Текст книги "Death by Request"

Автор книги: Jaden Skye

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Cindy nodded as Mattheus listed other tasks and numbered each one.

Finally, they were done. Mattheus was about to get up to pay the check when his phone rang. He looked to see who was calling and didn’t pick up.

“Who is it?” asked Cindy nonchalantly.

“Nothing important,” said Mattheus.

Cindy was taken aback. “Keeping secrets from me?” she asked playfully.

Mattheus put the check down, stood up, walked over to her and said plainly, “I’m not keeping secrets, never will and never have. From here on in, you’ve got to trust me completely, Cindy.”

Mattheus’s fervor took Cindy back. “I do,” she said, surprising herself.

“And you always will?” he demanded.

“Absolutely,” answered Cindy softly. “I trust you or I wouldn’t be here with you now. I wouldn’t share a room again, and certainly wouldn’t go for a moonlight swim tonight.”

Mattheus smiled relieved, “Good,” he replied. “I can’t have it any other way.”

*

By the time Cindy and Mattheus left for their midnight swim, they’d rested, had a glass of wine, talked, listened to music and felt clear about their tasks for the next few days.

“I can’t think of anything better than a quick swim now,” Mattheus smiled, looking at Cindy boyishly, hoping she remembered their plan.

Cindy remembered and was looking forward to it as well.

“I’m excited to go, too,” she said. The idea of plunging in the vast, dark ocean with Mattheus was not only exciting, it was soothing. Cindy loved the moon in all its phases and to go swimming beneath it was something she’d always wanted to do.

They quickly changed into their bathing suits and put light covers over them. Then they headed down to the white sand beach, which spread out in front of the hotel and was deserted at this time of night.

“I feel like a fugitive from the world,” Mattheus laughed as they took a side door out of the hotel to the ocean, not wanting to walk through the lobby dressed this way at this hour of the evening.

Cindy smiled, “Actually, that’s not so far from the truth,” she said. “We’re fugitives from something, aren’t we? No one would exactly call us a conventional couple with a house in the suburbs and a white picket fence.”

Mattheus laughed . “Is a house with a white picket fence something you want for yourself, anyway?” he asked in passing, as they took off their shoes and walked together through the warm, soft sand. “I don’t exactly see you happy with that kind of life.”

Cindy wondered about it as they walked along the sand up to the ocean. She thought of the beautiful cottage she and Clint had lived in back on Long Island. They’d been very happy there, even though they’d only had a short time before his life had suddenly been snatched away.

“I always thought I’d be happy with a family of my own,” Cindy answered in a muted tone as she and Mattheus reached the edge of the water.

“Sure, a family of your own,” Mattheus responded, “but living in the suburbs with a regular kind of guy?”

“Nothing wrong with a home in suburbs,” Cindy said as ripples of water suddenly came up over her feet. “If you’re living in the house with the right husband what difference does it make where it is?”

“It makes a difference,” Mattheus broke in.

“Ann was happy living with Frank in the suburbs. She had a good life,” Cindy replied as she and Mattheus stood looking out into the black ocean with nothing but moonlight gleaming overhead.

“Was Ann really happy?” Mattheus asked sincerely.

“Yes, she was happy living that life with Frank,” Cindy answered quietly. “That’s the life she wanted for me, too.”

“And did you want that for yourself, really?” Mattheus’s voice was inquiring.

“I never saw myself that way,” Cindy admitted. “Ann and I were different. I never fit in, was always restless for more. The guys I chose were nothing like Frank either, certainly not the kind of guy who ends up surrounded by a white, picket fence.”

Mattheus held Cindy’s hand tighter. “That’s not necessarily a bad thing,” he said softly.

“No, it isn’t,” Cindy agreed, “but Ann was always trying to get me to settle down with her kind of man.”

“She wanted you to be happy in her way,” Mattheus remarked.

Cindy took a step deeper into the water, and Mattheus followed along. The water was colder than expected and Cindy swiftly caught her breath.

Mattheus laughed at her surprise. “The water’s invigorating,” he said.

“Yes, it is,” Cindy laughed along with him, wanting to go all the way in, to throw herself completely on the mercy of the dark waves that seemed to be calling her. “Let’s swim way out to the horizon,” she uttered.

“Whoah, wait a second,” Mattheus laughed as Cindy tugged on his hand. “We’ll swim, but not that far out. There can be sudden undertows everywhere.”

“I’m not afraid of undertows,” Cindy laughed as the two of them plunged into the water and started to swim, side by side, under the piercing moonlight.

It felt wonderful swimming together, not talking or thinking about anything, being bathed by the moon, feeling at peace. Cindy cherished this time here with Mattheus. As they swam together, all of a sudden, from the corner of her eye she saw a tiny flash of lightning way out on the horizon. It flickered for a second and then disappeared.

“Oh my God, Mattheus,” Cindy called out, “is a storm coming?”

Mattheus lifted his head and looked around. “What are you talking about?”

Cindy saw another quick flash of lightning once again. “There,” she pointed to the horizon, “I saw a couple of flashes of lightning. Did you see them?”

Mattheus turned his head in that direction, looking, as another one quickly flashed and disappeared.

“There, did you see it?” Cindy called louder.

“See what?” Mattheus called back.

“The flashes of lightning?” she answered, her voice echoing.

“I didn’t see anything,” Mattheus called back.

“Keep looking,” she called, waiting for another one, which didn’t come.“I saw three flashes of lightning,” Cindy said quickly, “one of them happened right when you were looking that way.”

“Probably just the flicker of the light of the moon bouncing off the waves,” Mattheus replied.

“No,” Cindy was certain, “they were flashes of lightning. Or, maybe lights from a boat far out, signaling something?”

“Who knows?” said Mattheus. “The light of the moon can take all kinds of shapes and look like different things to different people. Do you want to swim back to shore?”

“Yes, it’s time,” Cindy said, disturbed that Mattheus hadn’t seen the flashes of light, and wondering exactly what they really could have been.

Chapter 5

The beautiful moonlight swim had soothed Cindy and Mattheus and they slept deeply and peacefully all night long, wrapped in one another’s arms. When they awoke first thing in the morning they were both refreshed and ready to get going. The next stop was a visit to Tara’s family. Cindy had called setting up an appointment, which was for ten o’clock in the morning.

Tara’s family was staying at the Villa that Owen had rented during the vacation. Thankfully, it was not far from the hotel. Cindy and Mattheus had time for breakfast together, and a second cup of coffee before they went downstairs to get a cab. When things were going so well between them both of them felt strong, nourished and supported. It seemed as if there was nothing they could not tackle, that they were destined to be working and living together forever like this, side by side.

“Do you believe in destiny?” Cindy asked, as the two of them got into the cab to drive to the Villa.

Mattheus grinned. He knew Cindy so well by now, knew just what she was thinking.

“I don’t know if I believe in destiny,” he responded, “but I sure do believe in love. I can see how great it feels when things are good, what love can do for two people.” Then he kissed her lightly on the top of her head.

It was a good answer and made Cindy feel better. Mattheus’s love for her had kept her floating during her sister’s loss and was keeping her uplifted now. It was a powerful, sustaining, palpable force

The cab got to the Villa in no time. As Cindy expected it was huge and sprawling, practically covering the hill it perched upon. As she and Mattheus walked up to the main gate they were immediately greeted outside by a slender a woman in her early forties. Dressed in a cotton print dress, with brown, stringy hair that hung down to her shoulders, her eyes looked bleary and red.

“I’m Jenna, Tara’s sister,” she said, her voice raspy. “Come right in, we’ve been waiting for you.”

“Please accept our condolences,” Cindy replied immediately.

“Thank you,” Jenna mumbled. “No one expected Tara’s life to end like this. It’s been one horror after another.”

“I can certainly understand,” Cindy murmured as the three of them walked up the path to the door, which was open, waiting for them to come in.

As soon as Cindy and Mattheus entered, they walked into a gracious living room, where to their surprise, the entire family had gathered. All of them were sitting in silence expectantly, waiting for the visit. An older, heavy, balding man, wearing a once expensive blue shirt, stood up from the settee he was seated on to greet them.

“No, please sit down, be comfortable,” said Cindy.

“Be comfortable?” the older man replied. “Are you kidding? I’m Ralph Eddings, Tara’s father.”

“How do you do, Ralph,” Mattheus stepped forward and shook his hand. “I’m terribly sorry for your loss.”

“Enough pleasantries,” Ralph snapped. “You can be sorry all day but what good does it do?”

A stunning woman in her early sixties, dressed in a long, black linen dress stood up then.

“Please forgive my husband,” the woman said to Mattheus. “He’s hasn’t slept for a few nights in a row and is completely distraught.”

“Nothing to forgive. It’s understandable,” said Mattheus.

The woman glanced over at Cindy briefly. “I’m Isabelle Eddings, Tara’s mother,” she continued.

“This is Cindy, my partner,” Mattheus interjected.

Cindy stepped closer, struck by Isabelle’s unusual composure. “Hello,” said Cindy, joining in.

“We’re very grateful that you’ve come to see us,” Isabelle went on. “Owen called and told us the two of you would be coming. He said you’re the very best private detectives working in the Caribbean.”

“Thank you,” said Cindy, struck by the fact that Isabell and Owen had been in touch. Owen hadn’t mentioned it. Clearly, Isabelle was pleased that Cindy and Mattheus were here, she didn’t believe her son in law was guilty.

Cindy glanced around the room quickly. Along with Tara’s mother, father and sister, a younger man, in his early thirties, sat in the corner, looking glum.

“Is this the entire family?” Cindy asked, motioning to the young man as well.

Isabelle paused for a long moment. “Jenna’s husband had to return home for a short while for business. He’s going back and forth. We expect him back in time for the cremation, in a day or so.”

“I see,” Cindy nodded.

“And Tara’s younger brother Hank, is there in the corner,” Isabelle continued.

Hank did not look up or acknowledge anything that was going on. He just stared at his lap.

“Hank is in complete distress, hasn’t said a thing to any of us,” Isabelle added.

“It’s understandable,” said Cindy gently.

Isabelle tossed her head back. “Yes, from one perspective everything is understandable, from another it’s not,” she said.

“Okay, okay, enough of all the small talk,” Ralph broke in, irritated. “These two are not here for a party, they want the facts.”

“What are the facts, Ralph?” Mattheus jumped in.

Ralph edged closer to Mattheus. “From the time she was little Tara never listened to a thing I said. I never liked Owen, warned Tara about him years ago when they still were dating.”

“You blame Owen for this?” Mattheus seemed startled.

Isabelle took a deep breath, and shook her head slowly, as if to deny what her husband was saying. “Owen has had nothing to do with it, nothing at all,” she murmured loudly.

“You can’t say that,” Ralph was up in arms. “He was driving the boat with Tara in it.”

“One thing has nothing to do with the other,” Isabelle exclaimed.

“It was his job to keep her safe,” Ralph wouldn’t quiet down. “I warned Tara about lots of things,” he went on.

“What did you warn her about?” Mattheus was quick on the draw.

“As soon as Tara met Owen, I told her that he was a hungry guy, after money, status, the works.”

“Is something wrong with that?” Jenna got up now and joined the little cluster that had formed in the middle of the room. “Most fathers are happy when their daughters marry an ambitious man who can take good care of them.”

“Well, I wasn’t happy,” Ralph’s eyes narrowed as he turned his bloated face towards Jenna. “From the very beginning Owen was always one upping me, making sure everyone knew that he gave Tara more than I could.”

Isabelle closed her eyes. “Why are we going into this again, Ralph,” she begged, “why?”

“You’re upsetting mother,” Jenna interjected.

“And Owen made your husband feel pretty inadequate, too, didn’t he, Jenna?” Ralph continued.

“This isn’t the time for casting blame,” Jenna became upset. “Owen made Tara happy.”

“Oh yeah? How do you know that?” Ralph wouldn’t be mollified. “You think it’s just money that makes someone happy? There was no reason for the boating accident, none at all. Tara was a good swimmer. Owen was just careless; careless with my daughter’s life.”

“It was an accident, dad,” Jenna interjected. “The wind blew up suddenly.”

“There’s no such thing as suddenly,” Ralph barked. “You check the weather before you go out on the water.” Then turned to Mattheus. “Tara’s life was over after the accident, she was a vegetable when they brought her to the hospital.”

“She wasn’t a vegetable, Ralph,” Isabelle’s eyes filled with tears. “She was alive in a coma. We all had time with her before she passed.”

“What kind of time?” Ralph yelled. “You sat there talking to a vegetable.”

“No, we didn’t,” Jenna spoke over her irate father. “Tara heard us, she responded.”

“Oh brother, brother,” Ralph made a fist and banged it on a small table. “Once they’re in a coma they don’t respond. It’s just the body twitching, making it look like smiles and nods.”

“My father has a limited view,” Jenna insisted to Mattheus.

“I see it as it is, and I tell it as it is,” Ralph thundered.

“Stop it, Ralph,” Isabelle called out over the fray. “You’re upsetting Hank.”

Cindy looked over to the corner of the room, where the young man had doubled over in his chair, his hands over his head.

“Hank’s a grown man,” Ralph said, “he’s got to grow up and take what life brings.”

Jenna turned to Cindy, distraught. “My father always blamed Owen for everything, and now this horrible accident.”

“Tara didn’t officially die as a result of the accident,” Cindy interjected, “she died as a result of active euthanasia. There were toxins injected into her bloodstream. Owen is being held for that.”

“We know all that,” Jenna grimaced, “but Owen doesn’t deserve to be held. It’s crazy.

Owen loved Tara all their life long; he took wonderful care of her and of all of us,” Jenna’s eyes filled with tears. “From the second this happened, he didn’t leave Tara’s side.”

“So what? So what?” Ralph burst out. “What was the good of her living like a vegetable for two months? A person’s better off dead then. No one deserves to be kept alive by tubes. Your sister wasn’t coming back, and everyone knew it.”

“Who knew that, exactly?” asked Cindy.

“There were different viewpoints about it,” Isabelle broke in, desperate to establish balance. “There are plenty of cases of people coming back even after two months in a coma, Ralph.”

“But what did Dr Padden tell you?” Ralph inched closer to his wife as she backed away from him. “Padden said the chances of Tara’s coming back and living a normal life were not good.”

“Not good, but possible!” Jenna interjected.

“And, Dr Padden isn’t God,” Isabelle shot back.

“And where was God when Tara was laying here?” Ralph demanded.

“You exhaust me, Ralph. You exhaust me,” Isabelle called out loudly then.

“It’s enough,” Jenna burst in between them, looking at Cindy. “My mother doesn’t believe in euthanasia, my father does. He felt we should take Tara off life supports almost right from the start.”

“It’s a sin to take a life,” Isabelle started crying then. “Only God decides when life ends. Now Tara didn’t die naturally and that has to be answered for.”

“Answered for, by whom?” asked Cindy.

“Do you think Owen did it?” Mattheus quickly joined in.

“I can’t imagine such a thing,” Isabelle’s tears deepened into sobbing.

“Who else could have?” Ralph barked loudly then.

“What do you think, Jenna?” Cindy turned to her. “If Owen took such good care of your sister why would he want her to suddenly die?”

“That’s the real question, isn’t it?” said Jenna. “I have no idea who ended my sister’s life, but I’m sure it wasn’t Owen. Whoever did it was merciful, though. I disagree with my mother about that. My husband agrees with me, too. He kept saying it was wrong to let Tara live like that for so long.”

“There are laws about ending a life,” said Mattheus. “The family can decide to withhold food and water, that’s passive euthanasia, not as serious as actively injecting a toxic substance into her IV.”

“Withholding food and water can take a long time though,” Hank finally piped up from behind. “That’s cruel. It can be painful to die of hunger and thirst, the person lays there silently suffering.”

“I doubt that, Hank,” Ralph shouted.

“How can you be certain they’re not suffering?” Hank stood at the edge of his chair, his eyes wide with fear and sorrow.

“Sit back down, Hank, be calm, be quiet,” Isabelle went over to him quickly.

“Hank was very close to Tara,” Jenna whispered to Cindy.

“Did Tara leave any record of her last wishes should something like this ever take place?” Cindy quickly asked.

“Of course Tara didn’t leave any final instructions,” Hank kept wailing from the back of the room. “She was just forty, she was beautiful, she never expected to die.”

The entire room grew silent for a moment.

“There was a large life insurance policy taken out on your daughter’s life though,” Mattheus finally remarked to Ralph.

Ralph’s face grew flushed. “I only heard about that after she died,” he said gruffly.

“I knew about it before,” Jenna piped up. “Tara and Owen took the policy out for us, to help the family. Tara told me about it. I was shocked. I told her it was ridiculous, that she was young and healthy.”

“Tara worried about the financial situation of the family?” Mattheus inquired.

“Tara worried about lots of things,” Jenna said softly. “She had much more money than we did and felt guilty about it. She kept giving us gifts all the time. So did Owen.”

“Whatever Owen gave me, I paid back,” Ralph took exception. “I’ve had a few business deals go bad and he stepped in to help. So what?”

Clearly, the friction between Ralph and Owen had gone on for a long time.

“Do you believe that Owen injected the lethal substance into your daughter’s IV?” Mattheus asked Ralph pointedly.

“I don’t know about that,” Ralph shuddered. “But whoever did it, was brave. They did the right thing, took Tara out of her misery. Hell, I don’t like the guy. But why in the world should anyone be prosecuted for that?”

The wailing from Hank in the back of the room suddenly grew louder as he sat back down in his chair, rocking back and forth.

“Hank was very close to Tara,” said Isabelle, as she stepped closer to Cindy and Mattheus. “All during the ordeal I told Hank that it was alright, I felt Tara close by, communicating with me. He wouldn’t believe it, but I knew it was true. I even saw little flashes of lightning in the sky. That was her. I knew she was telling me she was at peace.”

Cindy stopped cold and stared. “How do you know that, exactly?”

“Not just the lightning, there have been so many other signs I’ve had that I’m at ease,” Isabelle answered softly.

Cindy couldn’t help but think of the lightning she saw and her own sister. Could that have been a sign? Cindy wasn’t sure, but she was happy that Isabelle could find the solace she needed.

Mattheus stepped over then, wanting to turn the discussion in another direction. “If you were in touch with Tara,” he said to Isabelle grimly, “by any chance, did she let you know who put the lethal substance in her IV?”

Isabelle stared at him oddly, not sure if he was being flippant. “What do you mean?” she asked.

“I just wondered if Tara might have let you know who killed her?” Mattheus asked without skipping a beat.

“No, she didn’t,” said Isabelle swiftly.

“What do you think? Any ideas?” he went on.

Isabelle grew pale at the thought of it. “I haven’t let myself think of that,” she spluttered. “But I do know that. I don’t approve of taking anyone’s life, under any circumstances. In Tara’s case, she never chose death or asked for it, either. There is no guilt on her head.”

“There’s guilt on someone’s head, though, isn’t there?” asked Mattheus, unwilling to let go.

“Someone,” Isabelle agreed.

“Do you believe the person who did it should be prosecuted?” Mattheus continued.

“Definitely,” Isabelle responded. “It was not up to them to take such an action.”

“Ridiculous,” Ralph once again interjected, overhearing the conversation. “We’re kinder to animals who are dying than to people.”

“But you weren’t kind to Tara, ever,” Hank’s wailing voice suddenly pierced the room, as he jumped up out of his chair. “You weren’t kind to her ever. And now she’s entirely gone.”

Chapter 6

“Let’s have lunch outdoors,” Cindy said as soon as they left the Villa. The meeting with the family had unnerved her, she was thrilled to be out of there and wanted to be near the water. Cindy needed to see the sky, have time to walk outdoors and talk the meeting over with Mattheus.

“Great,” said Mattheus. “In fact, I was thinking we should go to the marina where Owen rented the boat he and Tara went out on. It’s not far from here. We can take a look at the boat and talk to the owner. Then we can find a place for lunch close by.”

Cindy loved being near boats and the plan felt perfect. It was a good idea to walk in Tara’s footsteps, take each step of the journey along with her.

“Is the marina close enough to walk over?” Cindy asked.

“About a mile,” said Mattheus. “Good idea, let’s walk. It will clear out heads.”

The walk to the marina was easy and enjoyable. The day was clear, beautiful and invigorating with a slightly crisp edge to the air. Cindy and Mattheus wound their way out of the cluster of sprawling, manicured Villas and passed through an enclave of expensive stores and specialty shops. Then they headed down a narrow road towards where the boat Owen had rented was docked.

“What a family Tara had,” Cindy said as they walked along. She felt drained by the visit, glad to be away from them.

“They’re a complicated bunch,” said Mattheus. “It’s good that we met them.”

“If you ask me, we’ve got a treasure trove of suspects there,” said Cindy.

“That’s a leap,” Mattheus shook his head. “They’re all just reacting to the awful events. Seems like they really cared about Tara.”

“Including her father?” asked Cindy, surprised by Mattheus’s reaction.

“Of course,” said Mattheus, “maybe him the most.”

Cindy slowed down, trying to figure out what Mattheus meant. “Tara’s father said he always had a hard time with her,” she finally commented.

“Sometimes we have the hardest times with those we care about the most,” Mattheus replied.

“But I actually heard her father say he wanted her dead,” Cindy reminded Mattheus.

“No, he never said he wanted her dead,” Mattheus slowed down. “Ralph just said that he didn’t want her living like a vegetable in a coma. That could be a sign of his love.”

As always Mattheus made sense of whatever conundrum arose, but Cindy still felt uneasy about Tara’s father.

“I wouldn’t put anything past the father,” Cindy started walking more quickly again, and Mattheus, too picked up his pace. “Ralph definitely dislikes Owen, wasn’t at all grateful for the financial help he gave him. Could be he even set Owen up?”

“Ralph blamed Owen for the accident,” Mattheus refreshed Cindy’s memory, “not for the way she passed. He even said he had no idea who’d put the substance in Tara’s IV, but whoever did should not be blamed for it. ”

“But Ralph thought it was good that Tara died,” Cindy chimed in. “He was relieved.”

“Heck, the guy believes in euthanasia,” Mattheus responded, “you can’t fault him for that. That doesn’t mean he killed her. He just couldn’t stand seeing his daughter living like a vegetable. For him, Tara’s life was already over.”

“But it wasn’t over, Mattheus. Tara was alive, she was breathing,” Cindy insisted.

“It’s all how you see it,” Mattheus insisted.

“It doesn’t mean Ralph didn’t end Tara’s life, either,” Cindy said sharply, “he could have thought he was doing her a favor.”

Mattheus slowed down again. “What have you got against Ralph, Cindy?” he asked.

“Nothing,” she replied tautly. “I don’t particularly like him, but I don’t have anything against him. But we can’t let him off the hook so easily, either. The guy’s filled with all kinds of resentments. Who knows what was going on in his head?”

“If you ask me, I’d say the brother, Hank, is the strangest,” Mattheus responded as they turned the corner onto the street which lead to rows of boats rocking gently at the water’s edge.

“Hank’s a pathetic, desperate guy,” Cindy remarked as she breathed in the refreshing smell of salty, ocean air, “he’s overwhelmed. We can talk to him later, if he’ll talk. My guess is, he may not.”

“He’ll have to,” Mattheus insisted.

“But he may not be able to,” said Cindy, “and we can’t force him. I don’t know how reliable he is as a witness anyway.”

“We definitely have to talk to Hank,” Mattheus murmured as they passed a few casual restaurants open for lunch. The smell of fish and meat sizzling on the grills wafted out from the restaurants, making Cindy feel hungrier than she realized. “Do you want to find the boat Owen rented and talk to its owner first, or have lunch?” Mattheus asked.

“Let find the boat’s owner,” said Cindy. “Then we’ll have more to go over at lunch.”

Mattheus grinned. “Great,” he agreed. “Let’s find him. I love your spirit Cindy. I know you’re hungry, I know you’re tired, but you never let that get in the way. You really know how to put first things first. Nothing ever stops you.”

“I want to get to the boat as soon as possible,” Cindy felt pleased. “There still could be something left there for us to see. And, we have to make sure the forensic evidence was collected properly. For all we know someone else could have even been on board with them?”

“Good thinking,” said Mattheus, “no stone can be left unturned.”

*

It took only a few moments to locate the boat rental place Owen had used – Wyndsail Rentals. It was one of the most established, best known boat rental services in Jamaica and had franchises in other parts of the Caribbean as well. The place was owned and operated by Andy Tane.

Cindy and Mattheus walked up to the long, low wooden building. Wyndsail Rentals was proudly written in large red letters on a huge plaque in front. This was the place where day trips were planned and reservations made for boat rentals and cruises. As soon as they walked in Mattheus immediately asked for Andy Tane. To their delight he was there, in his back office. As soon as he was called, he immediately came out to see them.

“Well, I’d heard C and M Investigations were down in Jamaica on the case,” Andy said as he walked straight towards Cindy and Mattheus. Andy was tall, well built, suntanned, dressed in jeans and a T shirt. He had short cropped hair, strong features and leathery skin from the sun and winds.

“Thanks for talking to us,” Mattheus responded.

“I’ve spoken to the police a couple of times,” Andy continued. “Of course, if there’s anything else I can do to help, let me know.”

Cindy appreciated his no nonsense, forthright attitude. “We’d like to go onto the boat and look at it ourselves,” she piped up.

Andy turned to her, slightly startled. “Sure,” he agreed, “why not?”

The three of them promptly walked out of the cabin and out onto a planked walkway that lead to the boat.

“The boat Owen rented is one of the best boats in the fleet,” Andy remarked as they walked along, the breeze blowing over them all. “Owen reserved it a couple of weeks before their vacation.”

“He didn’t need a Captain to go along?” Mattheus asked. “He knew how to ride it?”

“Yeah, yeah, in fact Owen’s rented from us before. I know him,” said Andy. “There was never a problem the other two times.”

“Don’t you send Captains out along with the tourists on day sails, though?” asked Cindy.

“Not unless the people ask for them,” Andy replied, disconcerted by her persistence. “People know what they can handle.”

“Did Owen rent the same kind of boat this time as he did before?” Cindy continued, undaunted by his irritation.

“Good question,” Andy turned to her, uncomfortable. “The other two times he rented a smaller boat with less power, for a shorter trip. That time he just planned to stay out for an hour or so.”

“And this time?” Cindy felt uneasy.

“This time Owen wanted the most powerful boat we had. He’d planned a day sail to celebrate his anniversary,” Andy said solemnly as they got to the white power boat that sat grandly, gleaming in the sun.

“Beautiful boat,” said Mattheus.

“Sure is, “Andy agreed. “Top of the line and in perfect condition.”

“Want to step into the boat? “asked Andy, trying to be obliging.

“Sure do,” said Mattheus, as he gave his hand to Cindy to help her climb over the ledge.

Cindy shivered as she stepped on board the boat. It felt powerful and majestic standing there under the clear sky, rocking gently in the light wind. As she stood there, Cindy tried to feel what Tara had been feeling, alive, happy, trusting, about to embark upon a beautiful day with her husband.

“How long were they out for before the accident happened?” Cindy asked, looking around at the boat carefully.

“A couple of hours,” Andy answered, as Cindy spotted a drop of blood in the corner.

“Blood,” she mentioned, pointing to it.

“Yeah, I know,” said Andy. “Most of it has been removed. We have a few spots left to go.”