Cindy appreciated the information and was impressed. She was also concerned. With that many visitors and transients it could be hard to track the killer down.
They got to Rodney’s office, went in and sat down at the large desk in the center. In a few minutes a couple of other cops came in then, and joined them. An electric energy filled the room and Cindy suddenly became apprehensive, wondering what they were going to say.Shelly had gone missing six years ago. What kind of shape could her remains be in? How much could they actually find out?
Mattheus was anxious, “Okay, shoot,” he said. “I want to hear everything. What kind of evidence can you still collect from what’s left after all this time?”
“Mattheus,” Rodney started speaking slowly and deliberately.
Mattheus looked up at him, “Yeah?”
“From work on the body we have concluded that Shelly’s death was recent.”
Mattheus didn’t fully grasp what he was saying. “Recent?”
“Shelly was killed about one week ago,” said Rodney.
The life drained from Mattheus face. “What?”
Rodney repeated his words even more slowly, “Your wife was killed one week ago.”
Mattheus could barely speak. “It’s not possible,” he finally said.
“We checked carefully,” Rodney spoke very slowly. He knew this was incredible information to give Mattheus.
“I don’t get it. What did you say?” Mattheus started shaking his head back and forth, as if to wipe the cobwebs away. “She went missing six years ago, on August 8th.”
Rodney repeated the same words more slowly.
“Your wife was alive and living down here in Key West. She was killed one week ago.”
“Living in Key West?” Mattheus eyes turned blurry. His entire world was being turned upside down. “We lived in New Orleans. She disappeared. We searched for the killer in hundred mile radius.”
“There wasn’t a killer then,” Rodney said to Mattheus slowly, “your wife left of her own will. She came down here to live.”
One of the cops, Alex, a young guy in his late thirties, glanced over at Cindy from the corner of his eye. Now Cindy understood why they didn’t want to talk to Mattheus alone. It could be too much of a shock. He could have had a heart attack.
“The killing is new, it’s a fresh case,” Alex said softly to Cindy.
“What do you mean she came of her own will?” Mattheus was stuck on that thought. “She ran away from me? She pretended to be killed?”
“She didn’t pretend anything, Mattheus,” Rodney said more forcefully. “She ran away. Plenty of people who go missing actually run away. They leave their lives and start over.”
“Why would Shelly leave our life behind?” Mattheus was dumbfounded.
“There’s a lot of questions like that we have to ask you,” said Rodney.
The room seemed suddenly warmer, and the whirring fan that hung from the ceiling circulated the balmy air.
“Ask me?” Mattheus was confused.
For a horrible moment Cindy wondered if Mattheus was a suspect in the case.
“We need information to help us track the killer, or be sure about the guy we have in custody now,” Rodney explained.
Mattheus stood up like a lightning bolt, his face filled with rage.
“Who do you have in custody?”
“Whoah, calm down there,” said Rodney, momentarily alarmed. “The guy’s name is Anthony, he’s a musician in a band down here.”
Mattheus’s fists clenched and turned white.
“Did you and your wife spend time down in Key West when you were together?” Rodney took another tack.
“Yeah, we came down for vacations. Shelly liked it down here. She never said a thing about coming here to live. Who the hell is this guy, Anthony?”
“Your wife was living with him,” Rodney said.
This was more than Mattheus could bear. “Wait a minute! Hold on! What the hell are you saying? I don’t believe a word of it.” Mattheus jumped up and began pacing back and forth. “You’re giving me a line of crap. You want to upset me - see my reaction! Shelly wasn’t living with anybody. She loved me.”
Mattheus turned and then ran to the door.
“Get back here. Sit down,” Rodney demanded.
“I can’t. You got to give me time with this,” Mattheus growled, as he turned and fled out onto the street.
“Mattheus!” Cindy got up, racing after him.
“Hold on a second,” Alex got up to stop her.
“No, let her go,” Rodney said from behind. “He needs her with him now.”
“I’ll be back in a little while,” Cindy uttered, as she fled out the doors, chasing Mattheus down the crowded streets
CHAPTER 6