Portrait

Photos

Year of death : 1988

Profession : Secret agent

J.A. Preston :
December 23 1987 (# 853) to March 17 1988 (# 912)

Former superior of Cruz in the INID, Richard Matthews is a character of the past who today went over to the other side, possessing in the meanders of his memory many secrets. Today, he is also Andrea Bedford's superior, with whom he tries to hide his passage to the enemy. If yesterday, he was on the side of the United States, today he is associated with Kathleen and he is in the pay of dark forces which wish to destabilize the relations between the United States and South American countries.

Richard finds the center stage in Hawaii, while Eden and Cruz make the most of a few days of holidays. Having lost nothing of his secret agent's habits, he asks Cruz by message to find him alone to detail him his new mission. Richard explains him that because of the circumstances, he has no other choices that to request him. His mission seems very simple : to find his former team member who has to come back soon to the United States and to intercept him. This man is Harry Winslow. Richard explains him that four years earlier, Harry made a commitment in the KGB and it cost the life to ten agents.

Their new association is sealed in a bar : 100 000 dollars to prevent Harry from acting, even if it means killing him, just before that Cruz goes back to Santa Barbara. Previously, Richard orchestrates a car accident for Cruz, to be able to implant him a chip allowing to localize him at any time.

It is in Santa Barbara where he returns then, during the investigation on Harry's murder. He comes to rescue Cruz, then questioned by district attorney Keith Timmons. Richard plays with his relations, which go up to the summit of the authorities : indeed, he phones to the president of the United States so that he orders to the district attorney to obey the requests of his agent, in the name of the National Security. The truth is quite different, and Cruz is going to discover at the risk of his life that Richard is a traitor. The suitcase which Richard gives to Cruz in payment for his mission, explodes a few seconds later. Richard has no other solutions than to order to eliminate Cruz, as his cover crumbles off from seconds till seconds and as his treason became obvious.

He flies away for Mexico to find his real ally, Kathleen alias the Fox, who admits him the failure of her mission. If he succeeds in kidnapping Eden, Andrea and Cain, he cannot prevent Cruz from releasing his friends and from arresting him. In the plane which sends him back to the United States, he tries to exchange his secrets (who killed Andrea's father) for his freedom. He takes advantage to go to the toilets to jump in parachute from the plane, where he deadly hurts himself. Before dying, he is found by Andrea, to whom he confides that her friend, Cruz Castillo, is the murderer of her father, when he was working in Baghdad.

Although he is a character of past knowing many secrets, Richard will briefly have crossed Santa Barbara, without delivering all of them. The revelation on the murderer of Andrea's father will simply allow strengthening Cruz in his straight and upright personality. We would have hoped that Richard could deliver us other secrets, for example revelations on actions and investments of the past between ambassador Bedford and C.C. Capwell...

Portrait written for this site by Lilian

Read also : Chase after the Fox