“Mom, mom,” Lynch looked as if he were about to faint.
“I did it for you, Lynch, I did it for you,” Raina kept shouting, as the police grabbed her shoulders and held her back against the wall.
“Did what?” Lynch was dazed, confused. “What did you do? What? What?” None of it computed for him.
“Your mother had Tara murdered,” said Mattheus. “She hired those two guys who were eye witnesses to do the job.”
“Because I loved you, Lynch, because I loved you,” Raina kept calling as more police entered the room and carted her away.
*
When the room was empty, and Lynch had gone off to the police station with his mother, Cindy and Mattheus took a deep breath.
“You did it again,” Mattheus murmured, looking at Cindy in awe.
“I never liked that woman,” Cindy uttered. “She’s awful, evil. What’s going to happen to Lynch now?”
“He’s got a big family and plenty of money,” said Mattheus slowly.
“How can he ever get over this?” asked Cindy mournfully. “He lost both of them, his mother and Tara.”
“Time is good,” Mattheus murmured, “time heals.”
Mattheus’s phone rang then and he picked it up.
Aldon was on the other end, babbling wildly. “I just got a call from the cops. Is it true? Is it possible?”
“Case solved,” said Mattheus slowly.
Aldon started to sob uncontrollably. “She’s a monster.”
“I would say so,” said Mattheus.
“I knew it all along,” Aldon whimpered. “She should be killed herself like she killed my daughter. Life in jail is too good for her.”
“Her life in jail will be anything but good,” said Mattheus.
“I want her killed, I want her dead,” Aldon kept sobbing.
“It’s over, we got her,” said Mattheus.
“But what good does it do?” Aldo kept whimpering, “It won’t ever bring Tara back, will it?”
*
On the way back to their hotel in the taxi, Cindy put her head on Mattheus’s shoulder.
“At least we gave Aldon some measure of comfort,” said Mattheus.
“Who knows?” Cindy shrugged. “There’s lots of ways of looking at it. If he hadn’t hired us to dig up dirt on Lynch, he’d have his daughter alive right now.”
“That’s why it’s best to let things rest, sometimes,” Mattheus agreed.
Cindy knew he was talking about his meeting his daughter. He didn’t want to see her again and also wanted Cindy to forget about it. Cindy looked up at him and smiled. “You’re referring to your daughter, aren’t you?” she murmured.
“Yes, I am,” said Mattheus.
“And what if she turns up suddenly, later on in our life?” asked Cindy.
“We’ll deal with it then,” Mattheus proclaimed. “You can’t live your life based on what ifs!”
“But I do live my life that way,” said Cindy. “That’s how this case got solved.”
CHAPTER 19
The shocking news spread quickly and once again Cindy was hounded by reporters for interviews. No Winners In These Shocking Turn of Events the headlines screamed. Once Again Cindy and Mattheus Save the Day!
After a long afternoon of speaking to the press, Cindy and Mattheus sunk back into the sofa in their hotel room. There was a long list of people still wanting to see them, including Bala, who had returned to the island with gifts.
“Are she and the boy truly safe here?” Cindy asked Mattheus after he spoke with her. “Will someone else in the company still want to take them down?”
“That’s over now,” said Mattheus. “Lynch has complete control of the company now. And, he’s already contacted Bala twice, asking to see the boy.”
Cindy perked up, she hadn’t heard that. “Really? That’s a huge development.”
“It’s Lynch’s way of honoring Tara and her wishes,” said Mattheus, “I talked to him about it.”
Cindy felt wonderful hearing that. It was heartwarming.
“Lynch’s not the cad you once thought,” Mattheus went on. “This is a fine young man who has been dealt a horrible blow.”
“And he’s doing the honorable thing now,” said Cindy.
“Yes, he is,” Mattheus agreed.
“And how about Dawl? How does he feel about Lynch seeing the child?” asked Cindy.
“Dawl’s thrilled,” said Mattheus. “Lynch’s testimony about what his mother said helped Dawl get out of jail. And, Lynch assured him he’s not taking the boy away. Who knows? One day they could even become friends.”
Cindy felt herself about to cry, as Mattheus reached out his hand to her.
“Don’t cry,” he whispered.
“I’m so touched,” Cindy said.
“Then, I suppose this is the perfect moment to tell you something,” Mattheus went on softly.
Cindy felt shivery, not knowing exactly what he had in mind. “What?”
“I’ve contacted my daughter,” said Mattheus. “We’re going to meet her together for the first time at the Aupres Hotel, later this afternoon.”
Cindy stared at him astonished, not able to take in what she was hearing. “Meet your daughter later today?” she finally whispered.