by Jaden Skye
Angie spread both hands out on the table, and tapped them several times. Obviously, she hadn’t been expecting questions like these so quickly. But time was of the essence, and Cindy had to cut through pleasantries.
“Was Shelly running away from something?” Cindy pursued it.
“Shelly’d had a terrible marriage a long time ago,” Angie said then softly, looking away.
Barbara flinched and reached out for Angie’s hand, as if to quiet her.
“It’s okay, I can talk,” Angie responded. “I’m not betraying Shelly’s confidence. I’m helping find her killer.”
Barbara shivered a moment. Cindy could see that it was painful for her to hear anything that could be negative about Shelly.
“Shelly ran away from a painful marriage,” Angie continued.
Cindy felt momentarily alarmed. “You’re talking about the man Shelly was married to in New Orleans?” Cindy had to be certain.
“Of course,” Angie was jolted, “Shelly was only married one time. She never married Anthony, was only living with him. But to me, her relationship with Anthony was more like a marriage than what she had with Mattheus.”
So they knew about Shelly’s having gone missing! Cindy felt stunned.
“Did Mattheus abuse Shelly?” Cindy asked immediately.
Barbara and Angie looked at each other.
“Not physically,” said Angie, “but emotionally, yes. Definitely!”
“How so?” Cindy’s attention was revving up. She needed details to back this accusation.
“Mattheus could never really be there for Shelly,” said Angie. “Shelly would tell him something and it would go in one ear and out the next. Sometimes she felt like she was going crazy. On the one hand, he’d act sweet and loving, on the other he’d turn cold as stone. That’s what she said to me over and over, he was cold as stone.”
This didn’t compute with the man Cindy knew. She had no idea how to put the information together.
“Explain this further,” Cindy requested.
Angie looked at her, puzzled. “What’s to explain? Every woman knows what cold as stone means.”
“Of course,” said Cindy, “but as a detective I need specific examples.”
Angie threw a quick look at Barbara.
“Mattheus wouldn’t make love to Shelly for weeks,” Angie said haltingly, “he’d leave her in bed alone.”
That was hard to believe. Mattheus had been a sensitive and giving lover to Cindy. She’d especially appreciated his warmth. What did Shelly do to push him away, Cindy couldn’t help wondering.
“Shelly would roll over towards Mattheus and try to hold him, and he’d brush her off and roll away,” Angie went on. “That is emotional abuse, par excellence.”
Cindy wondered if this really happened or if it were only in Shelly’s mind?
“In his own rotten way, he forced her to take up with other men!” Angie exclaimed, exasperated.
“Take up with other men? Forced her?” Cindy was horrified. She hadn’t heard a thing about this.
“His coldness drove her nuts,” Angie said, “she couldn’t stand it. Passive aggressive behavior drives women up the wall, makes them look like lunatics. That is emotional abuse.”
“Why didn’t Shelly leave him?” Cindy was baffled.
“She did,” Angie looked at her harshly.
“I mean, why didn’t she just get a divorce?”
“Life isn’t always so simple,” Barbara quickly interrupted, “there are often extenuating circumstances.”
“Like what?”
“Like maybe she needed him, or still cared for him, or didn’t want to hurt him.” said Angie.
“You can’t hurt someone more than by just going missing and never saying a word?” Cindy exclaimed.
“Going what?” asked Barbara disturbed.
“Shelly went missing from New Orleans six years ago,” said Cindy.
“That’s not what she told us,” said Angie looking directly at Cindy. “She said she told Mattheus many times she needed more from him and if she didn’t get it, was going to go. He’d just look at her blankly. He didn’t do a thing about it.”
Cindy swallowed hard. This put everything into an entirely new light. Was it possible that Shelly thought she had let Mattheus know that she was leaving, that he’d never heard what she said. Did she think all along that he knew their relationship was over?
“Shelly needed warmth, she needed love, is there something so bad about that?” Angie spoke stridently.
“Of course not,” said Cindy.
“Her family hated Shelly when she was growing up,” Angie continued. “She needed something more now.”
“Of course she did,” said Cindy.
Rattled, Barbara stood up.
“We’re going too fast. Let’s back track a minute,” Barbara said. No one ever said anything about Shelly’s having gone missing.”
“It’s on the record,” said Cindy quietly. ”There was a search for her that went on a long time.”
“Where?” asked Barbara, amazed.
“In New Orleans,” said Cindy.
“No one here knew about that,” Barbara insisted.
“I believe you,” Cindy said.
“If we knew about that, she never would have been hired,” Angie flared up.
“Yes, she would,” Barbara defied her. “It wouldn’t have mattered. Brave women go missing. Sometimes it’s the only way they can escape!”
“That’s going too far,” said Cindy.
“Why?” Barbara turned on the offensive. “Are you taking Shelly’s side, or are you one of those women who turn against their own kind, who identify with the aggressor?”
Cindy flushed as anger welled up. “I’m not turning against anyone, “she defended herself heatedly. “I’m just trying to get facts and piece them together.”
Angie stood up and walked over to Barbara.
“Cindy’s not doing anything wrong,” she said quietly, “she’s doing her job.”
“I don’t like the insinuation that what happened could have been Shelly’s fault. It’s just another form of blaming the victim,” said Barbara, irate.
Cindy stood up as well. “I’m not blaming Shelly, I’m not blaming anyone. I’m not the judge and jury, here.”
“Well, you should be facing the fact that Shelly was emotionally abused and that’s why she left, no matter how she did it. She didn’t run away for no reason. Why don’t you blame the guy she lived with?” Barbara’s eyes were full of fire.
“Blaming is always beside the point,” said Cindy said emphatically. “We gather facts and let them speak for themselves. If we have a pre-planned agenda, then the truth will never be served.”
“Fancy words,” said Barbara.
Cindy breathed heavily. Barbara was on a mission and nothing was going to get in the way of it. She was automatically on the side of all the women, saw all the men as at fault.
“Tell me, have you ever met Mattheus? Have you ever sat down and questioned him?” Barbara couldn’t be stopped, was on a rampage.
Cindy felt her face grow pale. “Yes, I have,” she said. “In fact, we work together, we’re partners.”
“You’re what?” Barbara screamed.
The silence that fell in the room then was deafening.
“You’ve betrayed us!” Barbara finally breathed.
“I’ve done no such thing. I’m here to help Shelly. Neither Mattheus or I had any idea she was alive. She’s been officially missing for six years.”
Barbara gasped.
“You can only imagine what a shock her recent death has been to both of us” Cindy insisted.
“Of course I can,” Angie stepped to the forefront.
“You should have disclosed that you were Shelly’s husband’s partner immediately,” said Barbara. “I would have never introduced you to anyone.”
“Stop, Barbara,” Angie demanded. “Cindy hasn’t done anything wrong.” Then she turned to Cindy dir
ectly. “Have you questioned Mattheus, in depth, about the marriage?”
“He’s been fully questioned,” said Cindy, “not only now, but when Shelly disappeared six years ago.”
Angie and Barbara stared at each other.
“It’s all on the record,” said Cindy quietly. “I’m just telling you what it says. And I’m here to find out more.”
“No, that’s not why you’re here,” Barbara seemed furious now. “If you truly want to help, you’d better realize that you’re here to bring light to the horrible plight of abused women everywhere. Shelly worked here, was one of us! Her murder is just another expression of what we all go through.”
Cindy breathed heavily. There was no getting through to Barbara now.
Thankfully, Angie stepped up again. “Cindy’s not the enemy here,” she said to Barbara.
“I hate it when one woman turns on another,” Barbara exclaimed. “It’s treason. It isn’t fair.”
“Cindy’s not turning on anybody,” said Angie.
“Not supporting a woman in this situation is the same as turning on them,” Barbara exclaimed.
“The deepest form of support I can give to anyone,” said Cindy, “is to find out the truth.”
“The truth looks different, depending on what glasses you look at it through,” Barbara shot back. “Okay, I heard enough. It’s time to go.”
“Wait a minute,” Angie stepped in again quickly. “We need Cindy here.”
“That’s what I thought,” said Barbara, “only now I’m not so sure.”
“There’s no reason to believe that Cindy is on Shelly’s husband’s side. He’s not even a suspect,” said Angie.
“I know he isn’t,” said Barbara, “but if you want to know all about Shelly, you have to know what happened between her and Mattheus. And, she told us what happened clearly. He abused her. So, who do we believe? Her, or what they put on the record? Abused women go through this all the time. Their stories are discounted, their husbands are believed. It’s a man’s world we live in.”
Cindy wanted to try one more time. “I’m not saying Shelly didn’t experience emotional abuse. No one is saying that. What we’re saying is that we need specific examples of it, in order to round the picture out. From her point of view, he may have been abusing her. From his point of view, he was not. So we need facts and details.”
Barbara threw her hands up in the air. “I’ve heard that rap, over and over. It’s just another way of de-valuing the woman.”
Angie came closer to Cindy then. “Listen,” she said, “We’re going to have to cut this short, now. I’ve really told you all I can. Shelly was lonely, desperate with Mattheus. She needed to find someone to give her the love she craved. It’s not such an unusual story.”
“No, it’s not,” said Cindy. “And what about her relationship with Anthony?”
“It was good as far as I know,” said Angie. “He was smart, he gave her lots of freedom. Shelly needed space. She liked time to herself, to go places alone, to dance and have a good time. She felt so trapped her entire life that this was absolutely necessary now.”
“What exactly was necessary?” Cindy was fascinated.
“Use your imagination. Shelly’d go out on the town alone, from time to time.”
“She’d go out alone and meet other guys?” Cindy was blown away.
“Yes, she did, Shelly did what she needed to do and Anthony was good about it,” said Barbara as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “It was fine with him. He’d be busy rehearsing with his band anyway. The relationship worked for both of them.”
“Whoah, hold up a minute,” said Cindy emphatically. “If Shelly got involved with other guys that could be related to her murder. We have to know who.”
Angie looked at Barbara, who suddenly nodded quickly.
“I just know that she went out with other guys here and there, Angie said briskly, “Anthony was cool with it.”
This was entirely new to Cindy. Why hadn’t she heard about it before? It was pivotal to finding the killer.
“Wait a minute,” said Cindy, slowing this all down, “if Shelly played around with other guys – “.
Barbara burst in furiously. “See how you put it! Played around! It’s demeaning her.”
“I’m not demeaning anybody!” Cindy stood up to Barbara forcefully. “I’m respecting Shelly by finding her killer. I can’t find her killer if I don’t know the whole truth!”
Barbara quieted down.
“Cindy’s right,” Angie jumped in, “the truth will save some other women from getting killed.
“So, tell Cindy what you want,” Barbara relented, “but do it with kindness, with respect.”
“Shelly needed lots of affection, and lots of attention,” Angie said. “Anthony got busy and couldn’t give it to her all the time - so, if there was a dry spell, she went out on the town and found what she needed. It’s not such a big deal down here.”
Cindy purposely kept her face impassive. “Do you know some of the guys she fooled around with?” Cindy asked.
“Not really,” said Angie. “Shelly didn’t want to talk about that. Once in a while she’d tell me that she’d had a great night. You could see it on her face when it happened, too. There was no lying to Anthony about it, either. The situation was just what it was.”
“I’d really like to know who some of those guys were,” Cindy repeated.
“Some of those guys?” Barbara flared up. “You act like she had a whole army of them!”
“Did she?” asked Cindy.
“We don’t know who and how many,” Angie answered calmly. “That’s the truth. If I knew I would tell you.”
Cindy believed her.
“Enough,” Barbara burst in, “the interview is over.”
“I think it’s important for you to talk to Katrina,” Angie said quickly then.
“Who’s Katrina?” asked Cindy. The picture was changing by the minute.
“She was one of Shelly’s long term clients,” Angie said. “They were close for a long time, then things got strange. Katrina recently left the Shelter and moved back home with her volatile husband.”
“Why should I talk to her?” Cindy felt wired.
“Katrina knew Shelly better than most. She had a lot to say about her, too. If you’re trying to uncover every corner, you’ve got to speak to her. Something weird just happened between them too, and it worried me.”
Cindy shivered and the very same moment as Barbara.
“What happened?” Cindy asked urgently.
“Katrina’s been a resident here a few times. She comes and goes, can’t stay away from her husband Flan, no matter how much he beats her,” Angie continued. “They’re a crazy couple, and one day, Shelly realized something weird was going on. She mentioned it to me a few times. She found out that Katrina would sneak out of the Shelter and meet Flan down the road, in a secret spot. That is absolutely forbidden here. I told the authorities, and they wanted to know if Katrina came back at night. She did. So, that was enough. They didn’t do anything else about it. “
Barbara got up then and started pacing back and off.
“Shelly was pissed off big time that the authorities let it go on. One day, she got fed up, followed Katrina and caught her and Flan together. Then she got between them.”
“I don’t know how in the world she thought she could do that,” Barbara was at her wit’s end. “No one here authorized that behavior. It came purely out of her own dedication.”
“Shelly told me she faced off with Flan, told him to leave Katrina alone!” said Angie.
“You’ve got to keep this quiet,” Barbara was beside herself.
“I can’t keep quiet, it’s important,” said Angie, “and I always knew it was.
“You’ll bring down the whole Shelter,” warned Barbara.
“No, I won’t. I’ll protect another woman from getting killed,” Angie proclaimed. Then she turned back to Cindy. “Katrina returned to the She
lter for a little while after the confrontation, but things spiraled downwards and pretty soon she left again and went back home with Flan.”
“Give me Katrina’s address immediately,” said Cindy. This was a huge lead. It was impossible to believe that no one knew about the fact that Shelly had gone head to head with a volatile, abusive guy.
“We’re not allowed to give out a former resident’s address,” said Barbara, coldly.
“This is a police matter,” Cindy replied fiercely. “There was unusual involvement between Shelly, Katrina and Katrina’s husband Flan. It has to be investigated. Time is of the essence. And, it‘s also definitely possible that the wrong man is being held in custody as we speak.”
Again, Barbara and Angie looked at each other. Barbara seemed weakened and sad.
“This won’t hurt the Shelter,” Angie said to Barbara, “ultimately it will help us to find out what happened. Give Cindy Katrina’s address. It’s the only right thing to do.”
*
When Cindy returned from the Shelter it was just past lunch time. The new information she’d received was so urgent, that she had to get in touch with Mattheus immediately. There was a new viable lead to explore and they had to get right on it. Cindy was sure Mattheus had no idea that Shelly had gotten between an abused woman and her violent husband. Who knows what that encounter could have led to? Domestic violence escalates and affects all who stand in its trail, Cindy remembered. Both she and Mattheus had to speak to Katrina and her husband immediately.
As soon as she got to the hotel lobby, Cindy dialed upstairs to Mattheus’s room. There was no answer. She called his cell phone; he didn’t pick up. Cindy then left a message saying there was a new, urgent development - he had to call her as soon as possible.
Where was he? Why wasn’t he picking up? Cindy was disconcerted. She went over to the desk to find out if they’d seen him. Nobody had. He hadn’t left a message for Cindy either, at the desk. Cindy guessed that this was his childish way of letting her know their partnership was over. It was crazy though, they were in the middle of a case. Had he flipped out?
Cindy wanted to talk to Katrina as soon as possible but couldn’t go without back up. She decided to call Alex then and let him know what she’d found. When she dialed Alex’s phone, he didn’t pick up either. Cindy left him a quick message, telling him to call, and then decided to take a few minutes to unwind at the pool. She would have a drink on a lounge chair out there, and get her thoughts together.
