Free Death by Proposal by Jaden Skye Page B

the balmy days. The sun, that had been trying to break through
the clouds all morning, was slowly seeping through. It was unusual to get a
cloudy or rainy day down here this time of year. If it did rain or grow cloudy,
it usually only lasted for a short time. Cindy enjoyed the feel of the sun on
her body as they walked.
    “You
look great,” Mattheus said, pulling Cindy closer to him. Clearly, he had
decided to pick up the relationship where they’d left off. Cindy was
tremendously relieved that the tension between them had eased up.
    “I
have so much news,” she said.
    “Let’s
have it,” said Mattheus, eager, as they picked up their pace.
    “Kate’s
ex-boyfriend, Sean is still at the hotel, with his date, Riva. They’re staying
for another few days.”
    “Wow,”
Mattheus breathed, “that’s big, that’s huge. I’ll call it into the police as
soon as we get to the restaurant. Did anyone see either Sean or Riva on Kate’s
floor at any time?”
    “Not
that I know of,” said Cindy, “but I got a chance to look at Kate’s Facebook
page. It was filled with the announcement of her engagement. She seemed
delighted and thrilled. There are lots of messages she got in return. Most were
happy, sending congratulations. But, some felt funny about it, said she’d only
recently broken up with Sean. It seems as if Kate had been hurt by the breakup.
Some people even suggested that her relationship with Clay could be on the
rebound.”
    Mattheus
started walking more slowly. Cindy felt him digesting the details, putting the
puzzle together in his mind.
    “Sean’s
date, Riva, also sent a few emails to Clay,” Cindy added. “She said she was
sorry and offered support.”
    “Nice,”
said Mattheus.
     “Maybe
nice, but a little odd. Riva didn’t mention a thing about Sean in her emails,”
said Cindy.
     “Did
Sean write to Clay himself?” Mattheus asked.
    “Not
that I saw,” said Cindy. “I’ve got a lot more to go over in Kate’s computer.”
    “Police
gave me all the passwords we need to get onto both of their pages, and into
their email,” said Mattheus.
    Cindy
was relieved. “Wonderful.”
    “I’ve
been checking Clay online,” Mattheus said as they approached the restaurant he’d
chosen, a charming, adobe, outdoor café, with a few tables available outside.
    He
and Cindy immediately sat down at a table and continued to process what they’d
found.
    “I
haven’t finished with everything,” Mattheus continued, “but right now Clay
seems fine. He graduated from a fine university in the South, top of his class,
had a great reputation and was editor of the yearbook. He went on to graduate
school and now works for his father’s firm as a chemist.”
    Cindy
was impressed and not surprised. Clay had seemed like a person of substance
from the moment she saw him.
    “There’s
not too much on his Facebook page or social media,” Mattheus continued. “A few
friends, pictures of his parents, dog, and plenty of quotes from some writers
he likes. Could be a bookworm? Not sure. Don’t see much about past
relationships, either.  At least not online. Could be he’s just a private guy.”
    Cindy
sighed, “Not much to grab onto.”
    “A
bit of a loner, maybe?” Mattheus said. “Don’t see lots of his friends
contacting him now, either.”
    “Or
could be he’s just in shock,” said Cindy, “and hasn’t contacted them.  Did you
check his email correspondence with Kate?”
    “Not
yet, there’s a lot to do here,” said Mattheus. “You can do that. Let me call
the police now and tell them that Sean and Riva are right here under our nose.”
    Just
as Mattheus was opening his phone to call, to Cindy’s surprise, Rod and Spike
drove up to the restaurant in red mopeds.
    “Hey,
look who’s here,” Mattheus was surprised, and closed his phone. “You guys
following us, or what? I was just about to put in a call to you.”
    Rod
and Spike got off their bikes, parked it, came over and sat