bothered by it.

  Colton’s face was awash in disbelief and sheer joy.

  “So good to see you.” He leaned over and gently took hold of her left upper arm, planting a gentle kiss on her lips. Their eyes locked and time was suspended for a moment until honking from the cars behind them brought them back to the present.

  Colton shoved the Jeep back into drive and smoothly eased it forward to close the gap between his front bumper and that of the safari taxi in front of them, then came to a stop again. Olivia turned and gently placed the small pup on the backseat next to Jake.

  “Poor thing is unbearably hot from me holding him.”

  Colton looked at her expectantly, appearing anxious to hear an update but refrained from pressing her.

  Gazing forward, beyond the cars in front of them, she shook her head almost imperceptibly. “I suddenly realized I was making a huge mistake. I got caught up in the arrangements made without my input.” She turned to look directly at Colton. “My mother wouldn’t have wanted to be buried back in the States. She never would have wanted to leave the island. What was I thinking? What were they thinking? I’m going to see to it this is her final resting place. She would have wanted it that way.”

  Colton seemed pleased with her conclusions. He reached over and gently massaged her shoulder, moving his hand along to the back of her neck.

  A tingling sensation ran down her back.

  They cleared the booth at the airport exit and accelerated down the airport access road to the light at the intersection. Olivia glanced to the backseat then whispered to Colton, “Oh, look at those two.”

  He looked up into the rearview mirror and grinned broadly. Jake was on his side, stretched across the entire length of the backseat, looking contented. The little pup was snuggled in close to the elder dog’s chest with one forepaw resting across his own eyes.

  “Looks like someone else has gotten attached to the little guy.”

  A warm sensation she hadn’t felt in a long time swelled inside her.

  CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

  Several days passed before Olivia found herself at the former site of Serenity Villa, one last time. She found comfort in the sea breeze caressing her face, the familiar squawking parrots in the treetops above her, and the magnificent, unwavering view of the sun glistening off the water below. Gazing out to the bay and beyond, she tried to commit it all to memory, make it part of her soul. The uncertain future of the property lay in fate�
��s hands.

  For Olivia, her loss was still agonizingly painful but she had no more tears left. The irony of spreading her mother’s ashes near the ashes of Serenity Villa struck her. It all felt horribly wrong. There could never be anything right about it. It was never meant to end that way. The cute bungalow her mother loved, on the island she adored, reduced to ashes. Her mother’s life snuffed out far too early.

  Images of unfulfilled dreams crashed through Olivia’s mind as she struggled to come to grips with the reality of the tragic events. Sadly, her mother would never find love again, never be able to help her daughter pick out a wedding dress, never know what it felt like to have grandchildren tug at her sleeve or climb into her lap. Too many “nevers.”

  Closing her eyes, she prayed more earnestly than she had ever prayed before that her mother was safe in God’s hands and could find happiness again. “Take good care of her. We’ll miss her. . . .” She swallowed hard, choking back the pain. “I love you, Mom. Miss you.” Olivia held her gaze out across the bay, allowing herself to get lost and become mesmerized by the sun sparkling on the water.

  Sensing Colton behind her, she turned toward him. He had remained out of sight after returning from a walk down to the end of her mother’s road, out of respect for her privacy as she spent her final moments saying good-bye.

  Clearing his throat, he looked as though he hated to speak the words. “I’m afraid it’s time.” His voice was rough and his eyes were forlorn.

  Olivia’s face fell as he interrupted her solitude. She knew the time would come too soon. Her stomach wrenched into a knot.

  “Okay, I guess I’m ready,” she acquiesced, fighting back the swell of emotions spilling from her heart.

  Colton took her hand and led her to his car.

  “I will rebuild,” she affirmed while climbing in. “I will. She would have wanted me to.”