Mattheus went down to meet Tad in the garden in back of the hotel, while Cindy took a quick shower. When she got out she changed into a lovely lime green short, silky, halter dress. It was very warm outside and she felt light and breezy in it. She’d washed her hair and now blew it out and let it fall carelessly to her shoulders, rather than tying it back as she usually did. Then she put on a colorful shell bracelet, flip flops and made her way downstairs.
The garden wound around palm trees, lined with stone paths. Small white tables and chairs sat around a large fish pond and the fragrance of flowers filled the air. Tad and Mattheus were sitting and chatting when Cindy arrived.
When Cindy approached the table, Mattheus looked up, surprised. He looked her over quickly, and smiled.
“Wow, you look beautiful,” he quipped lightly.
Tad raised his eyebrows, admiringly.
Pleased, Cindy sat down at the empty seat between them. “Thanks,” she said lightly.
“I ordered you lemonade,” Mattheus kept his eyes glued to her.
“Perfect,” she said, and then turned to Tad.
“Nice to see you, Tad,” thanks for coming.
“It’s my pleasure,” Tad answered easily.
Everything seemed so natural, Cindy felt as if the three of them could have been there to simply enjoy the afternoon, chatting about little things, like which party they might be attending that night.
The table they sat at was surrounded by plants and trees. A few small birds sang in the distance and once again the atmosphere lulled you into a sense of beauty and safety from the ills of the world.
“How are you doing, Tad?” Cindy asked, gently.
“As well as can be expected,” he said evenly, lifting a glass of fruit juice.
“It must be very difficult,” Cindy murmured softly.
“Yes,” said Tad, “but it’s slowly becoming real.”
Cindy knew how long it took to absorb such a great loss.
“It takes time,” she offered, wanting to soothe him
“How long do you plan to stay here on the island?” Mattheus interrupted, looking closely at Tad.
Cindy thought, once again, what a good counterpart Mattheus was to her. She enjoyed calming a situation in order to look more deeply into it. Mattheus was impatient, wanting to jump in quickly and get to the bottom line.
“I’m not going anywhere until they find out who did it,” Tad said tersely.
“That could be a very long time,” said Mattheus.
“Why?” Tad looked disconcerted, “I heard they have a suspect in custody.”
“It’s not so sure,” said Mattheus, “there are lots of complications.”
Tad shifted in his chair.
“The police told Tiffany’s father it looked like they’ve got their man,” Tad said. “They’re just waiting for one more lousy report from the medical examiner.”
Cindy and Mattheus caught each other’s eyes.
“What kind of report?” Cindy was startled.
“Something about whether or not Tiffany was pregnant,” Tad said slowly, as if trying to absorb the reality of words.
Mattheus bolted upright. “How did you hear that?”
“The police here on the island told us,” said Tad. “The medical examiner told it to the police.”
Cindy got chills. Tiffany being pregnant was a fake story Mattheus made up to scare Frances into speaking. These guys were taking it on now, hook, line and sinker. It sounded as if the medical examiner, in cahoots with the police, was going to present false evidence to get the case closed, fast.
Mattheus looked startled as well. This was news to both of them.
“Wait a minute, I need details,” Mattheus said, focusing squarely on Tad. “Is the medical examiner suggesting that Tiffany might have been pregnant when she was killed?”
Tad began tapping his foot on the floor. “Something like that,” he uttered.
“That’s a shock, isn’t it?” Mattheus pressed on.
“I don’t believe it for a second,” said Tad, nonplussed. “It’s totally impossible.”
Cindy was intrigued. “Why is impossible that she would be pregnant? Accidents happen,” said Cindy.
“Not accidents like that,” the muscle in Tad’s jaw was working.
“You don’t think Tiffany could have been carrying your child?” Mattheus asked methodically.
“I told you, it’s impossible,” Tad flared up. “Tiffany and I were fanatically careful. Do you think I’m a fool? That would have been the last thing in the world either of us wanted.” Then he gulped down what was left of his drink.
“Why would it have been so terrible to have a baby?” Cindy asked.
“Because neither of us was ready for it, “Tad answered heatedly. “We needed lots of time together. We needed to create a new life. I was taking her away from the world she was living in and teaching her things she needed to learn.” His mouth pursed tightly. “But, obviously someone in that world wouldn’t let her go.”