“What’s going on?” asked Carl, surprised to hear from Cindy so soon.
“There’s been a sharp turn in the road,” Cindy finally managed, in a husky tone.
“What’s wrong?” Carl picked up her urgency.
Cindy regained herself quickly and jumped in. “Kate never posted those messages on her Facebook page about her engagement. They were posted after she had already died.”
A frozen silence greeted Cindy on the other end of the phone.
“Did you hear what I said, Carl?” asked Cindy.
“I’m just taking it in,” he replied, horrified.
“Someone else posted the announcement of Kate’s engagement,” Cindy repeated
Carl’s voice sounded strangled. “I don’t know what to make of this,” he uttered, “what does it mean?”
“We’ve got to find out who wrote and posted those messages,” said Cindy fervently. “And it has to be done immediately.”
“We?” asked Carl, “you and me?”
“Yes,” said Cindy.
“What about Mattheus?” Carl sounded dumbfounded.
“Mattheus is not into it,” Cindy replied. “He still believes that Sean did it. Right now, he’s gone out for a walk.”
“At a time like this?” Carl couldn’t believe it.
“I need your help Carl,” Cindy could barely speak.
“Of course I’ll help you. I’m on it completely. I’ll make those calls and find out exactly where we can find Clay when he’s not in the hotel. Give me a few seconds and I’ll call you right back.”
True to his word, in about ten minutes Carl called back. He learned that Clay hung out at a rocky cliff on the Western, primitive side of the island. The cliff was high above the ocean, with an incredible view of the sky and sea. The airports would be opening day after tomorrow, and Clay and his family were grounded until then. If they couldn’t find Clay at the hotel, that was where he’d probably be.
“You’ve done a fantastic job finding this out,” Cindy breathed, thrilled. “Wonderful.”
“Thanks,” said Carl, gratified. “It’s the least I can do. But I’ve also decided I’m going there first thing tomorrow morning to surprise Clay myself.”
“Not a good idea,” Cindy retorted sharply.
“Once I see him that guy won’t know what hit him,” Carl continued. “I’m gonna drill the bastard for all he’s worth.”
“I don’t recommend it,” said Cindy.
“Why not?” asked Carl perturbed.
“Don’t go alone,” said Cindy, “meetings like that can become tricky. I’ll get Mattheus to join you.”
“That’s the last person I want to go with,” scoffed Carl.
“Mattheus is a professional and he’s on the case,” Cindy became no nonsense. “You hired him exactly for a situation like this.”
“How about you?” asked Carl, “you’re a professional too, aren’t you?”
“I’d love to join you,” said Cindy, “but I think Clay may talk more without a woman around.”
“Could be the opposite?” said Carl. “The guy’s pretty close to his mother.”
Cindy thought about it for a moment. Maybe Carl was right. Clay had seemed more open to her initially when Carl was not around.
But none of that seemed to matter much to Carl. “Maybe you’re right about my going with Mattheus,” Carl said, “but whether or not he comes along, I’m going to be there first thing tomorrow morning, around ten o’clock. If Mattheus wants to come, let him. I couldn’t care less. I’ve got questions for Clay that he’s going to answer, like it or not.”
*
Mattheus came back about an hour later, quiet and reserved. Cindy had been waiting up for him on the sofa, going through some magazines.
“I’ve been waiting up for you,” she said when Mattheus came in.
Mattheus looked surprised. “Why?”
“Because I want to talk to you.”
“We’ve talked a lot, Cindy,” said Mattheus with resignation. “Too much, maybe?”
“What is that supposed to mean?” she asked.
“I’m tired of talking about the same things over and over again,” he said.
Obviously he was thinking of their relationship, not the case. Cindy had to get him back on track.
“I’m not referring to our relationship,” said Cindy then. “I want to talk about the case.”
“You’re obsessed with the case,” Mattheus turned full force on her. “You’re addicted, driven, completely consumed.”
Cindy was shocked at the vehemence of his tone. Obviously, he’d been thinking about it.
“I’ve seen this before and I’m seeing it again now,” Mattheus continued. “This has become a sickness.”
Cindy felt her face flush. “It’s a sickness to want to find out the truth?”
“That’s right, in this case, it’s a sickness. Even after a case is solved, I’ve seen detectives dwell on it for months. They become positive something was overlooked, that they didn’t do enough. They begin to feel like it’s their responsibility to save the entire world. It’s a sickness, Cindy.”