“This is going to take some time to pin down,” Rodney said to Mattheus, “we’ve got a lot to go over here. You guys can take off now. We’ll keep you informed about everything.”
It was getting late and Cindy was relieved to get out of there. Mattheus seemed to feel the same way.
“Let’s go to the beach,” he said to Cindy as they were leaving. “We can walk along the water, like we used to.”
It sounded like a good idea. Cindy didn’t want to be alone now and walking at the water with Mattheus would calm both of them. It was also her favorite time of day as the light was fading and the first stars coming out in the sky. A particularly beautiful time to be at the ocean.
They got down to the water in no time, took off their shoes, and holding hands, walked together along the sand. Cindy held Mattheus’s hand tight and looked up at the sky. It had been a huge day, twisting and turning in all kinds of directions. But, even with Mattheus’s hand in hers, Cindy felt alone.
Mattheus murmured something to her, but she couldn’t make out what he silently for a while, their steps matching, down to the reef at the edge of the sand.
“Pretty soon Anthony will be let free,” Mattheus said as they walked. ”I gave the cops all the new information I found about him; that plus booking Flan, will get him out.”
“That’s wonderful,” said Cindy.
“Finally, they’ve got the killer!” Mattheus’s voice tightened. “Finally. You know how long I waited for this day?”
“There’s no direct evidence yet,” said Cindy.
“For years I never thought the day would never come.”
Cindy knew Mattheus was eager for this to be over, and that a lot pointed to Flan. “Looks good, but we still can’t be sure,” she said.
“Nah,” said Mattheus waving a hand, “Flan’s a live wire. He almost killed you on the spot. I saw it with my own eyes, I heard him threatening. If he did it once, he’s done it before.”
“Yes, he’s done it before,” Cindy agreed.
“And this creep’s been hanging out with Shelly! She must have done something that night to trigger him, take him over the edge. It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to figure that out.”
“Things point that way,” Cindy agreed.
Mattheus stopped walking as they got to the edge of the water, and pulled her to him.
“The case is over, Cindy. We both have to realize it.”
Cindy was stunned being so close again in his arms. It took her breath away and her heart started reeling.
“Let’s leave Key West and go back to Grenada,” Mattheus spoke fast.
The invitation was unexpected and came too abruptly. Cindy said nothing.
“I don’t want to go back there without you,” Mattheus insisted.
Tears filled Cindy’s eyes. She couldn’t speak. Too much had gone on, she was uneasy. She took a deep breath and pulled away slightly.
“I’m not sure the case is over,” she murmured, grasping for time.
Mattheus looked upset. “Come here,” he pulled her over to a reef at the edge of the water. “Let’s sit down and talk.”
It was a wonderful spot to sit at. Their feet dangled in the water which came lapping up against them.
“The case is over,” Mattheus said again then, with more conviction. “Not only the case - my relationship with Shelly is completely in the past.”
That was good to hear, Cindy was happy for him.
“I’m not blaming her either,” he went on, “I see plenty of signs now that she gave me. Hindsight -didn’t pay attention then. Now they float up in my mind. There were all kinds of strange little lies she told, like she’d say she was going out with friends in town, and I’d find out later on that she’d been somewhere else. It registered, but I didn’t push it. Never wanted to be that kind of guy, closing in on someone.”
Cindy nodded. She’d always experienced Mattheus giving her lots of space. “You aren’t that kind of guy,” she said.
“Thanks,” he answered. “It’s good to hear that. Sometimes I have no idea who I am anymore.”
Cindy wanted to tell him he was wonderful, but held back. He needed time to discover who he was himself, and she needed time as well.
“I was shocked when I heard that Shelly felt trapped in our marriage,” Mattheus went on, “I fought it, cursed, even threw up one night after I left Rancher’s Bar. But hell, I should have felt her drifting away.”
“Did you ever ask her about it?” said Cindy.
“Once or twice, and she gave me some stupid answer, like she needed her space. I thought it was just a passing phase, that things would go back to the way they’d been.”
“Everybody always thinks things are going to go back to the way they’ve been,” Cindy remarked.
“And they don’t always, do they?” asked Mattheus solemnly.
“They don’t ever,” said Cindy, “they can’t.”
“Now I know,” said Mattheus sadly.