“Maybe she thought you’d be easy to manipulate? Be part of a cover up? Women like her often enjoy maneuvering other women.”
Cindy took great exception to that. It made her feel like a child. “I’m not leaving the island until I’m sure,” she said.
Mattheus stood up, annoyed. “Then it sounds like you’ll be here alone for a very long time. Down here these things can take forever.”
“Mattheus,” Cindy reached up for him.
He looked down at her, as if from far away. “There’s not one other viable suspect that’s turned up. All loopholes have been covered. And I got a good deal on the plane tickets. We’ll go back, take a break, and then pick up another case. There have been three articles about us already in the papers. I’ve had a couple of inquiries.”
Cindy’s body froze at the thought of leaving. She couldn’t abandon Kendra like that.
“I’m just not ready,” she said, “neither is the case. There’s more to come, I feel it.”
Mattheus shook his head. “Feelings can be tricky.”
“I have to explore my hunches,” Cindy insisted.
Mattheus was firm. “Look, I’ve seen this syndrome before and I don’t want you getting caught in it. There are cops who are always looking for the next clue, chewing on a bare bone when all the meat’s gone. They can’t stand admitting failure and so they won’t let go. If I thought there was any value at all in staying, don’t you think I would?”
Mattheus words hit Cindy hard. Was that what she was doing? Chewing on a bare bone? Living a life that had no juice in it? Mattheus was just trying to snap her out a trap he thought she was falling into. But she didn’t feel finished.
“I’m staying,” she said.
“Do what you want,” snapped Mattheus, annoyed. “I’m getting out of here. There are intense storm warnings. It’s scheduled to hit in a couple of days. The island people did their Hurricane Supplication Day festival early. You know what that is?”
“What?” asked Cindy dumbfounded.
“It’s a holiday when the locals ask to be spared from devastating storms. They’re expecting category 4 winds – 135 mile force. You have to be out of your mind to stay down here.”
Mattheus could say what he liked. Cindy knew she couldn’t leave.
They left the restaurant together without saying a word. Once out in the lobby, instead of going back up to her room, Cindy turned and walked out of the hotel. She refused to be pressured by Mattheus and couldn’t help thinking about Nell, left alone without her father and her mother now in jail. Cindy had been shocked to see Nell arrive at the lunch. Clearly, she’d wanted to meet Margot. Nell had mentioned at the time that she thought Margot did it. Cindy had let that comment just lay there, but she’d been wondering about it more these days. She wanted to talk with Nell about it. Cindy never felt that she’d spent enough time with her. At the very least she could visit, say hello, and give her some support and comfort.
Cindy hailed a cab and decided to take it straight to Kendra’s home. It was windy and cooler than usual, and the rain kept falling harder, making the roads slippery and slick. Mattheus was probably at the bar, alone, talking to whomever was around. She couldn’t let herself think about him. He was wrong to pressure her in that way. If they were going to be a team, they’d have to make decisions together. Since when was he scared of a storm?
The drive to Kendra’s house went quickly and when Cindy arrived, strangely enough, the front door was open. Cindy turned the knob, and walked. The place felt silent, empty and haunted, filled with desolation and gloom. For a second, Cindy felt scared, as if something worse were hovering.
She walked around the downstairs slowly, looking in corners, wondering where Nell was. Maybe visiting her mother in jail. But, maybe not? Cindy thought of calling out for her, but decided instead to go upstairs and see if she might be in her room.
She got to the second floor and behind one door heard a strange hum. Cindy knocked on the door. No one answered. Before she opened it, she decided to knock again.
“What the hell do you want?” a raw voice called from inside.
Cindy jumped back startled, “It’s Cindy Blaine, can I come in?”
Even before she finished saying that, the door flung open and Nell stood there, staring.
“What are you doing here?” the words poured out of her by themselves. “Who let you in?”
“The door was open,” Cindy said. “I’m sorry.”
“You can be as sorry as you want, but what did you really do for us? Nothing. My mom’s locked up and my father’s dead.”
Cindy bit her lip. “I’m not done yet,” she said strongly. “Help me to help you, please.”
Nell laughed a loud coarse laugh, and tossed her wild hair off her face.
“Can I come into your room?” Cindy asked. She wanted to look around, sit down and have some time for the two of them together.