Death by Honeymoon

Chapter 9

Ann was diagnosed with a concussion, whiplash and a broken collarbone. They monitored her closely. This should have been me, Cindy kept thinking. I’m not supposed to be alive. For some odd reason, it didn’t surprise her, just woke her up and raised the ante. If she wanted to keep on living, she’d have to find out what was going on.

Cindy stayed at her sister’s bedside, holding her hand as they moved her to her own room . Above all, she was determined for Ann to get well. “You’re going to be fine,” she kept murmuring, as though it were a mantra.

Once Ann arrived in her room, Cindy had to sit on a chair in the corner as the nurses took over, moved Ann to a hospital bed, took her vital signs, set up her medication. As she sat there watching, Cindy turned the events over in her head.

No question about it, what happened in Barbados was far from over. Everything that happened since then was linked by a silver thread. Cindy had to trace that thread, pull on it a little, and everything would open up. The hostility with Clint’s family hadn’t ended, only grown worse. They were the only ones she knew that had access to her garage. They had to think it would be her driving. And who else would have that photo?

As Cindy traced the silver thread it kept pointing to the family again and again. And what about Clint? They were furious that he disregarded their advice about the marriage. Had one of them arranged for him to be kidnapped and killed when he went down to the beach? Was his body dumped on shore so it could be found and the case closed? Who had to gain most by that?

Cindy thought about Marge’s husband Ralph - how silent and sullen he usually was. Was he afraid that Clint’s marriage to Cindy would affect his position in the family or his inheritance? He’d come from a poor family, was obsessed with financial security. She wouldn’t put it past him. And Marge and Clint were never close .

Is that why Clint would never talk about the family? Could he have realized there was danger and not let it on? Had he kept all kinds of secrets from her? The idea of it horrified her, but she had to face the possibility, whether she liked it or not. The photo told her that something shady was lurking in his past. Was it possible that someone had a vendetta against him?

Cindy felt her world start to shake, as though there was no longer solid ground to stand on. She could not rest until she found out what really happened. Nothing else mattered anymore.

The door to the hospital room opened, and in walked Ann’s husband, Frank.

He had just flow in from Wisconsin, and he looked exhausted and frightened.

He and Cindy had never gotten on well. She’d always been an annoyance to him, seemed to take up too much of Ann’s time.

From his expression, it looked like he held Cindy responsible for Ann’s injuries .

Frank was a tall, heavy set man, who was street smart, did well in business, and cared deeply about his wife. He ran into the room the minute he got there to see Ann, barely saying hello to Cindy.

Cindy got up and went into the hall, to give them time alone together.

Standing in the hall, she thought how she never understood how Ann could have chosen Frank, or why the two of them were so close, but she was happy for her.

Cindy’s heart contracted as she felt how much she missed Clint . If he had been here, Ann would never have gotten hurt. Clint would have picked up Frank at the airport and by now, the four of them would be going out for Chinese food. Clint had always liked Frank. The emptiness Cindy felt gripped her deeply. How would she ever get over this? She wouldn’t.

She suddenly realized that it didn’t matter. Maybe it wasn’t about ever getting over it. It was about finding the truth, getting justice for Clint, stopping worse things from happening. There was no time for self-pity. She had a big job ahead.

When Frank finally came out into the hall, his face looked ashen. He actually looked older than Cindy had remembered.

“I’m so sorry about this, Frank,” Cindy said to him.

He just grunted.

“Ann will be fine.”

“Of course she’ll be fine,” he said briskly. “She has to stay in the hospital a while though. Then there will be rehab. This is a nightmare.”

“I don’t know how it happened,” Cindy murmured.

“What do you mean you don’t know? Your brakes failed. Didn’t you have your car checked?”

“It’s almost new. And I did.”

“Hell,” Frank couldn’t stand talking to her, “there’s always something happening around you, isn’t there?”

Cindy resented his comment. “Are you blaming me for the accident?”

“I’m not blaming anyone. I just said, there’s always something. It gets exhausting.”

“I’m sorry, Frank.”

“Sorry isn’t enough. I don’t see why you don’t just come back to Wisconsin when your sister’s better and give her some peace of mind?”

“I can’t. Not until I find out who killed Clint.”

Frank stopped cold in his tracks then. “You got to be kidding?”

“He didn’t die surfing.”

“What in hell are you talking about now? Did the police tell you something?”

“No. They don’t have to. I just know.”

“Know what?” Frank’s eyes were spinning. He was beginning to look ill.

“You know how the family couldn’t bear anyone of Clint’s girlfriends,” said Cindy.

“And?” Frank looked terrified.

“How do you think they felt about me taking him away from them for good? Just think about it for a minute.”

“Oh Jesus,” Frank called out. “You’re going nuts.”

“Whoever killed him, wants me dead, too. If I go back to Wisconsin, they’ll hunt me down there, too.”

“You’re completely crazy - paranoid!” he said.

“Just the opposite. I’m on the trail of something big. But I’m not safe anywhere until I find them. And, if I came to Wisconsin, you and Ann won’t be safe either.”

“You’re worse than I thought,” Frank finally uttered.

Then he suddenly made a beeline for the bathroom down the hall.

Cindy watched him run down the hall as the nurse came out of Ann’s room and tapped her on the shoulder.

“Come back in, this minute” she said, “your sister’s breathing is labored. She needs you there.”

Cindy sat at Ann’s side while she struggled for air. The sound of Ann’s breathing reminded Cindy of the strange birds she’d heard on Barbados, cawing through the trees in the dark of night. For a few moments, she wondered if complications were arising that could not be handled. Would Ann die?

Frank was nowhere to be found. After throwing up, he needed a break, and went downstairs to pace back and forth on the city streets. By the time he returned, things quieted down, and Cindy could leave the hospital. It was the middle of the night.

As Cindy walked through the deserted hospital parking lot, on her way to Clint’s small car, she suddenly heard footsteps.

She turned and searched the dimly lit lot, and felt a rush of fear race through her. Were they following her?

The footsteps grew louder, and Cindy hid behind a cement column. She watched and waited.

Finally, he came into a view. It was just a doctor, heading to his car.

Cindy breathed a huge sigh of relief. She chastised herself. Was she really losing it?

When Cindy got home, she could not get to sleep.

She rolled over in bed and took the Bible Tom Mallord had given her. She opened it randomly and began to read:

For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and what is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open.

Cindy sat up straight. That was beautiful. It was a sign. It was encouraging her to go forward, telling her the truth would be revealed .

If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.

Cindy shivered. She had ears to hear. Her ears, her mind, her heart had all been ripped open. She was listening with every pore of her body. Waiting to hear the next steps to take.