Cindy looked at Shelly more closely. Even though they resembled each other superficially, their eyes were different. Shelly’s were huge and green with changing expressions. In some photos she looked charming and intelligent, in others like a stray cat, wily and confusing. In all the photographs Mattheus looked strong and vibrant beside her, as if he had everything he’d ever wanted.
Shelly was dressed in many different outfits, except that she always had the same unusual shell necklace on. Cindy noticed it immediately. No two shells were alike; the necklace seemed to be individually strung. In several photos Shelly’s hands touched the necklace, as if it meant the world to her.
Cindy stared at Shelly for a long moment. It was hard to imagine that such a beautiful, young woman had been taken down in the prime of life. Same as Clint, thought Cindy. For a moment, she ached for Mattheus, losing someone so precious to him.
It was strange dipping into the details of Mattheus’s past life. Cindy put the photo on the bed. There were so many of them, she couldn’t leave them all around and make this bedroom their own. She also couldn’t just take them all away, wipe out his memories. It was a delicate balance and Cindy wanted to be sensitive about it.
As she stood there, scanning the photos and taking some down, the bedroom door opened.
“Just popped in to see how you were doing,” said Mattheus.
Cindy turned to him slowly. “Shelly was very beautiful,” Cindy said softly, picking up a photograph again.
“Yes, she was,” Mattheus echoed, glancing at the photo in Cindy’s hand. “I like having these photos around. I like thinking of her still alive – the way she was, as if nothing ever happened.”
Cindy put the photo down, suddenly feeling flushed. The day had grown humid and rain was predicted for later on.
“You don’t have a problem with the photos, do you?” Mattheus asked, coming closer, looking at them strewn on the bed.
“Not a problem, there’s just too many of them,” Cindy tried to be playful. “We need to make room for pictures of us.”
Mattheus put his hands on her shoulders. “I get it,” he said. “Down with the old, up with the new.”
“I wouldn’t put it that way,” said Cindy.
Little raindrops started tapping the window.
“Starting to rain earlier than we expected,” Mattheus said, a feeling of gloom coming over him.
“Let’s take a walk in the rain,” said Cindy. “We can go over to the café near the Waterfalls and have lunch.”
“I’ve got a lot to do here, though,” Mattheus said, as the phone rang sharply, interrupting their conversation.
This was the first call they’d received in the house. Cindy had hoped no one would call for a long while, give them time to settle in.
Mattheus picked up the phone, a little surprised. Cindy watched his jaw clench as he listened.
“Yes, got it,” he said, his eyes focusing sharply at a point on the floor.
“When did it happen?”
Cindy wondered if it were Sand, Mattheus’s old partner down here on the police force. Sand had never liked Cindy, right from the start. He felt it was his job to look after Mattheus and didn’t want any woman taking it away. Cindy was sure he wouldn’t be thrilled to hear that she was back with Mattheus in Grenada now. She wondered if Mattheus had told him?
“That’s really something,” Mattheus said on the phone in a semi garbled tone.
Cindy waited for him to make eye contact with her, to clue her in on what was going on.
“Yes, she’s here,” Mattheus continued. “I’m sure she’ll be fascinated.”
Cindy took a step closer. It didn’t sound as if it were Sand. The rain began hitting the window early than expected. Cindy hoped it wouldn’t rule out their outing.
“Yes, of course, we’ll talk it over and get back to you as soon as we can.”Mattheus hung the phone up and shook his head.
“Who was it?” asked Cindy, “Sand?”
“No, it was a woman calling from St. Thomas. She tracked us down here through Sand.”
“You told him he could give out our personal number?” Cindy was irritated.
“This lady’s daughter just turned up murdered in her own backyard,” Mattheus spoke quickly. “She sounds like a mess over the phone - desperate for help. Someone down at the police station in St. Thomas told her about us.”
Cindy was stunned. This was the last thing she expected. She and Mattheus had specifically agreed to take time down here alone together. This was the first vacation she’d had in over a year.
“Bad timing,” said Cindy, shaking her head.
Mattheus rubbed his foot on the floor, uneasy. “There’s no good timing for a murder,” he said.
“No, there isn’t,” Cindy agreed.
“This woman needs us badly now.”
Cindy looked at him directly. “I need us badly now, too,” she said.
Mattheus looked startled. “I don’t get it.”
“What’s there not to get? This is our time to be together, set up house, see where we’re headed.”
“Headed?”
“This is our time,” Mattheus.
“Time doesn’t belong to anyone,” he said. “The girl who was killed in St. Thomas thought it was her time to live, too.”
Cindy felt her body trembling. “You want to pick up now and take the case?”