Death by Devotion (Book #9 in the Caribbean Murder Series) (20 page)

The
mother’s jaw set and she gritted her teeth as she focused on Sean. “If you side
with them, your name will be mud,” she warned. “There won’t be a place for you
on the island.”

Sean
moved in on them, methodically. “I’m taking the boy and mother in,” he said to
Cindy and Mattheus, nodding to the rest of the police who were accompanying
him.

The
mother grew taut. “Stupid,” she breathed. “Traitors don’t get to live on this
island.”

Sean
was unflinching as he pulled her arms behind her back and Cindy watched in
total admiration.

“You’re
finished, Sean, finished,” she hissed.

“Not
at all,” Cindy interjected, as Jared and his mother were being taken into custody.
“The story will go out over the news wires tonight. Nobody will dare do a thing
to us when everything’s made public. The police will have to release Andrea,
immediately. That’s true, Sean, isn’t it?”

“It’s
true,” he declared, “In fact, I will personally see to it.”

“That’s
what you think, that’s what you think, but you’re wrong, wrong,” Jared’s mother
tossed her head back over her shoulder and glared at them all violently.

Cindy
and Mattheus arrived at the jailhouse just as Andrea was being released. Along
with reporters circling around her, Petra stood, smiling and clapping.

“It’s
an incredible moment,” the newscaster announced, “as we watch an innocent,
young girl being released from a jail, where she was in danger of being brought
up on murder charges.”

The
crowd around them clapped and laughed as Andrea saw Cindy, raced over to her
and threw her arms around her.

“Thank
you, thank you, you saved my life, you’re an angel,” she breathed as the
cameras rolled on both of them. “I was wrong, so wrong about everything. Can
you ever forgive me?”

“I
do,” said Cindy, “I do.” It was quite a turnaround and Cindy enjoyed every
moment of it. “Thank God, you’re safe,” she whispered.

A
reporter came over to them with a microphone. “What happens to Andrea next?” he
intruded upon them in a strident tone.

“This
is a personal moment,” Cindy declared, trying to block Andrea from his view.

Petra
came out of the crowd and and ran up to them, pulling Andrea away to herself.

“My
daughter is being released into my custody,” she told the reporter, proudly. “She’ll
be back with me, where she belongs.”

 Mattheus
jumped in then. “The arrangements are yet to be worked out,” he said
officially.

“We
would appreciate some privacy now as details have to be discussed.”

Thankfully,
the reporter backed off and Cindy, Petra, Mattheus and Andrea all stood in a
little circle together.

“Andrea
cannot be released to your custody yet,” Mattheus said immediately, the moment
they were all alone. “It’s not safe for her to remain on the island. There’s no
question about it.”

Petra’s
eyes flashed in pain, “Where else does she have to go? Nowhere!”

“For
now Andrea must leave the island with me,” Mattheus declared. “Jared’s mother
has tentacles all over the place. I’ve got to get Andrea away from the web of
danger that could be waiting for her.”

Andrea
breathed more easily, seeming to understand. “Come with us, too, mom,” she said
to Petra. “We’ll all go together, we’ll start fresh.”

“This
is my home,” Petra seemed on the edge of crying.

“You
won’t be safe here either, for a while,” said Mattheus. “We need time for
things to quiet down.”

“My
God, my God,” Petra exclaimed.

“You’ve
got to come, I’m not leaving without you,” Andrea said to her mother.

“I’ll
set you both up secretly on another island,” said Mattheus, “you’ll have a new
life.”

“Noooo,”
wailed Petra.

“There’s
no choice about it,” Cindy replied then.

“You’re
okay with this?” Petra looked astonished. “You don’t care if we’re going away
with Mattheus?”

“You’re
not going away with Mattheus,” Cindy replied, as Sean came from the sidelines
and stood beside her.  “Mattheus is just keeping you safe.” Cindy realized that
they all also needed time together to work out their relationships. Now that
they’d been brought back together, there was no avoiding that.

“Jared
and the mother are booked,” Sean interrupted the conversation then, looking at
Cindy, proudly. “They’re being put into the holding cells as we speak. It’s out
on the news.”

Andrea’s
eyes filled with tears suddenly. “Are you sure he did it? Are you positive?”
she looked at Sean.

“Very
sure,” Sean replied slowly.

“Why?”
asked Andrea.

“Jared
said you told him how wonderful it would be to have Cain out of the way so you
could be a family with your mom and Mattheus again,” Sean filled her in.

“I
never meant for him to kill Cain,” Andrea wrung her hands. “Jared asked me many
times if I wanted Cain dead and I said, No. He didn’t really listen when I
spoke, just wanted to keep taking pictures of me. Are you absolutely sure?”

“Jared
confessed again, right in front of the entire force,” said Sean methodically.

“Jared
doesn’t think he did anything wrong,” Cindy stepped in. “He believes he did it
out of love for you.”

“Love
for me?” Andrea breathed. “Is it possible?”

“Yes,
it is,” Cindy replied. “People do all kinds of things they wouldn’t otherwise,
out of what they think is love.”

Tears
fell silently down Andrea’s face. “I’m sorry, so sorry,” she whispered.

Cindy
put her arms around her. “It’s not your fault, you didn’t want this to happen.”

“No,
I didn’t,” breathed Andrea.

“You
just wanted your family back together again,” Cindy said softly.

“That’s
all I ever wanted,” said Andrea.

“And
now you’ll have it,” Cindy replied.

“Wait
a minute,” Mattheus stepped in. “I’ll take good care of Andrea and Petra, set
them up in a new island, keep them safe, but as to our being a new family –that’s
way too much.”

Petra
looked over at him with sad eyes. “Time will tell,” she whispered, “time will
tell.”

“And
what about you, Cindy?” Sean intervened.

“I’m
returning to the States immediately,” said Cindy. “My ex sister in law and her
former husband are trying to take my house away from me.  I’ve got to fight it
in court.”

“What?”
Mattheus exclaimed startled. This was the first time he’d heard about it.

“We
didn’t have a chance to talk about it before,” said Cindy.

“Why
are they doing it?” Mattheus was upset.

“They
want the place for their own purposes,” Cindy remarked. “What difference does
it make? I have to be back there to fight it.”

“Do
you have a good lawyer back home?” asked Sean.

“Not
yet,” said Cindy, “but I’ll find one.”

“You
might have found one already,” said Sean. “I’ve been discharged from the police
force as of right now.”

Everyone
grew completely silent.  Cindy was horrified, “Why?”

“There’s
all kinds of reasons they’re giving me,” said Sean, “but they don’t amount to a
thing.”

“I
told you,” said Mattheus, agitated, “the force is loaded with corruption. Sean
stepped out and did what was right, and he got canned.”

Sean
smiled wanly, “something like that, maybe,” he said.

“I’m
so sorry,” said Cindy, touched to the core.

“I’m
not,” Sean said. “This isn’t the right place for me, either.  Sooner or later I
had to get out of here.”

“So
you’re leaving sooner rather than later,” said Cindy.

“I’m
leaving at exactly at the right time,” Sean replied. “And nothing wrong with a
hiatus back in the States working as a lawyer on a worthwhile case,” he smiled.

Mattheus
looked over at Sean, blanching. “Are you making Cindy an offer?” he asked.

“Something
like that,” said Sean. “It can’t hurt for her to have support in protecting
what is hers.”

“You’re
right,” said Mattheus. “I want Cindy to have all the protection she can.”

Cindy
was stunned by Mattheus’s response, had no idea what to say.

Mattheus
took a step closer to her. “We both have things to take care of,” he said
softly.

Cindy
wondered if this was good bye.

“I
have to trust that what is right between us will happen,” Mattheus continued,
amazing her.

“I
have to only hope and pray that soon we’ll be back together working on cases,
and more.”

Cindy
wanted to cry, but kept herself from it. “Where are you headed to, Mattheus?”
she asked.

“I’m
going to settle Andrea and Petra is St. Croix. I have a network there who can
look after them. After that, I hope you will join me.”

Cindy
heart was pounding.  “Let’s see how everything goes,” she said.

A
reporter rushed over to them at the moment. “The news is out on TV and all
kinds of calls for new cases are coming in for you guys,” he exclaimed.

“That’s
good,” said Mattheus, “very good. We both have business to take care of first,
and then we’ll be ready to.”

Sean
came over and stood beside Cindy and Mattheus then. “You guys are terrific,” he
commented. “Who knows, maybe, in the future, I can even work on some of these
cases with you?”

“Let’s
see, let’s see,” said Cindy. “For now, one step at a time.”

NOW AVAILABLE!

DEATH
BY BETRAYAL
Book #10 in the Caribbean Murder Series

Cindy and Mattheus part ways, and while he stays
in the Caribbean to protect his daughter and her mother, she returns home.
Cindy’s sister, Ann, meets her at the airport to welcome her back to this new
chapter of her life.
 
Cindy
starts to settle back in, to meet old friends and make plans to take on a new
job—when a shocking call suddenly comes. It is a call Cindy never could have
expected in her wildest dreams, a call that rips her world apart. Someone close
to her—too close—has been found murdered in Bermuda.
 
Cindy
has no choice but to get on the next plane to Bermuda and hunt for the killer.
Before long, Cindy finds herself enmeshed in an underworld of big business and
crime. Beside herself, hitting dead ends, Cindy is forced to call Mattheus to
help.
 
Once
again, their stormy relationship deepens and takes a new turn, as they plunge into
solving this crime together. But it all may be too late….
 

DEATH
BY BETRAYAL
Book #10 in the Caribbean Murder Series

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)
DEATH BY DEVOTION (Book #9)
DEATH BY BETRAYAL (Book #10)
THE TOM’S RIVER SAGA
A PERFECT STRANGER (Book #1)

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