“The police have this rhinestone,” Cindy went in for the kill. “We found it in Ann’s room after she died. It must have fallen from your jacket.”
Ronnelle turned ash white. “I only wear this jacket at night,” she countered. “Ann died in the late afternoon.”
How did Ronnelle know that? It was a little known fact that no one had spoken of. Cindy felt emblazoned. “No, you wore this jacket the afternoon Ann was killed,” Cindy was adamant.
“Get out of here now if you know what is good for you,” Ronnelle said gruffly.
“It’s not as easy as that, you don’t get away with this,” Cindy stepped right into her face. “It was my sister you took out.”
“What do you know about life? What do you know about guys?”Ronnelle suddenly blurted out.
“Frank hurt you?” Cindy practically hissed at her between her teeth.
“Damn jerk,” Ronnelle wobbled backwards a second. “He did, and I believed him. I let him hurt me.”
“Looks like you were the fool, weren’t you?” Cindy took an odd pleasure in taunting her.
Ronnelle spiveled around, leaned towards a table and grabbed a huge stone that sat on it.
“You deserve to die too,” she held the stone over Cindy. “You and your whole rotten family.”
Cindy dove away from her, towards the door, to press the button on her phone for emergency help. Suddenly Ronnelle came up from behind, grabbed Cindy around the waist and threw her down on the couch. Before Cindy could get her bearings, she felt Ronnelle behind her and then a pillow being shoved down hard over the back of her head.
“Get off me, get off,” Cindy started yelling as the pillow sunk more and more deeply into her head and neck. This was what it had to have been like for Ann, Cindy thought, as it became harder and harder to breathe and she felt as though she were going down under water, never to return. Ann had succumbed, but she couldn’t. With her last bit of strength, Cindy tossed to the side, but Ronnelle only pressed the pillow down on her face then.
Cindy started drifting away, until suddenly, as if from a million miles, she heard a fierce banging close by.
“Open up! Police! Let us in immediately,” a loud voice thundered.
The strength of the pillow pressing down on Cindy subsided for a second. Cindy tried to rally and push Ronnelle away, but her arms felt like liquid and her head was filled with cobwebs and ached.
“Open Up!” the voice and banging got louder.
Thankfully, Ronnelle jumped off the couch as Cindy gasped breath by breath to fill her lungs. Finally she heard a crash close by, as if the door were being broken down. Cindy slowly turned then, and with every ounce of her strength pulled herself up.
“Get over to the side,” it was Mattheus shouting.
Cindy looked over the edge of the sofa, Mattheus wasn’t alone. Trage and two other cops with him and Frank was there too, standing in the crowd.
Cindy’s heart started pounding as Mattheus flew over to her. “You’re okay? You’re not hurt?” he seemed desperate.
“I’m okay,” Cindy slowly found her voice.
“Thank God, thank God,” said Mattheus. “When she wouldn’t let us in, I thought the worst.”
“How did you know I was here?” Every cell in Cindy’s body was trembling.
“You called Trage’s assistant Michael to get Ronnelle’s information,” Mattheus said, “and thank God, he called us immediately and told us where you were headed. The minute I heard I knew there would be trouble. I called Trage and the cops as I headed over.”
It was hard for Cindy to take it all in, she felt shaky and her head and neck hurt. She kept wanting to close her eyes and sleep.
But Mattheus wouldn’t let her. He kept talking uncontrollably, trying to keep her awake.
“The minute I left you at the hotel, I called your Uncle Charlie and told him to bring Frank to me right away. Fortunately, Frank was back in his room. He returned himself after speaking to you.”
“Is Cindy okay? Is Cindy okay?” she heard Frank moaning in the background.
“You lousy rotten, miserable bastard,” Ronnelle practically spit at him.
Cindy forced herself to turn and look at her brother in law, who looked completely stunned.
“You thought you’d get away with something like this?” Ronnelle’s teeth were chattering, as she drew closer to him. “You think you can promise me diamonds and give me crap? Not Ronnelle, you got the wrong girl.”
As she spoke, Trage came over slowly and stood behind her.
“Bermuda is our place, not yours and Ann’s,” Ronnelle’s voice broke now, turning into the howl of a wounded animal. “You and I came down here first. You said you were going to marry me. Tell them, it’s true, tell them.”
Cindy shuddered completely.
“It’s true,” Frank muttered then, under his breath, “I said that to you.”
Cindy felt swords of pain strike through her body. How dare he betray Ann that way?
Ronnelle couldn’t stop babbling. “How dare you bring your lousy wife down to a place we’d been so happy in?”