Cindy paused and wondered where they were really headed, and what kind of life she could ever have again?
The photos of Tiffany were terrible, haunting. Cindy could see that she’d been a beautiful young woman, and that whoever did it, was violent, possessed with hate. They took great pleasure in destroying her beauty, twisting and stabbing her mercilessly. And the fact that it happened the day after her engagement party was doubly troubling to Cindy. It reminded her of the loss of her own husband of Clint, murdered right on their honeymoon.
“There’s something about times of happiness,” Cindy said to Mattheus, “they’re dangerous.”
Mattheus looked at her directly. “They can be,” he said softly.
“People can’t stand the happiness of others,” Cindy murmured. “It brings out the worst.”
“Not always,” Mattheus responded. “It’s just that in our business we’re called to see the darkness.”
Cindy shivered.
“And to help with it,” Mattheus’ strong, warm voice grew deeper. “To make sure it doesn’t happen again to someone else.”
“But it does,” said Cindy.
“But at least we stop this particular killer and save others he might have been killed,” Mattheus was resolute in his determination.
“We’ve still got a lot to learn about details of this case,” Mattheus went on. “That’s good. We’re going with open minds. Everything I’ve researched on the Senator and his family looks interesting. I’m looking forward to meeting the guy. His constituents love him. He has a fantastic record of fighting for the environment, supporting the underdog. He makes plenty of time to be with the people, listens to their concerns. This guy has worked long and hard. He won his seat from the ground up. It’s disgusting that something like this happened to him.”
Cindy nodded in agreement. “It’s disgusting no matter who it happens to,” she said. “No one deserves this. No family deserves to live in this kind of pain.”
“But we don’t always get what we deserve. Do we?” said Mattheus.
Cindy had no idea how to answer that. Of course, it didn’t seem so. She herself had been a victim of crime when Clint was murdered, and she had to endure pain that felt like it would never go away. Doing this work helped, though. With each case they solved Cindy felt as though she was rectifying what happened to Clint. His senseless death was serving a good purpose; she was using the impetus from it to save others.
Cindy wondered more about Tiffany’s murder now. There were no articles published it in the local papers and Mattheus had been only able to research the Senator and his family thus far.
“What about the Senator’s wife?” Cindy asked, trying to round out the picture.
“They were childhood sweethearts,” Mattheus said.
Cindy smiled. It wasn’t what she’d expected to hear.
“Solid marriage, three kids, all girls. The one who was killed, Tiffany, has a twin sister, Rori. And there’s an older sister, Winnifred, who’s twenty one. The wife, Meryl, got sick pretty soon after the twins were born. Never really recovered completely. Records say she’s frail, hired a housekeeper to raise the family. Wasn’t always at her husband’s side during government functions. There’s nothing in the records to show that the Senator took up with anyone else.”
Cindy was surprised again. She hadn’t thought that would have been something Mattheus would focus on, or that it would have much bearing on the case.
“A rough time for it to happen,” Mattheus sighed. “A week before Christmas. The island is packed. The killer could easily get lost in the crowds, commotion, parties. For all we know he could even have his eye on someone else.”
They approached the tarmac, and Cindy felt herself trembling.
Mattheus lay a reassuring hand on her wrist.
“You OK? I’ve never seen you like this before.”
Cindy nodded.
He was right. She felt unusually nervous arriving on the island. She wasn’t sure why. Perhaps it was the image of Tiffany that stuck in her mind, casting a long, dark, shadow.
“You’re becoming an old hand at this by now,” Mattheus went on. “You should be taking it all as a matter of course.”
Cindy couldn’t possibly imagine how the violent loss of life could become a matter, or being responsible for hunting down the one who did it. Cindy had been raised to see the world as orderly, filled with beauty and decency. It unnerved her deeply to look into the chaos that lurked beneath the careful cover of what seemed to be social correctness, stable relationships, and perfectly manicured homes.
The plane bumped on the ground a few times as it landed. Then it stopped at the very edge of the strip, its nose practically hanging over the water.
“We’re here,” Mattheus said.
CHAPTER 2