Death by Engagement (Caribbean Murder Series, Book 12)

Cindy and Mattheus ate quickly in order to be done in time for Tad’s visit.

“He’s not coming to take me away from you,” Cindy commented again as Mattheus paid the check. “He’s coming to help me find out what happened to Shari. Actually, I feel even closer to you when I do my work.”

“I realize that, of course,” said Mattheus, grinning sheepishly. “I was just playing with you.”

“Well, don’t,” Cindy shot back. “As they say, there’s always truth in jest.”

“Yes, there is,” Mattheus answered, an edge to his voice as well.

*

Cindy spotted Tad the minute he walked into the hotel lobby. Tall with rumpled sandy hair, pale blue eyes, and dressed in khakis and a light shirt, he looked around the lobby helplessly, seemed at loose ends. For no particular reason at all, Cindy liked him immediately.

“Tad,” Cindy called out, getting up quickly and going right over to him.

“Cindy Blaine?” he asked as she approached.

“Yes,” she responded, “thank you so much for coming to see me.”

Tad reached out and took her hands. “No, thank you,” he replied, his eyes filling with tears. “You’ll never know how grateful I am to you for doing this.”

Cindy was moved.

“It would be so easy to blow Shari’s death off as a suicide,” he went on, “but I just don’t believe it is.”

Cindy loved Tad’s straightforward, no-nonsense manner. He wasn’t playing any games and that was a tremendous relief. I do believe you, she wanted to say, but had to hold back, so he could tell her more.

“Okay,” she responded, “let’s get out of here so we can talk privately. I can’t wait to hear what you have to tell me.”

“Where should we go?” Tad was right on board.

“How about the gazebo in the back of the hotel?” Cindy suggested. “It’s quiet, private and hidden.”

“Perfect,” he said, “let’s do it.” Then he looked over toward Mattheus, who had walked over to join them. “Is your partner coming?”

“This is Mattheus,” said Cindy, introducing them. “How did you know he was my partner?”

“I figured,” said Tad. “We talked a little on the phone. “ Then he turned to Mattheus. “Cindy and I will be in the gazebo in back, do you want to join us?”

“Not right now, but thanks,” said Mattheus. “I’ll wait here in the lobby until you’re done.”

Cindy knew it was often better and less intimidating to have one person to talk to at a time.

“Great,” said Tad, eager to go.

“Take as long as you need,” Mattheus called after them as Cindy and Tad turned and left to wind their way down to the beautiful gazebo in the back of the hotel.

“Shari didn’t kill herself, she didn’t kill herself,” Tad kept repeating as they walked along the bumpy road. It seemed like he couldn’t hold back.

Cindy wanted to wait until they were comfortably seated, with no distractions, to talk more.

“We’ll be at the gazebo in just a few minutes,” she said to Tad as a brisk wind blew up and whirled over them harshly.

“Wow, some wind.” Tad leaned back away from it. “The weather’s turning rougher. I heard it’s even possible the passing storm may hit the island this time.”

Cindy hadn’t heard that. “That’s unusual for Aruba, isn’t it?” she asked.

“Yeah, but I heard it,” Tad repeated. “This isn’t exactly paradise, every island does get hit sometimes.”

“We all get hit sometimes,” Cindy murmured as they turned a corner and saw the gazebo just straight ahead.

As Cindy expected, the gazebo was completely empty when they walked in. The winds tossed roughly outside it, but it was a safe haven within.

Tad and Cindy sat down and huddled next to each other on a wooden bench.

“This is a great place to talk,” Tad said the minute he got comfortable. “I have only one thing to tell you. Shari was not suicidal. Believe me.”

“I do believe you,” Cindy replied. And she did. There was nothing at all affected or pretentious about Tad. This was not a guy who would lead you astray. “This has hit you so hard, Tad,” Cindy continued. “How long ago did you and Shari break up?”

Tad looked over at Cindy slowly. “I wouldn’t exactly call it breaking up,” he said. “Even though Shari went back to Doug, we were in constant touch.”

“That’s unusual, isn’t it?” asked Cindy.

“Not for us,” Tad insisted.

Cindy nodded, realizing that Doug had also remained friends with his past girlfriends.

“Doug was okay with that, right?” Cindy asked anyway, just to cover bases.

Tad made a strange face. “Was he okay with it? Who the hell cares? Doug stayed friends with everyone he ever dated. And Shari had to live with that.”

“Was that hard for her?” asked Cindy, fascinated.