*
Mattheus sat back down and watched her walk to the lady’s room. She had an easy grace as she moved, like a tree swaying in the breeze. He was amazed at how good it had been to sit there with her after returning from St. Croix. He’d expected all kinds of repercussions about his not being in touch. They didn’t come. He was also surprised how relieved he felt to be doing his part of the investigation alone. He had no intention of letting her know where he’d be every minute. It wasn’t that she didn’t have a right to know, it was that it made him feel too closed in. He needed space and privacy, always had, even during his marriage. He flinched now as he thought of those years married to Shelly. She’d complained all the time about not knowing where he was, or when exactly he was returning. He’d always returned though, been happy to see her, and taken good care of her. Except on that fatal afternoon. Mattheus tried to wipe it out of his mind again. Now. That was one time he should have been closer. One time that changed everyone’s life.
CHAPTER 9
Before they jumped into the cab Cindy called Kendra and said they’d be coming for an hour or so. They wanted to talk to Nell. Kendra said she didn’t much see the point in that, but it was as good a time as any to do so. Nell was home for the day, up in her room.
They got the cab in front of the hotel, and as they drove to Kendra’s, Cindy looked out of the window. She’d known Mattheus was coming back to St. Thomas that day, but hadn’t expected him to show up at breakfast like that. Since they’d arrived on the island, Mattheus had shown so many different sides to him, she didn’t know what to expect next. Back on Grenada he felt like a rock to her, constant, caring, dependable. Now he seemed skittish at times, even eager to get away from her. She couldn’t help compare him to Clint, who had been fully available when he was around. Cindy’d never felt he wanted to run away. The sense that Mattheus was unsettled, made her feel insecure. Of course, their company didn’t have to last forever. If it didn’t work out, Cindy could always go home.
When Cindy and Mattheus arrived and rang the doorbell, Kendra opened the door immediately. She wore beige slacks and a linen shirt, with a matching necklace and bracelet. Her long hair was tied back from her face. It struck Cindy as odd that a woman whose husband had been murdered such a short time ago, would be so perfectly groomed.
“Come in,” said Kendra somewhat officially.
Cindy and Mattheus came in and looked around for Nell.
“Nell’s in her room,” said Kendra. “She’s studying. The kids have off from school for a few days for exams. The police spoke to her quite a bit in the beginning. I don’t know what she can possibly add now.”
“We just wanted to meet the whole family,” said Cindy. “It won’t take long.”
Kendra sighed. “It all adds up, though. Half an hour here, an hour there.”
It sounded as if she resented their being there. “We want to do a thorough job, “said Cindy.
Kendra interrupted, “thorough or not is one thing. Finding the killer is something else. How in the world can Nell lead you to that?”
“You never know what one off handed comment leads to,” said Mattheus, “especially from someone close to the victim.”
“Do what you have to,” said Kendra. “Nell,” she called loudly then, her voice bouncing off the high walls. “Come downstairs.”
No answer.
“She’s probably deep on her Facebook page,” Kendra smirked. “That’s about all these kids study these days, who’s saying what to who? Nell -” her voice rose with a sharp timber.
Cindy heard a door open upstairs. She looked up and saw a young, tall, slender woman come down. She had long, dark hair, a sculpted face and extremely intense eyes.
When the young woman got down the stairs, she paid no attention to her mother, but came right over to Cindy and said “Hello, I’m Nell.”
“Glad to meet you Nell,” said Cindy.
“I’m glad to see you finally managed to extricate yourself and come downstairs,” Kendra quipped. “Whenever she’s home, Nell practically lives in her room these days. She never has a second to spend with me.”
“This has been a horrible strain on our mother,” Nell said to Cindy abruptly. “You have to help the authorities realize that she’s had absolutely nothing to do with this crime.”
Kendra looked at her oddly. “I’ve told them that already,” she said. “That’s why they’re here. I believe they’ll help.”
Cindy looked over at Nell, who suddenly turned sullen. “Nothing I say makes any difference,” she said.
“We’d love to hear more from you, Nell,” Cindy said, breaking into the thick tension that had formed. “Let’s sit down a moment.”
Nell shot her mother a quick look and then went with Cindy and Mattheus to the couch. Kendra started to join them as well.
“We’d like to talk to Nell alone,” said Mattheus.