“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.

“Shhhh,” Mattheus said, “it’s over. Let’s hear what else they have to say.”

The rest of the interview covered basic details. The cop was not at liberty to say when Owen would be released, but it would be very soon, most likely today.

“How does Owen feel about it?” the reporter continued.

“Elated,” the policeman reported, “vindicated. Owen praised the wonderful detective work of C and M Investigations as well.”

Cindy flushed all over when she heard that. What wonderful work was he referring to, their getting Alana killed?

“We’re coming to the finish line,” Mattheus whispered.

But the image of the current racing away with Alana’s body would not leave Cindy’s mind. Had Alana deserved a fate like that? And there was something else Alana had to tell them? What could it have been? Now they would never know.

“Okay, that about sums it up for today,” the cop held his hand up towards reporters. “We’ll have another press conference later on, when we have more information. Right now the headline is that the suspect is dead, Owen is being released and big administrative changes are coming in the hospital administration. All’s well that ends well.”

Ends well? Cindy couldn’t believe what she was hearing. How could he say this ended well? A young woman was dead, floating in murky waters. The man who loved her had lost everything, his beloved, his job and his grip on life. What exactly had ended well?

“Owen will most likely be released today,” Mattheus leaned closer to Cindy.

“Okay,” Cindy echoed.

“We’ll go see him at the Villa after he’s free,” said Mattheus.

“One thing after another,” Cindy murmured, dreading going back to the Villa, not wanting to see Tara’s family again.

“What are you saying?” asked Mattheus.

“I don’t know exactly, I’m just devastated,” Cindy mumbled.

“Devastation’s part of the job,” Mattheus concurred. “We’ve got to take devastation along with everything else that comes our way.”

Chapter 20

When Cindy and Mattheus entered the Villa, the family was gathered around Owen, hugging him, talking, sighing. Despite the awful events there was almost a sense of gaiety in the air. Tara’s brother, Hank, held onto the back of Owen’s jacket and Tara’s mother, Isabelle, clung to him fiercely. It was all she had left of her daughter now.