Fortunately, Dalia wasn’t home when Cindy got into the house. She went into her room first thing, and called.
To her surprise, a guy picked up the phone immediately.
“Yeah?” he said in a low, growly tone.
“Tomale, please,” said Cindy.
“This is Tomale,” he said.
Cindy hoped she had the right person and this wasn’t a setup of some kind.
“Nobody has this number who isn’t supposed to talk to me. Shoot, what is it? ” the voice continued.
“I need to know what’s in the complete divorce documents of Elizabeth and Ames,” Cindy started.
“Finally,” Tomale said, “good. Give me your name and number. ”
Cindy gave it to him, a little afraid.
“Who’s dropping the money off?” Tomale said.
“I’ll make the arrangements,” said Cindy, knowing Mattheus would see to it that it was done.
“If you got my number, you know what you’re doing,” Tomale’s voice got a bit clearer.
“When will I have it?” asked Cindy.
“By noon tomorrow,” Tomale said. “I’ll call you. And tell whoever gave you my number, it’s a smart move. Very smart. ” Then he hung up the phone.
Cindy called Mattheus immediately and told him what Tomale had said.
Mattheus laughed. “Good work. I’ll have everything taken care of. Call me as soon as you get the report. ”*
After Cindy hung up the phone, she was relieved and tired. The day had taken a toll and she decided to take a long, slow bath and unwind. Even though things were intensifying, Cindy didn’t feel as though she were getting closer to finding Ames. The web just kept getting larger, including more people and possibilities.
And Mattheus had a strange effect on her. At times she felt supported and uplifted by him, and at other times, she felt insignificant, as if she had no reason to be there at all. That probably reflected his feelings, she thought, that went back and forth regularly. He was extremely smart and savvy, very caring at times, and then, at other times, business-like and aloof. Whatever his feelings were, she couldn’t allow herself to feel shaky about her right to do what she was doing. And her ability to break through.
After her bath, Cindy went out on the patio and stretched out on a lounge chair. The heat of the day had passed and it felt good laying there, allowing the soft breezes from the ocean to wash over her.
She lay there for a while and then suddenly felt someone close beside her. Cindy opened her eyes quickly, and saw Rosa at the edge of the patio, sweeping. Rosa had never come onto the patio when Cindy was here alone. Cindy sat up straight in her lounge chair and turned towards her.
Rosa looked up at her for the first time, and came closer, still sweeping her broom. She seemed uncomprehending of what Cindy said. Her eyes looked extremely sad.
“Do you want something from me, Rosa?” Cindy asked, more softly.
Rosa slowly shook her head. She didn’t move though, just kept staring at Cindy.
Cindy shivered. Rosa had something she wanted to say, Cindy felt it. Maybe she didn’t know how?
“Rosa, do you want to tell me something?” Cindy asked again.
Rosa’s eyes filled with tears and she nodded her head yes.
Cindy’s heart started beating fast. “What is it? Tell me. ”
Then, just at that very moment, a loud voice rang out behind them. Dalia had returned home. She was coming out onto the patio, too.
“What a long day,” Dalia said loudly. “There was so much to take care of at the gallery, I couldn’t even get half of it done. Thankfully, Nina is working hard. She’ll be over in a few minutes with the rest of the paperwork I need to go over tonight. ”
Dalia came over, to where Rosa was standing. “Sweeping out here? At this time of day? ” she asked, surprised.
Rosa said nothing, just grabbed her broom tighter and began sweeping fervently.
After Rosa left, Dalia plopped down on the lounge chair beside Cindy.
“You can find her in the oddest places,” said Dalia. “Don’t let it bother you. Sometimes she gets it into her head that a place needs sweeping, and there’s no way you can stop her. ” Then she threw her head back on the lounge chair and took a deep breath.
“It’s fine,” said Cindy.
“What’s fine?” said Dalia. “Nothing is fine. We’re not getting any closer to finding Ames. It’s over a month now that he’s been gone. ”
“I’ve only been here a short while,” said Cindy.
“But we don’t have forever,” Dalia’s voice was beginning to have that rough edge. “Soon the rains will come. It’ll be harder then. They wipe everything away. ”
Cindy took a deep breath. Ames had been missing for quite a while before Dalia called her down on the case. She couldn’t expect her to have all the answers in such a short time.