by Jaden Skye
A light drizzle started as Cindy’s jog came to an end. She enjoyed the soft rain dropping on her face. Spring was like that, thought Cindy, misty, foggy days and then suddenly, bright sun.
*
Cindy returned home calmer, steadier and invigorated. Her head was clear. She would call the paper and accept the job in a little while, after her guests had visited. First, she wanted to take a warm bath and dress for the afternoon.
Cindy dressed for the afternoon in a cheerful lemon print dress and sandals. Then she put the finger sandwiches, salad and lemonade Ann had prepared on the coffee table in the living room. Ann had to be in Bermuda by now, luxuriating on the beautiful beaches and Cindy was happy for her.
Before Cindy had even finished putting the food out, the doorbell rang. Cindy went to the door, opened it. Alana and Jewel stood there together, eager to welcome her home. Both were friends from the book club, as Cindy had guessed.
“So good to see you, so good!” they said at the same time.
“Thanks for coming, come in,” Cindy responded brightly, actually happy to see them again. They all sat down to catch up as the bell rang again.
Cindy ran to open it and saw Tina and Barbara, two of Clint’s dear friends, who entered and joined the festive atmosphere.
“This is it? You’re returning for good?” Tina asked brightly.
“Looks like it,” Cindy smiled.
Jewel raised her eyebrows. “Quite a change of life style, isn’t it?” she said. “Hope you won’t find it boring here. Our book club will never provide the excitement you’re used to.”
Cindy thought of the new job waiting for her, though she didn’t say anything about it as yet. “It won’t be boring here,” Cindy assured both Jewel and herself.
Alana laughed. “If you’re not boring, your life is not boring,” she chimed in. “I’m sure Cindy will find something wonderful to do and keep us all hopping.”
“Definitely,” Jewel agreed, biting into her second sandwich. “These sandwiches are delicious. Did Ann prepare them?”
“Naturally,” Cindy smiled. “I’m not the fabulous homemaker she is.”
“Not yet anyway,” Tina laughed, “once you settle down, who knows what will happen?”
“Where’s Ann anyway?” asked Alana, looking around for Ann who had become a familiar fixture in all of their lives.
“She’s down in Bermuda with Frank,” said Cindy. “Vacation time.”
“We could all use some of that,” Alana was impressed.
The afternoon passed easily with light conversation. The women were curious about Cindy’s life and while she mentioned nothing about her relationship with Mattheus, Cindy did fill them in about a day in the life of a detective, keeping them riveted to their chairs. Before they all knew it, a few hours had passed and it was time for them to go. Children were waiting back home, dinners had to be prepared.
“I have no idea where the hours went,” said Jewel as they all got up to leave and unexpectedly the doorbell rang.
“Oh my God,” said Alana, “a late comer! Now you have to start your wonderful stories all over again.”
Cindy had no idea who it might be. She went to the door both to say good bye to the women and see who was out there waiting now. As she opened the door, to her surprise and delight Pastor Tom Mallord was standing there. He was the Pastor who had married her and Clint and had helped her so much during the difficult times.
“Oh, how wonderful to see you,” Cindy said to him as she bid farewell to the woman. “Please come in.”
“It’s wonderful to see you as well, Cindy,” Pastor Mallord said as he greeted the women in passing and walked in. “I hope I’m not too late,” he was a bit apprehensive. “I tried to get here sooner, but it’s been a long day.”
“You’re here at the perfect moment, you always are,” said Cindy. “I’m delighted to see you.”
“And you as well, Cindy,” he paused and looked kindly into her eyes. “This is such a nice chance to catch up. I’m always wondering how you’re doing.”
His warmth and sincerity entered Cindy’s heart. “Thank you,” she replied.
“Of course there are all kinds of rumors about what’s happening in your life,” he smiled and sat down on the sofa. “Some say you’re returning home now for good, others doubt it.”
Cindy sat down opposite him and smiled. “It’s something I’ve been trying to decide myself,” she said quietly.
He nodded. “You’re a bit of a star here in Oyster Bay,” he went on. “Most haven’t gotten over the loss of Clint yet, and the way you solved his death was amazing. People talk about it all the time, your bravery and courage.”
“Thank you,” Cindy said and meant it.
“And the way you’ve continued to forge a trail to find justice for those who are suffering as you did,” he went on.
As he spoke Cindy had the sense that he was trying to say something to her. Was he giving her a message not to change course, but continue on the path she’d embarked upon.
“I’ve loved doing the work,” she said softly.
“Loved?” he asked, “is that past tense?”
“I don’t know,” said Cindy, “there are a lot rough spots that come with that territory.”
“I can only imagine,” Pastor Mallord nodded.
“It’s a sacrifice,” Cindy said suddenly.
“Yes, it is,” he responded, his beautiful, hazel eyes fixing upon her steadily. “A life with a mission always requires some sacrifice.”
“Sacrificing children and family?” Cindy suddenly asked, surprised by the pain she felt about it.
“That’s a hard one, very hard,” he agreed.
“Also, it can be terribly lonely,” Cindy went on in a muted tone.
“I can only imagine,” Pastor Mallord responded. “I hope you don’t mind my asking, but I’ve heard you have a partner, someone you’re close to?”
“Yes, I had,” Cindy replied.
His eyes opened wider. “Is that in the past tense as well?”
“Most likely,” said Cindy, feeling shaky. “Again, I’m not sure.”
Pastor Mallord reached out his hands for Cindy’s and took them lightly.
“So much uncertainty is difficult for sure,” he said softly. “And you’ve had more than enough of your share of trials, haven’t you?”
Cindy looked up at him appreciatively. “Seems so,” she replied.
“But you’ve passed each trial with flying colors, Cindy!” His face flushed with emotion as he spoke.
Cindy was grateful, didn’t realize how much she’d needed to hear the words he was saying.
“Thank you so much,” she murmured.
“No, thank you. I’m proud of you, Cindy, we’re all proud,” he continued. “And remember it takes a special person to be tested the way you have.”
Cindy had had never thought of it that way. It put her difficulties into a new context.
“These trials make you strong,” he went on emphatically.
“I hope so,” Cindy responded, “because I have no real idea what’s coming next.”
Pastor Mallord stood up then, “None of us do, if truth be told. We think we know what we can expect. We set up our lives to be as secure as possible, but at any moment everything call fall apart - for all of us, Cindy.”
“I recognize that,” she said.
“I know you do,” Pastor Mallord replied. He squeezed her hands harder before letting them go. “If you’d like to talk more or if you ever need me, remember I’m here.”
Cindy deeply appreciated it and knew it was so. “I have to figure these next steps out for myself right now,” she said. “But I’ll certainly take you up on your offer at the right time.”
He smiled graciously then, getting ready to go. “Do what you can, think it through carefully, but remember one thing,” he went on, “there’s a destiny that cannot be avoided. When it comes knocking, we have no choice.”
Cindy took in his wo
rds. He was right, of course. There was only so much we could plan for, arrange and control. Ann didn’t agree, she felt that every detail of life had to be put in order. But Cindy knew how to be ready for the unexpected; the shocking events of her life had trained her beautifully for that.
Cindy and Pastor Mallord chatted a bit more and then he had to depart. After he left, rather than feeling uplifted as usual, Cindy began to feel a strange restlessness. She walked back and forth in the living room aimlessly, then cleared the table, straightened the kitchen, and drank two more glasses of lemonade. Rather than calm down though, she felt more and more uneasy. There was no reason for it though, Cindy mused. Pastor Mallord had probably just brought up old, painful memories and left unanswered questions in her mind.
As Cindy drifted around the house reviewing their conversation, her phone rang. She looked and saw it was Mattheus, the last person she wanted to talk to right now. She let the phone ring and decided to go for a walk outside in the fading light of the day.
Cindy walked for a while and then returned calmer. This was a time of upheaval and it was natural to feel waves of anxiety, she thought. There was a good chance Cindy would take the job at the paper. This was a huge change of life she was embarking upon. And what would happen between her and Mattheus then? She had absolutely no idea.
Cindy came back inside the house, grabbed a book and curled up on the sofa just as the phone rang again. Could it be Mattheus calling for a second time? She hoped not. Cindy stretched over to see who it was and to her surprise saw instead that it was Frank calling from Bermuda.
Excited to talk to him and Ann, Cindy quickly picked up.
“Cindy, Cindy,” Frank’s voice sounded frantic.
“What?” He didn’t sound like himself.
“Cindy,” Frank’s voice grew louder, practically shouting.
“What’s wrong, Frank?” Cindy zeroed in.
“I can’t tell you, I can’t tell you,” he then sounded as if he were about to sob.
“Tell me immediately!” Cindy shot to attention.
“Ann’s been found in our room,” he practically gasped, “not breathing, not moving.”
“What are you talking about? What are you talking about?” Cindy’s heart started pounding.
“Late this afternoon,” he went on.
A haze fell over Cindy’s mind. She couldn’t take in what he was saying.
“What are you telling me, Frank?” Cindy’s voice rose a pitch.
“Ann’s dead, she’s dead,” he started sobbing desperately. “
“Are you dreaming? Are you crazy? Are you high on drugs?” Cindy started growing cold. “Ann’s fine, she’s healthy.”
“She’s gone, Cindy,” Frank managed to gasp between sobs now. “Get on the next plane and come right down.”
Cindy’s entire body started shaking. “Frank, wait a minute! What happened? What happened?” Cindy’s legs buckled as she fell onto the sofa.
“I don’t know,” Frank’s voice suddenly became stony. “I came upstairs from the pool and there she was laying in the bed, face down. Her neck had scratch marks on them.”
“My God, my God,” Cindy breathed.
“She wasn’t breathing, she wasn’t moving,” Frank repeated, sounding ghastly. “I kept yelling Ann, wake up. But she didn’t! She hasn’t! I called downstairs. They sent up a doctor. He did what he could but it was too late. The police are all over the place. They think someone killed her.”
“Frank,” Cindy yelled, “Stop! It’s not possible, I won’t believe it.”
“Believe it or not, it happened anyway,” he growled back, “get down here immediately.”
*
Frank hung up and the phone dangled from Cindy’s hand as the room started to spin and the day turned into a blur. It wasn’t possible, she had to have been dreaming. Cindy lifted herself from the sofa and looked at the phone again. It was true, Frank had called from Bermuda.
Barely able to breathe, Cindy dialed Pastor Mallord.
Thankfully he picked up right away. “It was wonderful seeing you again, Cindy,” he started.
“Pastor Mallord,” Cindy started gasping.
“What’s wrong? What happened?” he sounded alarmed.
“Come over immediately. I need your help.”
“Of course, I’m coming,” he was fully on alert. “What’s wrong?”
“Ann is dead,” Cindy could barely get the words out.
A terrible silence fell on the other end. “What are you talking about?” His voice grew dim.
“I just got a call from Bermuda,” Cindy rallied for a moment. “Frank found Ann dead in their hotel room. They think someone killed her. I’ve got to get on the next flight and get down there. I need your help to get tickets and get me to the airport. I can’t do it alone.”
“My God, my God,” Pastor Mallord cried out aghast. “Dear Lord, why do you give us pain like this?”
Chapter 3
Pastor Mallord went so far as to actually walk Cindy onto the plane before leaving her alone. Cindy could see that he was worried about her, but it was difficult to absorb much else. She went through the motions on automatic, as if in a dream. Cindy knew she was headed down to Bermuda. She remembered that Frank had called and said Ann had been killed. It was ungraspable for Cindy, impossible to imagine. Just yesterday, she and Ann had been talking and making plans for the future. Ann had just gone down to Bermuda for a much needed vacation. She’d been excited about it. How was it possible that her life could be cut so short? Who would ever want Ann dead? No one.
When Pastor Mallord hugged Cindy good bye on the plane, she remembered thanking him for everything and promising she’d stay in touch.
Cindy took her seat on the plane, put her head back on the cushion and felt tears streaming uncontrollably down her face. Ann, Ann, Cindy called to her in her mind. Where are you? What happened? Are you somewhere hiding? Are you really gone? Please don’t worry. I’m on my way down to take care of everything. I’ll never, ever leave you alone.
As the plane lifted into the sky, Cindy felt an odd relief, as if she, too, was now headed in the direction of heaven and would be closer to her sister, somehow.
Cindy’s hands clutched at her seat the whole time. The trip was barely two hours and it seemed that almost as soon as they took off they were about to land. When the plane landed, she half expected Frank to be there at airport to greet her. Or, if he couldn’t come, she thought at least he’d send a car.
When Cindy got off the plane, and looked around, no one was there waiting for her. Disoriented, she made her way to baggage claim, thinking of all the times Ann had been here to pick her up and accompany her every step of the way. More than anything in the world Cindy wanted to see her sister again, to hug her and pick up where they’d left off.
Cindy got a cab easily and gave the driver the name of the hotel Frank and Ann had been staying at. Frank had texted and said he’d reserved a room for Cindy there. Other than that, she hadn’t heard from him again.
As the taxi drove through the balmy spring night, Cindy gazed out at the beautiful highways and tried to make sense of what was happening. When she woke up this morning in Oyster Bay, this was the last place she’d expected to be that night. It was as if she had been lifted on the wings of an eagle and dropped down in another world suddenly.
Before long the taxi arrived at Cindy’s destination, the luxurious Greenstone Hotel. It was one of the loveliest on the Island, surrounded by manicured hedges, limestone walks lit by sparkling evening lamps and magnificent, palm trees. Cindy was a taken aback. Frank earned a decent, but modest salary. She hadn’t expected him and Ann to stay at a place like this.
A bellboy came out to take Cindy’s luggage. The trip had all been so smooth and effortless, she felt as though she had simply come to meet up with Ann and Frank and join them for dinner, as she had done many times. Cindy needed to see Frank immediately. They had to go over what happened again and again; he had to make it real f
or her. And, beyond that, Cindy had a thousand questions for him she needed answers to right away.
As she entered the lobby Frank was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a couple of policemen were milling around. Cindy looked around at the elegant lobby and beautiful guests in evening attire, enjoying each other and the evening to the full. Even though the policemen were there, it seemed as if most guests didn’t even realize what had gone on, or if they had, wouldn’t really care. This was a wealthy, self-contained world that didn’t take well to being faced with messes of any kind.
Cindy took a deep breath, gathered herself together as best she could and went to the front desk to check in. On her way there, she was stopped by a large police officer with deep brown eyes.
“Cindy Blaine?” he asked, as if he’d been on the watch out for her.
“Yes?” she said, relieved that someone knew who she was.
“I’m Officer Trage, Chief Officer on the case,” he introduced himself immediately. “Your brother in law said you were coming.”
“Hello,” said Cindy, grateful not to be alone.
“We’ve actually heard about you and your partner down here on the force,” Trage went on. “You two have done some pretty impressive detective work.”
“Thank you,” Cindy barely got the words out.
“Where’s your partner now?” Trage looked around.
“He’s on another case in St. Croix,” said Cindy, wanting to put an end to any discussion about Mattheus immediately.
“I see,” Officer Trage nodded solemnly. “Well, first of all let me say for all of us that we’re very sorry for your loss.”
Cindy bit her lip until it was practically bleeding. Sorry for her loss? The words felt like knives flying through her heart. What loss? Cindy wanted to cry out.
“I’ll help you check in,” Trage continued, taking Cindy’s bags from her. “You won’t be along long. I heard your mother and uncles are also on their way down.”
“I want to speak to Frank as soon as possible,” Cindy interrupted as she and Trage walked to the front desk. “How is he doing?”
