Cindy lay on the lounge at the pool, under an umbrella, waiting to hear from Mattheus. Where was he? What had he been doing all afternoon? It was almost evening and he hadn’t answered her call all day long. Neither had Alex. She finally closed her eyes for a cat nap, when her phone rang. Cindy rolled over abruptly, grabbing it, hoping it was finally Mattheus.
“Cindy,” a sharp voice answered, “We’re here.”
“Here? Who?”It took a few minutes for the voice to register.
“Ann and Frank,” her sister’s voice sounded determined.
Cindy’s heart dropped. “What in the world?”
“Come on,” said Ann, “at least act like you’re glad to hear from me. We’re only staying for the night. We’re at the hotel across the street.”
Cindy was completely taken off guard. She clearly remembered telling her sister not to come.
“We came down to get the vibes for one night,” said Ann.
“You came down to check on me!” said Cindy flatly.
“And if I did, so what? You’re in a crazy, dangerous situation with a person you barely know.”
“Ann, I told you not to come.”
“Don’t Ann me,” Ann answered sharply. “You were pretty happy when I picked you up from the airport in New York.”
“We planned that. It was different. I wasn’t on a case.”
“Some case! This is your boyfriend’s wife who turned up murdered. Both Frank and I are terrified. For all we know you could be best. We want to meet this guy face to face.”
“It’s not possible” said Cindy.
“Of course it is!” Ann insisted.
“Mattheus and I are not working together, anymore,” Cindy declared. It was comforting to say it, to acknowledge the reality.
There was a silence on the other end of the phone.
“Why not?” asked Ann, sounding surprised.
“Things are too unstable between us at the moment,” said Cindy. “I’m working directly with the police now.”
“Cindy, none of this sounds good. Do the police suspect Mattheus had something to do with the death?”
“Definitely not! Don’t become paranoid,” Cindy exclaimed.
“Frank and I want to have dinner with you,” Ann said emphatically, “please, I need to see you with my own eyes, make sure you’re alright.”
“Alright,” Cindy relented. There was no way she could refuse, and to her surprise felt comforted at the thought of her sister being close by.
“And after this, I want to bring you back home to Cove Bay,” Ann added.
That was going too far. “Ann, a woman down here has been killed brutally,” Cindy said, “and I’m on the trail to finding out why it happened and by whom! Other lives could be at stake. ”
“Okay, okay, what time are you free for dinner tonight?” Ann couldn’t stand hearing about Cindy’s work, shut her down instantly.
“Let’s meet here at the hotel, in the lobby, at six,” said Cindy.
“Not before that?”
“There are things I have to take care of first.” Cindy had to get in touch with the police, and let them know about Katrina and Flan. If Alex didn’t call soon, she had to go over to the Police Station and put it on the record directly.
“I won’t push my luck. It’s six o’clock, then. See you in the lobby,” Ann sounded grateful.
“And one more thing,” said Cindy. “Thank you Ann. I really appreciate how much you care.”
“I do care,” Ann was emboldened, “and there’s no way I’m leaving my little sister in danger.”
“I’m not in danger,” said Cindy, definitively.
“Oh yes, you are,” Ann shot back, “in more danger than you can ever imagine. I just feel it in my bones.”
*
The rest of the afternoon went surprisingly quickly. Alex called in about an hour and listened to the information Cindy had. He took it, acknowledged her, and said he’d put it on the record. Cindy wanted to know if he would back her up when she went to speak to Katrina and Flan. He said he’d have to check on that with Rodney and would get back to her as soon as he heard. Alex didn’t have the authority to make that decision, but between the two of them, off the record, it sounded like a good idea.
Cindy felt better after speaking to him and decided to go back up to the room to give herself time to shower and change before dinner. The idea of seeing Ann and Frank tonight was strange, but Cindy was pleased about it. She hadn’t heard a word from Mattheus all day long and it would be good not to have dinner alone.