Death by Proposal Read Online Free PDF Page A

place in the sun.
    The
pool was surrounded by lounge chairs, striped umbrellas over them, and tables for
poolside drinks on. Thankfully, as it was so early, the lounge chairs were only
half full. Some of the ones at the center were filled with people, talking to
each other, undoubtedly about what happened last night. It was better for now,
to get away from that.
    Cindy
and Mattheus chose two chairs off to the side, under a large palm tree, where
gentle, refreshing breezes blew. It was a wonderful idea to come here, thought
Cindy, a great way to debrief before they planned other outings on the island.
    “If
this isn’t paradise, I don’t know where it is,” Mattheus grinned as he stretched
his towel out on the chair.
    Of
course, even though the two of them spent all their time down in the Caribbean,
this was different. They weren’t on a case. They could relax and enjoy each
other and the new turn their relationship had taken. They could talk about the
future. Cindy could even wonder about an old dream of hers, if a family for
them might be in the works.
    Cindy
stretched out her towel, as Mattheus took sun tan lotion from his bag and
gently rubbed it over her arms and shoulders. When they were ready to lay down,
a waiter came over to take their orders and handed them a local newspaper.
    Mattheus
ordered drinks and cheese and Cindy took the paper as she stretched out on the
lounge. Once comfortable, she lazily opened it up.
    The
picture of the young woman who had died was plastered across the front page.
    Shocked,
Cindy stared at it, unable to move.  “Mattheus,” she finally said, in a thin
voice.
    “What?”
he turned his head towards her.
    “Look
at this,” she held the paper up.
    Mattheus
looked at the photo, not registering anything.
    “Look,
don’t you recognize her?” Cindy’s voice trembled.
    Mattheus
looked more closely. “She looks familiar, but I don’t remember exactly where I’ve
seen her before.”
    “Please
look more closely,” Cindy felt troubled.
    “Who
is she?” Mattheus finally asked point blank.
    “She’s
the young woman who was sitting at the table next to ours in the dining room.
The beautiful one, the ash blonde.”
     “God,”
said Mattheus, “I remember. She was wearing the bracelet you wanted me to look
at.”
    Cindy
kept staring at the young, perfect face, a wave of grief flowing through her. She’d
looked so happy and so beautiful that night, everything before her. Now she was
dead and gone. It was hard for Cindy to digest it.
    “The
headlines say she’d just gotten engaged the night she died and was so thrilled
and happy,” said Cindy.
    Mattheus
shook his head slowly. “Awful,” he murmured. “That’s why we do the work we do.”
    “What
happened to her?” Cindy couldn’t help asking. “The whole situation reminded her
so much of what had happened with her and Clint. Losing him at the peak of her
happiness, during the honeymoon.”
    “I
have no idea what happened,” Mattheus said softly, “none at all. Please, let it
go.”
    “She
and her fiancé seemed fine together,” Cindy ruminated.
    “We
all seem something,” said Mattheus. “Things turn around in an instant. A flash
flood, a sudden misunderstanding, a terrible fight, summer storm.”
    “It’s
not that simple,” said Cindy.
    “Sometimes
it can be,” said Mattheus.
    “No,”
Cindy didn’t buy it. “There’s a trail that leads to something like this, tiny
moments, small events, a buildup of strange passions.”
    Cindy
couldn’t help think of the way she and the young woman had exchanged brief
glances and smiles. There had been something about her that had struck Cindy
forcefully. Cindy remembered the sadness in her smile. Why would there be
sadness, right after she’d gotten engaged? The headlines said she was thrilled,
happy.
    “There’s
no reason to speculate now,” Mattheus said. “Facts are one thing, speculation
another. We’re not going to gather facts this time, and just