As if hearing her thoughts, Mattheus reached out his hand to her.
“You have no idea how much I’ve missed being with you,” he said. “When your sister told you to leave it was as though she were ripping me in half.”
“I missed you, too,” Cindy murmured, despite herself.
“Did you?”
“Very much,” said Cindy, as they drew closer.
“I’ve learned a lot of things, Cindy,” Mattheus whispered, “I realize now, that I never could have gotten close to anyone as long as Shelly’s case was unsolved. It was not only her case, it was our marriage. I never knew what happened. You know, she told me over and over that I didn’t know her, but I brushed it off. I thought it was just a female thing, that she needed too much attention. I thought I listened to her plenty. But she was right, I listened, but I didn’t hear.”
Cindy reached out her hand for his. “That’s true, Mattheus,” she said softly. “Even with me, you listened but you didn’t hear. You didn’t really take it in.”
“Oh God,” said Mattheus, “if you only knew how sorry I am, not just with you, but with her, too. Shelly told me about guys in her life all the time, she said they were just friends and I believed her because I didn’t want to know the truth. There were all kinds of little lies that floated around too, but I brushed them off, thinking it was cute. I was wrong again. It wasn’t cute. I had no idea about the woman I was married to, or what was going on inside her. So, how could I ever get close to someone else then?”
“You couldn’t,” said Cindy, impressed by Mattheus’s courage in facing this. “It takes such guts to admit this, Mattheus.”
“No, it’s not guts,” said Mattheus. “It’s all being put right in my face, wherever I turn. I can’t escape it if I want to find Shelly’s killer.”
He held Cindy’ hand very close in his and then brought it to his lips. “God, if you only knew how much you mean to me, Cindy –if only I had some way to tell you.”
Tears filled Cindy’s eyes, as Mattheus suddenly pulled her to him swiftly, and their lips met in a deep, sudden kiss.
CHAPTER 19
After the kiss, neither Cindy nor Mattheus said anything for a long while. Then they started talking softly, simply about the case.
Cindy told him that Shelly had gotten between Katrina and her abusive husband. Mattheus was alarmed. He was also shocked that no one had mentioned this crucial piece of information.
“They may not have known it,” said Cindy.
“They had to,” Mattheus responded. “It’s fundamental and basic.”
Cindy disagreed. “Nobody bothered spending real time at the Shelter. Actually, I just told the police myself this afternoon.”
Mattheus stared at her. “And what did they say?”
“Alex said he’d put it on the record.”
“That’s all?”
“That’s it,” said Cindy.
“Sounds like he was placating you,” said Mattheus.
“When I told him I wanted backup to see Katrina, he said it was up to Rodney, and he’d let me know.”
“A delay tactic,” Mattheus murmured. “No good, something smells.”
Cindy agreed, and both of them decided that Cindy had to speak with Katrina as soon as possible.
“When you go, I’ll wait for you at the Hemingway House,” Mattheus said. “It’s a few blocks away. After the interview, we’ll meet and go over everything. If you have any kind of problem, I’ll be right close by.”
That felt like the old Mattheus. Cindy could go and be covered.
“Call her now,” Mattheus said, “set up an appointment.”
“I will,” said Cindy, getting her phone.
To Cindy’s relief Katrina picked up immediately and as soon as Cindy introduced herself, was actually glad to be talking.
“Come first thing tomorrow morning. I have a busy day. But I want to talk to you. Really, I do. It’s a terrible thing that happened to Shelly,” Katrina’s words tripped over each other. “We do need to talk. I’m so glad you called.”
“Okay, we’re set for tomorrow morning,” said Cindy, after she hung up the phone.
“Do you want to leave together?” asked Mattheus, “or do you want me to meet you afterwards?”
“Meet me afterwards,” said Cindy. It felt better going alone, as long as she knew he’d be close by waiting.
After Cindy and Mattheus talked a little longer, they went up to their separate rooms. Everything was happening so quickly, there were so many feelings to digest, Cindy was glad to have time alone.
Right after she got out of her bath and was about to go to sleep, the phone rang.
“I know it’s late to call,” Ann said, “but we’re leaving first thing in the morning. I wanted to say good bye.”
“Good bye,” said Cindy, sleepy, “and thanks, Ann.”
“Thanks for nothing,” Ann muttered.
“Thanks for coming down. I appreciate it,” Cindy was determined to take the high road.