all the time I was asking myself
how this could have happened.”
Paula saw his
eyes cloud up and she felt moved. “It must have been a terrible feeling.”
“It was,” he
said softly. “You know, Heather and I met soon after she had arrived in Ghana. I
saw her swimming laps in the pool and I complimented her. We chatted for a
while, and when she found out that I’d been a triathlete and swimming trainer,
she asked if I would help her work on her stamina and speed. Of course, I said
yes.”
This was new
information for Paula. “You swam together?”
“Most of the
time I’d stand at the side of the pool and time her,” Miedema said, miming the
use of a stopwatch, “or use a camera to take shots that we could analyze later—not
that she had a lot to improve on. She was very good, but she was getting even
better. We did race every once in a while for the fun of it.”
“When did you find
the time to do all this?” Paula asked. “I imagine you’re very busy.”
“In the
evenings, mostly. I swim regularly in the mornings, but Heather said that would
be too much of a rush for her.”
“The papers
reported that you found Heather naked,” Paula said, finding it awkward to bring
this up with a man she had only just met.
He nodded,
looking almost as uncomfortable.
“Forgive me for
asking so many questions,” she said hastily, trying to put him at ease, “but
you see, Heather was very dear to us at the Academy. We’re all trying to
understand what could have happened. The nakedness alone…well, it’s just
incomprehensible.”
He met her eyes
squarely. “I’m with you. I’ve been going over that question in my mind and
thinking back on the events on Monday. I woke up at five forty, my usual time. As
I got to the pool, I saw her body at the bottom near the deep end. I dived in
and within a few seconds I brought her up and out onto the side, where I
started to do CPR. But she was cold and stiff, so I knew I was too late.”
“Did you notice
if her clothing was anywhere around the pool?”
“I could have
missed it in the excitement, but I didn’t see anything.” Miedema let out a long
sigh. “I don’t know how to make any sense of it. Why was she naked in the pool
without any sign of clothing around? Even if she was drunk or tipsy, I can’t
imagine her leaving her room naked. That wasn’t like her.”
Paula paused
before phrasing her next question. “Mr. Miedema, I know this may sound a little
strange, but were you aware of anyone who might have wanted to harm Heather? Or
even kill her?”
He
contemplatively chewed on the inside of his cheek. “Look, I’m not making any
accusations, but I think she was having trouble with the gentleman she was
seeing. I’m aware he works at your school, Paula, so I don’t want to offend
anyone.”
“You won’t,”
she replied easily. “When you say ‘having trouble,’ what do you mean?”
“I don’t know how
bad it was,” Miedema said, “but I can tell you that on Sunday evening, when I
was coming back to the chalet from dinner at the hotel restaurant, I saw Heather
arguing with him near the hibiscus bushes over by the pool—what’s his name
again?”
“Oliver,” Paula
said. “Did you hear what they were saying?”
“Not all of it,
but at one point Heather said something like, ‘I don’t want to do this
anymore.’ ”
“Oliver
didn’t…hit her or anything violent like that?” Paula asked, almost wincing with
the fear that the answer might be ‘yes.’
Miedema shook
his head. “No—not that I saw, at least.”
She felt
relieved. “Did you hear any commotion or disturbance much later that night, by
any chance? Maybe by the pool?”
“I wish I had,”
he said regretfully, “but the way the chalets are built, the two bedrooms are located
to the rear, so there could be a pool party going on and I would hear little or
nothing.”
Lost in their
individual thoughts, they were all quiet for a moment until Paula thought
how this could have happened.”
Paula saw his
eyes cloud up and she felt moved. “It must have been a terrible feeling.”
“It was,” he
said softly. “You know, Heather and I met soon after she had arrived in Ghana. I
saw her swimming laps in the pool and I complimented her. We chatted for a
while, and when she found out that I’d been a triathlete and swimming trainer,
she asked if I would help her work on her stamina and speed. Of course, I said
yes.”
This was new
information for Paula. “You swam together?”
“Most of the
time I’d stand at the side of the pool and time her,” Miedema said, miming the
use of a stopwatch, “or use a camera to take shots that we could analyze later—not
that she had a lot to improve on. She was very good, but she was getting even
better. We did race every once in a while for the fun of it.”
“When did you find
the time to do all this?” Paula asked. “I imagine you’re very busy.”
“In the
evenings, mostly. I swim regularly in the mornings, but Heather said that would
be too much of a rush for her.”
“The papers
reported that you found Heather naked,” Paula said, finding it awkward to bring
this up with a man she had only just met.
He nodded,
looking almost as uncomfortable.
“Forgive me for
asking so many questions,” she said hastily, trying to put him at ease, “but
you see, Heather was very dear to us at the Academy. We’re all trying to
understand what could have happened. The nakedness alone…well, it’s just
incomprehensible.”
He met her eyes
squarely. “I’m with you. I’ve been going over that question in my mind and
thinking back on the events on Monday. I woke up at five forty, my usual time. As
I got to the pool, I saw her body at the bottom near the deep end. I dived in
and within a few seconds I brought her up and out onto the side, where I
started to do CPR. But she was cold and stiff, so I knew I was too late.”
“Did you notice
if her clothing was anywhere around the pool?”
“I could have
missed it in the excitement, but I didn’t see anything.” Miedema let out a long
sigh. “I don’t know how to make any sense of it. Why was she naked in the pool
without any sign of clothing around? Even if she was drunk or tipsy, I can’t
imagine her leaving her room naked. That wasn’t like her.”
Paula paused
before phrasing her next question. “Mr. Miedema, I know this may sound a little
strange, but were you aware of anyone who might have wanted to harm Heather? Or
even kill her?”
He
contemplatively chewed on the inside of his cheek. “Look, I’m not making any
accusations, but I think she was having trouble with the gentleman she was
seeing. I’m aware he works at your school, Paula, so I don’t want to offend
anyone.”
“You won’t,”
she replied easily. “When you say ‘having trouble,’ what do you mean?”
“I don’t know how
bad it was,” Miedema said, “but I can tell you that on Sunday evening, when I
was coming back to the chalet from dinner at the hotel restaurant, I saw Heather
arguing with him near the hibiscus bushes over by the pool—what’s his name
again?”
“Oliver,” Paula
said. “Did you hear what they were saying?”
“Not all of it,
but at one point Heather said something like, ‘I don’t want to do this
anymore.’ ”
“Oliver
didn’t…hit her or anything violent like that?” Paula asked, almost wincing with
the fear that the answer might be ‘yes.’
Miedema shook
his head. “No—not that I saw, at least.”
She felt
relieved. “Did you hear any commotion or disturbance much later that night, by
any chance? Maybe by the pool?”
“I wish I had,”
he said regretfully, “but the way the chalets are built, the two bedrooms are located
to the rear, so there could be a pool party going on and I would hear little or
nothing.”
Lost in their
individual thoughts, they were all quiet for a moment until Paula thought
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