“I’m sorry Cindy, really, I’m sorry,” Mattheus walked closer to put his arms around her, but she involuntarily pulled away.
“Is there anything else?” Cindy looked Mattheus directly in the eyes then, “even one thing you haven’t yet told me?” she asked. “Tell me now, get it over with.”
Mattheus looked down at the floor, “Yes, there is,” he said quietly.
Cindy felt her stomach clench. “Tell me quickly, please. Get it over with.”
“The medical examiner’s report came in,” Mattheus went on.
A shock of horror ran through Cindy then. “Yes?”
“Ann died of strangulation,” Mattheus reported methodically. “But she fought a good battle. They checked the scratches on her throat carefully. If someone other than Frank did it, they knew what they were doing, wore gloves, covered all traces. The only DNA found on her body belonged to Frank.”
“That doesn’t mean a thing,” Cindy insisted. “Ann and Frank slept together, they were together all the time. Was his DNA in the scratches?”
“No,” said Mattheus quietly, “it wasn’t.”
“So, that’s something, isn’t it?” asked Cindy, feeling woozy now and weak in her knees.
“It’s something,” Mattheus agreed, “but who knows what? The killer could have worn gloves when they committed the crime.”
Suddenly the room grew paler and Cindy felt herself swooning backwards onto the couch.
Mattheus quickly rushed over, caught her and held her in his arms. “Cindy, Cindy,” he whispered, “it’s okay, I promise. You can handle this, you’re not alone.”
Cindy opened her eyes slightly.
“It’s okay,” Mattheus repeated, “I love you, believe me. I’m here with you forever.”
In the midst of her swoon, Cindy took a deep breath.
“You’ve got to be brave, you’ve got to be strong,” Mattheus continued. “You’ll rest tonight and I’ll stay here with you. Then, first thing tomorrow morning, we’ll go forward and you’ll go and speak to Ronnelle.”
Chapter 18
As Mattheus had warned, the Cricket stadium was packed to the gills and the festivity was overwhelming as the hot sun beat down on everyone. Dressed in Bermuda shorts and a light T shirt, Cindy fit in perfectly with the crowd. As the players came running out onto the field, the cheers that went up were deafening. It was a good thing the police were keeping track of Ronnelle or Cindy could never have found her amidst the noise and swirling people that drifted up and down in the stands.
Cindy put her cell phone close to her ear to hear instructions.
“Cindy, are you there now?” It was Trage on the other end.
“Right here,” Cindy answered promptly, trying to stay alert and in touch.
“Good,” he replied. “Target is seated in the fourth row of section B. Has a blue shirt on and is waving a flag.”
“Got it,” Cindy replied.
“Go to the left and ease down the middle row,” Trage continued guiding her step by step. The place was packed to the rafters and it would be easy to get lost. Cindy was relieved to have such careful directions.
“You’re almost there now,” Trage commented as Cindy got closer to section B. “A few more steps and you turn down the left row.”
Cindy followed his guidelines, struck by the fact that the police were able to watch her every move.
“Okay, turn now,” Trage continued as Cindy practically pushed her way through the maddening crowds. The crush against her body was terrific, but the urgency of the assignment overwhelmed everything else. “There are a few openings near her on the bench Ronnelle’s sitting on,” Trage continued. “We arranged that carefully. Quickly take one of the spots. Some of her friends are coming a little later. This has all been orchestrated.”
Why so much attention to this and care? Cindy wondered. Then it struck her. The police probably thought Ronnelle could lead them to Frank. Cindy would probably look like the most innocent person to Ronnelle; she’d have no idea who was backing Cindy up.
“You’ll be recording my interview, right?” Cindy checked as she drew closer to where Ronnelle was seated.
“Absolutely,” Trage answered deftly. “And we’ll be watching both of you. If there’s a minute of trouble, we’ll surround you both.”
Cindy was surprised by his intensity. She didn’t expect trouble of that magnitude. “Can’t see how this could be dangerous,” she responded.
“Just being careful,” Trage responded routinely. “Sometimes we can’t see anything until it happens. For all we know Beggio’s a few steps away.”
Cindy slipped down the row, and as Trage said, easily found a spot close to Ronnelle on the bench. Ronnelle was riveted to the field, and didn’t notice Cindy’s arrival.
“Okay, you’re there now,” Trage mumbled into Cindy’s ear. “Go for it. You’re good at this. We’re thrilled to have you on board.”
Trage’s expectations seemed over the moon and Cindy felt ill at ease. She had no sense that this would be a defining moment.