“Of course he has,” said the Senator, offended.
“I was Scuba Diving at Richard Bolton’s place when Tiffany was killed,” Tad said quietly. “I asked her to come with me, but she didn’t want to. She wanted to walk on the beach alone.”
“Was that unusual for her?” asked Mattheus.
“No, not at all,” said Tad. “She loved the different beaches here. She enjoyed walking on them. She had tons of friends and people around her all the time. Once in a while she liked to take a walk alone. I thought it was good for her.”
“Of course it was good for her,” the Senator interrupted. “Tad, you didn’t do a thing wrong.”
“I just wanted to get a sense of your daughter’s routines,” said Mattheus. He didn’t want to put either of them through any more grilling right now.
“Cindy and I will check in with the gendarmes. They’ll fill us in on any other details, along with the reports of the medical examiner,” Mattheus said.
“The report’s not in yet,” said the Senator.
“And, the gendarmes won’t have anything much to tell you either,” the Senator went on. “They’ll say Tad was the closest to Tiffany and the last to see her alive, so they’re focusing on him. They’ve interviewed him three times already, but there’s no evidence linking Tad to the crime.”
“From what I see so far, there’s no evidence linking anyone,” Mattheus commented.
“That’s why you’re here,” the Senator said.
“Cindy and I will need to meet and talk with everyone on the yacht,” said Mattheus. “And also, as many people at the party as we can. You never know who may have an important piece of information.”
“Can you find the killer for me?” the Senator asked then, in a hushed tone.
“There’s always something, one piece forgotten that leads to a chain of footsteps the killer never imagined was there.”
“You’ve got to find him,” Tad pleaded hoarsely, “for all our sakes.”
“We will,” said Mattheus confidently. Tad was a lovely young man. He seemed overwhelmed by what had happened. Mattheus wanted to talk with him more, out of the Senator’s range of hearing.
“Oh, here you are dad,” Wynn said loudly. “Rori and I have been searching all over for you.”
Mattheus was so focused on Tad that he didn’t see two young women come to the doorway then, about to enter the room.
Wynn walked into the room agitated, with her sister following.
Mattheus hadn’t seen Rori before. She was beautiful, tall, blonde, slender, he was startled to see how much she looked exactly like photos of her murdered twin.
“I can’t believe you’re drinking so early,” Wynn declared, taking away her father’s glass.
Rori stood there, staring at Mattheus. “You’re the detective on the case?” she asked.
“Yes,” answered Mattheus. “My partner is with your mother right now.”
“I heard about her,” said Rori. “I heard that she’s beautiful, doesn’t look anything like a woman detective.”
Mattheus was taken aback. He didn’t often let himself recognize how stunning Cindy was, with long, wavy hair, perfect features and wonderful figure. It was easier to see her as a work partner, a buddy, one of the guys. That way he could be more relaxed, not focus on the loneliness that always lived in the pit of his stomach.
“Cindy’s been with mom for quite a while now,” Wynn said.
“She should be down here with us any moment now,” said Mattheus.
“So, what’s the plan?” Rori confronted him.
Mattheus was surprised by her boldness. She didn’t seem as shaken as the others, either.
“We’re going to have to talk to everyone on the boat and also at the party,” said Mattheus.
“I’ll help you out,” said Rori.
“Thanks.”
“We’ll also want to talk to you and your sister, Wynn.”
“The police have interviewed our family. They’ll tell you what they said,” the Senator responded.
“Cindy and I like to do it ourselves again.”
Just then, Cindy, herself, walked in, looking on top of things.
“Here comes Cindy now,” said Mattheus, happy to see her. “Cindy, I’d like to introduce you to Rori.”
Rori stuck out her hand and Cindy took it.
“It’s my pleasure,” said Cindy.
“Okay, you guys have a big job here and you need to get going,” said Rori. “Where do you want to start?”
“Rori,” the Senator was becoming irritated, “don’t take over.” Clearly, she was hard to handle.
Wynn stepped in then. “Rori likes to take everything over. Don’t be put off by her.”
“Just the opposite,” said Mattheus. “I appreciate your sister jumping in.”
“Thanks,” said Rori, pleased.
“I’m sure you have your own plans,” Wynn said to Cindy, “you don’t need any help from us.”
“Quite the opposite,” said Cindy warmly. “We need all the help we can get. All suggestions are appreciated, any thoughts, memories, tips.”