*
Back in the room Cindy turned on the TV. “Out of season storm, headed our way, about to hit,” the news reported. “Coast lands will be affected. No evacuations as yet. Better to stay indoors for now.”
At that moment the hotel phone rang sharply. Cindy picked up. “
“Hear there’s been breaking developments on the case,” Carl was on the other end.
“News travels fast,” said Cindy. “How do you know?”
“I was talking to Clay’s father in the lobby. Police called and told him they could all go home,” said Carl.
“There’s been progress for sure,” said Cindy, disheartened.
“I want to hear all about it,” said Carl, “how about meeting me downstairs in the café and filling me in?”
“Good idea,” said Cindy. “I’ll be down in a few minutes.”
Before she went down, Cindy decided to freshen up. It had been a long day. She changed quickly into a yellow, silk summer dress, brushed her hair and put on new makeup. Feeling more like herself, she then went downstairs to meet Carl in the café which overlooked the main beach.
When Cindy got there, she was surprised to see that the sky had quickly gotten so much darker and filled with threatening clouds. And, the winds which were tossing wildly by now, seem to be shaking the outside of the hotel. As she walked further in, she immediately saw Carl who had arrived before she did and was sitting at a table waiting for her.
“I love storms,” Carl said, getting up to pull her chair out. “They’re beautiful. Usually they pass quickly on this island.”
Cindy smiled. She loved storms as well, the raw energy of it. She sat down and Carl pushed her chair back in gently and then went back to his seat, opposite her, looking more worn that before.
“It’s good to be here with you, Cindy,” Carl started. “You’ve done a fantastic job.”
“The job’s not over yet, either,” breathed Cindy.
“Looks like it will be shortly,” said Carl. “The police obviously feel they’ve got their man if they’re going to let Clay and his family leave.”
“They’re convinced it’s Sean,” said Cindy, hesitantly.
“I know, I heard,” said Carl, looking into Cindy’s eyes. “It makes sense to me.”
“It makes sense because you never could stand him, right?” asked Cindy.
“I didn’t like him and he didn’t like me,” said Carl doggedly. “He moved in on Kate when she was very young, got her addicted to him. It was a hell of a struggle after that. I did whatever I could to get her away, but nothing worked.”
“So, Sean won the battle?” said Cindy, “he got the final say?” She wanted to egg Carl on, see what else she could get from him.
“You could put it that way,” Carl’s eyes narrowed in pain. “But who won? Nobody. And who lost everything? Kate.” Carl’s breath became jagged as he spoke.
Cindy suddenly felt very badly that she’d pushed him so far.
“I’m really sorry, Carl,” she said and put her hand on his.
He covered her hand with his other one. “You’re amazing, you’re fantastic, you’re beautiful,” the words poured out by themselves. “We couldn’t have gotten through any of this without you.”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” said Cindy.
“Not far enough,” said Carl. I have a gift I want to give you.”
“I don’t need any gifts,” she said quickly.
“You don’t need them but you deserve them,” said Carl. “And you deserve someone better than Mattheus, too. You deserve a man who is worthy of you.” Carl looked up at her hopefully.
“Mattheus and I are happy,” Cindy replied quietly.
“No, you’re not, neither of you,” Carl remarked. “In a way I feel like I’m talking to Kate all over again. Kate was also stuck with someone who was wrong for her. And she never really believed me when I said it to her.”
“I’m not stuck,” Cindy felt upset.
“Maybe it’s the wrong word,” said Carl. “But you don’t love the guy. It’s written all over your face. And, it’s easy to see the tension between you when you’re together.”
Cindy didn’t know how they’d gotten off on this track, but she wouldn’t take it any further.
“What do you want to know about the case, Carl?” she asked, trying to get the conversation back to the reason she was here at all.
“I want to know if they actually have solid evidence against Sean?” he asked, backing off.
“The case is building,” said Cindy. “Mattheus and I spoke to his date, Riva, this afternoon. She was wearing Kate’s bracelet.”
Carl practically jumped out of his seat. “What?”
“Riva told us that Sean gave the bracelet to her,” said Cindy.
“Sean gave her Kate’s bracelet? The damn bastard, the rotten monster!” Carl exploded. “That does it, that proves it.”
“In my opinion, it’s just suggestive,” said Cindy. “Could also be that Riva is lying?”