“First thing in the morning? What about tonight?” Cindy felt blindsided.
“Listen, the police have informed us that the medical examiner’s report will be officially in tomorrow. We’ve got a head’s-up that it’s almost certain that there’s nothing linking Kara and Shane. Rod and family are planning to leave tomorrow right after the report’s in. They’ve even started packing.”
“That’s premature, if you ask me,” said Cindy.
“It’s not premature, it’s a good thing,” Mattheus disagreed. “It’s unhealthy for them to stay down here waiting and waiting for news that does not come. I want to have dinner with the family the last night they’re here. I’ll be back late, you take it easy. We’ll go over everything in the morning.”
None of it sat well with Cindy, though. “You don’t want to take a few moments and hear what I found?” she asked slowly.
“It’s not that I don’t want to,” Mattheus remarked, “it’s that things are tying up here.”
“Just like that?” Cindy was stunned.
“It’s better this way, believe me,” said Mattheus.
“Better for who?” Cindy couldn’t help question. “Better for Rod, better for Rowley? How about Kara? Is it better for her to be abandoned like this?”
“Cindy, you sound crazy,” Mattheus snapped back. “No one has abandoned Kara. She’s gone, she’s missing. The consensus of all professionals here is that she drowned. “
“But there’s no proof of that, absolutely none.” Cindy wouldn’t have it.
“And do you have anything else, anything concrete at all that would lead us to think differently?” Mattheus demanded.
“I might,” Cindy answered, a bit shaken. “It’s not concrete yet, but with time and patience it could be. It needs investigation.”
“Is this something Alfred told you?” Mattheus sounded harried.
“Yes,” Cindy answered.
“He’s unreliable, Cindy, I told you before. He’s filled your head with crazy ideas.” Mattheus was dead set.
“A possibility isn’t crazy unless it’s been looked into and proven to be wrong.” Cindy stayed firm.
“But we can’t look into every idea that floats by unless it has some merit,” Mattheus remarked. “That’s lesson one in good detective work. Otherwise you squander your time and energy, get distracted.”
Cindy wondered if Mattheus himself weren’t being distracted by Rod now. She didn’t want to go into this further at the moment.
“Okay, I hear you, I hear you,” she replied curtly. “See you tomorrow. Have a good time tonight.”
CHAPTER 13
At this point Cindy had no intention of discussing this further with Mattheus and decided to go down to the police station herself first thing in the morning and look into the drug ring. Thankfully, she awoke early and got up while Mattheus still slept. Then she showered, dressed, and went downstairs alone for breakfast. After breakfast she would go straight to the station and see if she could find any connection between Kara' and Shane’s death.It felt good having breakfast alone downstairs.
As it was so early, the restaurant was practically empty and Cindy enjoyed both the quiet and the warmth of the early morning sun coming in through the open windows, caressing her face. She looked out front at the wooden slatted veranda, framed by potted plants. In a few hours the lounge chairs on it would be filled in by happy couples, honeymooning. They’d be having breakfast, drinking coffee, and gazing into one another’s eyes without a care in the world.
Suddenly Cindy felt that was not in the cards for her. Her life had taken a different turn. She’d been placed on a mission that she could not possibly let go of. Or, the mission could not let go of her. Her relationship with Mattheus was different now, too. Most of the time it went well when they were working as detectives together. When they crossed the line, became romantic, after a brief period of happiness, turbulence inevitably set in. Was it just that they were not meant for each other? Was there someone else out there who could possibly be a wonderful husband for Cindy someday?
“Want more coffee?” a waiter broke into Cindy’s reverie.
“Thanks, I do,” she said, grateful.
“You’re up early,” the young man said as he poured the hot coffee slowly into her cup. “Not too many come down to have breakfast alone.” He looked into Cindy’s eyes briefly, concerned.
Cindy smiled. What a lovely, sensitive young man. “It’s fine, it’s okay, I’m enjoying my time here,” she said cheerily, “and your coffee’s just about the best in the world.”
*