Death by Marriage

by Jaden Skye

  “And where’s the husband at that time, usually?” asked Mattheus.

  “Usually the poor jerk’s out working late, or out of town on a case. But that’s beside the point now. What I’m asking is how come the day he was killed his daughter didn’t come home?”

  “She could have had her reasons,” said Cindy.

  Nojo closed his eyes completely. “Everyone has their reasons,” he said. “But do they add up? Or are they just building a noose to hang themselves in?”

  Cindy didn’t like him. She felt that he lived off these tragedies, expected them, practically hoped for them.

  “And besides that, the daughter Nell is weird,” Nojo continued. “I asked her where were you that afternoon? She said she stayed late in school to study. You even getting the drift of this bullshit? Now this fish is starting to stink worse than before.” He turned to Cindy. “One piece of crap after another.”

  “Why wouldn’t she be studying late in school?” Cindy asked.

  “Not something she usually does! And no one happened to see her there either.”

  Brayton took a long breath. So did Mattheus. None of it looked good.

  “She’s covering for the mother. It’s obvious,” Nojo belted out.

  Nothing felt obvious to Cindy. She refused to go along with easy, snap conclusions.

  “You want another detail?” Brayton was joining in. “We found out that Kendra bought an incredibly expensive ruby necklace, about a week before the murder. And what happened to it? You can’t find the piece anywhere in the house. When we showed her the receipt for the sale, she swore she put the necklace in her house safe. When we opened it, there’s nothing there. She said she had no idea what happened to it. And why’d she even buy it for? She wouldn’t tell us. It doesn’t add up. None of it does.”

  “No, it doesn’t,” Mattheus agreed.

  “It’s all circumstantial,” said Cindy. “So far I haven’t heard any direct link between Kendra and the murder. Do you have any evidence or DNA?”

  Nojo stood up at that, and hovered over Cindy. “We put plenty of criminals down on this island, with less circumstantial evidence than this.”

  Cindy shivered.

  “You got some better ideas?” Nojo’s tone was becoming threatening.

  Mattheus stood up between them. “We’ve been called down here to investigate,” he said. “We’ve got to look at everything.”

  “Like what?” Nojo’s eyes narrowed into slits again.

  “Paul was a criminal lawyer,” Cindy spoke up. “Was there someone he defended who might have had a grudge against him? A case he lost? Someone who got sent to jail?”

  “That’s a good point,” said Mattheus.

  “Nah,” said Nojo, “this guy knew what he was doing. He had a great reputation. His clients loved him.”

  “But someone might not have,” said Cindy. “Did you check any cases he lost? The person might have felt ripped off. Might have spent time sitting in jail dreaming of revenge?”

  “I hate it when women think they know everything,” Nojo muttered under his breath.

  Brayton bit his lower lip. “Not a bad idea,” he seemed a little embarrassed not to have thought of it himself. “Okay, we’ll look into it.”

  “I’ll give you a hand with that,” said Mattheus.

  Brayton looked up at him, grateful. “This guy you got here,” he said to Cindy, “is a good guy.”

  “I’ll second that,” said Nojo.

  Cindy felt at a loss as to what to say. She didn’t have Mattheus, they worked together.

  Mattheus stepped in easily, to smooth everything out. “We’re business partners,” he said to the guys. “And I’m equally lucky. Cindy’s a terrific partner.”

  Cindy felt grateful, but uneasy as well. She’d stumbled into a male world here that had no room for her. That’s fine, she thought. Mattheus will handle this part, and I’ll take on other aspects of this crime. There’s more than enough to go around.

  “Before we check in to our hotel,” Mattheus said, “We’d like to look over the crime scene.”

  “No need for it,” said Nojo, haltingly. “It’s been combed back and forth. The guy was found lying in a pool of blood. Medical examiner found stab marks all over his body. Lots of them.”

  Cindy closed her eyes. Just the thought of it made her feel woozy.

  “What’s wrong sweetheart?” Nojo laughed. “We haven’t found the weapon yet. But, when there’s that many stab marks it’s a crime of passion. The person who did it hated his guts.”

  “Let them look,” Brayton broke in. “Another pair of eyes can see something else.”

  “Great,” said Mattheus. “Tell us how to get to there and gain access.”

  “You got it,” said Brayton, obviously happy to have Mattheus on the team. “But don’t let the little lady go down there alone. You can never tell who’s lurking around. That place has a way of attracting dangerous scum and buzzards, especially after dark.”

  CHAPTER 4

  There was about an hour left of light in the day, enough for them to familiarize themselves with the crime scene. Even though it was no longer cordoned off, Mattheus wanted to inspect every inch of it.

  “The crime scene is always the richest source of information,” he said to Cindy as they walked there along the streets that were bursting with people, life, color and smells. They passed by open shopping stalls that lined the streets, buyers displaying their wares; fruits, jams, nuts, paintings, straw hats, scarves, clothes hanging out, waving slightly in the breeze. The area had something of the feel of a carnival, but with naturalness about it. Some tourists stood around inspecting the goods, others bargained for the best prices. Life was lived there, wide open for all to see. There were ample stores filled with everything from T shirts to crafts to luxury items that lured you in. Charlotte Amalie, long the center of commerce, offers more than just shopping opportunities. The history of the island could be seen in its stores that used to be warehouses or merchant’s homes, centuries ago.

  “This island used to be controlled by the Danish,” said Mattheus. “If we took a short walk, we’d end up in Fort Christian, that used to be a military construction that’s been converted to a museum where you can learn all about the island’s history and culture.”

  Cindy suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion flood over her. There seemed to be no end to the twists and turns, people, and human affairs that called out for help and resolution. She stopped for a moment and stood still, taking it all in. How did she get here with Mattheus, almost a stranger, on what could actually be a dangerous expedition? she wondered. Mattheus seemed confident, happy and on high alert though, as he walked beside her, full of curiosity. When Cindy stopped in her tracks, he looked surprised.

  “I need to take a moment,” she said.

  “For what?”

  “It’s a lot to absorb all at once.”

  “Of course it is,” he said, and unexpectedly, put his arm around her and gave her a quick hug. “You’ve been catapulted from one world into another.” Then he took his arm away.

  Catapulted was a good word for it. Cindy appreciated Mattheus’ understanding and also the quick show of support.

  “Things will start to fall into place,” he said. “They always do. The beginning can be confusing. A whirl of events, conflicting ideas. That’s the fun part too,” and he grinned.

  Cindy saw how much he enjoyed what he was doing. It excited him, stimulated him -- he was made for this life.

  “This place is very different from Grenada,” Cindy said, looking around. She was used to long, quiet afternoons, surrounded by sun and sea, driving from one lead to another, interviewing people privately, dwelling on what they’d said. Here she was thrust in the middle of a throbbing, noisy, crowded city, where life moved quickly to its own beat.

  “Different is good,” said Mattheus. “Too much of the same thing puts you to sleep.”

  Cindy laughed. She enjoyed the fact that Mattheus often surpri
sed her with his unexpected insights which went way beyond the simple facts they were dealing with. In that way, he reminded her of Clint. She remembered the wonderful conversations she and Clint used to have. They’d talk all night and into the morning. Clint had also loved taking the largest perspective possible on whatever was going on. Cindy took a moment to wonder how Clint would react to what she was doing, and whether in some way he was with her now?

  “Let’s move on,” Mattheus urged her. “We’ll have time to dwell on things later. We’ve got to get to the crime scene while there’s still light. And before the storms come in.”

  Cindy wondered how much could possibly be left? “It’s an open street now,” she remarked. “People walk through it every day.”

  “True,” said Mattheus, smiling. Cindy saw that he was pleased by her comment. “But the kind of thing we’re looking for won’t be brushed away so easily. The police checked the scene carefully in the beginning for that kind of evidence.”

  “What exactly are we looking for?” Cindy asked him.

  “We’ll know when we get there,” said Mattheus. “The place will speak to us. When you get to a crime scene, especially one that’s been gone over, the best way is to get real quiet, and let your eyes scan the place. Don’t focus on every little thing you’re seeing, just let your mind take it all in. It can take a few days sometimes before you realize what you saw. Then, someone says something, you make a connection and suddenly it pops into your mind.

  Cindy liked that. She loved it when Mattheus showed layer of sensitivity that she didn’t normally see. She also loved learning the trade from him. He was a generous mentor.

  They picked up their pace and walked briskly on towards the end of that street and then turned right into a narrow lane, behind a shopping stall. The two of them stopped at the entrance, automatically, at the same moment, and peered in.

  The lane was narrow, shaded and curved slightly as it led to the back of the street. Filled with a strong aroma of smoke and meat cooking, Cindy could see a few lizards skittering by and hear the call of birds. She shuddered. This was a perfect place to dump a body, she thought.

  “I’m not surprised,” Mattheus said.

  “At what?” asked Cindy.

  “This is a natural spot to dump a body,” he said. “But it’s also a spot where you’d know it would be found. Whoever dumped the guy here, didn’t want him hidden. They wanted him to be found. They probably want to be found as well.”

  Cindy remembered reading years ago that all criminals had a secret yearning to be discovered, to pay for their crimes, make atonement. That was why jailhouse confessions were so common. She thought about that for a long time. She’d always been fascinated by the workings of justice and how, deep down, each person craved it, no matter what they had done.

  Now, she and Mattheus approached the actual spot where the body had been found and Mattheus stopped and bent over. Stains of blood could still be seen soaked into some of the stones.

  “Can’t ever get all the blood up,” Mattheus said. “They left a lot here. Surprised they didn’t find fingerprints or DNA that could link them to the killer.”

  Somehow it didn’t surprise Cindy. She felt there was a different route through which this crime would be solved.

  Mattheus took photos of the stones on the street, lizards, walls, the angle of the sunlight. They walked together slowly up and down the lane, and then suddenly, something caught Cindy’s eye. It was over against the far wall, a scrap of paper the wind must have blown over, that got stuck between two rocks. She went over to it immediately and slowly pulled the paper out. A few words were scrawled on it, in a shaky hand. By now they had faded and were hard to make out.

  “Look at this,” she said to Mattheus.

  He turned abruptly. “What?”

  “This paper. There are a few words written on it.”

  Mattheus walked over and looked. “Doesn’t look like it says anything.”

  “It does.” Cindy kept scrutinizing the paper, then folded it up neatly and put it in her bag.

  Mattheus smiled, “we can’t grab at straws.”

  “It’s a strange handwriting,” said Cindy. “Look at the strange slope of the letters, the shakiness of the hand. They’re calling out for attention. Whoever wrote this was in a bad state of mind.”

  Mattheus was taken aback. “How do you know about that?”

  “It’s amazing what you can tell about a person from the way they write,” said Cindy.

  “It’s a giveaway, if you know what to look for. I want to compare this to Kendra’s hand. And maybe others.

  “Smart,” said Mattheus and laughed. “What about me? Did you ever analyze my handwriting?”

  Cindy laughed as well. She’d never thought about it. “Not yet,” she said.

  “I’d better be careful,” Mattheus chuckled.

  “What are you hiding?” Cindy laughed.

  At that moment a large, black bird flew over them, cawing loudly. They both looked up swiftly and watched it fly by. Standing here at the crime scene she was flooded with all kinds of information, floating around in her mind. She began to wonder about Kendra, her true fears and desires, her hidden characters, compulsions and secrets. If you knew how to read a person, nothing was truly hidden.

  “The question is why the killer chose this particular spot?” Mattheus murmured as he scanned it. “They might have some particular connection to it, could have been a regular visitor.

  “They planned this out carefully,” Cindy mused. “This isn’t a spot you come to randomly. The body was heavy, it had to take at least two people to carry it here.”

  “Reports claim the murder took place on this spot,” Mattheus reminded her.

  “How could it have?” Cindy shook her head. “Paul died at around 5:30 p.m. It’s too busy and crowded here for this to happen during the day and no one notice.”

  “Someone could have noticed and gotten out of here fast. People don’t like to get involved in trouble. Especially the locals,” said Mattheus. “In fact, someone could have been paid off, to keep their mouth shut. “I’m going to talk to the locals and merchants.”

  “The police did already,” said Cindy.

  “Maybe? But people don’t usually talk to police. They don’t want trouble, it’s bad for business to call attention to something like this. With us, it will be different. We’re just simple folk.”

  Cindy walked back and forth slowly then, tuning into the overall energy, listening for an unheard vibration that could lead her to something. As she walked her eye caught a little hole at the end of the lane. At first looked, inconsequential, like a pocket of dirt. She went over, and looked in. To her surprise, there was a tiny cloth wrapper buried inside. Cindy leaned in, pulled it out and opened it quickly. Inside the wrapper was one, round earring made of gold. It was small and strangely shaped earring for pierced ears.

  “Look at this, Mattheus,” she called out.

  Mattheus came right over. Cindy held the squiggly earring up.

  “What’s that?” he asked.

  “I found it in this hole.”

  Mattheus looked at the earring. “Good work,” he said, “but any number of people could have dropped it there. This is a shopping thoroughfare.”

  “That’s true,” said Cindy. “But it was wrapped in its own dark cloth wrapper.”

  “One earring?” said Mattheus.

  “Just this,” she said, holding it up to the light and then putting it into her pocket book besides the scraggly paper.

  “The killer wouldn’t have dumped the body and then taken the time to deposit this earring in a mud hole,” Mattheus said. “It doesn’t make sense.”

  “Nothing makes sense,” Cindy responded, “until we find all the pieces.”

  Another large bird flew back then, over them again, howling into the early evening.

  *

  As the light faded and evening drew in, Cindy and Mattheus headed for a taxi to take them to their hote
l.

  The taxi drove slowly, allowing them to unwind and take in the sights of the island in twilight. Their hotel was located on the top of a hill, overseeing the bay. The beach near it was white, sandy and inviting, one of the most popular on the island. Sailing and snorkeling trips left from the dock. Jet skis were available and the hotel’s restaurants were a great spot for lunch or dinner.

  Cindy was hungry, but she was also a little apprehensive. This was going to be their first night on the island. For a brief moment, she thought about how nice it would be to spend more time with Mattheus, but also felt how important it was to keep things clear right from the start.

  The taxi drove up the winding hill to their hotel, which was lined with trees, flowers and little benches. They got out, paid the driver and went to register. Kendra had arranged to have their luggage dropped off at the hotel, as soon as they arrived, so they could spend the afternoon investigating. Now, they registered and received two rooms, adjacent to one another. The man at the desk smiled as he gave them the keys and looked from one to the other.

  “Do you need separate bell boys to take up the luggage?” he grinned.

  “Yes, please. We’re going to have dinner in the restaurant first,” Mattheus said.

  “Mattheus’ smooth finessing of the awkward moment eased Cindy’s mind. Obviously, he, too, wanted to make sure things were clear between them. Cindy appreciated that and then recalled the afternoon on Grenada when someone had told her that Mattheus was unavailable. She remembered wondering why someone as handsome and engaging as he was would want to be alone

  Now, they went to the dining room out on the veranda, overlooking the bay and ordered. The moment the waiter left, Mattheus immediately picked up where they left off, discussing the case.

  “I think the best idea is for us to split up,” Mattheus said immediately.

  Despite herself, Cindy’s stomach lurched.

  “In the morning we’ll go in different directions. This way we can cover twice as much ground.”