*
On the way to the cremation, Cindy and Mattheus sat beside one another quietly in the cab. The news they’d received from the police was disturbing and Cindy couldn’t help but feel that a rush to judgment was taking place.
“This is a set up,” Cindy said finally, “it’s easy to go after Owen, but whatever they have is just circumstantial.”
“People go to jail for life with circumstantial evidence,” Mattheus retorted, as the taxi grew closer to where the cremation was taking place. “Seems like you’ve made up your mind that Owen’s innocent. Could go either way, I’m not sure.”
“There’s too much pressure on everyone here,” Cindy responded, “too much is conveniently getting brushed under the rug, like medical mistakes at the hospital and drug use by staff. There are plenty of reasons why it could have been necessary for the hospital to end Tara’s stay here.”
“Right after the cremation I’ll check more into it,” Mattheus promised.
“And, I don’t know if I mentioned,” Cindy suddenly remembered, “but I heard that Alana and Konrad are also involved in a romantic relationship.”
“You heard what?” Mattheus was taken off guard. “That’s important! You never mentioned it to me.”
“I forgot about it,” Cindy said sadly. “There’s so much going on all at once.”
“Yes, of course there is,” Mattheus relented. “You’re doing great Cindy, you’re amazing and wonderful. I’m just shocked by the news. It adds a whole new dimension.”
“I guess it does,” said Cindy. “But it happens, people fall in love. It’s a good thing, Mattheus,” and she smiled. “After all, look at us.”
“Yes, it is a good thing for us,” Mattheus couldn’t help smiling as he scooped Cindy into his arms and held her close.
“Maybe being in love is a good thing for Alana and Konrad, too?” Cindy finally whispered.
“Good or bad, I don’t know,” Mattheus responded, “but it makes things more complicated. Alana could be covering for Konrad in the case or he could be covering for her.”
“We’ll find out soon,” said Cindy softly, relieved for the moment to be held close in Mattheus’s arms again.
Chapter 15
Tara’s cremation was to take place in a long, low building with steel edges and small, framed windows. It was the last place Cindy wanted to be today, but not only did they have to offer respect to Tara, but to her family as well.
“This is going to be rough,” said Mattheus, as they walked to the entrance of the grim building.
“Awful,” Cindy agreed, her stomach clenching as they walked in and were greeted by a local attendant, dressed in dark gray.
“The family is waiting is the room down the hall,” the attendant immediately said. “I’m sure they’ll be pleased to have your company during their ordeal. Come with me and I’ll take you there.”
Several waiting rooms with leather furniture and plants on the tables were lined up off the corridor. The room Tara’s family was in was located at the end.
Cindy and Mattheus entered and once again saw Tara’s family all lined up silently, sitting together on a couch. This time, one thing was different, however. Tara’s daughter, Loretta, was there.
Cindy immediately glanced at the young, bony woman with her hair pulled tightly off her face. She sat by herself in a chair away from the others looking both overwrought and tired at the same time. Loretta was dressed in jeans, a long tunic and had an amber pendant hanging around her neck. Cindy wanted to go right over and introduce herself, but had to be sensitive to the solemn protocol and mood of the day.
Tara’s mother, Isabelle got up the moment Cindy and Mattheus entered, came over and graciously extended her hand.
“It’s very kind of you to join us,” she said, her eyes swollen and red. “This is our last good bye to Tara. Owen is beside himself that he can’t be here. And Konrad will joining us in a little while.”
“I’m so sorry about all of this,” Cindy repeated.
“Thank you,” said Isabelle, “come in and sit down. The officials will come out and let us know when it’s over. Eventually they’ll bring Tara’s ashes to us.”
It sounded awful to Cindy.
“I see that your granddaughter is joining us,” Mattheus interrupted the heavy tone, looking over at the thin, desolate girl on the bench.
“Would you like to meet Loretta?” asked Isabelle.
“Yes, of course,” said Mattheus.
“Fine,” Isabelle agreed, “it will be good for her to talk to someone. She never talks to us, that’s for sure. I believe that years ago Loretta got the idea that we were all her enemies, against her in every way. Loretta’s father filled her with that garbage. It was his way of getting revenge on Tara for leaving him.”
“Why did Tara leave him?” Cindy couldn’t miss the opportunity to find out.
Isabelle’s back arched as she thought about it. “He and Tara were ill suited right from the start,” she declared. “Tara was never happy with him, though you couldn’t get her to say so, no matter what he did to her. Tara was not so strong in her earlier years, or so discerning. Finally, she found Loretta’s father cheating on her.”
“Painful,” breathed Cindy.
“Painful in one way, good in another,” Isabelle enjoyed talking about it. “Somehow the awful discovery gave Tara the strength to leave. I was thrilled about it and so was her father. We encouraged her to get away from him and start again.”
“Did Loretta’s father get the daughter in a custody suit?” asked Cindy, still wondering why Loretta had stayed with him.
“No, actually, he did not,” Isabelle exclaimed. “The court awarded them joint custody, but the girl was incredibly attached to her father, wouldn’t let herself be pried away. She carried on so terribly when she was in Tara’s care, begged to be with her father so deeply, that Tara finally had no choice but to let her go.”
“That must have been very painful for Tara,” said Cindy.
“Terrible,” Isabelle agreed. “Thankfully, she met Owen soon after the divorce and had a happy marriage all these years. But somehow they could never have children together. It was a wound Tara had to live with. I believe her work in the orphanage made up for that.”
Cindy’s heart went out to Tara and she wanted even more to speak to her daughter Loretta now.”
“How often did Tara see her daughter over the years?” Mattheus also seemed gripped by the story.
“Very rarely,” said Isabelle, “and in the recent years almost not at all. I have no idea why the girl has turned up now. Must be her father, egging her on. There’s quite a sizable inheritance, you know. Owen took out a large life insurance policy on Tara and maybe her daughter thinks she’s due some of it? I have no idea what she thinks as she barely talks to us at all.”
Cindy looked over at Loretta intensely, eager to go over to her and speak. But just at that moment, the door to the waiting room opened and Konrad walked in. Although he was impeccably dressed and perfectly groomed, he looked unsettled.
“Oh, here’s the hospital administrator,” said Isabelle. “He’s finally getting in touch. I think he expects us to leave after the cremation, this visit must be his good bye.”
Konrad walked over swiftly and stood between Isabelle and Cindy and Mattheus. Obviously something was bothering him.
“How are you, Konrad?” Mattheus tried to break the ice.
“How can I be on a terrible day?” he replied officially, smiling at Isabelle. “I just hope that the family realizes that we at the hospital did all we possibly could.”
Isabelle went along graciously. “Of course we realize that, and we thank you for it.”
Konrad threw a quick glance at Cindy and Mattheus to see how they took Isabelle’s remark. Both of them made no response.
“If you’ll excuse me,” Konrad said then, moving away, “I want to say good bye to Tara’s father as well.”