“Suspect’s probably leaving town,” the cop who drove the car barked his message back to others.
“All roads leading to the airports are blocked,” came an immediately reply.
Cindy couldn’t imagine Alana leaving Jamaica. Where would she go?
“Does Alana have friends in town she could hide out with safely?” Cindy asked loudly, her voice joining the fray.
The cop driving the car answered, “That’s being checked out now. We got Konrad at the station, and are grilling him. He’s just been fired too.”
My God, thought Cindy. The two of them thrown out like dead meat.
“This looks good for your client,” the cop driving the car shot back to Cindy and Mattheus. “Takes the heat off him, makes these others look bad.”
“Reasonable doubt for sure,” Mattheus whispered to Cindy.
That was true, and Cindy didn’t know why she didn’t feel good about it. She should have been thrilled that Owen would be getting off.
“Will Owen be released soon?” Mattheus asked the cop, alerted.
“Depends on what we get from these two suspects,” the cop commented, “can’t see how they can hold him after this.”
Suddenly an abrupt message from the police barged in, interrupting their conversation.
“Suspect spotted at the Tinderball Bridge. Get there immediately!”
“Finally,” the cop driving exclaimed. “This creep could have lead us on a wild goose chase all night long.”
The car did a sharp U turn, spun across the road and headed fiercely towards Tinderball Bridge about a mile from where they were.
“What’s she doing at Tinderball Bridge?” Cindy called out to no one in particular.
“Who the hell knows?” the cop replied. “Could be she’s on crack and has plans to blow the bridge apart. There’s all kinds of drugs down here that fry the mind. We can’t take any chances.”
Dear God, give her a chance to calm down and talk to someone sanely, thought Cindy, as the car drove up the unpaved road that lead to the bridge.
The car arrived in a few seconds. As soon as it stopped Cindy flung the door open and ran towards the bridge. Even from a distance she could see Alana standing on it, high up near the railing, flinging her arms back and forth desperately.
“Hold on a minute,” a cop tried to stop Cindy as she got closer.
“I’m a detective on the case,” shouted Cindy, pushing the cop back and plunging closer, running up to the very edge of the bridge.
The edge of the bridge was surrounded by cops speaking through megaphones.
“Get down now,” one megaphone called to the desperate woman.
But why would she listen, thought Cindy as she grabbed a megaphone and put it to her lips.
“Alana, this is Cindy,” she called through it. “I’m here and I want to help you.”
It was hard to make out what Alana responded, but if you listened carefully you could.
“I’m innocent,” Alana was wailing. “I didn’t steal drugs, I didn’t kill Tara, I didn’t kill anyone. I’m not a killer. I’m a nurse.”
“She’s claiming she’s innocent,” the cop next to Cindy translated. “She’s been yelling that since we got here.”
“I believe you, Alana,” Cindy called back.
“You don’t believe me,” Alana’ voice grew more desperate. “No one believes me, no one wants to give me a chance.”
“I do,” Cindy begged through the megaphone.
“No, you don’t, you’re against me,” Alana began sobbing. “I’m innocent and no one will listen. I never stole drugs, I didn’t harm Tara or any other patient.”
“Come down, Alana,” a policeman called through another megaphone.
“I believe you, Alana,” Cindy insisted, “I truly believe you.”
“You’re lying again, I can’t trust you.” Alana’s head dropped down as her hair blew wildly in the wind.
“They all claim they’re innocent,” the cop with the megaphone near Cindy stepped closer to her.
“You’re important to us, you have important information,” Cindy’s voice grew deeper through the megaphone as she called.
Suddenly Alana raised her head and stared straight down. “You’re right, I have important information,” she shrieked in the wind at the top of her lungs, “but you’ll never get it. Not now.”
Then she spun around and without warning, flung herself off the bridge into the fierce, merciless currents below.
“Jumped! Jumped! The suspect’s jumped,” the cops announced through their megaphones as they started running together to the water’s edge.
Cindy ran with them, trembling and sobbing as she got to the water and watched the ruthless current carrying Alana with it wherever it liked.
“Suspect down, suspect down,” the megaphones resonated as Mattheus ran up beside Cindy.
“She’s dead, she’s gone,” Cindy was sobbing.
Mattheus put his strong hands on Cindy’s shoulders. “There was nothing we could do, nothing,” Mattheus said softly.
Cindy turned and buried her face in his chest. “The ocean’s taking her away,” sobbed Cindy.
“The ocean knows best,” Mattheus whispered somberly. “Who are we to hold the currents back?”
*
In a few minutes a crew of police jumped into boats and piled out onto the water searching for Alana’s body. Mattheus and Cindy got back into the police car and drove with them to the station. A terrible silence filled the car as they drove.
“I’ve seen it before,” the cop driving finally spoke. “It never makes sense.”
Mattheus held Cindy’s hand more tightly.
“Let’s hope she’s at peace now,” Mattheus said, looking at Cindy sadly.
Impossible, thought Cindy. How can someone be at peace dying that way?
The car drove a little further and parked in front of the station.
“We’ll just stay a little while,” said Mattheus as he helped Cindy out of the car. “Then we’ll go back and unwind.” Despite his trying to stay strong for Cindy, she could see that Mattheus was shaken as well. Cindy was grateful that Mattheus was there, and grateful for his being the person he was. What more could she ask for, especially at a moment like this.
*
The police station was filled with a flurry of cops and reporters all trying to sort things out.
“We hear the administrator of the Ranges Hospital, Konrad Dalskin has been fired as well,” a reporter was shooting questions at one of the policemen.
“Correct,” the officer replied.
“Fired for what?” the reporter probed.
“According to what I’ve heard,” the cop continued, “the hospital administrator’s been implicated in the drug scheme as well.”
Cindy raised her eyebrows as she listened to this story. She didn’t believe a word of it, but it certainly took the focus off Tara’s death.
“Where is the hospital administrator now?” the reporter pursued.
“Konrad is presently in custody,” the cop went on. “He’s just been informed of the death of Alana and is momentarily out of control.”
“I’ve heard the two of them were in a personal relationship,” the reporter couldn’t stop.
“That’s what we’ve heard, too,” the police confirmed it.
“Will charges be placed against him?” the reporter continued.
“That’s yet to be seen,” the policeman was growing tired of the questions.
“And what about Owen Danden, suspect in his wife’s murder?” the reporter threw the cop a left curve then.
Cindy leaned in closely to hear what he said.
“Charges against Owen Danden are being dropped,” the cop announced briskly. “We have enough on the nurse who jumped now. It’s clear she’s responsible for the death of the comatose patient as well.”
Cindy’s heart started pounding. What was clear about it? This was a trumped up story concocted to close the case and get reporters off their back.
“There’s nothing clear about it,” Cindy said to Mattheus.