by Jaden Skye
Cindy didn’t want to get into a discussion about what was and was not her business. Frank meant the best for her, but simply couldn’t understand the demands her job made on her.
“Are your guests supposed to just hang here in Belize indefinitely?” Frank looked irritated. “Is there some kind of time line you can offer us? Is your wedding going to be called off again?”
Cindy could barely catch her breath. Each question was fair and pointed. But before she could even begin to answer, Frank burst in again.
“We’ve all heard that the police are hot on the trail of a guy who was just released from jail. Belonged to a tough gang down here, the Weelies.”
“Angua,” breathed Cindy.
“Yeah, that’s his name,” Frank agreed. “Reports on the news this morning said the cops are closing in on him as we speak.”
“They are?” Cindy was taken aback.
“Reporters said the cops are a few hours away from nabbing him. This creep’s MO is exactly the same as the way Sparks was killed. Once the guy is caught the case will be over and the wedding can go on.” Frank stared at Cindy, looking for a sign.
“It could,” Cindy said quietly, secretly wondering if Mattheus would be up to a wedding so soon.
Frank stepped closer and took Cindy’s arm. “But better sense tells me otherwise,” he muttered. “Word around the hotel is that the wedding’s not happening.”
Cindy was offended. “Really? Who’s saying that and on what basis?” she asked.
“Mattheus’s daughter, Andrea,” Frank continued as large raindrops started splashing the top of the arbor. “Andrea apparently talked to Mattheus, who told her he’s definitely not ready to tie the knot.”
“What?” Cindy felt her stomach clench into a knot. “Andrea said that?”
“Right to my face.” Frank rubbed his hand on the side of his thigh.
“This is a disturbed girl.” Cindy felt her blood boil. “She’s making it up. Andrea would like nothing better than for our wedding to be cancelled. Besides, Mattheus has not talked to his daughter at all since Sparks died.”
“Andrea said he did.” Frank was standing his ground.
“Mattheus never said a word to me about it.” Cindy bristled.
“That doesn’t mean he didn’t talk to her,” Frank exclaimed.
“From the first time I met her Andrea always wanted to get between me and Mattheus,” Cindy shot back. “She wanted to get Mattheus away from me and back with her mother.”
“How long were Andrea’s mother and Mattheus married?” Frank looked dumbfounded.
“They weren’t.” Cindy felt her face flush. “Andrea’s mother, Petra, and Mattheus had a one-night stand years ago and Petra got pregnant with Andrea. In fact, Mattheus really never saw Andrea until she was fifteen.”
“You’re kidding me. He’s a deadbeat dad?” Frank looked appalled.
Cindy did not respond to the accusation. “When she was fifteen Andrea tracked Mattheus down and demanded he be her father.”
“And Mattheus went for it?” Frank seemed alarmed.
“Not only did he go for it,” said Cindy, “Mattheus felt guilty and responsible. After Andrea contacted him he went to the island she and her mother lived on and spent a lot of time with them.”
“None of this is good.” Frank grimaced. “How come I never heard about it before?”
Cindy stopped talking as the rain got harder, falling around them relentlessly.
“I’m getting wet,” Cindy said, shaken, “we’d better go inside.”
“Stop a minute, Cindy.” Frank calmed down. “It’s not just Andrea. Many people think your wedding shouldn’t go on.”
Cindy felt her head spin. “My mother, for instance?” she quipped.
“Yes, for one,” Frank agreed. “Your mother never liked Mattheus.”
“My mother never wants to see me with anyone.” Cindy flared up. “Nobody’s right in her eyes. You like Mattheus, though, don’t you? I always thought you did.”
Frank took a long moment. “Yes, I do,” he said quietly. “But it pains me to see the two of you dangling like this.”
“We’re not dangling.” The thought of it pained Cindy.
“Then what would you call it?” Frank looked sorrowful.
Cindy remained silent.
“And I don’t like seeing one obstacle after another being thrown up in your path,” Frank continued. “It doesn’t bode well.”
“It’s just part of the kind of life we lead.” Cindy felt her voice get wobbly.
“Could it be that this relationship is just not meant for you?” Frank forced himself to continue. “You can fight destiny all you like. If something’s not supposed to happen, you can try to force it all you want. It won’t happen.”
“You’re way over your head now, Frank,” Cindy countered. “You’re going way too far. No one can say whether or not our marriage is meant to happen.”
“Mattheus hasn’t handled this well, either,” Frank countered, implacable.
Cindy felt a flush of anger. “Now you’re blaming Mattheus? Why? This is not his fault.”
“But it is his job to decide what comes first to him, his work or his wedding.” Frank was unyielding. “You have to come first with him, Cindy, and you don’t right now. If you don’t come first with your man right before your wedding, when will you ever?”
Cindy felt tears well up in her eyes. “What else can Mattheus do? His best man’s murder took place right under his nose.” A huge clap of thunder struck then as more rain fell. “Let’s talk about this later.” Cindy was agitated. “We really have to go inside now.”
*
Cindy went right back upstairs to their room, hoping Mattheus had returned. Frank’s words whirled through her mind and she wanted to discuss it with him. Was it possible that Mattheus and Andrea had spoken and he hadn’t mentioned it to her? The thought of it made her head swim. Could Mattheus have told Andrea the wedding wasn’t taking place? A wave of nausea came over her. She had to find out immediately.
When Cindy entered their suite, strong winds and heavy rain slashed against the windows. “Mattheus,” she called softly, wondering if he was there.
No response.
Cindy took a deep breath, kicked off her shoes, and walked barefoot looking for him. Andrea had never liked Cindy, from the moment they met. It was understandable, of course. Not only was Cindy a rival for Mattheus’s attention, but she stood directly in opposition to Andrea’s long-cherished dream of having her parents together, being the family Andrea had always longed for. But, no matter how much attention Mattheus gave Andrea, or how much time he spent with her, Andrea’s antipathy to Cindy never let up. Cindy had felt odd when Mattheus had invited both of them to the wedding, but Mattheus had felt it was important. This way Andrea would not only feel that she and her mother were included, but the reality of Mattheus’s new life would be right in front of their eyes.
When Cindy went to open the bedroom door, there was Mattheus, in bed asleep. Oddly, Mattheus looked both boyish and peaceful lying there, without a care in the world. But there were plenty of cares they’d had to face. And now this was the second wedding they were going to have that had been disrupted. Needless to say, things had to change from here on out. Frank was right. Their relationship was always dangling, based on the next case that came along.
“Mattheus.” Cindy went to the bed and touched his shoulder gently.
He dug his head into the pillow and shrugged her away.
“Mattheus.” Cindy shook him more intensely.
“What? Is there news?” He bolted up then, rubbing his eyes.
“I have to talk to you,” said Cindy firmly.
“Now?” He swung around. “They’ve found something new?”
“It’s not about the case.” Cindy’s voice lowered.
Mattheus looked confused.
“I have to talk to you about us,” she continued.
“Now?” he repeated, unclear about wh
at was going on.
Cindy drew back and hesitated. Was she behaving foolishly, waking him up out of a much needed sleep? Was she being crazy to think the rumors that were flying around about them held even a grain of truth? Cindy said nothing, just waited for Mattheus to fully wake up.
Mattheus spun out of bed then, ran his hands over his face and shook his head a few times as the rain kept slashing their window.
“Okay, talk to me,” he finally said.
“There’s all kinds of rumors going on about us,” Cindy said simply.
Mattheus spun around and stared at her. “About us?” He looked stricken. “This is what you woke me up for?”
“Our relationship doesn’t matter?” Cindy countered. “It’s not important?”
“Cindy, I finally fell asleep,” Mattheus said.
“I realize that,” said Cindy, suddenly crestfallen.
“Why is this so urgent? What happened?” Mattheus finally asked.
Cindy walked to the door in front of their patio, which was rattling in the unforgiving wind. “What a storm,” she said.
“It’s fading,” Mattheus responded, walking up behind her. “The damage has been minimal. The beach will be beautiful when it’s over.”
Cindy and Mattheus usually loved walking on the beach after a storm, looking at the shells, slivers of wood, and other objects that had been tossed up onto the beach, helter-skelter.
“Do you love me, Mattheus?” Cindy asked then.
Cindy felt Mattheus stand still behind her. Again, no response.
“Do you?” Cindy spun around.
Mattheus looked stricken. “What kind of a question?”
“Did you tell Andrea that our marriage wasn’t happening?” Cindy couldn’t stop the words that poured forth.
Mattheus looked completely appalled. “Are you crazy?” he could barely answer.
“Frank said Andrea told him that,” Cindy countered.
“And you believed him?” Mattheus was having a hard time making sense of it.
“Frank insisted that Andrea said it,” said Cindy.
“Andrea can say anything she wants. Why would you believe her? You know she makes up things and is full of rough edges.” Mattheus tried to defend his daughter.
“Rough edges is putting it mildly.” Cindy flared up. “That was a lousy, rotten thing for her to say.”
“Okay”—Mattheus backed off—“I agree with you. It’s lousy. But she’s a disturbed kid. She’s had a hard life, without a real father.”
“She’s not a kid anymore, Mattheus.” Cindy felt incensed. “She’s a young woman now.”
“So, what can I do about it?” Mattheus became agitated. “I didn’t raise her. I didn’t even meet her until she was fifteen.”
“She’s trying to cause trouble between us,” Cindy breathed.
“This is not about Andrea.” Mattheus took a step closer. “It’s about you. Why you would believe Andrea and think our wedding was off? That hurts me.”
Cindy took a deep, bitter breath. “I’m sorry,” she said, stung.
“I thought we were over all that suspicion and doubt,” Mattheus went on. “I thought we’d decided that nothing in the world could ever get between us.”
Cindy suddenly felt calmer. “We did,” she said. “I trust you, Mattheus. I know you love me. It was just a shock hearing it from Frank. He said that many of our guests don’t think the wedding was going to happen.”
“Well, they’re all wrong,” Mattheus interjected. “They can go home if they want. I don’t care. As soon as we’ve found Sparks’s killer, you and I are tying the knot.”
Cindy closed her eyes to stop the tears that were flowing freely down her face.
“It doesn’t matter if no one attends.” Mattheus’s voice grew louder. “This is our life, not theirs, and we’re getting married no matter what.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
A few hours later, after resting in one another’s arms, Cindy and Mattheus got up, dressed, and, as they usually did, went down to walk along the storm-tossed beach.
As always, the empty beach was wild and beautiful after a storm when the wind had died down. Cindy and Mattheus walked along the edge of the frothing ocean hand in hand, letting the salty air wash over them. Cindy felt calmer and more grounded now. This pause before the wedding was not going to disrupt their lives. Mattheus seemed more himself now as well.
“We haven’t debriefed about the case in the longest while,” Mattheus said as they walked along. “Let’s go over what we have. We can sit down on the sand and talk things over.”
Cindy liked the idea. They both stopped, built sand piles beneath them, and sat down. Once they were seated, Mattheus reached out for Cindy’s hand again. It felt wonderful to be close once again, as if nothing had come along to disrupt their happiness.
“I’ve done some research I haven’t told you about yet,” Mattheus quickly started.
“Tell me.” Cindy was eager to go forward.
“You remember Wess?” asked Mattheus. “The guy who Sparks had helped put in jail, who’d been recently released?”
“Of course,” said Cindy. “He’s the reason we went to talk to Benita at the spa.”
“Exactly,” Mattheus responded. “I checked him out further through the US Embassy. Actually, he is down on the island right now.”
“Really?” Cindy was surprised.
“Wess is staying at an odd hotel, down the road from where we’re located,” Mattheus went on. “It’s that place hidden in the hills, a hotel for rich celebs and business people who enjoy their privacy. These are folks who don’t want to be visible when they’re vacationing down here.”
“Interesting that Wess would choose that place,” Cindy remarked. “Did you hear that Wess had been trailing Sparks since he was released from jail?”
“Yes, I did,” Mattheus confirmed.
“So, Wess must have also been down here when Sparks was murdered.” Cindy was fascinated. “Why hasn’t he been on our radar? Tell me more about him.”
“Wess is a rich, good-looking guy, who got put away for white collar theft and denied it heatedly.” Mattheus went over the case. “Naturally, he has plenty of connections and got out of jail early.”
“Why was Wess so focused on trailing Sparks?” Cindy wanted specifics.
“Had to be bad blood. Sparks helped put Wess away,” said Mattheus.
“Still seems like an extreme reaction,” said Cindy. “A guy like that would have simpler ways of getting his revenge.”
“You would think so,” Mattheus agreed. “It’s going to be interesting to talk to him.”
“Absolutely.” Cindy gazed out at the waves thrashing out in the ocean. “What else do you have?”
“There’s another guy down here, Pete, a well-known film actor, who Sparks worked with closely as well. Pete is on the celebrity yacht, partying.”
“That’s probably the guy Sparks wanted Kiera to get involved with again,” Cindy replied. “Kiera mentioned him to me.”
Mattheus smiled. “I guess Sparks ran a matchmaking service, too.”
Cindy laughed. “As long as it wasn’t an escort service, we’re okay. Do the police know about Wess and Pete? They should know that both men who were involved with Sparks were down here during the time of the murder.”
“I doubt the cops know or care,” Mattheus responded. “They’re focusing all their time and resources on Angua.”
“Convenient,” Cindy remarked.
“It makes it simpler for them, for sure,” Mattheus replied. “They’re under a lot of pressure to tie the case up. Or, at the very least, get a suspect jailed.”
“We’ve got to go down to the station and tell them what we’ve learned,” Cindy retorted.
“But first we need something solid to give them,” said Mattheus. “Let’s get over to the yacht first and talk to Pete and some others. They’re returning to the boat now that the storm has passed. Wess could be harder to talk to, holed up in tha
t private hotel. We can get to him after.”
“Good plan,” Cindy agreed. “Let’s go to the yacht now.”
Mattheus turned to Cindy and grinned. “We’re back on track,” he said then, happily. “It’s great when we work together like a well-oiled team.”
“Wonderful,” agreed Cindy, squeezing Mattheus’s hand.
“But before we go to the yacht, one thing.” Mattheus turned to her. “You need to hear this and I need to say it. And please don’t forget a word!”
“What?” Cindy was suddenly apprehensive.
“I love you more than anything in the world, and I always will,” Mattheus proclaimed as he drew Cindy to him in a long, deep embrace.
*
The huge, dazzling, blue and white celebrity yacht rocked gently in the waters as Cindy and Mattheus pulled up in a smaller boat and boarded it. Despite the passing danger of the storm and the horrible death of Sparks, a sense of excitement and gaiety filled the air. Jazzy music was being piped over loudspeakers and the passengers were clinking champagne glasses, decked out in their best finery, determined to have fun, no matter what.
“We’re celebrating the end of the storm,” said a lanky blonde woman with too much makeup, who had obviously also had too much to drink. The woman rushed over to Mattheus and Cindy as soon as they stepped on board.
“Do you want a drink?” she asked them.
“Not right now,” said Cindy as she peered over the woman’s silky shoulder. Behind her, a few feet away, were many like her, drinking and wandering about, laughing and a bit dazed.
“Some scene,” Mattheus remarked as he and Cindy made their way past the woman to mingle with the others.
“Cindy, Mattheus,” a voice called out behind them. “What in the world are you doing here?”
They turned swiftly to see Kiera standing behind them. Cindy was both pleased and surprised to see her. “Hi, Kiera,” Cindy answered.
“I just returned to the boat with the others after the storm passed,” Kiera said breathlessly. “It’s good to be out on the ocean for a little while. It helps put things in perspective.”