Mattheus’s nose wrinkled and for a second he looked like a little boy. “Really?” he said.
“Come on, let’s stop deciphering clues and thinking of the past,” Cindy felt happy, too. “We’re in a new phase now, let’s celebrate that.”
They arrived at the huge, sprawling, luxurious pool on the hotel grounds. Bordered by beautiful palm trees and a low, wooden gate, it seemed particularly inviting at the moment. They walked through the gate and then a few steps further to find their place in the sun.
The pool was surrounded by lounge chairs, striped umbrellas over them, and tables for poolside drinks on. Thankfully, as it was so early, the lounge chairs were only half full. Some of the ones at the center were filled with people, talking to each other, undoubtedly about what happened last night. It was better for now, to get away from that.
Cindy and Mattheus chose two chairs off to the side, under a large palm tree, where gentle, refreshing breezes blew. It was a wonderful idea to come here, thought Cindy, a great way to debrief before they planned other outings on the island.
“If this isn’t paradise, I don’t know where it is,” Mattheus grinned as he stretched his towel out on the chair.
Of course, even though the two of them spent all their time down in the Caribbean, this was different. They weren’t on a case. They could relax and enjoy each other and the new turn their relationship had taken. They could talk about the future. Cindy could even wonder about an old dream of hers, if a family for them might be in the works.
Cindy stretched out her towel, as Mattheus took sun tan lotion from his bag and gently rubbed it over her arms and shoulders. When they were ready to lay down, a waiter came over to take their orders and handed them a local newspaper.
Mattheus ordered drinks and cheese and Cindy took the paper as she stretched out on the lounge. Once comfortable, she lazily opened it up.
The picture of the young woman who had died was plastered across the front page.
Shocked, Cindy stared at it, unable to move. “Mattheus,” she finally said, in a thin voice.
“What?” he turned his head towards her.
“Look at this,” she held the paper up.
Mattheus looked at the photo, not registering anything.
“Look, don’t you recognize her?” Cindy’s voice trembled.
Mattheus looked more closely. “She looks familiar, but I don’t remember exactly where I’ve seen her before.”
“Please look more closely,” Cindy felt troubled.
“Who is she?” Mattheus finally asked point blank.
“She’s the young woman who was sitting at the table next to ours in the dining room. The beautiful one, the ash blonde.”
“God,” said Mattheus, “I remember. She was wearing the bracelet you wanted me to look at.”
Cindy kept staring at the young, perfect face, a wave of grief flowing through her. She’d looked so happy and so beautiful that night, everything before her. Now she was dead and gone. It was hard for Cindy to digest it.
“The headlines say she’d just gotten engaged the night she died and was so thrilled and happy,” said Cindy.
Mattheus shook his head slowly. “Awful,” he murmured. “That’s why we do the work we do.”
“What happened to her?” Cindy couldn’t help asking. “The whole situation reminded her so much of what had happened with her and Clint. Losing him at the peak of her happiness, during the honeymoon.”
“I have no idea what happened,” Mattheus said softly, “none at all. Please, let it go.”
“She and her fiancé seemed fine together,” Cindy ruminated.
“We all seem something,” said Mattheus. “Things turn around in an instant. A flash flood, a sudden misunderstanding, a terrible fight, summer storm.”
“It’s not that simple,” said Cindy.
“Sometimes it can be,” said Mattheus.
“No,” Cindy didn’t buy it. “There’s a trail that leads to something like this, tiny moments, small events, a buildup of strange passions.”
Cindy couldn’t help think of the way she and the young woman had exchanged brief glances and smiles. There had been something about her that had struck Cindy forcefully. Cindy remembered the sadness in her smile. Why would there be sadness, right after she’d gotten engaged? The headlines said she was thrilled, happy.
“There’s no reason to speculate now,” Mattheus said. “Facts are one thing, speculation another. We’re not going to gather facts this time, and just speculating can drive you crazy. So, let it be.”