by Jaden Skye
“I don’t feel well. I feel dizzier the closer we get,” Cindy said.
“Take a deep breath,” said Mattheus.
“There’s a strange, fetid smell here,” Cindy uttered, practically gasping. “I feel like I’m choking.”
Mattheus stopped and tried to smell it. “I don’t smell anything unusual,” he said.
“I do,” Cindy couldn’t stand it, turned her head away.
“What are you smelling?” Mattheus was right on it.
“I have no idea,” said Cindy, “but I’m getting out of here.” She turned and lurched back in the direction they’d been coming from.
“Wait a minute, Cindy,” Mattheus ran after her up to a large rock, covered with moss, which was planted under a tree nearby in the sun. “Sit down a minute, on this rock. Just rest here a minute and wait for me.”
Cindy leaned against on the rock, grateful to be supported by it.
“I want to go into the Cove and see it for myself,” Mattheus went on. “I won’t stay long. I’ll be right back.”
Cindy didn’t want him to go but she knew that was foolish. “Okay, but be careful, Mattheus,” she replied, as he turned away.
“I’m always careful,” he called back.
“Don’t stay long,” she called after him.
“Just rest,” his voice echoed in the wind.
*
Cindy lay down on the rock and put her face up into the sun. The rock was warm, slightly moist and soothing and the sun felt deeply comforting. As she lay there waiting for Mattheus, an image of Tara came to her mind. Tara seemed lost, confused, uncertain about where she was, wandering around helplessly.
“Tara,” Cindy whispered to her, “what happened to you? Where are you now? I’m here for you. I still want to help you.”
As Cindy spoke, the image of Tara drifted away and faded from Cindy’s consciousness.
Cindy continued speaking to her anyway. “Did you drown in the Cove, Tara, or were you killed and placed here by someone?”
But the only answer Cindy received to her questions was the sound of soft birds in the distance, chirping and calling to one another naturally, as if all was well in the world.
*
In what seemed like a few minutes Mattheus returned. When Cindy opened her eyes she felt his arm on her shoulder, shaking her.
“Did you have a good sleep?” he asked gently.
Cindy realized she must have napped and dreamt that she saw Tara there. “It was okay,” she answered as she rose from the rock. “How about you? What did you find?”
“Nothing much,” Mattheus answered slowly. “It’s a rough spot to swim in, full of jagged limestone edges and slopes. I’m not sure why Tara went to swim there with Lynch in the afternoon? And, definitely, it’s not a place anyone would go to swim alone.”
“Maybe she never swam there at all,” Cindy reflected slowly. “Maybe Tara and Lynch swam in the lagoon, under these palm trees. Who said they went swimming in the Cove? Who actually saw them? We really have to check it all out.”
CHAPTER 13
Once Cindy and Mattheus left the Cove the first step on their agenda was go to the courthouse to meet the police and share findings with them. Mattheus had already made an appointment and they were due in less than an hour.
After returning straight to their hotel room, showering and changing quickly, they headed over to the Palais de Justice, the courthouse in St. Martin. The office of the police they were to talk with was based in the back of the grand building.
As soon as Cindy and Mattheus entered the courthouse, two officers, waiting for them, greeted them as soon as they walked in.
“We hear great things about you guys,” the shorter one said. “I’m Ned and my partner, here, is Phil. We’re both good friends of Rodney.”
Mattheus smiled and extended his hand. Ned took it and Phil smiled.
“Come with us this way,” Ned went on, leading them down the wide corridor to their office.
The corridor was filled with people walking back and forth in and out of various doorways. It was a busy, thriving scene, more official than Cindy would have expected for the island.
“Rodney can’t say enough about you,” Phil commented as they approached their office.
“Thanks,” said Mattheus whole heartedly. “He’s a great guy.”
Phil opened the door and they all walked in to a long, narrow room. Filing cabinets lined the walls and a rectangular wooden table stood in the center. Stacks of papers were neatly piled on the table as a hanging fan whirred overhead, making a long, low, humming sound.
“Nice place,” Mattheus took it in approvingly, smiling at Ned.
For a moment Cindy felt as if she’d landed in a local boy’s club and was left out. “I’m Cindy Blaine,” she broke the ice, introducing herself.
“So sorry,” said Mattheus, “of course. This is my wonderful partner, Cindy.”
Ned and Phil both smiled. “Your reputation precedes you Cindy,” said Ned. “We’re thrilled to have you on board. Let’s sit down and get to work.”
They all sat around the table as Ned started rifling through the papers. “Very bad situation,” he continued, looking up at Mattheus, “not the kind of case anyone expected. I’m sure you realize that the groom’s company is huge – involved with large sectors of the island’s economy. Anyone could have something against them and took this chance for sweet revenge. You never know who.”
Cindy was surprised by the comment. Why was Ned starting so far afield, wondering about Lynch’s company? Usually family members and friends were focused on first.
Mattheus seemed to get the drift of what Ned was saying right away, though. “Lousy situation,” he agreed, immediately aligning with him. “I can see how it could make incredible waves and affect all kinds of people here.”
“You got it,” said Ned, seemingly relieved.
What did Mattheus get, Cindy wondered? Was there an implicit desire to cover things up? Was Ned warning them not to probe too deeply, or there could be rough consequences? Of course there was no way Cindy would ever go along with that. If there was anything Cindy hated, it was cover ups. One of the first things she learned as a detective was that consequences weren’t under your control. You did your job to the best of your ability and the pieces landed where they did. If you started worrying about consequences, you got derailed easily, unable to see what was in front of your face. In fact, it was Mattheus who had taught that to her. Respect the truth, let it guide you, he’d said again and again. That’s what drew Cindy to him in the beginning. Lean on the truth, Cindy, Mattheus used to say. You’ll never go wrong if you do.
Cindy felt a sharp need to lean on the truth right now and get back on course. “Are you saying that you don’t want to involve Lynch and his family too deeply in the investigation?” she asked bluntly.
Ned seemed shaken by her direct thrust. “What are you implying?” he responded harshly, turning the question back on her. “The police are spread out everywhere, covering every possible venue. In fact, at this moment, Lynch is our main a person of interest.” Ned tapped his foot on the floor and looked at Cindy out of the corner of his eyes. “After all, Lynch was the last one to see her alive.”
“You’re sure of that?” asked Cindy, as Mattheus reached over and put his hand on her arm.
“Let’s give them a chance to talk first,” Mattheus said, with a smile.
“Women, women,” Ned cocked his head to the side and smiled at Mattheus, conspiratorially. “Not to worry, my dear Cindy,” he went on, trying a new tactic, speaking to her as though she were a child. “We’re on top of everything, family and guests are being interviewed today. The latest information we have is that Tara and Lynch went swimming together in the Cove that afternoon. Her maid of honor Lea told us.”
It was old information. Cindy wasn’t impressed. “And did Lea see Tara after that?” she asked.
“The maid of honor and bride are usually inseparable before the weddi
ng.”
“Good point,” Phil joined in then. “We’ll have to check and see.”
“Where was Lynch just before Tara disappeared?” Cindy continued firmly. She had no intention of being mollycoddled or letting anyone off the hook.
“That’s just the problem,” Ned scraped his chair back, and addressed his words right to Mattheus, easing Cindy into the background. “We asked Lynch where he was after he and Tara went swimming? What did he do? Who saw him? He said he hung out in his room, and then took a short walk, before dressing for the rehearsal dinner. Problem is, no one saw him, at all. No alibi.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” Mattheus quickly commented. “The groomsmen are all over the place. How could no one see him? Why would he stay by himself for so long?”
“Exactly,” Ned let out a long, rough breath.
Mattheus shook his head slowly, “No alibi, that’s not good.”
“Yeah, but you can also look at it this way,” Ned replied, “if Lynch had actually done something, wouldn’t he at least try to hide it, give us some kind of story? It would have been easy enough for him to drop into a bar or restaurant at the hotel and have someone spot him there.”
“Not if something happened between them at the Cove and her death was an accident,” said Cindy. “Then he would be shaken to the core, wouldn’t even think about an alibi.”
“True,” said Phil. He seemed to respect Cindy, and looked at her appreciatively.
“Also,” Cindy continued, “did you know that Lynch’s mother threatened to disinherit him if Tara didn’t go through with the wedding?” This was no time for treading lightly around at the edges. She wanted all the facts and possibilities out in clear light.
“Why the hell would Raina do that?” said Ned, looking startled.
“You know Raina well? “asked Cindy, noting that he called her by her first name.
“For years,” said Ned, shaken.
“Well, then you know that the wedding was a big deal,” said Cindy. “It was in all the papers, all her friends and business associates came down for it. How would it make her and the company look if it was called off at the last minute? Think about it a minute,” said Cindy.
Ned had no intention of thinking about it, though. “You know something we don’t?” he confronted Cindy directly. “Trouble in paradise? Were the kids thinking of breaking it off?”
Mattheus stepped in calmly. “Tara’s father Aldon hired us to come down here a few days ago and find out whatever we could about Lynch,” he reported.
“Lynch is a great guy, there’s nothing to find out,” Ned interrupted, outraged.
“I’m not disputing that,” Mattheus was clearly on Ned’s team. “But we dug up dirt on Lynch that wasn’t so pretty.”
“Jesus Christ,” Ned stamped his foot on the ground. “We can dig up crap on anyone, can’t we? What a lousy thing for the father to do. From what I hear Aldon’s some kind of paranoid, anyway. Right now he’s foaming at the mouth, convinced that Lynch killed his daughter. He keeps saying he warned everyone about it.”
“He did,” said Cindy somberly, “he was nervous about the marriage going forward, felt something was off.”
“The guy obviously had an obsession,” Ned countered, “we see nuts like that all the time.”
“Obsession or not, he was right,” said Cindy.
They all became silent then.
“So what exactly did you dig up?” Ned finally asked, though it seemed as if he didn’t really want to know.
“Lynch has a kid with a woman here on the island that no one knew about,” Mattheus reported. “The boy’s about four years old.”
“Holy Christ,” Ned’s face puckered as if he’d bitten into a rotten fruit. “That’s it?” he asked, sickened.
“That’s it,” Mattheus responded.
“People are getting beaten, raped and killed every day, and that’s what you dug up on him?” Ned kept shaking his head, unable to believe it. “Big deal! Big deal!”
“It was a big deal to Tara,” Cindy stepped in definitively. “She was about to marry a man who had a child that she knew nothing about.”
Ned turned on his heel and stared at Cindy. “Some people get off on ruining the happiness of others,” he practically spit out. “From what we knew the two of them were in love. I bet you told her that this kid was a big, lousy, deal.”
“I didn’t have to tell her anything,” Cindy responded acidly. “She could see it for herself, unlike some other people.”
“Hold on,” said Phil, trying to calm the waters. “There’s no point in blaming Cindy for this. I could see how women would get shaky when they hear that kind of news.”
“Not only women,” said Cindy. “Tara’s father, Aldon, was horrified.”
“Sure, why not? He was paranoid, wasn’t he?” Ned couldn’t take any of this, the more he heard the more disgusted he became.
“So, when Tara found out about the child, Lynch and his mother were there,” Mattheus filled in the details. “Tara said she wasn’t going through with the wedding and Raina wasn’t about to be publicly
humiliated. She told Lynch to handle Tara, make sure the wedding took place.”
“Raina probably told him privately he could get divorced afterwards,” mused Nick. “She gave him good advice.”
“Good or bad is not the issue,” said Mattheus. “Lynch obviously tried to keep it together, work things out with Tara. And Tara was also trying to fix it, from what I hear. She developed a weird obsession though, with Lynch’s kid.”
“Like father, like daughter,” Ned growled.
“What kind of obsession did she develop?” Phil was curious.
“Tara wanted the boy to become part of their family. She wanted Lynch to be a father to him,” Cindy declared.
“Jesus Christ,” said Ned. “Now you’re telling me she was some kind of nut?”
Cindy was filled with horror by Ned’s response, but did her best to stay calm and quiet. He obviously knew the family and the company and was truly rankled by the news.
“Tara and I went to visit both the child’s mother Bala and the child before the rehearsal dinner,” Cindy interjected.
That seemed to shock both Ned and Phil even more. “Who’s this Bala? Where does she live? Here on the island?”
“Yeah,” said Mattheus. “Apparently Lynch sends money regularly to help with the kid. She’s a good woman, raising the kid with her brother Dawl.”
Both cops mouths fell open at the same moment. “Dawl Lemmings?”
“You know the guy?” asked Mattheus, surprised.
“Dawl Lemmings is an ex con, well known on the island. He’s been involved in all kinds of robbery and in jail for assault with a deadly weapon.”
“Whew,” Mattheus took a deep breath.
“He’s trouble any way you look at it,” Ned exclaimed. “Jesus Christ, Dawl Lemmings, it’s been awhile since his name has come to my attention.”
“Dawl’s calmed down. He’s been out of the picture for a few years,” Phil commented to Ned. “There was a recent case where we thought he was implicated and he wasn’t. Remember, he was at home taking care of some kid. People saw him and the kid together. Could be it was Lynch’s kid! My God, Lynch’s kid is Dawl Lemming’s nephew! Now, that’s news.”
“Raina asked that this information stay absolutely confidential,” Cindy suddenly chimed in. That’s critical to her.”
“Tell me about it,” Ned snarled. “Of course it’s critical. Once this stuff gets out, it’s the pits.”
“Could Lynch have killed Tara to keep this all hidden?” Cindy asked brazenly.
“That’s a big leap to make, honey,” Phil jumped in.
“Tara told me she wouldn’t marry Lynch unless he accepted the child into their lives,” Cindy emphasized. “But when Tara and I went to visit Bala and the child, Dawl was there, and wouldn’t even let Tara see him. He said the boy was his, he’d raised him like a father and no one was taking him away. N
ot over his dead body.”
Everyone drew in a stiff breath together, as a sense of darkness filled the room.
“Looks like we got our man,” Nick grumbled hoarsely under his breath. “Dawl was scared to death of losing the boy and killed Tara before it could happen.”
Cindy and Mattheus stared at each other alarmed. It could certainly look that way and the case could be closed before it was ever opened.
“We’re on the way to visit Bala and Dawl, to check out further,” Mattheus announced then plainly.
“They’re expecting you?” Ned shot back.
“Not yet,” said Mattheus, “but I’ll call first.”
“It’s a good idea,” Phil spoke up. “You guys go see them first before we do. It’ll take them off guard, because you don’t look like cops.” Then he turned to Cindy and Mattheus. “Why not just tell them you’re part of the family?” he suggested.
“That’ll make them feel more scared,” Mattheus said, “they think the family wants their child.
“They’ll remember me,” Cindy chimed in. “Tara introduced me as her friend. It will make sense that I go back to visit them again.”
“Make sense to who?” Ned remarked, “Bala or Dawl? I doubt it will make sense to either of them.”
“I’ll say I came to tell them that the child is fine where he is. It was only Tara who wanted him, the family is fine with how things are. Now that she’s gone there’s nothing to worry about. We’ll see how they react to that.”
“Not a bad idea,” Ned agreed, “but they’re not stupid. They’re going to be on the alert. Go if you want, but be careful. Dawl Lemmings is no one to play around with.”
*
Cindy and Mattheus left the courthouse, rented a car and drove directly through to St. Marteen to see Bala, Dawl and the child. As they drove, Cindy put in a quick call to Bala to let her know she was going to be in the neighborhood and wanted a few minutes with her. Bala hemmed and hawed initially, but Cindy assured her, she wouldn’t stay long. She had something important to tell her.
“What?” Bala asked nervously. “Tell me now.”
