Cindy tried to catch Alice’s eye and make contact, but Alice looked away.
“I’m sure the police are taping all kinds of calls that are coming into the station. Investigators will be talking to everyone they can.” Cindy wanted to put everything in perspective. “And it’s certainly possible a ransom call will come. That would be good, give us something specific to go on. It would also let us know that Kara is definitely alive. “
“Of course she’s alive.” Alice’s voice grew shrill. “I told you that and I meant it.”
Cindy spoke more softly. “Don’t worry, one way or another we’ll track her down, find out if someone might have wanted to harm either Kara or Rowley.”
“There’s no reason anyone would want to harm them, none at all,” Alice insisted.
“Who knows?” Bea’s voice became strident as she turned to Alice. “Kara works at that crazy place, doesn’t she? Could be somebody there has a vendetta.”
“It’s not a crazy place, it’s a worthy job,” replied Alice icily.
“I didn’t say it wasn’t.” Bea scowled. “But it’s not exactly the kind of place a girl like Kara belongs in. She wasn’t abused and she never will be. I don’t know what her fascination with this kind of work is. I never understood it. I even said that to Rowley.”
“Calm down, Bea,” Pete interjected, but his wife just tossed him away.
Rowley put his head in his hands then. “Bea’s right,” he started moaning. “I told Kara that myself. I said get another job, get the hell out of that shelter.”
“Let’s not jump to conclusions,” Cindy interjected. “There’s no evidence yet that anyone has a vendetta against Kara.”
“I’ll tell you who would know more about this!” Bea suddenly got excited. “Kara’s best friend, Alfred, is devastated and has come down to the island to help out.”
“Where did you hear that?” Alice was surprised.
“My sister called from the States and told me,” said Bea.
“Everyone in the family knows Kara’s best friend?” Cindy was interested.
“Yes, of course, especially after the spectacle he made of himself at the wedding,” Bea flared up. “He insisted on dancing with Kara almost half the night. Everyone thought he was one-upping Rowley.”
“Ridiculous,” Alice bristled. “Kara and Alfred have been friends since grade school, he’s practically a brother. He wanted to dance and celebrate with Kara for all he was worth.”
“It was excessive, Alice, face it,” Bea insisted.
“Back off, Bea,” Pete tried again. “Young people dance, they celebrate.”
“Right. There was nothing excessive about it,” Alice rebutted.
“Well, nobody agrees with you about that,” said Bea. “In fact, I even heard some people say they didn’t know why Rowley lets Kara and Alfred stay such close friends.”
All eyes turned to Rowley then who seemed lost in his own thoughts, not paying attention to any of it.
“Rowley, what do you think of Alfred?” Alice interrupted his reveries.
“He’s fine, he’s fine,” Rowley murmured. “He and Kara have been friends since they were kids. He’s not exactly my cup of tea, but I’m happy for her that they’re close.”
“You’re happy?” Bea turned to her son with a chilling tone.
“Of course I’m happy,” Rowley mumbled softly. “Why shouldn’t I be happy? Whatever makes Kara happy makes me happy too.”
CHAPTER 7
When Cindy got back to her hotel room, it was empty. Mattheus was obviously still with Rod. Cindy decided to put in a call to Mattheus and see how it was going and when he’d be back.
“I’m staying where I am and having dinner with Rod tonight,” Mattheus replied.
“Okay, fine,” said Cindy, slightly surprised. Usually she and Mattheus met to go over the day and plan out the next steps at dinner.
“Rod really needs me now, Cindy,” said Mattheus. “You can imagine how upset he is.”
“Yes, of course I can,” said Cindy. It was right for Mattheus to stay beside an old friend who was going through something as awful as this.
“Did it go well with Alice?” Mattheus asked.
“It was all right,” said Cindy. “I found out that Kara worked at a shelter for abused women. Naturally, there’s a concern about that. They’re wondering if it’s connected with her going missing.”
“Rod mentioned that to me,” Mattheus responded. “In my opinion that’s far-fetched.”
“I also met Rowley’s parents,” Cindy continued, “and learned that a close friend of Kara’s, Alfred, came down to the island to help.”
“Good,” said Mattheus, “that’s important information. Contact him right away. See if you can have dinner with him tonight. We’ve got to make use of every moment.”
It was a good idea, made perfect sense.
“I want to spend as much time with Rod as is needed,” Mattheus went on. “He’s my friend, he’s broken, he needs me.”
“Of course,” said Cindy. “I’ll see you later, when you return.”
*