Read Afoot on St. Croix (Mystery in the Islands) for Free Online Page A

flashed her simple smile. “Not until you’re back on your feet.”
    •
    IN THE FRAGILE balance of human emotions, insecurity and doubt are far more lasting emotions than that of remorse.
    For the first few days after his heart-to-heart with Mira, Charlie fought a mighty struggle with his conscience. He cursed himself for being a suspicious man. He desperately wanted to believe his wife—and yet, some inner demon deep within his tortured mind persistently conspired against her.
    Every moment they spent together became a test of trust.
    Was that a new dress or one from her existing wardrobe? That wraparound skirt she wore on their outing to the beach . . . it looked familiar—or was it? Had he seen that necklace before? Those earrings? He couldn’t be sure. He nearly drove himself mad with questioning.
    One thing he knew for certain: he wouldn’t be fooled a second time.
    •
    CHARLIE SOON FOUND himself making regular trips into Christiansted’s shopping district. He paid several lengthy visits to the area, intent on becoming an expert in women’s fashion.
    Armed with a notepad and pencil, he conducted a thorough and methodical survey of all the clothing boutiques in the island’s main town, creating a list of their available inventory. He studied each dress, handbag, and pair of ladies’ shoes, writing down a description along with the item’s corresponding price tag.
    Then, every night after his wife had gone to sleep, he sneaked into her closet with a penlight to check for any new purchases.
    For weeks, nothing pinged his radar. His tiny light failed to illuminate any out-of-place items. He began to feel foolish, but he continued his vigilance. He couldn’t stop himself; he was obsessed.
    Because Charlie was so avidly searching, he eventually found something that verified his suspicions—critical, damning evidence that confirmed his worst fears.
    •
    IT WAS LATE one evening, near midnight, when the discovery occurred. After several hours of tossing, turning, and lying awake worrying over a construction-related matter, Charlie had at last crawled out of bed and removed his trusty penlight from his work tool belt.
    Taking care not to wake Mira, he crept across the bedroom’s concrete floor to the closet. After stepping inside, he flicked on the light and began his nightly surveillance.
    There, in a dark corner, behind the long tail of a trench coat, he spied something that made his blood run cold with fear and loathing.
    It was a pair of three-inch-high emerald green heels.
    He instantly recognized the open-toed shoes. He’d been fretting over the fate of this particular set of footwear ever since it had gone missing from the storefront of a prominent King Street shop the previous afternoon.
    “It’s the s-s-seven hundred dollar pair of shoes!” he gasped out loud, nearly apoplectic with shock.
    The volcano, slow to erupt, blew its stack in spectacular fashion. Forgetting that his wife was fast asleep in the next room, Charlie repeated the phrase he’d shouted when he first realized someone on the island had purchased the pricey item. His indignant voice rumbled through the lean-to.
    “Who would pay seven hundred dollars for a pair of shoes?!”
    •
    THE NEXT MORNING’S breakfast was a silent affair. Mira refused to look at her husband, much less speak to him.
    After Charlie left for work, she packed her bags. She took the children with her to the airport, and the group boarded the first available flight to Miami.
    It would be ten long years before Charlie would see them again.

~ 7 ~
    Wisdom
    NOT FAR FROM the seaplane hangar, near an empty lot where chickens scavenged among the trash and weeds, Gedda stood slumped over the handles of her rusted shopping cart. To the casual observer, she appeared to be half-drunk, half-asleep, or perhaps a little of both—regardless, no one was particularly interested in assessing her condition.
    In reality, her senses were keenly attuned. Her body, conditioned from