Death by Devotion (Caribbean Murder #9)

The flight to Anguilla was easier and quicker than Mattheus expected. It was strange being down here alone, without Cindy, though. As he boarded the plane he had a moment of remorse, wondering if he should have left so quickly, chasing after his daughter. He’d been so overwrought after seeing her again that he hadn’t even stopped to consider whether he should have talked things over with Cindy first. But Andrea was the daughter he’d abandoned at birth, and the shock of seeing her suddenly when she was fifteen, had really rattled him. And what did this have to do with Cindy? Nothing. Besides, Andrea had made it clear, in no uncertain terms, that she already had a mother. She didn’t want anything to do with Cindy, thank you. One mother was enough.

As Mattheus took his seat on the plane and popped his suitcase into the overhead compartment, he wondered where Cindy was at that moment. She’d told him that things between them were finished, she was going back to New York. Mattheus shook his head. Things had been finished between them before and they’d worked it out somehow. He had no doubt that Cindy would calm down and come to her senses. She’d realize what a strange and shocking situation he’d been thrust into. And it was all because of Cindy, anyhow. She was the one who’d insisted that Mattheus look up his long, lost daughter. When Cindy had found out about Andrea, she was the one who was afraid the situation could come between her and Mattheus later on.

Mattheus settled in his seat and rubbed his face with his hands. If truth be told, it wasn’t bad being alone for a while, either. Cindy wasn’t exactly the easiest person to be with all the time. She could be difficult, moody at times, even suspicious of him. Mattheus closed his eyes. The flight would only take about half an hour. He couldn’t wait to get there. At their meeting, Andrea had said that she’d always wondered about him. She wanted to get to know her father, she needed to. And, to his great surprise, Mattheus had been filled with longing to know her as well. This beautiful young woman was part of him, his flesh and blood. How could he say no? And beyond that, from what Andrea had told him about her life, Mattheus sensed trouble. Did Cindy expect that a father would leave his daughter in a dangerous situation to fend for herself? If Cindy was dumping him because of that, let her. She couldn’t be the woman he’d thought she was then, after all.

*

As soon as Mattheus landed, he had a taxi take him to the East End of the Island. Andrea lived in a local village with her mother and new stepfather, Cain, an ex con. That didn’t sit well with Mattheus. And, what about Andrea’s mother, Petra? To be completely truthful, Mattheus hardly knew her at all, just remembered her as a young, sexy, excitable woman. It had been a quick encounter between them years ago, meant nothing. He hadn’t seen her for about fifteen years. Mattheus now wondered how he could have so successfully put this all out of his mind for so long. Perhaps Cindy had been right after all. Perhaps it would have eventually come back to haunt him. Better to handle it now than later, for sure.

“First time in Anguilla?” the taxi driver asked as they drove out of the airport onto the highway. “Most people go to the West End. Better hotels and shopping there.”

Mattheus grunted.

“But it’s all gorgeous,” the driver continued, “in fact, we’re known as one of the most beautiful islands in the Caribbean.”

Mattheus was definitely not in the mood for small talk. “Yeah, it’s gorgeous,” he agreed.

Encouraged, the driver kept talking. “Look out of the window and you’ll see that the island’s covered with dry bushes and plants. We’re sitting on a coral base and have coral reefs all around.”

“Great,” Mattheus mumbled incoherently, hoping to shut him up.

“The incredible, bright, white sand beaches are something,” the driver went on. “The tourists can’t get enough of it here.”

Mattheus wanted to tell the driver that he wasn’t a tourist, he was a father coming to claim a child he hadn’t known her entire life. The guy went on describing the beaches and restaurants, the fishing expeditions. Mattheus just closed his eyes, waiting to get to the small, nondescript hotel that was near his daughter’s home. He’d booked a room there so he could walk to Andrea’s place, and she could easily visit him.

When they drove up to the hotel, the driver looked at Mattheus surprised. “This is where you’re staying?” he said.

“I like it simple,” said Mattheus, as he paid the fare and gave the guy a generous tip.

*