Death by Engagement (Caribbean Murder Series, Book 12)

Kate brushed her long hair back over her shoulders, pleased. “Thanks,” she said, glancing once again at Cindy and then looking at the door.

“Let’s go for that walk now,” said Cindy, picking up on the moment. Then she turned to Mattheus. “I’ll see you when I return.”

*

Kate immediately let Cindy know that she wanted to walk along Veneto Lane, which was several miles from the hotel. Cindy agreed without asking why. She was pleased that Kate wanted to talk to her and wanted to make it as comfortable as possible for her.

As soon as they got downstairs, Cindy hailed a cab to take them to Veneto Lane. Once in the cab Kate breathed more easily and remarked that she was glad to be out of there, wasn’t at all comfortable around Mattheus. Cindy was surprised for a moment and then recalled Mattheus mentioning that he hadn’t liked Kate either. Kate must have picked up on that.

“It’s okay,” Cindy responded. “We all don’t have to like everyone. I’m glad you like me, though.”

Kate laughed. “I do,” she remarked. “You’re the kind of woman who doesn’t get pushed around.”

That comment surprised Cindy.

“And I can see how easy it would be to get pushed around with a guy like Mattheus,” Kate quipped. “But you don’t. That’s good.”

Kate’s comment unnerved Cindy. She was about to defend Mattheus when she abruptly stopped herself. Better to just be quiet, Cindy thought, and let Kate say what she had on her mind. Kate had trouble with her own father. For all Cindy knew, she had trouble with all guys and was just projecting it onto Mattheus now. It would be interesting to find out.

The taxi drove quickly and arrived at Veneto Lane in no time at all. Cindy and Kate got out and stepped onto a cobbly road that wound down near the water. Veneto Lane stretched out behind a strip of simple shops, restaurants and places to get fishing supplies. The area, which was not well known in Aruba, attracted mostly locals, and a few tourists who wanted a simpler taste of life.

“I like it down here,” Kate started as they got out of the cab and began to walk. “Whenever I’m in Aruba I come down here and walk.” Kate seemed to feel better when she was off the beaten path, more able to be who she was. For a second, in a strange way, Kate reminded Cindy of Deidre.

“This place is interesting,” Cindy said, looking around. The road they were on was basically a dirt road with scraggly trees on either end. It was easy to walk on and oddly relaxing.



“Do you come down to Aruba often?” Cindy asked Kate.

“Often enough,” Kate replied. “My family likes it here and so does Shari’s family.”

“Have your families vacationed here together?” Cindy asked, interested.

“Definitely not,” Kate was quick to reply. “Our families are cordial to each other, but not that close. Certainly not close enough to vacation together.”

Kate’s vehemence about it took Cindy aback. Was there friction between the families?

“I don’t know if you realize it,” Kate went on heatedly, “but Shari’s father, Edward, is definitely off. People say he’s paranoid and no one feels really comfortable around him. He always thinks the worst.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” said Cindy, wondering what Kate was really trying to say. “Was your family unhappy about Doug’s upcoming marriage?” Cindy felt an opening to dig in now. Could there have been trouble between the two families? Did that have to do with Shari’s death?

Kate turned and looked and Cindy directly. “My family was not thrilled about the marriage,” she plainly said. “They’d never tell you that, though. They have a grin and bear it mentality. But my mother urged Doug to think twice about this marriage over and over again.”

“She was worried about it?” Cindy was surprised.

“Of course she was. Why wouldn’t she be?” Kate snapped.

“And how did Doug respond?” asked Cindy.

“Doug will never let a woman tell him what to do,” Kate pouted. “That’s what makes him feel like a man. When my mother asked him to reconsider, she was basically just pushing him closer to Shari.”

“Really?” Cindy was taken aback. She hadn’t seen that aspect of Doug at all. He’d seemed open and receptive to her.

“Lots of guys have that pattern,” Kate continued confidentially. “My father’s like that, and probably Mattheus, too.”

Cindy thought about it. She’d never experienced Mattheus that way. Now she began to wonder if Kate wasn’t a bit paranoid herself.

“Anyway, my father wasn’t particularly thrilled about the marriage either,” Kate continued, “but he couldn’t bring himself to say that to Doug.”

“Why not?” asked Cindy.

“It’s a guy thing. In my family the guy’s stand together,” Kate explained. “My father has a thing about trusting his son’s decisions. I tried to talk to both my father and Doug about his marrying Shari, but neither would listen to a thing I said.”