Cindy felt a light hand tapping her shoulder then. She turned abruptly and Felix was behind her, pointing into the distance once again.
Cindy swiveled around and saw two people arriving in the distance. They walked quickly, without hesitation. As they grew closer, to Cindy’s alarm, she saw Alfred and Jenna approaching. Someone else was also walking behind them too, taking steady, slow steps in the moonlight. How did they know she was here? What was going on?
“Alfred,” Cindy uttered, amazed, when they arrived. “Jenna?”
Alfred stared at Cindy, equally shaken. “What are you doing here, Cindy? What?” he exclaimed. “You weren’t invited.”
Felix chortled once again in the background.
Jenna tried to take a step toward Cindy, but Alfred held her back.
Cindy was disturbed by his comment. “This is my case, where else should I be? And why didn’t you tell me you were coming? I thought you were helping me.”
“Of course I’m helping you, but having you here is not necessarily helpful,” Alfred hissed. “I never told you to come to this place. I had orders to come here with Jenna, that’s all.”
Right then the person who had been walking behind Alfred and Jenna emerged in the flickering light. To Cindy’s horror, Santos stood there grinning, taking it all in. She didn’t know whether to be relieved to see him or terrified.
“Santos?” Cindy uttered.
“Alfred’s right, no one invited you here, Cindy,” he spoke in a low, heavy tone. Then he threw a quick perturbed glance at Felix.
Cindy knew she had to protect both of them. She wanted to tell Santos that he was the one who had invited her. After all, he’d given her the photo, hadn’t he? Didn’t he expect her to trace it? She couldn’t say that out loud though because Santos had warned her not to tell anyone. What kind of a game was he playing with her, anyway? Had Santos arranged to have all of them gathered here?
“Did you hear me, Cindy?” Santos asked in a threatening tone. “I said no one invited you here.”
“I did receive an invitation to be here.” Cindy flared up. She had no intention of letting him intimidate her. “I received a gift, Santos. It was a photo of a woman curled up in a hut. I needed the location, so I found it. I believed the person who gave me the gift wanted me to find her. Otherwise, why would he give me the photo at all?”
Santos smiled slowly, his teeth shining in the light. Then he turned to Rowley, who was still crouching.
“Stand up and be a man,” Santos demanded of him.
Rowley slowly untangled himself. “I am a man, I will always be a man.” He sounded stricken.
“Who made the call to Rowley?” Cindy emerged from the shadows, deciding to take on her rightful position here. She couldn’t let Santos silence her.
“I made the call,” Alfred piped up unexpectedly.
“At my command. I told Alfred to call him.” Santos stepped in, moving closer to Cindy.
“Why?” Cindy turned fully to Santos then, her heart beating wildly. “Is Kara alive? Do you want her husband to see her?”
Santos’s eyes turned into slits, beaming. “You go too far, Cindy, you don’t know where to stop.”
“I stop when my case is solved,” Cindy uttered.
“This puts you in great danger,” Santos warned. ”Especially in St. Lucia alone.”
Strangely enough, Cindy didn’t feel endangered at all. “I am not alone, ever,” she remarked. “When you do what’s right, there’s help waiting in every corner. I see that now.”
Santos seemed to like that, and quieted down. “Come closer, Rowley,” Santos insisted then.
Rowley took another step in their direction and all at once saw Jenna standing there.
“Jenna?” Rowley called in a strained tone.
“Alfred told me to come,” Jenna answered, agitated. “Shane is dead, she was killed. My best friend is gone.”
Rowley lunged off the porch toward Jenna in a flash.
“How could you have told Cindy about me and Shane?” he went at her. “You promised never to say a word.”
“I didn’t tell her,” Jenna jumped back. “I kept my promise to you and Shane.”
“Don’t lie to me!” Rowley grabbed Jenna by the shoulders.
“I didn’t.” Jenna’s voice got louder. ”I swear I didn’t tell anyone.”
“How many times did I tell you and your crazy friend to leave me alone?” Rowley demanded, pressing Jenna’s shoulders hard.
“I swear by my life, I never told Cindy. I just gave her the photo of Kara and Shane,” Jenna cried out with alarm.
Rowley swiftly pushed her to the side and lunged toward Cindy. Like a drunk he leered in Cindy’s face.
“You made this up?” Rowley yelled. “Did Jenna tell you I knew Shane?”
“No, she didn’t.” Cindy swerved out of his reach. “I made it up to get the truth out of you. And I got it.”
“You trapped me!” Rowley howled, stretching his hands out to grab at Cindy.
Santos stepped in quickly, blocking Rowley’s move.
“Nobody touches Cindy, ever,” he declared. “I will kill anyone with my own hands that tries.”