Death by Temptation (17 page)

Cindy immediately put a call into Mattheus. To her
distress, he didn’t answer. Instead his voice mail went on again.

“Mattheus, where are you?” asked Cindy, exasperated.
“You said you’d keep in touch. Call me immediately. I have incredible news. And
it’s urgent. The family can’t leave the island today.”

Cindy hung up and immediately dialed the police
station then. Thankfully, Abe picked up.

“Abe, it’s Cindy,” she blurted out. “Thank God you
picked up.”

“We haven’t been able to trace the call,” he said
quickly. “It’s camouflaged in lots of ways. Looks like a prank call.”

Cindy was distressed about that, but wanted to move
the conversation along. “Thanks for checking it out, Abe,” she went on. “But I
called about something else. Are you sitting down?”

“What’s going on?” Abe sounded uneasy.

“All bets are off now. Kara and Shane knew each
other,” Cindy spoke fervently. “I have a photo here of the two of them
together, smiling.”

There was a long moment of silence on the other end
of the phone. “They knew each other?” Abe sounded startled.

“There’s definite proof.” Cindy pushed forwarded.

Abe backtracked though. “So what if they knew each
other? That doesn’t prove anything.”

“It proves that Rowley lied to you,” said Cindy.

“Not necessarily,” Abe spoke hurriedly. “Rowley’s
not in the photo with Shane, is he? So, Kara knew Shane, so what? It doesn’t
mean that Rowley did.”

“It means there’s more to this than we thought,”
Cindy continued. “The two cases are obviously connected.”

“There’s nothing obvious about it,” Abe interrupted.
“You’re jumping to conclusions, Cindy. Shane is dead and Kara is missing. We
can’t keep searching for Kara forever. Right now we have to focus on Shane.”

That was an easy way out, thought Cindy. “But are
the police focusing on Shane’s murder, Abe, or will it go cold too soon?”
Cindy’s voice grew sharper.

“We’re doing all we can,” Abe shot back defensively.
“I’m not saying it isn’t interesting that the two women knew each other, but
interesting doesn’t amount to much. It’s the facts we need, and you know it.
This is purely circumstantial.”

“Okay.” Cindy pulled back abruptly. Obviously the
police had their own agendas and weren’t going to be much of a help. “Thanks,
Abe, I’ll let you know what else develops.”

“Nothing else is gonna develop.” Abe was adamant.
“Kara’s family’s leaving tonight. Let them start the healing process. Kara’s
case has gone cold.”

“From where I stand, Abe, both cases just heated
up,” Cindy retorted.

“No one’s hired you to look into Shane’s murder.”
Abe was getting riled up. “You don’t know how to let go, do you?”

“No, I don’t,” said Cindy. “That’s why the cases I
work on get solved. I don’t take no for an answer.”

Cindy hung up abruptly then and decided to go
straight to Rowley’s room and show the photograph to him. Let’s see how he
reacts to it, thought Cindy. Let’s see what he has to say. And if she was
fortunate, Mattheus would be there as well. This was a fantastic development
and Cindy wasn’t going to allow anyone to throw cold water over it.

Without waiting another moment, Cindy took the photo
and went straight to Rowley’s room. There was no need to let him know she was
coming, either. It would be better to take him by surprise. Cindy needed to see
his reaction before he had any time to prepare.

Fortunately, when she got to the room, as usual his
door was half ajar. This time Cindy pushed it open without knocking and went
in. When she entered, Rowley was sitting in a chair in the corner, his back to
her, looking out the window.

“Rowley, good morning,” said Cindy in an overly
cheerful tone, as if she were here on a casual visit.

Rowley spun around, startled. “What are you doing
here?”

“I thought I’d drop in for a moment,” said Cindy,
lightheartedly. She had no intention of giving him the slightest indication
anything at all was wrong. “I heard you’re all going home tonight.”

Rowley looked glum. “That’s the plan,” he said,
finally. “There’s nothing to be gained by waiting here any longer.”

“That has to be hard.” Cindy took a few steps closer
to him.

“Not harder than sitting here and waiting day after
day for a phone call that doesn’t come,” he murmured, obviously distressed.

“Awful,” Cindy agreed.

“Well, did you come over to say good-bye?” asked Rowley,
finally looking at Cindy and wondering what she was doing here.

“Yes,” said Cindy, “and I also wanted to check in
with Mattheus.”

“Oh, I see. Well, Mattheus should be back with Rod
in a little while. And my mom and dad are in their suite packing as we talk.”

“You have a great dad,” said Cindy.

“Thanks, he likes you a lot, too,” Rowley replied.
“Why don’t you sit down here and wait for Mattheus?”

“I will,” said Cindy, “but before Mattheus comes
back, I also have something that I want to show you.”

Rowley seemed only moderately interested. “What is
it?” he asked, not expecting much.

Without waiting another moment, Cindy dipped into
her bag and took out the envelope with the photo in it.

“I was actually shocked when I saw this,” Cindy went
on, as she opened the envelope slowly.

Rowley’s interest was slightly piqued. “What is it?”

Cindy quickly pulled out the photo of Kara and Shane
and held it in front of him.

Rowley looked at it and became dazed for a second.
Then he jolted backwards. “It’s Kara!” he breathed.

“Kara and Shane,” Cindy corrected him.

 “Where did you get this?” Rowley threw Cindy a
strange look.

“That’s not what matters,” said Cindy, not taking
her eyes off him for a second.

“Does this mean Kara’s alive?” Rowley’s eyes opened
wider.

“Not necessarily,” Cindy replied. “What’s important
here is that obviously Kara and Shane knew each other.”

Rowley didn’t say a word.

“In fact, from the look of this photo, they seem to
be friends.” Cindy wanted Rowley to take in the full impact of this.

Rowley reached for the photo, but Cindy wouldn’t let
go of it though. She held on tightly as he scanned it.

“Were you aware that Kara and Shane were friends?”
Cindy asked as he gazed at the picture.

“How could I know all of Kara’s friends or the
people she knew or worked with?” Rowley answered gruffly.

“You told the police that you and Kara did not know
Shane,” Cindy said bluntly.

“That’s right.” Rowley threw a cold glance at Cindy.
“And I meant what I said. I had no idea that Kara knew Shane. How was I supposed
to know that?”

“Kara was your fiancée.” Cindy wouldn’t let go.
“This photo is a game changer, Rowley.

You and your family cannot leave the island right
now.”

 “Why not?” Rowley’s jaw clenched.

“Because now that we know that Kara and Shane knew
each other, it is clear that the cases are intertwined. Whatever we find out
about one will lead to the other,” Cindy reported methodically.

“Has Mattheus seen this?” Rowley grew pale.

“Not yet,” said Cindy. “I couldn’t reach him on the
phone. The minute he comes back, I’ll show the photo to him.”

Rowley seemed suddenly knocked off balance and Cindy
wasn’t sure why. Was it painful seeing Kara again? Was it shocking to discover
that she knew the woman who’d just been murdered? Cindy couldn’t tell anything
from his expression, except that he looked disoriented.

“I’ll put in a call to Rod,” Rowley finally managed.
“I’ll tell him and Mattheus to get right up to the room.”

“I would appreciate that,” said Cindy, pleased that
Rowley was cooperating.

“Let me tell Rod and Mattheus to meet you downstairs
in the lobby,” Rowley continued as he went for his phone. “I’d rather be by
myself right now. This has been a hard day for me and that photo makes it even
harder.” Then he smiled and nodded at Cindy. “I’m sure you understand.”

Cindy understood that Rowley wanted time alone, but
she wasn’t entirely sure why. Did he want to tell his parents about this with
no one else present? Was he shaken to see Kara’s photo linked up with Shane?

“Of course,” Cindy answered quietly. “And I appreciate
your contacting Mattheus and Rod for me.

*

Cindy left Rowley’s room unsettled and went down to
the lobby to wait for Mattheus and Rod. She hadn’t seen Rod in a long while and
didn’t particularly look forward to seeing him again. She was also concerned
about how Mattheus would react to the photo. Would he agree that this was a
game changer? Would he stand by Cindy’s side?

By now it was almost lunch time and the lobby was
filled with guests milling around, beautifully dressed, talking and laughing
happily. They were mostly beautiful, young honeymooners, celebrating a time in
their life that was perfect and would most likely not come again.

As Cindy sat on a plush red sofa near the entrance
and waited, she watched the array of couples and thought about the breakfast
she and Mattheus had with Rowley and Kara just a few days ago. It was hard to
believe how much had happened since then. Would Rowley ever see Kara again? Was
she still alive somewhere on the island? Despite all odds, Cindy couldn’t help
but believe that she was close by, waiting to be found.

Cindy was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t
notice Mattheus and Rod come into the lobby until they actually stood right in
front of her.

“What’s the emergency?” Mattheus started. “We got a
call from Rowley.” He sounded distressed.

“Thanks for coming back so quickly,” Cindy said to
Mattheus. Then she threw a quick glance at Rod, who stood there obviously
irritated.

Cindy stood up quickly and reached into her bag.
“Something’s been brought to my attention that you have to be aware of
immediately, Mattheus.” Cindy spoke in a completely professional, clipped tone.
“It’s a complete game changer in the case.”

Mattheus looked curious as Cindy pulled the envelope
out of her bag. Rod looked as though he couldn’t care less, just slung back.

Cindy took out the photo and handed it to Mattheus.
“Here, take a look at this,” she said.

Mattheus glanced at the photo quickly. Soon he
looked as startled as Cindy felt. “Kara and Shane,” he whispered, “my God!” He
stared at the photo, bewildered.

“What did you say?” Rod practically growled, leaning
over to take a look.

“It’s Kara and Shane together,” Mattheus mouthed the
words slowly.

Rod just stared.

“They knew each other,” Mattheus continued, trying
to put the pieces together fast. “Were you aware of this, Rod?”

“What kind of question is that? Hell, no,” Rod
replied.

“Rowley told the police that neither he nor Kara
knew Shane,” Cindy reminded them.

“So what? Kara’s in the picture, not Rowley.” Rod
turned to Cindy condescendingly. “Kara knew Shane. That’s all this picture
says.”

Cindy and Mattheus exchanged a quick glance.

“Cindy’s right, this is a game changer, Rod,”
Mattheus had to agree. “I would say that the family needs to stay on the island
until we find out more about the relationship between the young women.”

“What’s the connection? I don’t get it.” Rod was
obviously ill at ease now. “Kara knew lots of people.”

But they didn’t turn up dead on the same beach she
disappeared from a few days before, thought Cindy. She didn’t want to say it
out loud though, for fear of upsetting Rod even further.

“Is this going to lead us to Kara?” Rod asked
Mattheus bluntly. “Is that why you want us to stay?”

“It could lead anywhere.” Mattheus was obviously as
affected by the photo as Cindy had been.

“Did you show this to Rowley?” Rod turned to Cindy
directly. “Is that why he called us?”

“Yes,” said Cindy. “I asked Rowley if he also knew
Shane. He said he didn’t.”

“Of course he didn’t,” Rod broke in, wanting to turn
the heat down. “Give the guy a break, won’t you? He’s been through hell as it
is. Why show him stuff like this and torture him more?”

“Because it could lead us straight to your
daughter,” said Cindy.

Rod’s face took on a desperate hue. “Nothing’s going
to lead us to my daughter again. Why raise false hopes? You think that’s right?
You think that’s fair?” He obviously couldn’t stand Cindy.

“Your daughter still could be alive.” Cindy stood
her ground.

“Not anymore.” Rod face grew darker. “I’m convinced
she drowned in an undertow.”

“She was a marathon swimmer.” Cindy took him on
directly

“That’s exactly why it happened,” Rod exclaimed.
“Like all women, Kara thought she was stronger and better than she was.
Whatever I said to her meant nothing. She always took

chances she never should have. Even when she was
little, no matter how rough the ocean was she couldn’t resist the temptation to
jump in. She must have done it again down here, but this time the water was
unforgiving. The tides pulled her out. She couldn’t fight them.”

“Rod knows his daughter,” Mattheus said sadly, his
eyes returning to the painful photo.

“Let’s go upstairs and hang out with Rowley,” Rod
burst out. “After seeing this picture, the poor guy must be climbing the calls.
He could use some male backup right now.”

“Rowley said he wanted time alone,” Cindy broke in.

“Yeah, he always says that,” Rod nodded, “but the
guy doesn’t know what he really needs now. How could he? He just lost his wife
on the honeymoon. It doesn’t get much worse than that.”

Cindy and Mattheus nodded in agreement and the three
of them walked together to the elevator without saying another word. As they
walked, Cindy glanced at Mattheus, pleased to see that he looked as perturbed
as she felt.

The silence continued as they rode up to their
floor. Each of them was probably turning the photo over in their minds, thought
Cindy. They had to be wondering where it would lead them, if it were even
remotely possible that Kara was still alive.

As soon as the elevator stopped on Rowley’s floor,
they got out and walked down the hall quickly. This time when they arrived at
the room, though, to everyone’s surprise, the door was shut.

“That’s strange,” said Rod.

“Rowley probably meant what he said,” said Cindy,
“he wants to be alone.”

“Right now it doesn’t matter what he wants, I’m
going in.” Rod pushed the door, but it didn’t budge.

“Let me open it,” said Mattheus, stepping in front
of Rod and jostling the door knob. It still remained shut tight. “He must have
locked it.” Mattheus was disgruntled.

“Why?” asked Rod. “He never did that before.”

All kinds of reasons, thought Cindy.

“It doesn’t matter, we’ll get in anyway,” Rod continued.
“I’ve got a key.”

Rod fumbled in his pocket, pulled out a hotel card,
slid it through the slot, and finally kicked the door open.

The three of them rushed in quickly, but no one was
there. The room was empty. The silence was deafening. Oh God, thought Cindy,
chilled, he’s run away.

“Where the hell are you, Rowley,” Rod called out in
a hoarse voice, “in the bathroom?”

Mattheus rushed to the bathroom and pulled open the
door. Nobody was there. He then yanked open another door of the suite, ran in, and
came out quickly.

“Rowley’s taken off,” Mattheus pronounced.

Cindy trembled. Rowley’d escaped as soon as he’d
heard the news, she thought.

“Slow down, cool it,” Rod insisted. “He’s probably
in his parents’ room. I’ll put in a call.”

Rod called Rowley’s parents immediately. Rowley
wasn’t there and they were equally horrified to hear that he was gone. Rod
looked shaky as he spoke to them. “It’s okay, it’s okay, he probably went
downstairs to get something to eat. He was probably sick of sitting in here
alone.” Rod tried to calm them.