“It’s only me,” Mattheus whispered. “You weren’t expecting someone else, were you?”
Cindy spun around and smiled. “You never know,” she answered, playfully.
“What are you doing down here?” Mattheus seemed surprised. “I looked all over for you. It’s not like you to go for a drink alone.”
“Come, sit next to me,” said Cindy, “and I’ll tell you all about it.”
Mattheus joined her at the little table she was seated at and took her hand. “Okay, tell me your secrets,” he jested as he sat down.
“I was just unwinding, thinking about Ann,” Cindy confessed.
“Oh, I see,” Mattheus answered gently. “Missing your sister?”
“Yes, of course I am,” said Cindy, “but right now I was thinking of the other Ann, the patient who shared the room with Tara. She said so many things about her experience in a coma, when she was in another world.”
Mattheus looked at Cindy, uneasy. “One world at a time is good enough for me,” he smiled. “We’re here now, let’s enjoy it. When we’re there, we’ll find out what goes on.”
Cindy couldn’t help but smile at his comment. “I wonder what world my sister is in now,” she mused.
“It’s natural enough to wonder about that,” said Mattheus, “but as I see it, all we can do is live a good, full life here.”
“We’re doing that Mattheus, aren’t we?” Cindy responded.
“Definitely,” he replied, “and my life is way better having you in it. In fact, I can’t imagine life without you, Cindy. I wouldn’t want to.”
Cindy put her head down on his shoulder for a moment. “I wouldn’t want to either,” she replied incredibly grateful that they had gotten through their problems and were still together now.
Unfortunately, Mattheus’s phone rang sharply right at that moment, breaking into their entrancing mood.
“Don’t pick up, it’s late,” said Cindy, tired of working on the case right then. “Whatever it is can wait until the morning, can’t it? We need a little down time.”
“It’s unusual for the phone to ring at this hour,” said Mattheus. “Who knows if it can wait? I have to pick up.”
Mattheus picked up and grew quiet.
“Who is it?” asked Cindy perturbed.
“Eric Holder,” Mattheus mouthed silently, listening to what the Chief of Police was saying intently. “Yeah, sure, we’ll keep tabs on this and stay in touch,” Mattheus responded. “Thanks for letting me know.”
“Keep tabs on what?” asked Cindy when Mattheus hung up.
“The police checked in with Phil, head of the Board of Directors of the hospital, right after the jazz festival,” said Mattheus. “It’s not official until tomorrow but Alana’s going to be fired for stealing drugs.”
Alarm bells rang for Cindy. “Alana didn’t steal drugs. There’s no evidence.”
“They have something or they wouldn’t fire her,” Mattheus disagreed.
“It’s an obvious cover up!” Cindy exclaimed.
“How can you be so sure?” asked Mattheus, taken aback by Cindy’s vehemence.
“Because I am,” said Cindy. “They’re making Alana take the fall so the investigations into the hospital will stop. You must have scared them, Mattheus. You must have talked about medical mistakes.”
“Yes, of course I did,” Mattheus confessed.
“And did you tell Konrad you knew about Alana’s being fired from her past job for negligence?”
“Naturally,” Mattheus continued. “I had to put the pressure on him.”
“It worked,” said Cindy. “Phil checked in with Konrad about your interview immediately. Konrad had no choice but to tell him what you said. It freaked them all out.”
“That’s too simple,” Mattheus insisted. “Whether you like her or not, there’s evidence mounting against Alana. Even Ann told you she heard Alana in Tara’s room the night she died.”
“But the cops have no idea about what Ann told me. They wouldn’t listen to a thing Ann said,” Cindy insisted. “Things are getting too hot and the hospital wants the investigation into their background to end immediately. They need someone to blame so they’re jumping on Alana.” It all felt incredibly clear to Cindy.
“I thought you believed what Ann told you,” Mattheus interrupted.
“I do,” Cindy insisted.
“So, if you believe what she said, then it’s likely Alana was involved, isn’t it? The night Tara died she was upset, yelling at Tara, cursing her job! Mattheus remembered every detail.
“That doesn’t mean Alana killed her,” Cindy wouldn’t yield. She detested cover ups of any kind, always fought them with her very life. “It could have been Konrad who did it for all we know,” Cindy continued. “Konrad was having pressure put on him, too. For all we know he just used Alana to put the substance into Tara’s IV.”
“Anything could have happened,” said Mattheus.
“I liked Alana when I met her,” Cindy went on, remembering her unexpected visit at Alana’s home. Alana hadn’t received her the way a guilty person would have. She was open and cordial.
“I know you liked Alana,” Mattheus’s voice grew gruff. “But liking her doesn’t mean she’s innocent.”
“The decision to fire Alana for drugs says the hospital is scared of something bigger,” Cindy felt compelled to stand up for her. “The hospital’s doing it to divert attention from Tara’s case.”
“Could be you’re right,” Mattheus acquiesced, “but we can’t do any more about it right now. “We’ll look into it more in the morning. Let’s go upstairs and get a good rest. You can contact Konrad’s assistant Todd first thing tomorrow. I’m sure he’ll let you know exactly what’s going on.
Cindy thought it was a good idea, it made her feel better.
“And, now rest is in order,” Mattheus put his arm around Cindy and smiled at her boyishly.
Cindy agreed, feeling relieved as Mattheus prompted her up out of her seat and gently lead her through the lounge, upstairs to the beautiful suite which awaited them in the hotel.
*
First thing the next morning Cindy put a call into Todd. To her amazement it was as if he’d been sitting there, expecting her call.
“What took you so long?” Todd responded. “I thought you’d never call.”
“You’re kidding, right?” asked Cindy.
“I don’t kid about most things,” Todd answered crisply.
“Well, I’m calling now,” Cindy felt oddly intimidated. “You want to come over? We’re at the hotel.”
“Thought you’d never ask,” said Todd. “Wait for me down at the beach two blocks from your hotel. No one’s there at this hour. Wait at the front entrance, I’ll be right over.”
“I’m coming with my partner,” Cindy informed him.
“That’s fine,” said Todd. “Mattheus checks out.”
Cindy laughed as she hung up the phone. “This guy speaks in riddles and lives in hiding,” she said to Mattheus.
“Assistant to the hospital administrator is not exactly a private job,” Mattheus quipped.
“Yeah, but when Todd has something to really say, he only says it in secret,” Cindy replied.
*
Even at the front of the beach Cindy could smell the fresh, salty air hear the waves lapping against the shore. She longed to have quiet time to walk on the sand.
“We haven’t even had time to walk on the beach together yet,” Cindy said to Mattheus playfully.
“We’ll take a walk as soon as Todd leaves,” Mattheus agreed.
“Great,” said Cindy, as she saw Todd walking towards them from afar. “Look, there he is. My God, how did he get here so quickly?”
“The guy has something important to tell us, that’s how,” said Mattheus watching Todd intently. “This is a man on a mission, for sure.”
Todd came up to Cindy and Mattheus seeming every bit as nervous as he’d been the last time Cindy had met him.