“He’s weak,” Cindy said.
Mattheus shook his head. “No, there’s only so much he can handle. There’s only so much power he can wield. Now he’s afraid for the rest of his family.”
“I understand,” Cindy said.
“At least Frances will be let out of custody. That’s something,” Mattheus said.
“Are you sure he will?” asked Cindy.
“Yes, that was the agreement,” Mattheus said. “There’s no link at all between Frances and whoever wanted you dead.”
“It had to be Hanuah,” said Cindy, “or someone connected to him. He warned me about this Christmas Eve.”
“Hanuah’s only another pawn,” Mattheus said.
“You found out who he is?” asked Cindy, surprised.
“I did,” said Mattheus. “He’s actually married to the red head I was interviewing. They’re both in Petrovich’s employ.”
Cindy was shaken.
“Petrovich wanted to divide us, and take the spoils for himself.”
“Why would he want Tiffany dead, though?” asked Cindy.
“He didn’t,” said Mattheus. “We were just treading too deeply on their turf. He had no way of knowing what we would turn up.”
“So, Tiffany amounts to nothing, then?” Cindy said.
“She amounts to something, but we can’t go further to find out. Just can’t.”
“I get what you’re saying,” said Cindy. “But I’ve never been one to accept defeat.”
“This isn’t defeat,” said Mattheus. “You’re a brave, courageous, fabulous woman and you’ve proved it every which way.”
“Thank you,” Cindy flushed.
“And I care about you, more than I can say,” Mattheus said.
Cindy looked into his eyes. It was true, she could see it. She took his hand and held it close to her.
“And I hope you care about me, too,” Mattheus said, suddenly nervous.
“I do,” said Cindy, and meant it.
Mattheus breathed a sigh of relief.
“We’ll be out of here tomorrow,” he said. “You’re much better now. I’ll go back to the hotel tonight, and pack up. You will be discharged tomorrow around eleven a.m. Then you’ll be taken to the airport to fly back to St. Bart’s. I’ll meet you there before the flight back to the States. We have tickets on a three o’clock flight.”
“So, that’s it?” said Cindy.
“It’ll take some time to process what happened, get our bearings, but we’ll be fine. We’ll move forward. Another case will come along.”
Cindy marveled at Mattheus’ spirit.
“Okay,” she said. “I didn’t listen to you before and look what happened. What choice do I have now?”
“None at all,” he said.
They both smiled.
“And now there are a few people outside waiting to see you,” Mattheus said. “Do you have enough energy for a little visit, for them to thank you and say good bye?”
“Of course,” said Cindy.
Mattheus smiled, got up, and went to the door.
“Okay, you have your visits, and I’ll be going back to St. Bart’s to start packing. I’ll call you when I get there.”
“Good,” said Cindy, feeling as though she was being forced to close a chapter that was not
complete. Clearly they were all closing ranks around her, and wouldn’t give her a chance. It didn’t matter, Cindy still felt that the answer to who killed Tiffany was right close by. Too close, maybe.
Mattheus left and after a decent lunch Cindy was ready for visitors.
Tad was the first to come in. He stood at the door looking at her, seemed overly happy to see her.
“I felt so nervous when I heard what happened,” Tad started.
“I’m fine now,” Cindy soothed him.
“You came down here to help us, and look how it affected you,” his lower lip was trembling.
“Tad, I’m really okay.”
“I heard you’re leaving tomorrow,” he said. “Well, I for one am sad to see you go.”
“Don’t worry,” Cindy joked in a low voice, “before they know it, we’ll be back.”
Tad’s eyes opened wide.
Cindy was amused to see his reaction. She had just been making a joke.
“You’ll be back to work on the crime?” he asked.
“Why not?” said Cindy, playfully. “We’ve already come this far.”
“You’re incredible, Cindy,” Tad said. “You never let go, don’t fear danger. Harm means nothing to you.”
“You’re quite a guy yourself,” said Cindy. She felt badly about Tad now, knowing all she did.
“I hope you’ll find a way to go forward.”
Tad looked at her oddly. “Of course I will,” he answered. “Why shouldn’t I? I had an amazing woman and she’ll be hard to replace. But one day I will. This is a big world.”
“That’s a good attitude,” said Cindy. Suddenly, memories of his unchecked alibi also came to mind.
“Tiffany was a complicated woman,” Cindy added. “Maybe you’ll find someone simpler, easier to live with?”
Tad looked at her, startled. “That’s an odd thing to say,” he remarked.