by Jaden Skye
“Frank and I want to have dinner with you,” Ann said emphatically, “please, I need to see you with my own eyes, make sure you’re alright.”
“Alright,” Cindy relented. There was no way she could refuse, and to her surprise felt comforted at the thought of her sister being close by.
“And after this, I want to bring you back home to Cove Bay,” Ann added.
That was going too far. “Ann, a woman down here has been killed brutally,” Cindy said, “and I’m on the trail to finding out why it happened and by whom! Other lives could be at stake. ”
“Okay, okay, what time are you free for dinner tonight?” Ann couldn’t stand hearing about Cindy’s work, shut her down instantly.
“Let’s meet here at the hotel, in the lobby, at six,” said Cindy.
“Not before that?”
“There are things I have to take care of first.” Cindy had to get in touch with the police, and let them know about Katrina and Flan. If Alex didn’t call soon, she had to go over to the Police Station and put it on the record directly.
“I won’t push my luck. It’s six o’clock, then. See you in the lobby,” Ann sounded grateful.
“And one more thing,” said Cindy. “Thank you Ann. I really appreciate how much you care.”
“I do care,” Ann was emboldened, “and there’s no way I’m leaving my little sister in danger.”
“I’m not in danger,” said Cindy, definitively.
“Oh yes, you are,” Ann shot back, “in more danger than you can ever imagine. I just feel it in my bones.”
*
The rest of the afternoon went surprisingly quickly. Alex called in about an hour and listened to the information Cindy had. He took it, acknowledged her, and said he’d put it on the record. Cindy wanted to know if he would back her up when she went to speak to Katrina and Flan. He said he’d have to check on that with Rodney and would get back to her as soon as he heard. Alex didn’t have the authority to make that decision, but between the two of them, off the record, it sounded like a good idea.
Cindy felt better after speaking to him and decided to go back up to the room to give herself time to shower and change before dinner. The idea of seeing Ann and Frank tonight was strange, but Cindy was pleased about it. She hadn’t heard a word from Mattheus all day long and it would be good not to have dinner alone.
As she got ready Cindy couldn’t help but wonder if Mattheus hadn’t just disappeared like this on Shelly, too? If not physically, then emotionally? Cindy knew that Mattheus had planned gone to Rancher’s Bar to speak to Tommy today, but had no idea what happened. He was definitely excluding her from his part in the investigation. Was it because the case involved him and he was ashamed? Whatever it was, it left her unguarded. It was his responsibility to keep in touch.
Cindy put on a lovely orange silk dress, brushed her hair, and noticed that she had a bit of a sun tan from her time down at the pool. Despite what she was going through, she looked healthy and glowing, ready for a night out on the town. So much for appearances, she thought .
Cindy took a light straw evening bag, put a lipstick and her keys in it, grabbed a summer sweater and went down to the lobby to wait for Ann and Frank. In what seemed like no time at all, they walked into the hotel and right over to where she was waiting.
“Cindy,” Ann was excited and threw her arms around her.
Frank stood back and watched them from a distance.
“My God, it’s so good to see you,” Ann exclaimed.
Cindy hugged her back. “Thanks Ann, for everything.”
“How about me?” asked Frank then, coming over.
Just as Cindy was going to give Frank a hug, to her shock she looked up and there was Mattheus, standing a few feet away watching them, intently.
“Oh my God,” said Cindy, “it’s Mattheus.”
Ann and Frank spun around, looking at him, as if they’d found a cornered animal.
Mattheus walked over to join them then as if it were the most natural thing in the world. To Cindy’s surprise, he looked quite dashing, freshly showered, in dark blue slacks and a summer shirt. Actually, he seemed completely different from the rumpled guy he’d been since they’d arrived. She wondered why.
Mattheus, this is my sister Ann and her husband Frank,” Cindy introduced them.
“Hi,” said Mattheus, looking at Ann and then Frank. “For a second I thought this guy was a new boyfriend of yours,” Mattheus joked, motioning to Frank.
That comment didn’t sit well with Ann. She looked at Mattheus quizzically. “And who exactly was my sister’s old boyfriend?”
Mattheus tried to make light of it. “I’m sure a woman as beautiful as Cindy has many boyfriends,” he said.
Frank didn’t like that either. “She had a hell of a husband,” Frank answered directly, “wasn’t the kind to run around.”
“Hey, I’m just making a pleasantry,” Mattheus said to Frank, reacting to the anger in Frank’s tone.
“We’ve heard a lot about you,” Frank responded.
“What did you hear?” Mattheus was becoming edgy.
Cindy immediately got between them, wanting to prevent this from escalating.
“My sister and brother in law are down for the day and we’re about to have dinner,” said Cindy.
“Great,” said Mattheus. “How come I didn’t hear about it?”
Cindy looked at him puzzled. “I called earlier today and left you a message. Did you receive it?”
“Actually, no,” Mattheus rubbed his forehead. “I haven’t been focusing on calls today.”
“What have you been focusing on, Mattheus?” Ann stepped out strongly then.
“I beg your pardon?” Mattheus was put off.
“I mean what’s going on down here with you and Cindy?” Ann didn’t back down.
Mattheus looked like a deer caught in the headlights, glancing back and forth between Cindy and Ann.
“My sister is very protective of me,” said Cindy. “She doesn’t like me working alone.”
“You’re far from alone,” Mattheus grimaced.
“If I don’t hear back from you all day, Mattheus,” said Cindy, “then I am alone.”
“Is that what you told your sister? That you’re alone down here, so she came down to check on you?”
“I never said that to her.”
“She didn’t have to say it,” said Ann. “You can feel when someone you love is in danger, can’t you?”
“Sometimes you can and sometimes you can’t,” said Mattheus, rattled. “But Cindy is not in danger. I would never, ever allow that to happen.”
“Maybe you have inadvertently?” said Ann.
Mattheus wasn’t taking this laying down. “Who are you to make those kinds of judgments?” he threw Ann a fierce look.
It didn’t affect Ann in the slightest. “Is it appropriate for Cindy to be working on this case? Does she have the support she needs for it?”
Mattheus seemed startled by her question. “I don’t know how to answer that,” he said, suddenly shaky.
“But you have to,” said Ann. “It’s your wife who was just found murdered - you can’t implicate someone else in this situation, unless you’re ready to give them complete support.”
Ann was going too far, and Cindy didn’t like it. “Wait a minute, Ann,” Cindy interrupted.
“Let your sister talk,” Frank got into the fray. “She happens to be right.”
“I’ve always supported Cindy,” Mattheus started, but Ann interrupted him again.
“We don’t need pretty talk. We need to make sure that things are straight up here, that Cindy is well cared for. I, for one, don’t think she is! I want her to go home, leave immediately.” Ann wasn’t mincing words.
“Leave me?” Mattheus seemed to be reeling.
“Leave you, leave the case, leave Key West. It’s all the same, isn’t it?”
Mattheus, stunned, listened to her. It was as if a strong wave had come off the ocean and
slapped him hard across the face.
“Cindy already left me,” he said after a long while.
“Left? She’s right here now,” Ann looked at him as though he were cagey.
“She only came down here to help with the case,” Mattheus continued, “I meant she left me in Grenada.”
“I don’t care why she came down,” Ann wouldn’t give him an inch, “she’s here and that’s what matters! And I want her gone!”
“Whoah,” Mattheus held his arm out now, “that’s going too far.”
Frank came closer as if to stand with Ann.
“This isn’t where Cindy belongs, it’s not her life,” Ann wouldn’t stop, giving Mattheus one dose after another of electric shock therapy.
“Only Cindy can say what her life is and where she belongs,” Mattheus tried to respond.
“Right now, I’m committed to completing this case,” Cindy announced. “I’m in touch with the police, but I need real backup. I can’t do it alone.”
“Of course you need back up,” Mattheus was waking up.
“It’s not what I’m getting,” Cindy repeated, not meeting his beseeching eyes.
“Cindy,” Mattheus walked closer to her.
Ann immediately wedged herself between them.
“Your wife has been killed,” Ann said to Mattheus directly, “you’ve called my sister down to help find the killer. Is that right? Is that fair? The two of you had a romantic relationship. How can you pretend it’s all just business now? That’s impossible. It’s not all business. It’s a mess!”
Mattheus stood straighter, as if he were coming to his senses. “You’re right,” he said suddenly, “it is impossible.”
Cindy was amazed.
“I’m very sorry,” Mattheus went on. Suddenly he was upright and tall, fully present, the guy Cindy had always known.
“Sorry doesn’t mean a damn,” Ann didn’t like anything about him - that was clear as day.
Mattheus paid no attention, just turned to Cindy.
“If you want to leave, I completely understand,” he said, looking at her directly. “I’m a mess, and probably never should have asked you to come here in the first place. I wasn’t thinking clearly. I’m still not. But I do know one thing for sure, I don’t want to lose you.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” said Cindy. “Whether or not you should have asked me, you did. I said yes, and here I am. I’m not running out on anyone.”
Ann’s eyes shot fire at both of them. “You’re making a mistake, Cindy,” she uttered and spun around on her heel. “I for one am getting hungry now and believe we have a dinner reservation!
“We do,” said Cindy, “and I’m hungry, too.”
“May I join you?” asked Mattheus, softly.
“Join us?” Ann was perturbed. The thought of it rankled her.
“May I?” He repeated to Cindy.
“Yes, of course, you can join us,” said Cindy, as she looked at Ann. “In fact, one of the reasons my sister and brother in law came down here originally, was to meet you face to face.”
*
Dinner went quickly with almost no one looking at each other. They all ate slowly, made one word comments and when dinner was over, Ann and Frank got up, pushed their chairs away, and said they had to get to bed to make an early plane.
Ann gave Cindy a little hug and didn’t say good bye to Mattheus. Frank gave him a perfunctory nod and the two of them left.
The moment they were gone the atmosphere lifted.
“Whew,” said Mattheus, “that had to be one of the most unpleasant dinners I’ve ever sat through. This is your family?”
Cindy was disturbed, but tried to make light of it. “It’s not how they are normally, they’re just terribly worried about me right now.”
“And I’m the bad guy in this scenario?” asked Mattheus. ”You’ve told them awful things about me?”
“No, I haven’t,” said Cindy, “in fact, they don’t know you at all.”
“They don’t want to, either,” said Mattheus. “Their minds are all made up.”
Cindy felt badly about that. “It’s not you, it’s the work. They connect you with it and hate having me do it. They want me home, safe.”
“Sure,” said Mattheus, “I get that. They want a normal, stable life for their sister.”
“Can you blame them?” asked Cindy.
“Of course I can’t,” Mattheus said.
“They want me to have a chance to have a family, sink new roots down,” Cindy continued.
“Everyone deserves a family,” said Mattheus, “everyone deserves roots with someone they love.” He turned and looked at her with his eyes open and clear. “It’s what I want, too.”
Cindy’s heart began beating hard. It might be that was what Mattheus wanted, but was he able to make that wish real? Could he sustain a relationship or was he addicted to solving cases, running away from real intimacy?
As if hearing her thoughts, Mattheus reached out his hand to her.
“You have no idea how much I’ve missed being with you,” he said. “When your sister told you to leave it was as though she were ripping me in half.”
“I missed you, too,” Cindy murmured, despite herself.
“Did you?”
“Very much,” said Cindy, as they drew closer.
“I’ve learned a lot of things, Cindy,” Mattheus whispered, “I realize now, that I never could have gotten close to anyone as long as Shelly’s case was unsolved. It was not only her case, it was our marriage. I never knew what happened. You know, she told me over and over that I didn’t know her, but I brushed it off. I thought it was just a female thing, that she needed too much attention. I thought I listened to her plenty. But she was right, I listened, but I didn’t hear.”
Cindy reached out her hand for his. “That’s true, Mattheus,” she said softly. “Even with me, you listened but you didn’t hear. You didn’t really take it in.”
“Oh God,” said Mattheus, “if you only knew how sorry I am, not just with you, but with her, too. Shelly told me about guys in her life all the time, she said they were just friends and I believed her because I didn’t want to know the truth. There were all kinds of little lies that floated around too, but I brushed them off, thinking it was cute. I was wrong again. It wasn’t cute. I had no idea about the woman I was married to, or what was going on inside her. So, how could I ever get close to someone else then?”
“You couldn’t,” said Cindy, impressed by Mattheus’s courage in facing this. “It takes such guts to admit this, Mattheus.”
“No, it’s not guts,” said Mattheus. “It’s all being put right in my face, wherever I turn. I can’t escape it if I want to find Shelly’s killer.”
He held Cindy’ hand very close in his and then brought it to his lips. “God, if you only knew how much you mean to me, Cindy –if only I had some way to tell you.”
Tears filled Cindy’s eyes, as Mattheus suddenly pulled her to him swiftly, and their lips met in a deep, sudden kiss.
CHAPTER 19
After the kiss, neither Cindy nor Mattheus said anything for a long while. Then they started talking softly, simply about the case.
Cindy told him that Shelly had gotten between Katrina and her abusive husband. Mattheus was alarmed. He was also shocked that no one had mentioned this crucial piece of information.
“They may not have known it,” said Cindy.
“They had to,” Mattheus responded. “It’s fundamental and basic.”
Cindy disagreed. “Nobody bothered spending real time at the Shelter. Actually, I just told the police myself this afternoon.”
Mattheus stared at her. “And what did they say?”
“Alex said he’d put it on the record.”
“That’s all?”
“That’s it,” said Cindy.
“Sounds like he was placating you,” said Mattheus.
“When I told him I wanted backup to see Katrina, he said it was up to Rodney, and he’d let
me know.”
“A delay tactic,” Mattheus murmured. “No good, something smells.”
Cindy agreed, and both of them decided that Cindy had to speak with Katrina as soon as possible.
“When you go, I’ll wait for you at the Hemingway House,” Mattheus said. “It’s a few blocks away. After the interview, we’ll meet and go over everything. If you have any kind of problem, I’ll be right close by.”
That felt like the old Mattheus. Cindy could go and be covered.
“Call her now,” Mattheus said, “set up an appointment.”
“I will,” said Cindy, getting her phone.
To Cindy’s relief Katrina picked up immediately and as soon as Cindy introduced herself, was actually glad to be talking.
“Come first thing tomorrow morning. I have a busy day. But I want to talk to you. Really, I do. It’s a terrible thing that happened to Shelly,” Katrina’s words tripped over each other. “We do need to talk. I’m so glad you called.”
“Okay, we’re set for tomorrow morning,” said Cindy, after she hung up the phone.
“Do you want to leave together?” asked Mattheus, “or do you want me to meet you afterwards?”
“Meet me afterwards,” said Cindy. It felt better going alone, as long as she knew he’d be close by waiting.
After Cindy and Mattheus talked a little longer, they went up to their separate rooms. Everything was happening so quickly, there were so many feelings to digest, Cindy was glad to have time alone.
Right after she got out of her bath and was about to go to sleep, the phone rang.
“I know it’s late to call,” Ann said, “but we’re leaving first thing in the morning. I wanted to say good bye.”
“Good bye,” said Cindy, sleepy, “and thanks, Ann.”
“Thanks for nothing,” Ann muttered.
“Thanks for coming down. I appreciate it,” Cindy was determined to take the high road.
That emboldened Ann, and got her going. “Just because Mattheus is so good looking, and charming,” she continued, “doesn’t mean he’s a guy you can trust.”
“You don’t know him.” Cindy’s voice rose. She didn’t want to hear any more now.
“Neither do you,” Ann shot back. “Guys like that are great at camouflage, and I know your whole history with men. Until you met Clint, there was nothing but trouble. Neither Frank nor I like him.”
