And as far as all of your theories about DGB and the sudden death of Greg…”
“Hamden,” Cindy said.
He wrote it down. “Hamden, right…well, I’m not promising anything, but I’ll look into it,” he relented.
“I don’t know how to thank you,” Cindy said.
“Don’t thank me yet,” he said. “Let’s see what you come up.”
Cindy stood.
“One more thing,” he added.
She stopped and turned.
“If there was some sort of cover up down there, you might be walking into the hornet’s nest. If the local police were paid off, if they had a hand in falsifying evidence, then don’t go looking to them for help.”
Cindy swallowed, nervous. She hadn’t thought of that.
“But then…” she began, “who can I turn to?”
“Just keep your head low, get what you need, and come back,” he said. “But if you find yourself in any kind of trouble, get to the U.S. Embassy. And call me from there.”
Cindy’s heart pounded in her chest, as she wondered how badly all of this could go.
Chapter 20
Cindy raced home in Clint’s car, anxious to pack her things and catch the next plane she could to Barbados. The FBI agent was right: she’d never get the answers she really wanted unless she went back there. And no one else was going to do it for her. If she really wanted to solve this, to honor Clint’s life, if she really wanted to put this all to rest, she’d just have to go back.
The more she thought about it, The more she realized that this would also give her a chance to go back to where she and Clint had been so happy. She realized that a part of her had been longing for this—to be back in the place where they were happy, to be able to pick up where they’d left off.
She’d book a room in the same hotel, talk to the staff, see the Coroner, find out the exact condition of Clint’s body. All things she hadn’t been able to do before. She would go to the beach where he had gone surfing and tell him herself.
Cindy pulled into the driveway, anxious to get rolling and check the available flights. Excited, she ran to the door, opened it up and walked into the house.
A cold wave of fear gripped her.
The place was turned upside down. Tables were knocked over, a curtain torn, magazines scattered on the floor, her favorite vase smashed . Someone had broken in.
She ran into Clint’s study. All his files were gone - along with his computer.
Thank God she still had the thumb drive, and had left hard copies safe with the FBI.
She ran into the bedroom to see if her computer was gone too. She’d taken to keeping it under the bed, so she could reach for it in the middle of the night. Miraculously, it was still there.
Cindy immediately reached for the phone and called Officer Fenlen. To her great relief, he picked up.
“Someone broke into my house,” she told him immediately. “They grabbed all the files.”
Fenlen was quiet.
“I’m scared.”
“Call the local police. File a report. And get yourself to Barbados. I’ll inform the U.S. consulate that you’re coming. Stay in close touch.”
Chapter 21
Cindy booked the first flight that was available, a late night flight that was half empty, and leaving that very night.
When she got to the airport, she felt as though she were going back in time. She and Clint had also taken a late night flight, that left right after the wedding.
“It went great, it went great,” he kept saying, his arms around her, kissing her.
“I never thought we’d have such a wonderful time. And our families were also happy. My father and your mother talked a long time. The band was better than I ever thought it would be. And did you see Al dancing?”
Cindy had smiled and smiled. She was exhausted but completely content. She now had all that she had ever wanted. She couldn’t wait to get to the beach and lay together on the sand, away from everyone.
As they’d boarded the plane, Clint kept talking and laughing. He was probably a little high, she’d thought, from all the champagne.
“Do you have any idea how much I love you?” he kept whispering in Cindy’s ear, over and over during the flight. It was as though he’d climbed Mt. Everest and finally reached the top.
Cindy wasn’t sure why he loved her so much, but was happy to hear it, able for the first time in her life, to take it in. She was sure they had a lifetime of trips like this ahead of them.
Now she slept alone on the plane most of the way. It felt good being in the air, leaving the mess in the city behind. But she was also nervous about what lay ahead of her.
As the plane flew through the air, she dreamt of Clint. She dreamt that they were on their honeymoon, drinking champagne. They were back at the hotel, with soft ocean breezes soothing them. Then, out of the corner of her eye, Cindy saw a small, pocked marked man, carrying a tray with food for them. The tray was made out of the skin of dead snakes. Cindy shuddered and let out a little scream. The man dropped the tray and started running over the rocks, out to the shore, as the snakes slithered wildly all over the floor.
Cindy awoke suddenly on the plane and reached out for Clint’s hand, thinking they were still together. But the seat next to her was empty. She shook her head, turned and looked, and then fell back into a restless sleep.
“Prepare for landing,” Cindy was awakened by the sound of the stewardess voice over the loudspeaker. “We will be descending in about fifteen minutes. “
Cindy couldn’t believe they were about to land. She sat up and began to gather her things. Through the plane window she could see the early morning light begin to rise. A new day.
She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She had no idea how much she’d wanted to be back here. She felt so close to Clint, returning to Barbados, as though nothing had changed, as though the world was stable and filled with joy.
The landing was smooth, and as the plane was half empty it took no time getting off. Cindy went down a shaky plank, got a cup of coffee to take with her at a nearby stand, and walked to the luggage rack to wait for her baggage.
Soon the turnstile began to spill out the few pieces the plane had carried. Cindy watched the passengers pick up their luggage in the still sleepy airport. Hers came last. She took it and went outside to get a cab.
As she walked to the taxi line, the warm, salty air washed over her, relaxing her muscles and bringing a smile to her face. With all that had happened, it was still wonderful being here. Cindy shook her hair out and let it fall loosely to her shoulders as she looked up at the sky. It was soft blue, with light clouds drifting playfully overhead. She felt so at home here in the Caribbean, as if this were exactly where she belonged.
As she waited a few moments for a cab, she wondered if she would get the same driver she and Clint had before.
She didn’t. A tall, thin young man, drove up. He got out of the cab, put her luggage in the back as she got in.
“El Barado Hotel,” she said.
Just as the driver on their honeymoon, this one stopped, turned around and looked at her oddly. “You sure?”
“Very sure.”
“You know where you’re going?”
