“Oh come on now,” said Cindy.
“Looks like it,” Nojo had to agree, “but for now, no one’s sure.”
CHAPTER 27
There was no reason to stay here much longer. Margot was out of commission and the place was crawling with police and detectives searching for evidence. But Cindy had a clue no one else ever dreamt of - the photo she’d seen of Graham and Nell. She couldn’t get it out of her mind. Their faces shone out at her, pressuring her to dig deeper. She had to get out of here immediately and go speak with Nell.
“I’ve got something no one knows about yet,” Cindy finally said urgently to Mattheus. “There’s someone I’ve got to talk to immediately.”
Mattheus was taken aback. “Who?” he asked.
“Come with me to the mainland and I’ll tell you on in the car.
Mattheus hesitated. The action was here.
Cindy knew it seemed crazy to leave the scene of a crime. “If you’d rather stay here, it’s fine,” said Cindy. “I’ll call for a taxi and go back myself. Then we’ll talk later when you return.”
Once again, Mattheus hesitated. “Are you in any danger doing this alone?”
Cindy appreciated that.
“Do you need me with you, back there? The storm isn’t due to hit for another few hours.”
Cindy smiled. It felt good having the old Mattheus back. She felt cared for and appreciated. She didn’t need him to actually go with her, it was enough that he cared.
“Not at all,” she said. “It’s fine for the two of us to cover different fronts.”
Mattheus looked at her appreciatively. “Good. We’ll make best use of our time that way.” Then his eyes crinkled into a little smile for a moment, “And, our little spat is over?” he asked.
“Completely,”“ Cindy smiled, “you came back.” It was huge for him and Cindy realized it.
The taxi pulled off and Mattheus dissolved into a blur of rain. It was best this way, thought Cindy, she needed to speak to Nell alone. The story would hit the papers tomorrow, there was no way Nell could have heard yet. Cindy didn’t want her to be alone when she found out the news.
The drive was shaky in the winds and rain and seemed to take forever. Cindy had plenty of time to think everything over. There had to be a connection between the two murders, first a father, then a son. Kendra was locked up when this murder took place. This would have to create questions about her guilt. Would Margot now become a suspect? Cindy found it hard to imagine how Margot could have taken her own son’s life. Or her husband’s, either, for that matter. But Cindy knew she had to keep every possibility open. As soon as you closed your mind, the case was shut down.
When the taxi finally pulled up at Kendra’s home, Cindy got out and rushed to the front door. No answer. The door was open though and Cindy walked in, closed the umbrella, shook off the rain from her clothing. It was empty and silent again inside, but schools were closed for the storm. Cindy knew Nell had to be home. Rather than going right up to Nell’s room, Cindy called her name, in the chance that she could hear her, and would not be taken by surprise.
“Nell,” Cindy called, her voice echoing through the empty rooms.
No answer.
“Nell, it’s Cindy, are you home?”
More silence. Cindy decided to climb the stairs and knock on Nell’s door. If she wasn’t there, at the very least, Cindy could spend more time on her computer.
Cindy knocked on Nell’s door softly at first, then louder. No answer at all. She turned the knob and walked in the room. Nell was on the floor in the corner, curled up.
Cindy was horrified. “Nell?”
Nell didn’t move or look up.
Cindy went over, bent down and put her hands on Nell’s shoulders. “Are you all right?” Cindy said.
Nell grunted like a wounded animal.
She must have found out about Graham, Cindy thought. “Look at me, Nell,” Cindy said as softly as she could manage.
Very slowly, Nell looked up through unfocused eyes that were blood shot.
“It’s going to be alright,” Cindy tried to hug her, but Nell lurched away.
“Don’t touch me,” she muttered. “Nothing’s gonna be all right.”
“You heard what happened?” Cindy asked gently.
Nell threw her head back and laughed. “Of course I heard.”
Cindy was startled. “When did you find out?” she asked.
Nell laughed again, a loud, rough, raucous sound.
Cindy knew that shock manifested in all kinds of ways. Obviously, she found out that Graham was dead. Cindy had to find out how. “Tell me how you heard the news?” Cindy demanded.
“What news?” Nell said, bleary.
Cindy put her hands on Nell’s shoulders and gave her a shake. She had to break the spell Nell was under. “You’ve got to calm down and talk to me, Nell.”
“And what if I don’t?” Nell’s eyes suddenly flashed and her tone turned sharp and bitter.
“How did you find out that Graham was dead?”