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her
sister. A deep pit filled her stomach at the thought of not having Ann around. It
made her feel completely unanchored. But she couldn’t allow herself to dwell
upon that now. This was the time to stay focused and clear. She owed that to
Ann, at the very least.
    “What’s
next on the agenda?” Trage asked, as the two of them walked down the hall, away
from the room they were holding Frank in.
    “Next,
I’m going to see my sister,” said Cindy, her voice suddenly dropping.
    Trage
was momentarily taken aback. “See your sister?”
    “I
want to go to the morgue,” said Cindy, growing more resolute.
    Trage
grimaced noticeably. “There’s no need for it. Ann’s body has been identified.”
    “But
I need to see her,” Cindy demanded.
    “Why?”
asked Trage.
    “Because
I love her,” the words spilled out of Cindy. “I want to see her, to say
good-bye.”
    Trage
put his hand on her shoulder. “There’s lots of ways to say good-bye. I don’t
think it’s not a good idea for you to see her in the morgue.”
    “I’m
going anyway,” Cindy insisted.
    “I’ll
take you there if you insist,” said Trage, “but, first let me ask you one thing.”
    “What?”
asked Cindy, impatient.
    “Don’t
you think it’s a good idea for you to call your partner down to help you with a
case like this?” Trage asked tentatively.
    Cindy
stopped cold. “Mattheus is busy with another case,” she repeated, not meeting
Trage’s eyes.
    “But
this isn’t just another case. I’d say this was an emergency,” Trage broke in. “The
victim’s your sister. I’m sure he would want to be down here to help you with
it.”
    Cindy
suddenly paused. Yes, of course, Mattheus would want to help her with this, but
Cindy didn’t know if she could ask him. She wasn’t even sure if they were still
a team. Right now he was with Andrea and Petra. Cindy had no idea if Mattheus
was getting back with Petra; if he wanted them to become a real family. If that
was happening, Cindy couldn’t bear having him around, ever.
    “Thanks
for the suggestion,” said Cindy, “I’ll think it over.”
    Trage
looked surprised. “Think it over? This is an emergency in your life, Cindy.”
    Cindy
suddenly realized how difficult it must be for Trage and the other cops to deal
with a detective who was investigating her own sister’s death. They’d probably
feel much better if Mattheus was around, with a cooler had.
    “I’ve
been through other emergencies before,” Cindy stood taller. “When my husband
was killed on our honeymoon in Barbados, I handled the investigation myself. No
one even thought it was a murder. They all thought it was an accident, and I
didn’t even know Mattheus then. I just pushed forward on my own and found his
killer.”
    Trage
whistled under his breath. “I’m sorry,” he  said, “I had no idea.”
    “I
can do this on my own again,” Cindy went on.
    Trage
looked at her with admiration, “I respect you Cindy, I l really do,” he replied.
“I had no idea about your husband being killed. I’ll do whatever works for
you.”

Chapter 5
     
     
    Neither
Trage nor Cindy said a word in the car as they drove to the morgue. Though it
was a short drive through thick underbrush, time seemed to stretch out forever.
They day, which had started out sunny, quickly grew overcast as well, only adding
to the gloom. It was unusual weather for this time of year.
    “It’s
too early for the hurricane season, isn’t it?” Cindy said to Trage, wiping the
perspiration from her forehead, as the stultifying humidity rose.
    “Yes,
it is,” he nodded. “The official hurricane season is from June through
November, but the humidity can rise quite a bit in May.  Some people have
difficulty with it,” and he looked over at Cindy. “Heat stroke, rashes -.”
    Cindy
didn’t want to hear anymore. “It’s fine, it’s nothing,” she stopped him. “At
least I can feel hot and sweaty – Ann can’t feel anything