Death by Jealousy

by Jaden Skye

  D E A T H B Y J E A L O U S Y

  (book #6 in the CARIBBEAN MURDER SERIES)

  Jaden Skye

  About the Author

  Jaden Skye is author of the #1 Bestselling CARIBBEAN MURDER series, which includes eight books (and counting). The first book in the series, DEATH BY HONEYMOON, was a #1 Bestseller, and is now available as a FREE download on Amazon!

  Also in the series are DEATH BY DIVORCE (#2), DEATH BY MARRIAGE (#3), DEATH BY DESIRE (#4), DEATH BY DECEIT (#5), DEATH BY JEALOUSY (#6), DEATH BY PROPOSAL (#7) and DEATH BY OBSESSION (#8). She is also author of the romance A PERFECT STRANGER.

  Jaden has always been fascinated with mystery, wrongful death, lies, deception and the power of the truth to prevail. Her romantic suspense/mystery novels feature strong female protagonists who must overcome insurmountable obstacles, and through them, she seeks to get to the very heart of the nature of justice and love.

  Please visit www.jadenskye.com to find links to stay in touch with Jaden via Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, her blog, and a whole bunch of other places. Jaden loves to hear from you, so don't be shy and check back often!

  Books by Jaden Skye

  THE CARIBBEAN MURDER SERIES

  DEATH BY HONEYMOON (Book #1)

  DEATH BY DIVORCE (Book #2)

  DEATH BY MARRIAGE (Book #3)

  DEATH BY DESIRE (Book #4)

  DEATH BY DECEIT (Book #5)

  DEATH BY JEALOUSY (Book #6)

  DEATH BY PROPOSAL (Book #7)

  DEATH BY OBSESSION (Book #8)

  DEATH BY DEVOTION (Book #9)

  THE TOM’S RIVER SAGA

  A PERFECT STRANGER (Book #1)

  Tap here to download Jaden Skye books on Amazon now!

  Copyright © 2013 by Jaden Skye

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the author.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 1

  Cindy and Mattheus sat shoulder-to-shoulder in the plane, enjoying the trip and each other, relaxing like old times, as if nothing had gone wrong between them. Before they’d left they’d gone over the details of the case that they were flying down to the Cayman Islands to solve. Mattheus felt it could just be a case of a missing person—a bride at a destination wedding who’d gotten cold feet and ran away. Sure, she’d found a strange way to do it, but last minute panic can do crazy things to the mind. He wasn’t convinced they were looking at a crime.

  Cindy wasn’t so sure.

  Cindy hadn’t even been sure she was going to work on another case with Mattheus, until the frantic call for help came in. The call came very early in the morning, the day after she and Mattheus had finished their last case in Key West. Cindy was planning to go back home to Long Island, take a breather, and spend much-needed time with her sister Ann. The visit would stabilize Cindy, help her regain her footing. It always did.

  Cindy had still been in Key West, asleep in her hotel room, when her phone rang uncontrollably and wouldn’t stop. She’d picked up the receiver, only half awake.

  “My son, my son!” a woman kept gasping.

  “Who is this?” Cindy woke up fast.

  “Dana McPherson,” the woman could barely speak.

  Dana McPherson was a well-known surgeon in Oyster Bay who Cindy had known when she’d been married to Clint. Dana, a strong, elegant woman could barely catch her breath.

  “What’s wrong?” Cindy grabbed the phone hard.

  “We need you, Cindy,” Dana’s voice was laced with panic and tears. “You’ve got to help.”

  “Tell me what happened?” Cindy tried to calm her.

  “They’re holding my son Peter for questioning. He’s the main suspect,” Dana could barely get the words out.

  “Suspect in what?”

  “He didn’t do it, I’m positive,” Dana was babbling. “You have to come down and convince them of that. You must.” Then she started sobbing uncontrollably.

  Cindy’s heart clenched. She wasn’t ready to take on another case. She needed time, had promised it to herself. She wanted to sort out her life, see where things were going with her and Mattheus. Things had happened so quickly between them, she hadn’t had time to digest it. Mattheus’s erratic behavior in Key West had frightened her in more ways than one. Cindy had to be sure this was the life she really wanted, and that Mattheus was the one she wanted to share it with.

  Dana finally stopped sobbing and began speaking again.

  “We’re all here at the Cayman Islands for Peter’s wedding. Everything was fine. Then Peter and Allie went for a night dive a day before the wedding. The two of them got separated underwater and she never surfaced again. Never!”

  Cindy gasped. The awful story reminded her of what had happened to her and Clint on their honeymoon when he’d disappeared surfing. She remembered the wait, the horror, the search.

  “It’s awful,” Cindy breathed.

  “Beyond awful,” Dana’s voice choked back. “They’ve been searching under water and on land and can’t find her anywhere. For no reason at all, they’re focusing on Peter. We can’t do this without you, Cindy. You and Mattheus are known for the fantastic work you do. Especially in the Caribbean.”

  “Thank you, Dana,” Cindy breathed.

  “Can you come right away? We’ll pay you well for it.”

  Cindy flinched. It wasn’t about the money, it never had been. There was a deep satisfaction she felt helping others who’d become victims of sudden crimes. Cindy loved digging beneath the surface of lives, stripping off masks, listening for lies. She enjoyed searching out the real culprits and then helping families discover a new equilibrium in their lives. It made what happened to her with Clint bearable, gave it all meaning to help someone else.

  “Please come down with Mattheus, right away,” Dana pleaded.

  “We’re on the way,” Cindy responded.

  *

  “We’ll be landing at Cayman Islands Airport in exactly twenty minutes. The weather is perfect, skies are clear,” the Captain’s voice came over the loud speaker, updating the passengers who’d left Miami a short time ago. It was only a thirty minute flight down to the Cayman Islands and seemed as if no time had passed at all.

  Cindy looked out of the airplane window. This was the part she loved, flying through a cloudless sky, arriving at a new island, being ushered in. She loved being filled in on the details of a case, meeting the people involved, getting an ov
erall feel of the crime scene. The trip had been easy so far, and things between her and Mattheus felt natural and good, as if they’d never gone through the difficulties they had on their last case.

  Mattheus reached out and squeezed Cindy’s hand with warmth and anticipation, just as he used to. It gave her a sense of closeness and support, as if the two of them were in this completely together. This was the part she loved most of all, being a team with someone she cared for - and who cared for her, no questions about it. That connection between them had almost been gone during the weeks that just went by. Granted, it was a time of shock for him. After years of searching, Mattheus had finally located his missing wife’s body in Key West. To his horror, he also discovered she’d just been killed, had been alive in hiding, all along.

  Naturally, it threw him for a loop and old waves of rage and confusion arose. The more he investigated and discovered about his wife’s secret life, the worse he’d felt about himself - and everyone else.

  Cindy told herself over and over she had to understand that. How could Mattheus not be suspicious then, turn into a stranger and withdraw? How could she have expected him to be the same person she’d known? Cindy desperately wanted to trust him again, have things go back to the way they’d been. But could they ever? Did time go one way only? That was her question now – she wasn’t sure.

  Cindy put her head back on the plane seat and smiled. No matter what had or hadn’t happened, at least they were still together, shoulder to shoulder, taking on a new case. That was something anyway. Despite herself she felt comforted.

  “I reserved one room for us at the hotel this time,” Mattheus leaned closer and said softly.

  Cindy smiled. She’d been wondering about that. They’d both been so cautious in the beginning of their relationship. They’d only progressed to sharing a bed after many months of working together, knowing each other, building a bond. When they’d finally became lovers, it had been wonderful for both of them, deeply healing and nourishing, as if their lives could truly start again. But old wounds weren’t healed so easily. Hard times and misunderstanding came and by the time they were down in Key West on the last case, she and Mattheus had returned to being working partners again, in separate rooms.

  “Hope you’re okay with one room again?” Mattheus murmured. “I asked for two single beds, just in case.”

  Cindy turned and looked at the delicious, boyish smile on his face, the one she’d always found so engaging and hard to resist.

  “We can take one room,” said Cindy, “but two single beds are good. Let’s not jump into anything right away, we’ll see how it goes.”

  “Ever the cautious one,” Mattheus grinned. “I’d better be glad with what I can get. One room is definitely better than two.”

  Cindy looked into his beautiful eyes and smiled. He still loved her, that was clear. She loved him too, but was that enough to create a foundation they could build a life on? She truly didn’t know.

  “Fasten your seat belts for landing,” the voice over the plane’s loudspeaker announced.

  “Already?” Cindy was shocked.

  Mattheus laughed as he reached over and pulled her seat belt over her gently. “We’re on the way,” he said.

  “Prepare for landing,” the voice continued.

  “I’m prepared,” Mattheus whispered to Cindy, “how about you?”

  CHAPTER 2

  The ride to the hotel in the Cayman Islands was breathtaking. The taxi wound its way along perfect roads, bordered by palm trees, groves, sweet-smelling flowers. As they drove Cindy looked out the window at some of the most diverse flora and fauna of the world.

  “That’s the national tree, the Silver Thatch Palm,” the driver, an old Jamaican guy, announced proudly, “ever see anything like it?”

  “It’s gorgeous,” Cindy murmured approvingly.

  “Not only that,” he quickly added, “We’ve got mangrove forests, banana orchids, and our fantastic Cayman Parrots to please you.” Then he turned around, looked at them and grinned, displaying a few missing front teeth.

  “We’ve got a regular tour guide here,” Mattheus said in a low tone.

  “You’re gonna love the sugar and sand beaches,” the driver continued. “And, your hotel is right on Seven Mile Beach – some of the best snorkeling and scuba diving in the world.”

  “Thanks for the run down,” said Mattheus.

  “My pleasure,” he went on. “You guys are sweet. I saw that the minute you got into my cab. Nothing like those slick business guys I usually get. I said to myself these two got to be honeymooners, for sure.”

  Cindy’s heart stopped a second when he said that. She’d been down to Barbados with Clint for her honeymoon. This was far from that.

  “We’re down here for work,” Cindy quickly made the correction.

  The old driver turned back to look at them again. He raised his eyebrows, surprised.

  “Sure fooled me with that one,” he exclaimed. “Thought for sure I had two honey birds in the car.”

  He turned back to the road and drove slowly along winding roads, which became more and more manicured as they approached their destination, the Grand Hotel. The hotel was one of the best resorts on the island. As they drew close, Cindy could see the sprawling buildings that were surrounded by trees, verandas, and a long, walking path leading directly to the ocean. The light breeze that blew in through the taxi window had the delicious smell of warm, salty water. Cindy took a deep breath and closed her eyes. It felt so good to be back down in the Caribbean again.

  “Great spot,” the driver commented. “Lots of rich folks come here for weddings, too. Not usually during the Batabano Carnival though.”

  “What’s the Batabano Carnival?” Mattheus was interested.

  The driver started laughing, “Wait and you’ll see for yourself. It starts a couple of days from now and the place fills up like you can’t believe. Thousands of locals and visitors pour into town to see the parades and be in them. There’s music, floats, costumes, dancing, singing! It’s a party you’ll never forget.”

  “Sounds like Mardi Gras,” Mattheus commented.

  “The hotels are all gonna start filling up, too,” the driver went on, excited.

  If all had gone well, the wedding would have been over before the festival, Cindy thought. Perhaps the family expected the guests to stay on and enjoy themselves afterwards. What a crazy time for the bride to go missing.

  The taxi pulled up to the front door of the hotel and Mattheus and Cindy got out as a bellman came for their luggage. They tipped the driver and walked the few steps into the hotel.

  The lobby was a vast, open space filled with designer sofas, chairs, cocktail tables and large paintings of the Island on the walls. Suntanned guests, elegantly dressed in expensive pastels, sat at the cocktail tables, sipping drinks, and charming one another. Cindy, dressed in a beige linen summer suit, shook her long hair loose over her shoulders, trying to fit into the décor.

  As they entered Cindy immediately saw a few policemen standing at the desk. She and Mattheus both stopped at the same moment, and looked over at them. It seemed as if the police had been waiting for them. One of the cops nodded at Mattheus, who went right over to greet him.

  Cindy stayed where she was and took it all in. The calm of the afternoon had not been ruffled. There was no sign that something awful had happened here. There was no crime scene cordoned off, or sense of danger. Cindy looked over the guests in the lobby carefully to see if anyone else seemed to be aware of their arrival. No one was. Everything went on as usual, as if it were simply another beautiful day to luxuriate in on the balmy Island.

  Cindy turned and watched Mattheus speaking with the policemen at the desk. Mattheus was especially good at connecting with law enforcement. He had a way of becoming one of the boys immediately, privy to their information. Cindy had seen him do this before. It usually helped if she stayed back at first. When Mattheus introduced Cindy as his partner, it often created a sense of dis
comfort, having a woman detective appear on the scene. That would probably be even more true here than other places, thought Cindy.

  The Cayman Islands were a British overseas territory and there was a formal sense about the place. Even though the Islands were considered a low crime environment, that had been changing the past few years. Gang crime had been increasing dramatically, and this was a well-known haven for money laundering and tax evasion shelters. Blue collar crime was the hardest to pin down, thought Cindy. She remembered how confusing it had been when she’d discovered who her husband’s killers were. It was the last thing she’d expected.

  Finally, Mattheus looked up and saw Cindy watching him. He motioned her over, and she walked slowly to where they were.

  “This is my partner Cindy Blaine,” Mattheus introduced her to the two cops who seemed interested to meet her. “Cindy, this is Douglas and Lance.”

  Cindy nodded to both of them. They were tall, clean shaven, nice looking and professional.

  “Very pleased to meet you,” said Lance.

  Douglas quickly turned to Mattheus. “We’ll catch up with you later, after you get settled. You can meet us in Room 3 - Mezzanine. The hotel has given us the room to use to interview the wedding party, family and friends. Kind of them.”

  “Convenient,” Mattheus nodded.

  “We heard that you’re holding the groom,” Cindy interjected.

  Both policemen looked at her surprised.

  “Heard that from whom?” asked Douglas.

  “His mother,” said Cindy.

  “The woman who called you in on the case, no doubt?” Douglas bit his thin upper lip. “Of course we can’t officially hold Peter, “he quickly continued. “We can, however, bring him in daily for questioning and strongly recommend that no person of interest leave the hotel.”

  Cindy’s eyebrows raised. “It’s still a missing person case though, isn’t it?”

  Douglas threw her a hostile glance and turned on his heel away.