*
Mattheus and Cindy ate quickly at the other restaurant, carefully avoiding mentioning the wedding planners, or what in the world the future held for them. This case was cutting close to home, particularly for Mattheus. Being back in touch with Rod after all these years was having a strong effect on him. Cindy wondered if being with his old friend made Mattheus want to go back to the States, or do something different with his life. This wasn’t the time to talk about it, though. For now they had to stay focused on Kara and Shane.
“From where I’m sitting at this moment,” Mattheus started as they were well into their meal, “I don’t see a connection between Kara’s case and Shane’s.”
“There has to be.” Cindy was surprised to hear Mattheus be so definitive. “It’s too coincidental for a dead woman to turn up on the same beach that Kara was swimming on when she disappeared.”
“It’s coincidental, it’s circumstantial,” Mattheus agreed, “but there doesn’t seem to be the slightest link between them.”
“Not yet,” insisted Cindy.
Mattheus’s jaw set. “Cindy, I know you have to continue searching to the very last drop,” Mattheus finally said. “I understand it. We’ve discussed it many times.”
“It’s too soon to come to any conclusions here.” Cindy felt emphatic about this.
“The medical examiner’s report will be in shortly,” Mattheus continued, “and that will tie things up.”
“What do you mean tie them up?” Cindy was stunned.
“I doubt very much that the report will link Kara and Shane in any way,” Mattheus continued. “I don’t see how.”
“But we still have to find out what happened to Shane,” Cindy was insistent.
“No, we don’t, Cindy.” Mattheus put his hand over hers. “That’s a completely different situation. We’re not working on Shane’s case, we’re working on Kara’s, and unless there’s a connection between them, our work will soon be done.”
“Done?” Cindy was horrified. “How can you say that?”
“Kara’s body is gone, it hasn’t turned up. By now, it probably never will. Our job is to help her family live through this nightmare. To somehow make peace with the fact that their daughter probably drowned in the ocean!”
“Probably isn’t good enough, Mattheus.” Cindy stood her ground.
“No tips or leads have come in,” Mattheus insisted, “not one. That itself tells you something. We could spend years searching here to no avail. That’s a trap, that’s a danger.”
“The fact that no leads have come in is strange in itself,” Cindy agreed. ”There’s always a sighting by someone.”
“If the person’s alive,” Mattheus insisted.
“And if she’s not alive? If someone killed her?” Cindy refused to let go.
Mattheus couldn’t stand it. “If, if, if can drive you crazy. And it can drive the family crazy too. As I said, my responsibility now is to help the family come to terms with all of this.”
“And how do you plan to do that?” Cindy felt totally left out.
“By spending time with them, by being a friend,” Mattheus replied.
“You would help them more if you found their daughter, or at least found a solid lead as to how she died,” Cindy answered briskly.
Mattheus looked stricken. “Yes, that would be better,” he agreed. “But you don’t win all of them, sometimes you fail. Cases go cold, missing persons stay missing for years and years. It’s not always in our hands.”
Cindy grew quiet. Mattheus was right, he was kind, he was practical. But deep within she couldn’t go along with it. Somehow, she felt Kara was still alive.
“Take some time to yourself, unwind,” Mattheus went on now. He wasn’t inviting her to spend time with him and the family, thought Cindy.
“You’d rather spend time with the family alone?” she asked.
Mattheus leaned closer. “It’s not that I would rather, it’s that Rod feels uneasy with others around at this point. It’s nothing personal.”
But it was personal and Cindy felt it. “Rod doesn’t like me, does he, Mattheus?” Cindy asked.
“He’s not totally himself at this time,” Mattheus responded. “How can he be?”
“Of course he can’t, but that doesn’t answer my question. Rod doesn’t like me one bit, does he?” she repeated.
“No, he doesn’t,” said Mattheus.
“Why not?” asked Cindy.
“Rod doesn’t know for sure,” Mattheus continued. “He just said I’ve changed so much he barely recognizes me. He thinks it has something to do with our relationship.”
A surge of rage rose through Cindy. Why hadn’t Mattheus defended their relationship, why hadn’t he told Rod how much Cindy meant to him?
“How many years has it been since Rod’s seen you?” Cindy shot back. “What’s gone on in your life all that time? I wasn’t there all those years, was I, Mattheus?”
“No, of course you weren’t,” said Mattheus. “But you’re here with me now, aren’t you? That’s what Rod says, anyhow.”