Peggy Dulle - Liza Wilcox 03 - Secrets at Sea

by Peggy Dulle

  “That’s what sidekicks do, Teach. Is there anything else you need me to look into?” he asked.

  “Can you look up everything that’s written on my parents’ accident?” I pulled the curtain aside. Tom leaned against the railing and stared at the ocean.

  “Sure, what do you hope to find?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe something will give me a clue as to why they went to Oregon, to begin with.”

  “Okay, I’ll call you when I’ve got the information.”

  “How’s my dog doing?” I asked.

  “She’s been relatively quiet today. I think she finally figured out you’re not coming back every time she hears a car.”

  “My dog’s depressed?”

  “Yeah, do they make doggy Prozac?”

  “I don’t know, check with the vet. She’s really being quiet?” I asked.

  “Yes, except for when the delivery van came.”

  “What delivery van?”

  “Your neighbors must have bought something.”

  “The Olsens?”

  “I guess so. A delivery van was there early this morning.”

  “Well, that’s unusual. The Olsens haven’t bought anything new in twenty years. Maybe they’re finally going to buy a dryer. Mrs. Olsen still hangs their wet clothes on the lines in their backyard.”

  “I don’t know what she bought, but the guys were there for over an hour. They must have been hooking up something. Shelby barked the entire time; I couldn’t even get her to shut-up for doggie treats.”

  “That’s unusual, Shelby loves her treats. Thanks for the info, Justin and I’ll talk to you soon.”

  “Okay, Teach, keep the sheriff’s phone handy. I’m waiting for an email back from someone with more information on your parents’ flight.”

  Justin hung up and I set the phone down on side table next to the small couch. I went out and wrapped my arms around him. He kissed me on my head and engulfed me in his arms. We stood there for a long time.

  I looked up. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” he said. “Our talk brought back the old memories. Pamela and I were together for eight years before we got married and then it all fell apart.”

  “No, you grew apart. It happens. You start out wanting the same things and then something changes and so do you. It’s nobody’s fault, it just happens.”

  “But I was the one who rushed her to marry me. I guess I’m doing that again,” he said and put his chin on top of my head.

  “I’m not a twenty-two year old college graduate who hasn’t experienced life without you, Tom. You won’t be the entirety of my world nor will I change my interests or friends for you.”

  He smiled. “Oh, come on, you don’t want to go hunting with me?”

  “No. and you better not bring any little creature pieces home and stick them on our walls either.”

  He laughed and hugged me tighter. “Okay, no creature pieces, but what about whole animals?”

  “Oh, yuck!” I said.

  Brian stuck his head out the balcony door. He frowned. “We’ve got a problem.”

  Chapter 26

  “What’s up?” Tom let go of me and started toward Brian.

  “Remember I told you I had somebody watching her house?”

  “Sure.” Tom nodded.

  “Wait a minute,” I said. “Who’s watching my house?”

  “Ever since you told me about the pictures, I’ve had people watching your house.”

  “Why?” I asked.

  “Normally, people have negatives of their pictures,” Brian explained. “I thought someone might try to find them there.”

  “You wanted someone to break into my house?”

  “I want to catch the perps and it was the perfect opportunity. The house is empty.”

  I shrugged. “Those were my mom’s pictures and I don’t have the negatives.”

  “I know that because Tom told me,” Brian replied. “But I was hoping the person who stole the pictures didn’t.”

  “Okay, so what happened at my house?”

  “Your neighbors had a delivery this morning.”

  “Yeah, I know. The Olsens bought something.”

  “How’d you know?” Brian exclaimed. “I just found out a few minutes ago.”

  “I have my source.” I smiled. “Mrs. Olsen hasn’t bought anything in years. When she buys something, it’s news. Let’s hope she got something nice.”

  Brian shook his head. “She didn’t. The van was parked in front of her house, but the two guys went into yours.”

  “Somebody broke into Liza’s house?” Tom barked.

  “Somebody went into my house!” I shouted.

  Brian held his hand up. “Both of you, calm down. Yes, somebody went into your house. Your house now looks like the pictures I’ve seen of your hotel room.”

  “I want to go home,” I told Tom and dragged my suitcase out from under the bed.

  “Wait,” Brian said. “I’ve already sent a crew to clean up the mess. You won’t even know anything happened there.”

  I looked at Tom. “Somebody broke into my house to get what? The pictures are all gone and I don’t have the negatives.”

  “Is there anything else important you have that belonged to your mom and dad?” Brian suggested.

  “I didn’t even know the pictures were important. How would I know something else was?” I demanded.

  “I don’t know. I was just hoping.” He turned to Tom. “I need to talk to you.”

  “Sure,” Tom said. “What?”

  “No, not here.” Brian nodded toward the door between our suites. “Come on over to my room.”

  “And leave me all alone?” I whined. “I might get mugged in my own bed, remember?”

  Not that I was afraid. If they left the room, I wouldn’t hear the latest information, and the chance of coercing it from Tom later was slim to none since I’d promised not to use Dorian as leverage.

  “You’ll be fine, Liza,” Brian insisted.

  Tom paused. “I’m not leaving her alone, Brian. What ever you’ve got to tell me, you can say in front of her.”

  “No.” Brian reached into his back pocket, flipped out a set of handcuffs and secured my left wrist to the bed’s headboard.

  “Hey!” I shouted.

  “Take those off her, Brian.”

  “No, I need to talk to you and she needs to stay safe. This works for both of us.” Brian turned. “Now, come on over to my room.”

  “Tom Owens,” I kept my voice level and calm, but I was seething underneath. “You better not leave me handcuffed to this bed.”

  Tom looked at me and then at Brian. “Let her go. I’ll come over.”

  “No, just leave her here.” Brian went toward the door.

  “Tom?” I narrowed my eyes.

  “I’ll be right back, Liza. Sit tight for a minute.” Tom followed Brian into his room and closed the door.

  Of all the nerve! Handcuffing me to a bed and leaving me here!

  Someone knocked at the door. I grabbed a blanket, threw it over the handcuffs to hide them and said, “Come in.”

  A cabin steward stuck his head in and said, “I’m sorry to disturb you, Miss. I just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Enrique and I take care of the rooms on this deck. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to call on me.”

  Did he have a handcuff key? Probably not. “Thank you Enrique. It’s nice to meet you.”

  As Enrique bowed and turned to leave, Emily came in. “Hi, Liza.”

  I sat up and smoothed the blanket. “Hey, Emily. What did you do today in Puerto Vallarta?”

  “We took a Catamaran and went snorkeling. It was fun. What about you?”

  “Horseback riding.”

  “The one where you swim in the water on the horse?”

  “Yes.”

  “I wanted to do that but Jack said his butt couldn’t take a four-hour horse ride.”

  I laughed.

  “I’m going to H
igh Tea, would you like to come?”

  “What’s that?”

  “They serve hot tea and little sandwiches and desserts.”

  “I’d love to, I just have one problem.” I held up my hand and the blanket fell off revealing the handcuffs.

  Emily laughed and shook her head. “Been playing games, I see.”

  I blushed even though Tom and I hadn’t and she laughed.

  “Cops and their damn cuffs.”

  “Yeah, well. I don’t have the key.”

  “That’s okay, you want me to get them off?”

  “Yes, that would be nice.”

  “Before I married Jack, I dated a cop who had an addiction to cuffing me to all sorts of immovable objects. Do you have a bobby pin?”

  “Yes, Carmelita used about fifty on my hair two nights ago.”

  “Great.”

  I pointed toward the vanity with the hand that wasn’t connected to the bed. “They’re probably by the mirror.”

  Emily picked up two bobby pins, twisted them together and came over to me. “Okay, let’s see if I have lost my touch. I used to be able to get out of Ed’s in twenty seconds.”

  It took her longer, but within a few minutes the cuffs were off.

  “Viola!” she said as the cuffs snapped open.

  “Thanks, let’s go to tea.”

  “Do you need to leave Tom a note?”

  “He’ll find me eventually,” I retorted, as I grabbed Tom’s phone in case Justin called back, and left with Emily.

  In the sitting area outside the dining room, the table was set with white china cups, silver hot water containers, and silverware wrapped in white cloth napkins.

  Emily and I chose our tea from a wooden display box and sat back.

  “This is very fun,” I told her.

  “I thought you’d like it,” she said.

  The waiters brought over tiny cucumber and tuna sandwiches. For dessert our choices were mini chocolate cakes, cheesecake slices and strawberry tortes. I, of course, had some of each.

  A voice came over the loud speaker, “Would Liza Wilcox please contact the purser’s desk?”

  Emily raised her eyebrows. “There’s a phone over there on the bar if you don’t want to use your cell phone.”

  “No. I’ll call when we’re done.” I took a sip of my tea. I’d chosen an herbal Orange Mint Tea. It was tangy and let the cool feeling of mint after each sip.

  She shrugged. “Okay.”

  Tom’s phone rang several times during tea. I saw a number I didn’t recognize and just ended the call.

  “Avoiding him?” Emily asked.

  “Anyone who cuffs me to the bed and then leaves, deserves what he gets,” I told her and remembered how little I knew about Emily. “So how long have you and Jack been married?”

  “Three years.”

  “Practically newlyweds.” I took a bite of the mini chocolate cake. It was moist and rich, but not as good as my Chocolate Melting Cake.

  “I guess so. Although we have so much in common it feels like he’s always been a part of my life.”

  “Where did you meet him?”

  “I actually met him on a cruise.” She laughed. “What about you and Tom? How serious is your relationship?”

  “Pretty serious,” I said. Although leaving me handcuffed to our bed might put a crimp in it.

  “Too bad.” She took a bite from her éclair.

  “Why?”

  “Dorian’s got the hots for you, dear.”

  I laughed. “Well, Dorian has the hots for anything in a skirt with pretty legs.”

  “That’s true.” She nodded. “But if you’re not totally committed, you might want to take that stallion for a ride.”

  I blushed.

  She laughed. “Am I too brazen for you, Liza?”

  “No.” I shook my head, then shrugged, “Well, maybe.”

  She laughed again. “I like you, Liza.”

  “I like you too.”

  While we scooped up the last chocolate crumbs from our cake, she asked, “Do you want to play bingo again?”

  “Sure.” Bingo had been fun, especially winning, although this time I’d stay away from the daily drink special.

  As we got up to leave, Tom’s cell phone rang again and this time I recognized Justin’s number.

  “Let me get this,” I said and tried to get the call to come through. I kept pushing the button, but nothing happened.

  “What’s the matter? Is the phone not working?”

  “The call won’t connect.” I showed her.

  “That’s not a call, it’s a text message.”

  “A what?” I said.

  “An email on the phone.”

  “Can you show me how to get the message?”

  “Sure.” Emily took the phone, pushed several buttons and read me the message. “It says IM me.”

  “I really have to get more computer literate. Do you know what that means?”

  “Yes, the person wants you to get on a computer and Instant Message them. Just open your email account and they’ll probably send you a message.”

  “Okay, that I know how to do.”

  “I guess bingo’s out?” Emily said.

  “I’ll see you at dinner. Thanks for inviting me to tea.”

  Emily waved and I went to the Internet Café. She was right. As soon as I opened my email account a message came through.

  Sidekick007: Teach?

  Lizateach: yes, what’s up?

  Sidekick007: are you alone?

  Lizateach: yes, Tom’s off doing something else.

  Sidekick007: do you have his phone

  Lizateach: yes

  Sidekick007: call me, now.

  I closed the computer and dialed Justin’s number.

  He answered on the first ring. “Teach?”

  “Yes, Justin’s what’s up?”

  “There are guys going in and out of your house.”

  “Yes, I know. Someone broke into my house. Those are the cops putting it back together for me.”

  “What were they looking for?”

  “I don’t know. Is that why you wanted me to call?”

  “Yes and I’ve found something weird on your parents’ flight plan.”

  “What did you find?”

  “You remember I told you their plan said they would land in four places and I could only find one where they landed?”

  “Sure.”

  “Well, I think they actually did land in the other cities, but on private airstrips rather than commercial ones where a log would be kept.”

  “Aren’t their logs at non-commercial airports?” I asked.

  “Yes, but your parents’ flight is not listed on them. I think it was deliberately left off the logs.”

  “My parents didn’t want anyone to know they went to those towns?” I leaned forward anticipating but also worrying about Justin’s answer.

  “I think that’s it.”

  “Did anything unusual happen when they were there?”

  “That’s just it. In all three cities there were huge environmental lawsuits being fought. Two were commercial dumpsites into a river and the other had to do with lumber issues. There were pickets and rallies all over the place during the time your parents would have been there.”

  “Well, my parents were big environmentalists. It would make sense that they would be there to participate in the rallies.”

  “Two cities had incidents while your parents were there.”

  “More than the rallies and pickets?” I asked.

  “Yes, there was a fire at a refinery suspected of dumping waste into the river and an explosion at a logging mill.”

  “Was anyone hurt?”

  “No, they happened after a bomb threat had been called in to each of the facilities. I have to say the timing was precise.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “A bomb threat was called in so the place was evacuated and before the bomb squad could show up to search, the fire and ex
plosion happened.”

  “Justin, could you look at all my dad’s flight plans and check them against other environmental rallies and incidents?”

  “Sure, but what are you thinking?”

  “I’m not sure, just check into it for me and call me back.”

  “Okay, Teach,” Justin hung up.

  What did it all mean? It wouldn’t be unusual for my parents to fly to participate in a rally, but why keep that a secret? And usually it was my dad who flew around the country. My mom only accompanied him during the summer. During the many rallies and meetings I attended, I’d heard many people who wanted to escalate beyond the rallies, pickets and court battles. My parents were always against it. But was that all for show? Were my parents involved in more than the rallies?

  Was it possible? I sat at the computer, pondering.

  That’s when I felt someone’s arm around my waist.

  My feet left the ground, and I heard him say, “I’m going to kill you!”

  Chapter 27

  I would have been upset except I recognized the tone and the voice. “Hello, Tom. Could you set me down, please?” He did and I turned around, “How was your talk with Brian?

  “Where did you go and why the hell didn’t you answer the page or my cell phone?”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “You let him handcuff me to our bed and then you left me.”

  “I was scared to death, Liza.” He ran his hand through his hair.

  “It serves you right.” I pointed my finger at him.

  He took a deep breath and sighed. Okay, he really did look like he’d been scared. I touched his arm. “I’m sorry, Tom. I was just so mad after you left me that I went and had tea.”

  “Tea?”

  “Yes, hot tea and cute little sandwiches and desserts.”

  “How did you get out of the handcuffs?”

  “Emily used a couple bobby pins. It only took her a few minutes to get the handcuff open.”

  “That’s quite a skill.”

  “Before she married Jack, she dated a cop who used to cuff her to all sorts of thing.”

  Tom frowned. “That’s weird.”

  “True, so what was all the secret stuff with Brian?”

  “It’s not important, Liza. Just cop stuff.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Fine, don’t tell me. I need to go back to our cabin and change for dinner.”