Death by Request (Caribbean Murder #11)

Cindy spun around and smiled. “You never know,” she answered, playfully.

“What are you doing down here?” Mattheus seemed surprised. “I looked all over for you. It’s not like you to go for a drink alone.”

“Come, sit next to me,” said Cindy, “and I’ll tell you all about it.”

Mattheus joined her at the little table she was seated at and took her hand. “Okay, tell me your secrets,” he jested as he sat down.

“I was just unwinding, thinking about Ann,” Cindy confessed.

“Oh, I see,” Mattheus answered gently. “Missing your sister?”

“Yes, of course I am,” said Cindy, “but right now I was thinking of the other Ann, the patient who shared the room with Tara. She said so many things about her experience in a coma, when she was in another world.”

Mattheus looked at Cindy, uneasy. “One world at a time is good enough for me,” he smiled. “We’re here now, let’s enjoy it. When we’re there, we’ll find out what goes on.”

Cindy couldn’t help but smile at his comment. “I wonder what world my sister is in now,” she mused.

“It’s natural enough to wonder about that,” said Mattheus, “but as I see it, all we can do is live a good, full life here.”

“We’re doing that Mattheus, aren’t we?” Cindy responded.

“Definitely,” he replied, “and my life is way better having you in it. In fact, I can’t imagine life without you, Cindy. I wouldn’t want to.”

Cindy put her head down on his shoulder for a moment. “I wouldn’t want to either,” she replied incredibly grateful that they had gotten through their problems and were still together now.

Unfortunately, Mattheus’s phone rang sharply right at that moment, breaking into their entrancing mood.

“Don’t pick up, it’s late,” said Cindy, tired of working on the case right then. “Whatever it is can wait until the morning, can’t it? We need a little down time.”

“It’s unusual for the phone to ring at this hour,” said Mattheus. “Who knows if it can wait? I have to pick up.”

Mattheus picked up and grew quiet.

“Who is it?” asked Cindy perturbed.

“Eric Holder,” Mattheus mouthed silently, listening to what the Chief of Police was saying intently. “Yeah, sure, we’ll keep tabs on this and stay in touch,” Mattheus responded. “Thanks for letting me know.”

“Keep tabs on what?” asked Cindy when Mattheus hung up.

“The police checked in with Phil, head of the Board of Directors of the hospital, right after the jazz festival,” said Mattheus. “It’s not official until tomorrow but Alana’s going to be fired for stealing drugs.”

Alarm bells rang for Cindy. “Alana didn’t steal drugs. There’s no evidence.”

“They have something or they wouldn’t fire her,” Mattheus disagreed.

“It’s an obvious cover up!” Cindy exclaimed.

“How can you be so sure?” asked Mattheus, taken aback by Cindy’s vehemence.

“Because I am,” said Cindy. “They’re making Alana take the fall so the investigations into the hospital will stop. You must have scared them, Mattheus. You must have talked about medical mistakes.”

“Yes, of course I did,” Mattheus confessed.

“And did you tell Konrad you knew about Alana’s being fired from her past job for negligence?”

“Naturally,” Mattheus continued. “I had to put the pressure on him.”

“It worked,” said Cindy. “Phil checked in with Konrad about your interview immediately. Konrad had no choice but to tell him what you said. It freaked them all out.”

“That’s too simple,” Mattheus insisted. “Whether you like her or not, there’s evidence mounting against Alana. Even Ann told you she heard Alana in Tara’s room the night she died.”

“But the cops have no idea about what Ann told me. They wouldn’t listen to a thing Ann said,” Cindy insisted. “Things are getting too hot and the hospital wants the investigation into their background to end immediately. They need someone to blame so they’re jumping on Alana.” It all felt incredibly clear to Cindy.

“I thought you believed what Ann told you,” Mattheus interrupted.

“I do,” Cindy insisted.

“So, if you believe what she said, then it’s likely Alana was involved, isn’t it? The night Tara died she was upset, yelling at Tara, cursing her job! Mattheus remembered every detail.

“That doesn’t mean Alana killed her,” Cindy wouldn’t yield. She detested cover ups of any kind, always fought them with her very life. “It could have been Konrad who did it for all we know,” Cindy continued. “Konrad was having pressure put on him, too. For all we know he just used Alana to put the substance into Tara’s IV.”

“Anything could have happened,” said Mattheus.

“I liked Alana when I met her,” Cindy went on, remembering her unexpected visit at Alana’s home. Alana hadn’t received her the way a guilty person would have. She was open and cordial.