Death by Marriage (19 page)

Cindy
felt a long, chill go up and down her back.

“So
I called a tough kid in school I know. This kid likes me. He’s tough, but he’s
sweet. He wouldn’t hurt anyone. I told him Graham was bothering me and I couldn’t
take it anymore. I asked him to keep Graham away, to frighten him off a little
bit. That’s all I said. I thought he’d rough him up a little and that would be
that.” Nell started gasping for air. “I never wanted to hurt him. The kid didn’t
mean to hurt him. They fought, they wrestled. Things went wrong.”

Nell’s
face was pouring with perspiration as tears started to fall. She shot up and
went for the bureau drawer, pulled it open and yanked out a big, glistening, silver
life.

“Was
that the knife Graham used to kill your father?” Cindy asked, horrified.

“Yes,”
Nell yelled, now holding it up to her own throat. “And I’m killing myself with
it. I don’t want to live anymore.”

“Nell,
give that to me,” Cindy yelled back. “You can’t do it. It wasn’t your fault.”

“It
was my fault. I deserve it. I want to die.”

As
Nell raised the knife high, Cindy flew at her, yanked the knife out of her
hand, and held her tightly as she sobbed and sobbed so loudly, it drowned out
the winds, pounding rain, and wooden shutters that were banging madly against
the walls.

YOUNG WOMAN DETECTIVE SOLVES SORDID MURDER ON HER
OWN!

Once
again the headlines screamed the news of Cindy’s victory in the strange,
convoluted case. Mattheus bought at least ten copies, grinning from ear to ear.

“You
have an angel with you, whispering secrets none of us can hear.”

Cindy
smiled wanly. “Just female intuition,” she said.

“I’m
proud to be your partner,” said Mattheus, “and proud to know you.”

His
words felt like honey pouring through Cindy’s veins. They warmed her and gave
her strength and energy. But even though she was glad to have solved the case,
even though Kendra was being released from jail that very day, Cindy still felt
deeply saddened by the outcome. Margot had lost both her husband and son, and
the thought of Nell bearing the burden for the sins of her family, made Cindy
ill.

“It’s
not totally fair,” said Cindy. “Nell was just over eighteen, so she’ll be
charged as an adult and accomplice.”

“Nothing’s
totally fair,” said Mattheus. “This kind of victory is often bittersweet.”

“More
bitter than sweet,” said Cindy. “I grew to like Nell very much.  I’d say she’s
more of a victim than a criminal.”

“The
courts will take that into account,” Mattheus said.

Cindy
wondered. “Maybe,” she said, “What does it say about the sins of the fathers,
resting on their children’s heads?”

Mattheus
grimaced. “You did the best that you could do. This is not work for the faint
hearted.” He put his arm around her for comfort.  “You have to face that you
did an amazing job.”

“I
saved Kendra’s life,” Cindy said, “and destroyed her daughter’s. A quirk of
fate.”

“And
now we’ve got to move on,” said Mattheus. “There are a lot of calls that have
come in about new cases. One in particular, I think, will interest you. It’s on
St. Barts.” Mattheus grimaced, looking out. “This one strikes close to home.”

Cindy
wondered what he meant by that. As she studied his pained expression, she
wondered if this victim had been killed in a similar way to his former wife?

Cindy
felt overwhelmed at the idea of jumping onto another case. She didn’t know if
she had the strength to go on, the strength to look deeper into murders. And
most of all, the strength to grow closer to Mattheus.

She
sighed as she looked out at the horizon, at the devastation left by the storm.
She knew she had another tough decision to make. She felt Clint’s presence with
her strongly, urging her to accept, to find vindication for him. As she saw the
sun break through a patch of dark clouds, she thought that maybe, just maybe,
she’d say yes.

NOW AVAILABLE!

DEATH
BY DESIRE
Book #4 in the Caribbean Murder Series

Tap
here to download DEATH BY DESIRE on Amazon now
!

In the midst of gorgeous St. Bart’s, a
few days before Christmas, a Senator’s daughter is found stabbed and strangled
on the beach—the day after her engagement party. While the rich and famous are
pouring in to celebrate the holidays, the local police are desperate to keep it
quiet and not cause an uproar. But the Senator’s family wants justice for their
daughter, and they hire Cindy and Mattheus to solve the crime.

As Cindy and Mattheus investigate, they
meet the elite crowd surrounding the Senator’s family, an exclusive world of
unimaginable wealth, of luxurious parties on yachts and private villas. They
learn of all the people who may have wanted the young woman dead, all the
jealousies and rivalries, the secret ex-es and affairs. They meet her devastated
fiancé, her twin sister and her distraught Mom—all intent on the killer’s being
found. They meet the corrupt police force, who wants them stopped, and a rich
Russian mogul who controls half the island—and has his own agenda to bring down
the senator.

As they delve deeper, they learn the
many secrets of this exclusive family and the young woman, and discover that
all was not as perfect as it appeared to be. As they get close to the answers,
Cindy faces personal danger, while at the same time her relationship with
Mattheus grows deeper—and faces a crisis of its own.

And as the two of them are about to
leave the island, a sudden twist in events changes everything. Ultimately, they
come to learn that on the pristine, perfect St. Bart's, everything is not always
as it seems to be.

DEATH BY DESIRE is both a stand-alone
novel and Book #4 in the Caribbean Murder series, following DEATH BY HONEYMOON
(Book #1), DEATH BY DIVORCE (Book #2) and DEATH BY MARRIAGE (Book #3). Books
#5--#8 in the series are now also available!

Tap
here to download DEATH BY DESIRE on Amazon now
!

Books by Jaden Skye

THE CARIBBEAN MURDER SERIES
DEATH BY HONEYMOON (Book #1)
DEATH BY DIVORCE (Book #2)
DEATH BY MARRIAGE (Book #3)
DEATH BY DESIRE (Book #4)
DEATH BY DECEIT (Book #5)
DEATH BY JEALOUSY (Book #6)
DEATH BY PROPOSAL (Book #7)
DEATH BY OBSESSION (Book #8)
THE TOM’S RIVER SAGA
A PERFECT STRANGER (Book #1)

Tap
here to download Jaden Skye books on Amazon now!

Please
visit Jaden’s site, where you can join the mailing list, hear the latest news,
see additional images, and find links to stay in touch with Jaden on Facebook,
Twitter, Goodreads and elsewhere:

www.jadenskye.com