Death by Obsession Read Online Free PDF Page B

said Mattheus.
    “What are you saying, Mattheus?” Cindy was aghast.
     “Look,” Mattheus answered, “if you dig hard enough
you can always find something about everybody. Who doesn’t have a wrinkle in
their past?”
    “This is more than a wrinkle,” Cindy exclaimed. “Lynch
has a secret life.”
    “I wouldn’t put it that way,” Mattheus objected. “The
guy had a girlfriend and they slipped up, they had a child. This isn’t the
first time it’s happened and it won’t be the last. It’s not exactly a tragedy,
is it? After all, the guy’s stepping up, taking care of both of them.”
    Cindy felt her jaw drop in amazement. Why was
Mattheus making light of it?  Cindy had no idea.
    “Lynch has a child that he’s keeping a secret from
everyone,” Cindy said emphatically.
    “We don’t know that for sure,” said Mattheus. “And
even if he has, so what?”
    “So what?” Cindy echoed. “Are you nuts?”
    Mattheus laughed. “I don’t get why you’re so heated
about this,” he said. “It’s not like the guy’s a killer, with a slew of bodies
left behind.”
    “Lynch is getting married in a couple of days, and
his bride doesn’t know that he has a child,” Cindy exclaimed.
    “So what?” Mattheus looked at Cindy, slightly
bewildered.
    “So what?” Cindy echoed again. “So, if he can keep a
secret like this, who knows what else he’s hiding. The guy can’t be trusted.”
    “That’s going too far,” Mattheus eyes narrowed.  “Look,
he has a kid that his family would obviously frown upon. He’s ashamed of it.”
    “That’s not a reason to lie and hide him,” Cindy
said.
    “It’s human,” said Mattheus, “it’s not a crime. There’s
no reason to string him up for it and ruin the rest of his life.”
    Cindy felt confused. Was Mattheus implying that the
truth about his past would ruin Lynch’s life?  Mattheus wasn’t being clear
about this, or even rational. Was he saying that it was okay to keep his child
secret, not include him in his life? That would be abandonment.
    “And what about Tara?” Cindy went on. “What will
happen when she finds out down the road that her husband has a secret child?”
    “Why does she have to find out?” Mattheus asked gruffly.
    Cindy felt amazed. “A secret like this between a
husband and wife is okay?”
    Mattheus’s face flushed as he grew irritated. “Of
course it’s okay. It’s natural. Who does it hurt? Does a guy have to divulge
every last thing he’s ever done to the woman he marries?”
    Cindy couldn’t even grasp the question. “Of course he
does,” said Cindy. “There’s no room for hiding and lies in a marriage.”
    “We’re obviously not on the same page about this,”
Mattheus grumbled.
    “That’s putting it mildly,” said Cindy as the warmth
of the day disappeared in an instant, and she
    felt a cold chill go up her arms and neck. Where could they go from
here? If Mattheus felt it was okay for Lynch to behave this way, who knew what
he also felt was fine for himself?  “I, for one, would never marry or trust a
man who felt this way,” Cindy continued. “If I found out later on, during my
marriage about a secret child, it would have a terrible effect.”
    “Would you leave?” asked Mattheus gruffly.
    “Of course I would,” said Cindy, “in a flash.”
    “Then how could you be trusted?” Mattheus countered.
    “How could I be trusted?” asked Cindy. “You’re
turning this completely around.
    Mattheus took a deep breath and sighed loudly. “Men
and women,” he muttered, “two different species.”
    Was Mattheus back to that now? Seeing women as
impossible creatures he could never understand, or trust. Cindy felt her body
tighten into a knot.
    “I thought we’d come far from that point, Mattheus,” said
Cindy quietly, looking directly into his eyes.
    “Listen,” Mattheus tried to regroup. “I’m just saying
let’s give this guy a chance to have a life and go forward. There’s no reason
to ruin