Death by Request (Caribbean Murder #11)

“Is the marina close enough to walk over?” Cindy asked.

“About a mile,” said Mattheus. “Good idea, let’s walk. It will clear out heads.”

The walk to the marina was easy and enjoyable. The day was clear, beautiful and invigorating with a slightly crisp edge to the air. Cindy and Mattheus wound their way out of the cluster of sprawling, manicured Villas and passed through an enclave of expensive stores and specialty shops. Then they headed down a narrow road towards where the boat Owen had rented was docked.

“What a family Tara had,” Cindy said as they walked along. She felt drained by the visit, glad to be away from them.

“They’re a complicated bunch,” said Mattheus. “It’s good that we met them.”

“If you ask me, we’ve got a treasure trove of suspects there,” said Cindy.

“That’s a leap,” Mattheus shook his head. “They’re all just reacting to the awful events. Seems like they really cared about Tara.”

“Including her father?” asked Cindy, surprised by Mattheus’s reaction.

“Of course,” said Mattheus, “maybe him the most.”

Cindy slowed down, trying to figure out what Mattheus meant. “Tara’s father said he always had a hard time with her,” she finally commented.

“Sometimes we have the hardest times with those we care about the most,” Mattheus replied.

“But I actually heard her father say he wanted her dead,” Cindy reminded Mattheus.

“No, he never said he wanted her dead,” Mattheus slowed down. “Ralph just said that he didn’t want her living like a vegetable in a coma. That could be a sign of his love.”

As always Mattheus made sense of whatever conundrum arose, but Cindy still felt uneasy about Tara’s father.

“I wouldn’t put anything past the father,” Cindy started walking more quickly again, and Mattheus, too picked up his pace. “Ralph definitely dislikes Owen, wasn’t at all grateful for the financial help he gave him. Could be he even set Owen up?”

“Ralph blamed Owen for the accident,” Mattheus refreshed Cindy’s memory, “not for the way she passed. He even said he had no idea who’d put the substance in Tara’s IV, but whoever did should not be blamed for it. ”

“But Ralph thought it was good that Tara died,” Cindy chimed in. “He was relieved.”

“Heck, the guy believes in euthanasia,” Mattheus responded, “you can’t fault him for that. That doesn’t mean he killed her. He just couldn’t stand seeing his daughter living like a vegetable. For him, Tara’s life was already over.”

“But it wasn’t over, Mattheus. Tara was alive, she was breathing,” Cindy insisted.

“It’s all how you see it,” Mattheus insisted.

“It doesn’t mean Ralph didn’t end Tara’s life, either,” Cindy said sharply, “he could have thought he was doing her a favor.”

Mattheus slowed down again. “What have you got against Ralph, Cindy?” he asked.

“Nothing,” she replied tautly. “I don’t particularly like him, but I don’t have anything against him. But we can’t let him off the hook so easily, either. The guy’s filled with all kinds of resentments. Who knows what was going on in his head?”

“If you ask me, I’d say the brother, Hank, is the strangest,” Mattheus responded as they turned the corner onto the street which lead to rows of boats rocking gently at the water’s edge.

“Hank’s a pathetic, desperate guy,” Cindy remarked as she breathed in the refreshing smell of salty, ocean air, “he’s overwhelmed. We can talk to him later, if he’ll talk. My guess is, he may not.”

“He’ll have to,” Mattheus insisted.

“But he may not be able to,” said Cindy, “and we can’t force him. I don’t know how reliable he is as a witness anyway.”

“We definitely have to talk to Hank,” Mattheus murmured as they passed a few casual restaurants open for lunch. The smell of fish and meat sizzling on the grills wafted out from the restaurants, making Cindy feel hungrier than she realized. “Do you want to find the boat Owen rented and talk to its owner first, or have lunch?” Mattheus asked.

“Let find the boat’s owner,” said Cindy. “Then we’ll have more to go over at lunch.”

Mattheus grinned. “Great,” he agreed. “Let’s find him. I love your spirit Cindy. I know you’re hungry, I know you’re tired, but you never let that get in the way. You really know how to put first things first. Nothing ever stops you.”

“I want to get to the boat as soon as possible,” Cindy felt pleased. “There still could be something left there for us to see. And, we have to make sure the forensic evidence was collected properly. For all we know someone else could have even been on board with them?”

“Good thinking,” said Mattheus, “no stone can be left unturned.”

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