CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 1

Cindy and Mattheus sat on the veranda of the Grande Hotel, in Grenada, under the palm trees, going over details of the case. They sipped tall lemonades, as the afternoon light faded and soft ocean breezes drifted over them. It had been a long, tiring day. Cindy knew she would have to make a decision quickly, and had grappled with it all afternoon.

Things were moving too quickly, though. She felt caught in a whirlwind that didn’t give her any time to catch her breath, to make wise choices. She had to remind herself that she’d only come down to the island to help Dalia, an old friend, who’d frantically called for help. Dalia’s husband had gone missing and she was devastated, and there had been no way Cindy could say no.

It had been a couple of months since then, an intense, crazy time, which only became more so when Dalia’s husband turned up dead on the beach. When Cindy was the one to finally discover the killer, she had been all over the papers again. Cindy didn’t want the notoriety. But calls came in for her from all over.

Mattheus tilted his head back, tapping his fingers on the table. It was something he did when he was trying to think things out clearly, Cindy had come to learn. He’d gathered lots of information on the new case, but he’d been half an hour late to their meeting, something unusual for him. Cindy had waited for him uneasily, going over everything that had gone on between them since they’d met about two months ago.

She had tentatively agreed to form a private detective agency with him. It was at a moment when she’d felt a particular connection both with him and the work. But what did she really know about him, she now wondered? He was on the police force when they’d met and he’d been a wonderful help in her friend’s case. But people on this island got too close too quickly, and no good ever seemed to come out of it.

Cindy took a long, deep breath. She had both looked forward to seeing Mattheus this afternoon and also felt unnerved about it. Partially, she just wanted to run away, go back to life as she knew it in New York, before her own husband, Clint, had been killed. It had only been months since Clint was gone. She felt odd now spending such intense time with another man.

“I know you can do a great job with this case,” Mattheus continued, his voice full of conviction.

“Mattheus,” Cindy interrupted.

He stopped tapping his fingers and looked straight at her, his beautiful, clear eyes quieting her racing mind.

“It’s natural to be scared,” he said.

“That’s not it,” Cindy replied.

Surprisingly, Cindy did not feel scared of tackling another murder. Actually, she felt invincible at the thought of taking another case on. It was that feeling of power and service that drew her to the work. It made her feel more of who she really was.

“What is it?” Matthew asked, a small smile curling at the edge of his mouth.

“It’s a huge choice to start an entirely different life,” she said.

“Yes, it is,” he answered calmly, “but sometimes a new life chooses us. And you’re not the only one. It will be a new life for me, too.”

He looked up at her fleetingly, then looked away.

“I’ve gathered articles and reports about the case. It’s fascinating,” he continued, switching focus. “Kendra, the wife, called after reading about you in the paper. She sounded desperate. Said she wants a woman detective on the scene, someone who’ll understand her point of view.”

Cindy perked up.

“There aren’t too many of them down here on the islands,” Mattheus cocked his head to the side. “Especially as thoughtful and as smart as you.”

Cindy smiled.

“And daring,” he added, “and beautiful.”

Despite herself Cindy laughed. “You’re buttering me up.”

“I’m speaking the truth. I’ve been thinking about our new company.”

“I wasn’t even sure we meant it,” Cindy said hesitantly.

At that Mattheus leaned forward.

“I meant it,” he said, with no hesitation. “I mean what I say.” He looked at her searchingly. “How about you?”

“You’ve been a police officer for years,” said Cindy. “I have no training.”

“You have an instinctive gift. You’re unstoppable. Let’s go over the details of this new case before I say anymore.” He pulled out a file. “This woman’s husband, a well know criminal attorney in St. Thomas, the father of a daughter. He was murdered and thrown like garbage into an alleyway, behind the open markets.”

“Horrible,” said Cindy.

“The police are focusing in on the wife. She’s terrified. Not only by the loss of her husband, but by being interrogated night and day. Her entire world has been ripped apart. You can imagine why she’d love to have a woman helping.”

“Of course I can,” said Cindy.

“She insists that she’s completely innocent - knows nothing at all about what happened.”

Cindy suddenly felt as though she were hearing an echo from the past case she’d worked on. Dalia had also proclaimed her innocence, right up to the end. It was startling for Cindy to realize that her natural trust in people was disappearing fast. Her first reaction now was to doubt and to question.

“What else do you have to do that’s more important than this?” Mattheus honed in on her, refusing to let go.

“Nothing,” said Cindy. “Except going back home and resuming a normal life.” Even as she said it, she was aware that her life could never be normal again.

“Every life is normal if you’re doing what you’re supposed to,” Mattheus replied.

Cindy remembered then why she respected him so. Her heart warmed.

“We’ll go together. I’ll back you up - you won’t be alone. We can call the company C and M Investigation,” he laughed. “We work well together. We’re a good team.”

Cindy could not deny that.

“The woman in St. Thomas needs an answer right away,” Matthew was insistent. “It’s almost hurricane season there and they have to work as quickly as possible now to gather all the evidence. There are lots of lives at stake here, the woman, her family, and who knows who else? Could be a killer is on the loose.”

“I hear you,” said Cindy. “I hear everything.”

“I’m surprised you’re not jumping in.”

“Give me an hour or so,” Cindy said, her head suddenly reeling. It was too much for her take in all at once. She needed just a little while to walk on the beach, be with herself, and make sure this was the right decision. It was not only about working on the new case, it was joining forces with Mattheus, creating a private detective agency. Cindy looked at him sitting there, handsome, confident, rugged. It was as if he’d always been in her life. But he hadn’t. Just five months ago, she’d been married to Clint, going off with him on their honeymoon. They’d had a home and friends they’d loved. She’d worked as an investigative reporter and had hopes of having a family one day-- not tracking down killers in the Caribbean.

Cindy pushed herself away from the table and Mattheus stood up as well.

“Take as much time as you need,” he said calmly.

“I’ll let you know in an hour or so,” she said.

Mattheus smiled and so did Cindy as the wind in the trees began blowing up, tossing Cindy’s hair into her face.

“It’s just that everything is happening so quickly,” said Cindy, pushing her hair away.

“I know,” Mattheus nodded, “New beginnings are often like that.”

Cindy left her sandals at the edge of the beach and walked barefoot through the soft, white sand up to the water’s edge. The light was fading and it was definitely cooler as the wind tossed against her face and arms. Cindy reached out her hands as if to hold onto the breeze. Would she ever get home? Would she ever again be the person she was? A few small sandpipers flew to where she was standing and looked up at her. Cindy smiled. The islands had taken everything from her, but then had also given her one gift after another, in the most unusual ways. Could it be that this was to be her new home?

Her mind flew forwards to the woman on St. Thomas whose husband had been killed and dumped in a back alley. Cindy could only imagine the pain she had to be going through - the loss, confusion, and the police grilling her daily. A sense of outrage and strength flushed through Cindy’s veins. She’d been there. She knew how urgently the woman needed someone she could trust. Cindy also knew that somehow she was the one to do it. She was able to navigate her way through this kind of maze, sense what was brewing beneath the surface, cut through the lies and find justice. Cindy never realized before how important justice was to her. Life wasn’t worth living without it, she realized, as the water rushed up between her toes.

She took a long moment, then to breathe deeply, enjoying the moment. There was no need to linger any longer. Clint’s death had propelled her into a new place. She couldn’t go back home and rest when another person was going through the same torture she had. Clint would have made the same choice that she did, to fight for justice, find the culprit, stop the killer from striking again.

She had no choice. She had to say yes.