Death by Engagement (Caribbean Murder Series, Book 12)

Cindy wondered what in the world could possibly be so important that he’d run down to the water in this kind of weather.

“Must be pretty important.” She looked around further, purposely trying to make him nervous.

“Listen, what’s this visit about? What are you looking around for?” He dropped the pleasantries.

“You know, I was looking at the autopsy photos again,” Cindy started up, suddenly walking around the messy space slowly, kicking the mess out of the way.

“The autopsy photos?” Doug’s face got pale. “What are you, some kind of a ghoul?”

“No, I’m a detective,” said Cindy, turning and staring right at him. “There was a bruise I noticed on Shari’s shoulder and it started to bother me.”

Doug took a few steps back then. “Shari bumped into a wall,” he commented.

“Not exactly.” Cindy took him on now. “There were fingerprints around bruise,” she lied.

At that Doug stopped. “I didn’t hear that before,” he muttered.

“And the fingerprints have been checked,” Cindy went on.

Doug held his hand up in her face then. “Stop right now.” He was shaken.

“Do you know whose fingerprints they are, Doug?” Cindy felt a blazoning confidence as she watched him respond.

Suddenly, Doug grimaced and his faced creased. “Yeah, right, they’re my fingerprints, aren’t they?”

“You tell me,” said Cindy.

“Right.” His voice grew frazzled.

“You pushed Shari?” Cindy confronted him darkly.

“Yeah, you got a problem with that?” he snarled.

“More than a problem,” said Cindy. “I’m wondering what else you did to her. And if you also pushed her off the cliff.”

Doug let out a long, strange laugh then, as a peal of thunder rolled in. “And if I did, what are you going to do about it now?” he said. “You think anyone will believe that? I’m a big guy in town and she was a depressed psycho.”

“Is that why you pushed her to her death?” Cindy was right on it.

“Because she was a psycho?” Doug took the bait.

“Is that why?” Cindy repeated.

“Nah.” Doug laughed hard again. “I knew she was a psycho all along. That wasn’t why. That didn’t bother me. But she wasn’t just a psycho. She was a bitch. I pushed her because she was lying to me, trying to pull the wool over my eyes. All along she was in love with another guy and pretending she was going to marry me. What kind of bitch does that? Tell me.”

“You tell me.” Cindy was thrilled to get all this on recording.

“You think someone tries to make a fool of me, and lives?” His mouth began frothing. “They don’t. You think if I don’t have her, someone else will?”

“So you pushed her?” Cindy asked, wanting to hear him say it again and again.

“Yeah, I pushed her and it was easy. I brought her up there with me and then it was over in a second flat. She never knew what hit her. I just went back to the hotel and got a drink in the lounge, like nothing ever happened.”

“No one else knew either, did they?” asked Cindy.

“No one else,” said Doug. Then he stopped himself quickly and looked at Cindy. “Except you. You know now, don’t you?”

Cindy took a deep breath as the water line rose higher and lapped against the boat. Would Doug try to push Cindy in now, as he’d pushed Shari? Oddly, Cindy wasn’t afraid.

“The police also know,” Cindy answered quickly. “They have the new evidence. They also know I’m down here on the boat with you. So you can’t get away with anything else.”

“Oh no?” Doug lurched forward and grabbed Cindy. “You don’t think so, huh?”

Cindy struggled, as the two of them tossed back and forth like waves on the boat.

“What’s that you got there?” Doug felt into her pocket and pulled out the recorder. “You lousy bitch, you’ve been taping me?”

“Hold on there!” A loud voice and a quick gunshot suddenly burst onto the boat.

Cindy spun around and there was Mattheus, aiming his gun right at Doug.

“Let go of Cindy and drop the recorder, or else I’ll shoot,” Mattheus warned.

Holding Cindy in front of him, Doug began dragging her to the edge of the boat.

Mattheus ducked down, raced behind Doug and put the gun to his head.

“Don’t shoot, don’t shoot,” Doug began screaming then and letting go of Cindy, as in a few seconds more footsteps were heard. And in another second, the cops joining them, as well.

“It’s all over,” Mattheus boomed into Doug’s ear then.

“It’s never over,” Doug growled. “Shari was only the beginning.”

“You got other victims?” One of the cops ran over and dug his nails into Doug’s arms.

“I [cl14] would have in another day,” Doug sneered. “Next was Deidre’s turn. Shari’s stupid twin sister.”





Chapter 23