“Come in, come in,” he uttered, waving her in.
The room was similar to Cindy’s, elegant, well appointed, airy, certainly not a room to mourn in.
Cindy’s mom, tall, beautiful and as well groomed as ever, stood up from the round chair she’d been seated on. For a second Cindy thought her mother would run over, embrace her, sob with her. But the moment passed. It didn’t happen, never had. Instead, her mother simply started pacing back and forth. Except for the glassy, crazed look in her azure eyes, she didn’t look a bit different than she had two years ago.
“Your mother’s beside herself,” her uncle Ben half moaned, before going back to sit down again on the couch. Cindy looked over and saw her other uncle Charlie seated there as well. Cindy had rarely seen Uncle Charlie all the years growing up. Charlie was her father’s brother, someone her mother never wanted around. Cindy was amazed to see him here now.
Charlie looked over at Cindy, interested to see her, as well.
“Wonderful of you to come so quickly,” Charlie said, standing up and offering his hand.
Cindy moved a step closer and took his hand. “Good of you to come, too,” Cindy replied.
Charlie’s weather beaten face creased as he smiled in appreciation. “Your Uncle Ben called me and told me about this as soon as it happened. He asked me to come, I’m not sure why. But of course I said I’d be here immediately. It’s great that you’re on the case, Cindy.”
“What’s great about it?” Cindy’s mother broke in sardonically. “One daughter dead and another in danger? Not that Cindy has ever actually been a daughter to me!”
Disturbed, Ben jumped up again and ran to Cindy’s mother. “Your mother can’t stop thinking the worst,” Ben explained to Cindy. “She hasn’t stopped pacing since we got the news, either. I told her she’ll get a heart attack herself if she doesn’t calm down.”
“What difference does it make if I live or die?” Cindy’s mother’s voice was both shrill and breathless. “Is it true? Is it possible that Ann is gone?” she glared at Cindy then, as if Cindy herself was responsible for it.
“We’re looking into every detail,” Cindy decided to assume a calm, professional tone.
“That’s not what I asked you? I asked is your sister gone?” Her mother’s eyes flashed at her. “You never could answer anything directly. It’s a simple question, isn’t it?”
Simple and not so simple, thought Cindy. “Yes, Ann has passed away,” she finally answered her mother plainly, affirming the awful truth for herself as well.
Her mother’s body shook as she burrowed her head onto Ben’s shoulder.
“Who knows why, Claudia? Who knows anything?” Ben murmured to her. “You have to be brave, I need you to be brave.”
“I never was brave, Ben,” Cindy’s mother responded.
Cindy took a deep breath as her uncle Charlie came over to her then.
“I’m sorry for your loss, Cindy,” Charlie was both kind and straightforward.
“Thank you,” replied Cindy. “Thank you for being here, too.”
“I’m as shocked by this death as everyone,” he replied.
“You’re not as shocked as I am,” Cindy’s mother threw her head back. “You barely knew the family. They barely knew you. Now you’ll never know, Ann – ever!”
Cindy saw her Uncle Charlie’s eye start to twitch. “It’s okay,” she said to him. “At a time like this people lash out. They don’t know what else to do. My mother’s not in her right mind now.”
“Never was,” Uncle Charlie said to Cindy under his breath. “I always knew what my brother was up against.”
Cindy flinched at what he said, though she really liked him. Charlie was honest and direct and Cindy respected that; nothing at all like the picture her mother had painted of him. But nothing ever was, thought Cindy. Her mother always occupied her own reality. Either you joined her in it, or you did not. Ann had chosen to join their mother, Cindy had refused.
“I am taking the ashes home and burying them close by,” Cindy’s mother pulled away from Ben and began pacing again. “But I also want the first memorial service for Ann to take place as soon as possible, right here in Bermuda, where she died.”
It was all too much for Cindy to take in right now.
“We’ll work it out later on,” Ben tried consoling his sister again.
“And where’s Frank?” her mother’s voice rose another octave as she faced Cindy again. “I’ve called his room three times and he hasn’t answered.”
“Probably busy,” Ben suggested.
Cindy realized her mother and uncles didn’t know Frank was being held by the police. She certainly wasn’t going to tell them and agitate them further. There was no need to. Cindy was in the process of getting him released from jail so he would be able to join everyone shortly. It could only be a matter of hours.