“So what?” That didn’t mean much to Cindy. So many times the main suspect was just a convenient cover for the real culprit. “Besides, “she went on, “the main suspect’s the one who called us down to help. We’re working for him, remember?”

“Of course I remember,” said Mattheus. “But I’m not so sure what we can do. The Chief of Police told me it’s a clear case cut of euthanasia. Owen helped his wife die. For all we know he could have thought it was an act of mercy.”

“Let him speak for himself,” warned Cindy. “He may have a completely different take on it. Besides, when have we ever believed any Chief of Police?”

“This time is different,” Mattheus continued. “There’s clear cut evidence. And, it’s not like we have to hunt down a killer on the loose.”

“You never know,” Cindy murmured. Usually Mattheus didn’t have as much contact with the police up front as he’d had this time. As soon as the Jamaican police discovered that Owen Danden, the main suspect, had hired C and M Investigations, they’d called Mattheus to fill him in. This was a high profile case and the last thing the police wanted was more lurid publicity. Owen was a rich, powerful, well connected real estate developer and mogul. The police clearly wanted Cindy and Mattheus on their side.

“The police are trying to disarm you,” Cindy told Mattheus as he took a few calls from them before they left for Jamaica.

“Nah, they’re saving us time, filling us in,” Mattheus protested.

It didn’t feel good to Cindy right from the start. She didn’t need the police to call and go over details that had already been made public. The case had garnered lots of attention, was all over the papers and TV. As soon as Cindy and Mattheus were hired Cindy read all about it carefully. Two months ago, Owen Danden was on vacation in Jamaica with his beautiful wife Tara, of twenty years. They were celebrating their anniversary on the water in a boat, happy and laughing, when huge gusts of wind blew up from nowhere. According to the papers, the boat went crazy, started shaking, tipping, and suddenly Tara fell overboard. As Owen tried desperately to steer the boat away from his wife, the gears locked and the edge of it hit her in the head, again and again. Owen shouted for help, but by the time he’d pulled her out of the water, Tara was alive, but not responding. An all-out SOS call went forth and both Owen and Tara were soon airlifted to the Ranges Hospital.

The Ranges Hospital was a beautiful, private, international hospital, located nearby on top of a nearby cliff. Tara was immediately placed in the ICU, in a special section for coma patients. The prognosis was guarded, they all had to wait and see now how she would progress. Would she wake up? Would she live the rest of her life in a vegetative state? Beside himself, Owen stayed glued to his wife’s bedside for two months, attending to her every need, waiting for her to open her eyes and speak to him. Cindy read the story in the paper over and over.

“The paper said that Owen never left Tara’s bedside,” Cindy reminded Mattheus now. “How did he get from that to being suspected of killing her at the end?”

“He got tired, exhausted,” Mattheus answered bluntly. “That kind of vigil takes an incredible toll.”

Cindy’s nose wrinkled. “Too simple,” she replied.

“Euthanasia is complicated,” Mattheus insisted. “In some places it’s not even considered a crime.”

“But it is in Jamaica,” Cindy reminded him, “and Owen was smart. He had to realize that. Besides, how can we be sure it was euthanasia?”

Mattheus shook his head slowly. “So far as I’ve read nobody has questioned the way Tara died. She died by a lethal substance put into her IV.”

Cindy didn’t go for that, either. “If Owen wanted to kill her,” Cindy said quickly, “he could have just had them pull the plug. That’s involuntary, passive euthanasia, withholding treatment or life support. It’s not as serious as actively killing someone.”

“But a lethal substance could be quicker, less painful,” Mattheus disputed it. “Maybe Owen didn’t want to see his wife suffer dying slowly like that.”

“But if Tara was in a coma,” Cindy mused, “she wouldn’t feel anything anyway.”

“You never know,” said Mattheus. “I’ve read all kinds of things about people in comas.”

Cindy had read a great deal about it as well. Some claimed that people in comas could hear everything being said. There were even cases of people coming out of comas and reporting conversations around them, word for word. The idea of that frightened Cindy, made her think of her sister, Ann. Had Ann been aware that she was dying, what was the last thing she’d heard before she died?

“There are too many unknown variables,” said Cindy. “We’re going to have to stay very grounded and careful with this case.” She ran her hands through her hair then, tying it neatly at the bottom of her neck. Cindy wanted to feel pulled together as they’d be landing soon. Owen had sent a car to the airport to meet them. Cindy and Mattheus would take the car, go to their hotel, check in and then immediately head to the scene of the crime at the hospital. The police were there already, expecting them.

“I love our being back together,” Mattheus said as he watched Cindy straighten her hair. “I love tackling new cases with you.”

Cindy leaned towards Mattheus. “Me, too, I love it,” she said.

“I can see us doing this forever and ever,” Mattheus whispered.

“So can I,” Cindy answered. “And, hopefully, we can do other things, too.”

“Lots of other things,” Mattheus grinned. “We have our whole life before us.”

A loud voice over a microphone interrupted them then. “Prepare for landing, buckle your seat belts.”

Cindy caught her breath. “My God, we’re here already?” The flight had taken no time.

“It’s good, it’s all good,” Mattheus smiled. “Let’s go for it, let’s go for everything.”

Cindy felt a wave of warmth and appreciation for Mattheus as they leaned back, buckled up and got ready to descend. Where in the world would Cindy be without him now? She had no idea.

*

The plane glided to an easy landing. Cindy and Mattheus got off, picked up their luggage and walked to the front of the airport where the car Owen had sent was waiting for them. As they walked, Cindy breathed the sweet, balmy air, and enjoyed the beautiful palm trees that welcomed visitors from near and far. To her surprise, Cindy was relieved to be in Jamaica, felt at ease here. As she and Mattheus got into the car and drove off to their hotel, she felt ready to start on a new case again.

Mattheus’s mind was not on the case right then though. “Great place for a honeymoon,” he said, edging close to her.

Cindy couldn’t respond. The idea of having another honeymoon was startling. And the realization that her sister Ann would not be at her second wedding felt like a terrible blow.

“Jamaica looks like a great place for everything,” Cindy replied simply.

“I took the liberty of getting just one room for us at the hotel this time,” Mattheus said softly as the car sped quickly along the highway. “Is that okay?”

Cindy smiled at the boyish look in his eyes. “Yes, it’s okay,” she said softly, relieved at the thought of being close to Mattheus and sleeping in his arms all night long. At this point, she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Chapter 2

After quickly checking into the beautiful Sands Hotel, Cindy and Mattheus planned to go to their first destination, the crime scene at the Ranges Hospital. They wanted to personally inspect the room Tara Danden had died in.

The Sands Hotel well situated, equally distant from the hospital, police station and center of town. It was one of the most luxurious hotels on the island and Owen had reserved the grand suite on the top floor to make their stay as comfortable as possible.