Both Cindy and Ann fell silent driving home to Oyster Bay in the cab. Cindy waited for Ann to start asking about Mattheus, but, to Cindy’s surprise, she didn’t.
Ann finally broke the silence lightly. “Glad to be coming home?” she asked.
“Very,” said Cindy so definitively that Ann looked up at her, surprised.
“Good,” Ann remarked, “very good. I hope you take the job, Cindy. It’s still waiting for you.”
“I know it is,” said Cindy.
“I hope you stay, plant a root, build a new life, either in Oyster Bay or in Manhattan,” Ann continued. “I know Clint’s family wants you to sell the house to them. What’s so bad about that? It’ll force you to make a new start.”
“I plan to keep the house,” Cindy replied.
“You plan to stay and live here?” Ann jumped in.
“I didn’t say that,” said Cindy. “But this house is important to me. I’m not ready to part with it.”
“Keep it if you want to then,” Ann replied, “but don’t keep running back to the Caribbean. Don’t keep running after Mattheus.”
Cindy felt stung. “I’m not running after Mattheus. We’re a team – we work together. I go back to solve cases.”
“I know all that,” said Ann, her voice dipping down, wearily. “I’ve heard it over and over. It’s true and it’s not. I’ve always believed it’s Mattheus that draws you back down there. You run down there to be with him.”
“That’s insulting, Ann,” Cindy replied. “It invalidates the work I do.”
“I have no desire to invalidate the work you,” Ann replied wearily. “Just do it here, help crime victims in a big way. Write about them in the paper, take the bad guys down. Don’t go running around in the Caribbean, putting yourself in constant danger. You deserve more, Cindy. You really do.”
Cindy didn’t want to get into a fight about this now, especially after Ann had gone to the trouble to come to New York and prepare her home for her. Ann arrived a couple of days early, aired the place out, filled the cabinets and fridge with food, and taken the trouble come to the airport to pick Cindy up, even though Ann herself had a flight to board tonight. Cindy knew Ann only wanted the best for her. What Ann never understood though was how wonderful it felt to solve a case, the meaning and power it brought to Cindy’s life. Sure there was danger in the Caribbean, thought Cindy. But there are all kinds of dangers in life, the danger of not doing what you’re meant to do, the danger of taking the easy way out, just marking time instead of really living.
“I’ve arranged for a few people to drop in tomorrow afternoon to see you,” Ann changed the topic as the cab took the familiar exit off the highway and turned towards the street Cindy’s home was on. “I let some folks in town know you were returning and they’re excited to come by and say hello. I prepared finger sandwiches and cookies for them and plenty of fresh lemonade.”
There was never a detail that Ann overlooked. Cindy hadn’t expected her sister to be gone so quickly though after she came home. It would be nice to have a few visitors then come over the next day. Ann was right, being with others would help Cindy acclimate to her new environment.
The cab pulled up to the cottage Cindy had lived in with Clint. It was always there, a haven to return to. Now Clint’s family suddenly wanted to buy it from her, or claim it as their own. But as Cindy got out of the cab and walked up to the front door, she knew the place belonged to her. It always would. Clint’s spirit was there and would always welcome her, give her a place to call home.
*
A cool breeze greeted Cindy as she entered and looked around the fresh, cheerful space she so loved. As soon as they entered Ann went into the kitchen to prepare something to eat and Cindy brought her bags to her room. It was early spring and Ann had opened Cindy’s bedroom windows and placed a fresh bunch of daffodils in a slim blue vase on a table beside her bed. It was good to be here, better than she’d imagined. Ann was probably right about everything. Cindy should probably settle awhile and take this opportunity to start again.
“Dinner’s ready,” Ann called from the kitchen.
It was only four o’clock in the afternoon, but Cindy was hungry, hadn’t eaten a thing on the plane.
“Coming,” Cindy called back, going to the familiar, pine wood kitchen.
Ann had placed two egg salad sandwiches and small bowls of salad on the rectangular table, along with glasses of fresh lemonade.
Cindy sat down, surprised. Usually there was a warm dinner waiting.
“It’s all I had time for today,” said Ann, noticing Cindy’s reaction. “It’s been so hectic getting ready for the Bermuda trip.”
“Of course, of course,” Cindy suddenly remembered. “Where’s Frank? Is he meeting you down there?”
“Yes,” Ann replied. “Frank goes down to Bermuda from time to time these days to do a little business. So he got down there a day or two earlier and I’m going to meet him tonight.”