Death by Proposal (Caribbean Murder #7)

Margaret sighed more loudly. “Our children do that sometimes, don’t they?” she said to Carl. “They criticize us, they find out sore points. But what good will it do you to dwell on that now? It will only hurt more.”


“I never did a thing in the world for Kate to criticize,” Carl insisted, “and I do not believe she ever wrote anything like that about me.”

Clay stared at him, “She did,” he insisted.

“Prove it to me,” Carl’s voice resounded.

Clay ran to his computer, opened it fast and started scrolling through.

Dan took a step closer to Carl then. “Are you sure you want to see this? What good will it do?” said Dan.

“I’m sure,” said Carl intensely, “I can’t live with a shadow like this in my mind.”

Clay got to a spot on the computer, stopped and then thrust it in front of Carl. Cindy stood and read it over Carl’s shoulder.

Dear Clay, My uncle Carl doesn’t love me like you do. He doesn’t understand me. He pries into every little thing I do. I like that you give me space and understand me with just a word or two. Sean never understood me, either. He forced me to be his girlfriend. I never wanted to, either. But Carl liked Sean and also forced me to be his girlfriend. You are the first man I’ve ever truly wanted.

As Carl read his face first grew numb, then fierce.

“Complete lies,” he growled emphatically. “Crazy stories. She never said that.”

Clay pulled the computer away. “Every word is true.”

“Kate never wrote this. I’m sure of it,” Carl was beside himself, “I have no idea who wrote this.”

Cindy’s heart started beating terrifically. “This doesn’t sound like anything I’ve heard about Kate,” she added.

Carl was on a tear, moving in closer and closer to Clay. “When were those emails written?” he demanded.

Clay hugged the computer to himself though, and smiled.

Margaret came up to Carl. “Forget about it, leave it alone. It’s over now.”

“It’s not over, it’s just beginning,” Carl flung back at her.

“Clay is emotional about things,” Margaret spoke more softly. “A correspondence like this confused his mind. He wanted to come to Kate’s rescue, and so he proposed. None of it makes sense, I agree with you.”

Carl wasn’t having her story, though. “Kate did not write that email. I am certain of it,” he repeated, incensed.

“You two have to go now,” Dan grew more agitated. “It’s enough for everyone.”

“It’s not enough,” Carl glared at him.

Dan strongly motioned Cindy and Carl to the door. As they were being sheparded out of the room, something suddenly caught Cindy’s eye. Laying out on the top of a bureau, in full view, was the amber bracelet Kate had worn.

“Wait a minute, what’s this?” Cindy’s voice grew high as she ran over to it.

“It’s Kate’s bracelet,” Clay ran over too, and grabbed it. “It belonged to her.”

“We have to see this bracelet,” Cindy said intensely. “It’s part of the evidence in the case.”

“How in hell can this be evidence?” Dan was growing furious. “It was her bracelet and it’s right here.”

“I have to take it into the police station,” Cindy said breathlessly.

“Why?” yelled Dan.

“Because another bracelet, just like this has turned up, and we have to figure out what’s going on.”

“So take it, take it,” Margaret started to yell.

“No,” Clay uttered. “It was Kate’s and it belongs with me. She may want it someday.”

“Let her uncle have it, Clay,” Margaret whispered to him. “Kate won’t need it anymore. Her uncle does though, he needs something of hers.”

“He doesn’t deserve it though,” Clay’s eyes grew heavy.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Margaret started soothing Clay again. “We all deserve something, and you don’t need her bracelet anymore.”

*

Cindy clutched the bracelet tight in her hand. It spoke volumes, could be the evidence needed that Sean hadn’t been in the room, hadn’t taken the necklace, that he was not their man.

“We’ve got to go see Riva immediately and get her bracelet,” Cindy said to Carl. “They’re holding Sean because they think he took Kate’s bracelet and gave it to Riva.”

“Let’s go,” said Carl, mobilized.

Fortunately, Riva was in her room when Cindy and Carl knocked on her door.

“We need to see the amber bracelet you were wearing,” Cindy said the moment they walked in.

“Why?” Riva got scared again, “and where’s Mattheus?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Cindy reassured her. “This has nothing to do with you. We found the bracelet that belonged to Kate in her room. Sean never took her bracelet. Yours is different.”

“What do you mean?” Riva seemed offended.

“Let’s just see it,” said Carl emphatically.

Riva brought her bracelet out of a drawer and gave it to Carl, hesitantly.

Immediately, Carl turned it over in his hand. “This one’s a cheap copy,” he proclaimed.

“What the hell do you mean?” Riva practically screeched. “Sean told me it was the real thing.”

“It’s a copy of the original one that belonged to Kate,” Carl added.