Death by Obsession (12 page)

“Raina, a young woman is dead,” said Mattheus. “There
has to be a thorough investigation.”

“I never said otherwise,”Raina shot back.

“And the existence of Lynch’s son is part of the
story, like it or not,” Mattheus informed her.

“He’s not part of anything,” Raina burst out harshly.
“This is confidential information. Is there a way to make sure that the police
don’t leak it, that they don’t ruin our business and reputation?”

“Confidentiality is another question,” said Mattheus.

“I need a way to keep the police quiet about it,”
Raina demanded shrilly. “They do not have to divulge every, personal detail of
our lives to the news, do they?”

“It depends how things develop,” said Mattheus.

Cindy stepped in instantly. “Mattheus means that if suspicion
for Tara’s death falls on Bala or her brother Dawl, it may be hard to keep that
quiet.”

Raina spun around, her face pale.

“Let’s take it one step at a time,” Mattheus tried to
calm her.

“I can’t do that,” she answered agitated. “I have to keep
the big picture in mind. We’ve suffered enough through all this. It’s up to me
to protect my family now.”

The question of how Raina was going to protect her
business and family was on Cindy’s mind as she and Mattheus left Raina’s room
and went downstairs. There was a lot they had to go over and decided to take
some time at the beach together to debrief.

The exquisitely beautiful, sun and surf made the day
seem perfect.  Not a cloud floated in the clear, azure sky and guests at the hotel
who were not part of the wedding, were lolling about, sitting on beach chairs
and drinking cocktails as if nothing much had happened.

“Let’s walk down towards Ryder’s Cove,” said Mattheus.
“We’ll trace her footsteps, see what comes up.”

The thought of it brought a chill to Cindy. “We don’t
know that’s where she died,” she said, “only that’s where she was found.”

“Let’s go there anyway,” said Mattheus, “it ‘ll give
us a better sense of what went on.”

Cindy blanched. Her personal connection to Tara made
this case different.  “I want to hear that she’s fine and this didn’t really
happen,” Cindy looked up into Mattheus’s eyes.

He smiled quietly. “I understand,” he said, “it’s too
close for comfort.”

“I liked her,” said Cindy, feeling bleak.

“Then let’s give this our all,” Mattheus replied as they
took off their shoes and walked through the warm sand to the edge of the water,
and then headed to the cove.

Cindy wanted to hold Mattheus’s hand as they walked,
but stopped herself. She had to get a grip. This murder was different from most
of the other cases they’d been on. She’d spent personal time with Tara, admired
and respected her. It was hard for Cindy to have a sense of her as dead.

Mattheus broke into her thoughts as they walked and
the surf played with their bare feet.

“Tell me about your visit with Tara to Bala,” he
said. “I need to hear every detail of it.”

Cindy knew it was tremendously important to tell him
about it.  She was ashamed of how reluctant she was to go over it again.  Instead
of wavering though, she decided to jump right in now.

“Let’s sit down for a second on the sand,” Cindy
said. “I can’t talk about this as we keep walking.”

Mattheus looked surprised. “Okay,” he agreed, “let’s
sit down.”

They sat close together as Cindy pulled her legs up
under her and, all at once, wanted to cry. “I messed up,” she said then in a
small voice that was drowned out by the surf.

Mattheus took her hand. “Speak louder, I can’t hear
you,” he said.

“I feel horrible about this,” said Cindy.

“Why?” Mattheus grew nervous, “what happened?”

Cindy launched into a description of the visit, describing
Bala and her brother Dawl.

“Tara was so excited to see the child again,” said Cindy.
“Bala was there, waiting for Tara and so was her brother, Dawl.”

“Who’s that, the uncle?” asked Mattheus.

“Yes, Dawl raised the boy with his sister as his son,”
said Cindy. “He was threatened by Tara, big time. He thought Tara came to take
the boy away.”

“My God,” said Mattheus. “Did she?”

“I thought she came to include the boy in her life
with Lynch,” Cindy said.
“That’s the same thing as taking him away,” said Mattheus.

“Of course not,” Cindy defended Tara. “She just
wanted the boy to know his father and not to be abandoned by him!”

“The boy’s relationship with his father was none of
her business,” Mattheus retorted, beginning to get upset again.

“Whether or not it was is not the point now,” Cindy
grew stronger. “The point is that Tara wanted to see the boy and Dawl wouldn’t
let her.”

“Wouldn’t let her?” Mattheus was amazed.

“Dawl actually warned Tara to stay away,” Cindy
continued. “He said he was the boy’s father now, had help raise him since
birth, and that somebody would only take him away over his dead body.”

Mattheus dug his feet back and forth into the sand. “That’s
a point blank threat,” he said.

“You could call it that,” Cindy replied.

“Call it that? What else is it? A point blank threat,”
said Mattheus, turning and looking at Cindy.

“Yes, it was a point blank threat,” Cindy started
having trouble breathing. “And I let it pass right by. Tara and I left the boy’s
home quickly after he said it. He threw us out. She never even got to see the
child.”

“Why didn’t you tell me this right after it happened?”
Mattheus was horrified.

“I don’t know,” Cindy called out, her voice echoing
into the sea. “I didn’t take it all to heart. I didn’t think she would actually
go through with the wedding, so none of this would mean much.”

“Whether or not she went through with the wedding, it
means a great deal,” said Mattheus. “Threats like that mean something. People
act on them sooner or later.”

“Why would he?” Cindy whimpered. “If Tara left Lynch,
she wouldn’t have had any more connection with his son. She said over and over
she wanted to leave, but was just trying to see if she could work things out.
Bringing Lynch’s son into the family was a big piece of it for her. Since she
couldn’t work that out, I really thought she’d leave.”

Mattheus’s face became covered with perspiration. “The
brother was obviously threatened by Tara, but also the news of the child was
now public. Whether or not Tara married Lynch, he had to keep the kid for his
own. Who knows what he else he could have done?”

“To who?” asked Cindy. “Nobody wanted the child.”

“Dawl didn’t know that, though did he?” Mattheus
cried out.

“That’s what happens when a father abandons his
child,” Cindy said frantically. “Unsavory people come in and take over.”

“Are you referring to me, abandoning a child?”
Mattheus suddenly asked horrified.

“No I’m not,” Cindy wailed. “Is Tara’s death my
fault? Am I directly responsible?”

The two of them grew silent then. They stopped
talking and listened to the sound of the waves pulled in and out by the heartless
tide that took whatever it wanted from the shore, never to be seen again.

“I’m so sorry, really I am,” Cindy put her head in
her hands.

Mattheus put his arm around her then. “No, it’s okay,”
he said, “you can’t blame yourself. You did your best. You stood by Tara, you
tried to help. You just never imagined she was in danger -.”

Cindy looked up at him gratefully. “No, I didn’t,”
she breathed. “This case has been strange, right from the start. I wasn’t
thinking of it that way. We weren’t called down here to solve a murder.”

“No we weren’t,” said Mattheus grimly. “At least we
didn’t know it at first.”

After sitting silently awhile together, Mattheus
stood up and stretched. “Let’s get up and move forward,” he said softly. “We
have to continue on to the cove.”

Cindy was reluctant. “What are we going to do about
Bala and Dawl?” she asked, staying planted in the sand.

“I don’t know,” said Mattheus, “we have to find out
more about the brother. Obviously, we’ll have to tell the police about this, and
see what they come up with.”

“I don’t want to tell them,” Cindy flinched.

“Why not?” Mattheus was astonished.

“We’ve already brought so much harm,” Cindy said
softly. “Right now the boy has a home and a family. If we start poking around,
who knows what will happen to Bala and Dawl? And if his family is destroyed, who
knows what will happen to the boy then?”

Mattheus grew quiet. “I understand how you feel,” he
said softly, “but we can’t withhold information like this from the police. That’s
obstructing a murder investigation.”

Cindy’s head fell. “You think Dawl had something to
do with what Tara’s death?” she said disconsolately.

“It’s a possibility,” Mattheus replied. “You don’t
come charging into a family, mess with the balance of relationships, threaten
people and walk away untouched.”

*

      Mattheus insisted that they go onward to Ryder’s
Cove. “There’s something about being in the place she was found that will help
us think clearly,” he said.

Cindy walked along beside him sadly, as though she
were going to a funeral.

“It’s not so far from here,” Mattheus took her hand
and encouraged her to pick up her speed.

Strong breezes from the ocean washed over them as
they walked onwards the end of the beach. Once there, they turned down an
incline and proceeded through two narrow trails, until they arrived at Ryder’s
Cove.

Ryder’s Cove was near the lagoon, a well -known spot
for swimming, sightseeing and birding. The Cove was a cave like structure at
the edge of the shore.  Down a sloping hill, filled with jagged edges and
hidden inside a cliff, warm, murky water spun around inside it in a whirl. Most
came to take photographs, but didn’t actually swim.

 As Cindy and Mattheus got closer, Cindy stopped a
moment and held back.

“What?” asked Mattheus.

Cindy felt the heat and humidity grow denser and more
cloying as they approached the spot. “Tara and Lynch came here to swim during
the afternoon,” Cindy murmured, allowing pictures of what could have happened to
roll through her mind.

“That’s right,” Mattheus recalled.  “I believe people
saw her alive after that.”

“You’re sure about that?” asked Cindy quickly.

Mattheus was startled. “No, not exactly,” he said. “I
just assumed her friends saw her. We’ll have to check it out, get the time line
down exactly. The medical examiner will also be able to tell us

precisely how long she was in the water and what time
she died.”

Cindy nodded.  As they moved closer to the opening of
the Cove her heart starting pounding. “I can’t take another step closer,” Cindy
breathed, her hand on her chest.

“Why not?” asked Mattheus perturbed. This wasn’t like
her.

“I don’t feel well. I feel dizzier the closer we get,”
Cindy said.

“Take a deep breath,” said Mattheus.

“There’s a strange, fetid smell here,” Cindy uttered,
practically gasping. “I feel like I’m choking.”

Mattheus stopped and tried to smell it. “I don’t
smell anything unusual,” he said.

“I do,” Cindy couldn’t stand it, turned her head
away.

“What are you smelling?” Mattheus was right on it.

“I have no idea,” said Cindy, “but I’m getting out of
here.” She turned and lurched back in the direction they’d been coming from.

“Wait a minute, Cindy,” Mattheus ran after her up to
a large rock, covered with moss, which was planted under a tree nearby in the
sun.  “Sit down a minute, on this rock. Just rest here a minute and wait for
me.”

Cindy leaned against on the rock, grateful to be
supported by it.

“I want to go into the Cove and see it for myself,”
Mattheus went on. “I won’t stay long. I’ll be right back.”

Cindy didn’t want him to go but she knew that was
foolish. “Okay, but be careful, Mattheus,” she replied, as he turned away.

“I’m always careful,” he called back.

“Don’t stay long,” she called after him.

“Just rest,” his voice echoed in the wind.

*

Cindy lay down on the rock and put her face up into
the sun. The rock was warm, slightly moist and soothing and the sun felt deeply
comforting. As she lay there waiting for Mattheus, an image of Tara came to her
mind. Tara seemed lost, confused, uncertain about where she was, wandering
around helplessly.

“Tara,” Cindy whispered to her, “what happened to
you?  Where are you now? I’m here for you. I still want to help you.”

As Cindy spoke, the image of Tara drifted away and
faded from Cindy’s consciousness.

Cindy continued speaking to her anyway. “Did you
drown in the Cove, Tara, or were you killed and placed here by someone?”

But the only answer Cindy received to her questions
was the sound of soft birds in the distance, chirping and calling to one
another naturally, as if all was well in the world.

*

In what seemed like a few minutes Mattheus returned.
When Cindy opened her eyes she felt his arm on her shoulder, shaking her.

“Did you have a good sleep?” he asked gently.

Cindy realized she must have napped and dreamt that
she saw Tara there. “It was okay,” she answered as she rose from the rock. “How
about you? What did you find?”

“Nothing much,” Mattheus answered slowly. “It’s a
rough spot to swim in, full of jagged limestone edges and slopes. I’m not sure
why Tara went to swim there with Lynch in the afternoon? And, definitely, it’s
not a place anyone would go to swim alone.”

“Maybe she never swam there at all,” Cindy reflected
slowly. “Maybe Tara and Lynch swam in the lagoon, under these palm trees. Who
said they went swimming in the Cove? Who actually saw them? We really have to
check it all out.”