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CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 1

Cindy’s stomach fell as she looked out of the plane window and saw the narrow landing strip at the St. Bart’s airport. It ran right to the edge of the ocean and seemed as if it would take a miracle not to miss the strip and sink in the water. As she reached for her life vest and Mattheus put his hand over hers.

“We’re doing just fine,” he said, “the pilot does this all the time.”

Cindy took a deep breath as the plane quickly descended. The trip had gone so quickly. There hadn’t been nearly enough time to go over all the reports the Senator had faxed about the gruesome murder of beautiful Tiffany O’Connell, his daughter. Tiffany had been found at sunset, mauled at the beach, the day right after her huge engagement party on her father’s yacht. Half of St. Bart’s had been there to celebrate.

The Senator’s wife, a frail woman, beside herself with shock and grief, had heard about Cindy and demanded a woman on the case. The Senator had faxed sheet after sheet to them just before they boarded the flight. The reports were sent secretly, along with photos of Tiffany, both at her engagement party and then of her mangled body on the beach.

Nothing like this ever happened at St. Bart’s, he told them, especially during the Christmas season, when the place was packed with visitors, the rich and famous, coming from all parts of the United States and Europe to celebrate and be seen at the glittering parties for those on the A list. During this week, huge, magnificent yachts would be arriving, lining the coast, jockeying for the best position. People planned for a glorious Christmas vacation at St. Bart’s all year long. And so did the residents, who thrived on the island’s reputation for being beautiful, pristine, totally safe and unspoiled. The island was a unique mixture of ravishingly beautiful natural habitats along with elegant shops, restaurants, clubs, and spas. The food was exquisite, the service supreme. It was a place people could come and be cared for magnificently, protected, free of the pressures and dangers that haunted other vacation spots in the world. This one place still remained as a sanctuary for celebrities who could unwind without being gaped at by the rest of the hungry world. The police on the island were doing their best to keep it quiet.

Cindy felt strange to be going on Christmas, which always been her favorite holiday. She loved the wonderful music, food, smells, candles, lights. She loved wrapping presents, receiving cards, connecting with those who’d been far away. A special feeling of peace and love always surrounded her, a sense that the world could be a haven, always filled with everything good. The image of this young woman’s mangled body now rose up and filled her mind. She had to go, no matter what the season.

Cindy had looked over the photos and reports during the flight, but there wasn’t much in them. The police on the island hadn’t found any evidence at the scene of the crime.

“Twelve stab marks,” Cindy had said to Mattheus. “It’s a crime of passion.”

Mattheus wasn’t sure.

“No evidence anywhere? Could be a setup.”

Cindy loved tossing ideas back and forth with Mattheus; they each always saw another aspect of what was going on.

Mattheus looked out the plane window now, and tapped his fingers on the edge of his seat. Cindy felt how eager he was to get there already, dig in, uncover suspects. She took a deep breath. This was the fourth case she’d been on in a row. She hadn’t had time to catch her breath or regroup. It was actually startling to her to see how enormous the need was for a woman detective down on the islands. Cindy was troubled to see the danger women lived in, and how unprotected they felt. It was also comforting to have Mattheus besides her doing the work. They balanced each other wonderfully and were quickly becoming a well-known team. More quickly than Cindy wanted. Some days it felt as if they’d always be together, chasing after one killer or another. It was as if they’d fallen into an unknown destiny that swept them along unfailingly.

Cindy paused and wondered where they were really headed, and what kind of life she could ever have again?

The photos of Tiffany were terrible, haunting. Cindy could see that she’d been a beautiful young woman, and that whoever did it, was violent, possessed with hate. They took great pleasure in destroying her beauty, twisting and stabbing her mercilessly. And the fact that it happened the day after her engagement party was doubly troubling to Cindy. It reminded her of the loss of her own husband of Clint, murdered right on their honeymoon.

“There’s something about times of happiness,” Cindy said to Mattheus, “they’re dangerous.”

Mattheus looked at her directly. “They can be,” he said softly.

“People can’t stand the happiness of others,” Cindy murmured. “It brings out the worst.”

“Not always,” Mattheus responded. “It’s just that in our business we’re called to see the darkness.”

Cindy shivered.

“And to help with it,” Mattheus’ strong, warm voice grew deeper. “To make sure it doesn’t happen again to someone else.”

“But it does,” said Cindy.

“But at least we stop this particular killer and save others he might have been killed,” Mattheus was resolute in his determination.

“We’ve still got a lot to learn about details of this case,” Mattheus went on. “That’s good. We’re going with open minds. Everything I’ve researched on the Senator and his family looks interesting. I’m looking forward to meeting the guy. His constituents love him. He has a fantastic record of fighting for the environment, supporting the underdog. He makes plenty of time to be with the people, listens to their concerns. This guy has worked long and hard. He won his seat from the ground up. It’s disgusting that something like this happened to him.”

Cindy nodded in agreement. “It’s disgusting no matter who it happens to,” she said. “No one deserves this. No family deserves to live in this kind of pain.”

“But we don’t always get what we deserve. Do we?” said Mattheus.

Cindy had no idea how to answer that. Of course, it didn’t seem so. She herself had been a victim of crime when Clint was murdered, and she had to endure pain that felt like it would never go away. Doing this work helped, though. With each case they solved Cindy felt as though she was rectifying what happened to Clint. His senseless death was serving a good purpose; she was using the impetus from it to save others.

Cindy wondered more about Tiffany’s murder now. There were no articles published it in the local papers and Mattheus had been only able to research the Senator and his family thus far.

“What about the Senator’s wife?” Cindy asked, trying to round out the picture.

“They were childhood sweethearts,” Mattheus said.

Cindy smiled. It wasn’t what she’d expected to hear.

“Solid marriage, three kids, all girls. The one who was killed, Tiffany, has a twin sister, Rori. And there’s an older sister, Winnifred, who’s twenty one. The wife, Meryl, got sick pretty soon after the twins were born. Never really recovered completely. Records say she’s frail, hired a housekeeper to raise the family. Wasn’t always at her husband’s side during government functions. There’s nothing in the records to show that the Senator took up with anyone else.”

Cindy was surprised again. She hadn’t thought that would have been something Mattheus would focus on, or that it would have much bearing on the case.

“A rough time for it to happen,” Mattheus sighed. “A week before Christmas. The island is packed. The killer could easily get lost in the crowds, commotion, parties. For all we know he could even have his eye on someone else.”

They approached the tarmac, and Cindy felt herself trembling.

Mattheus lay a reassuring hand on her wrist.

“You OK? I’ve never seen you like this before.”

Cindy nodded.

He was right. She felt unusually nervous arriving on the island. She wasn’t sure why. Perhaps it was the image of Tiffany that stuck in her mind, casting a long, dark, shadow.

“You’re becoming an old hand at this by now,” Mattheus went on. “You should be taking it all as a matter of course.”

Cindy couldn’t possibly imagine how the violent loss of life could become a matter, or being responsible for hunting down the one who did it. Cindy had been raised to see the world as orderly, filled with beauty and decency. It unnerved her deeply to look into the chaos that lurked beneath the careful cover of what seemed to be social correctness, stable relationships, and perfectly manicured homes.

The plane bumped on the ground a few times as it landed. Then it stopped at the very edge of the strip, its nose practically hanging over the water.

“We’re here,” Mattheus said.

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