“Did you have a good sleep?” he asked gently.
Cindy realized she must have napped and dreamt that she saw Tara there. “It was okay,” she answered as she rose from the rock. “How about you? What did you find?”
“Nothing much,” Mattheus answered slowly. “It’s a rough spot to swim in, full of jagged limestone edges and slopes. I’m not sure why Tara went to swim there with Lynch in the afternoon? And, definitely, it’s not a place anyone would go to swim alone.”
“Maybe she never swam there at all,” Cindy reflected slowly. “Maybe Tara and Lynch swam in the lagoon, under these palm trees. Who said they went swimming in the Cove? Who actually saw them? We really have to check it all out.”
CHAPTER 13
Once Cindy and Mattheus left the Cove the first step on their agenda was go to the courthouse to meet the police and share findings with them. Mattheus had already made an appointment and they were due in less than an hour.
After returning straight to their hotel room, showering and changing quickly, they headed over to the Palais de Justice, the courthouse in St. Martin. The office of the police they were to talk with was based in the back of the grand building.
As soon as Cindy and Mattheus entered the courthouse, two officers, waiting for them, greeted them as soon as they walked in.
“We hear great things about you guys,” the shorter one said. “I’m Ned and my partner, here, is Phil. We’re both good friends of Rodney.”
Mattheus smiled and extended his hand. Ned took it and Phil smiled.
“Come with us this way,” Ned went on, leading them down the wide corridor to their office.
The corridor was filled with people walking back and forth in and out of various doorways. It was a busy, thriving scene, more official than Cindy would have expected for the island.
“Rodney can’t say enough about you,” Phil commented as they approached their office.
“Thanks,” said Mattheus whole heartedly. “He’s a great guy.”
Phil opened the door and they all walked in to a long, narrow room. Filing cabinets lined the walls and a rectangular wooden table stood in the center. Stacks of papers were neatly piled on the table as a hanging fan whirred overhead, making a long, low, humming sound.
“Nice place,” Mattheus took it in approvingly, smiling at Ned.
For a moment Cindy felt as if she’d landed in a local boy’s club and was left out. “I’m Cindy Blaine,” she broke the ice, introducing herself.
“So sorry,” said Mattheus, “of course. This is my wonderful partner, Cindy.”
Ned and Phil both smiled. “Your reputation precedes you Cindy,” said Ned. “We’re thrilled to have you on board. Let’s sit down and get to work.”
They all sat around the table as Ned started rifling through the papers. “Very bad situation,” he continued, looking up at Mattheus, “not the kind of case anyone expected. I’m sure you realize that the groom’s company is huge – involved with large sectors of the island’s economy. Anyone could have something against them and took this chance for sweet revenge. You never know who.”
Cindy was surprised by the comment. Why was Ned starting so far afield, wondering about Lynch’s company? Usually family members and friends were focused on first.
Mattheus seemed to get the drift of what Ned was saying right away, though. “Lousy situation,” he agreed, immediately aligning with him. “I can see how it could make incredible waves and affect all kinds of people here.”
“You got it,” said Ned, seemingly relieved.
What did Mattheus get, Cindy wondered? Was there an implicit desire to cover things up? Was Ned warning them not to probe too deeply, or there could be rough consequences? Of course there was no way Cindy would ever go along with that. If there was anything Cindy hated, it was cover ups. One of the first things she learned as a detective was that consequences weren’t under your control. You did your job to the best of your ability and the pieces landed where they did. If you started worrying about consequences, you got derailed easily, unable to see what was in front of your face. In fact, it was Mattheus who had taught that to her. Respect the truth, let it guide you, he’d said again and again. That’s what drew Cindy to him in the beginning. Lean on the truth, Cindy, Mattheus used to say. You’ll never go wrong if you do.
Cindy felt a sharp need to lean on the truth right now and get back on course. “Are you saying that you don’t want to involve Lynch and his family too deeply in the investigation?” she asked bluntly.