Peggy Dulle - Liza Wilcox 03 - Secrets at Sea

by Peggy Dulle

When we got to the dining room, Tom leaned over and spoke quietly to the crewman seating everyone. He glanced at me, nodded, and sat us in a small booth by a window. The sun was shinning and reflecting off the smooth blue ocean water. It was beautiful but didn’t lift my spirits.

  The waiter came over and handed us each a menu. I handed my to Tom and said, “Just order my usual, will you?”

  Tom nodded.

  I went back to staring at the water and didn’t hear one word that was exchanged between Tom and the waiter.

  The food arrived. I took a few bites of my Eggs Benedict, but spent most of my time just moving the food from one part of the plate to another.

  “I think these are better than the ones we had last time,” Tom suggested.

  “Are they?” I shrugged.

  He reached over and touched my face. “Come on, Liza. Let it go. It’s your last day on the cruise, try to enjoy it.”

  “How can I? There’s still a killer out there and I’m no closer to finding him than the day I stepped on this ship. And then there’s the fact that four more people are dead.”

  “We don’t know Emily and Jack are dead.”

  “Fine, they’re just missing. I don’t think that’s a better scenario.”

  He glanced at his watch. “I’m supposed to go at eleven and practice for the karaoke show.”

  I forced a smile. “That’s right, you’ll be great in it. I can’t wait to see it.”

  “I hope so. I’ve never sung in front of that large an audience. But I don’t want to leave you. Maybe I’ll tell them I can’t do it.”

  “No, I’ll be fine.”

  “I’d feel better if you had someone watching you over you while I’m gone. I wish you could just come and watch the practice, but it’s against the show’s rules.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’ll ask Carmelita and Rod to join me on the deck. That way we’ll all be together and protected. I can ask Dorian, too.”

  “Okay, but I’m not leaving you until I know that all those people are going to surround you.”

  “Even Dorian?”

  “The more people, the less likely any of you are going to be in danger.”

  He was letting Dorian watch over me. He must think the threat is real. That was not an encouraging thought.

  After breakfast we went back to our room and I called Carmelita.

  “Oh, that’s great, Liza. We can have a ‘leaving the cruise’ party. Let’s meet in the bow of the boat, in the adults’ only pool section. I’m tired of all the kids.”

  “Sure.”

  “What time?”

  “Around eleven?”

  “Perfect.” She giggled. “That will give me and Rod time to shower and get dressed.”

  “How is Rod?”

  “Perfect, absolutely perfect!” She hung up the phone with another giggle.

  “They’ll meet me on the deck at eleven.”

  “Great,” he said, then glanced at his watch again. “It’s a little after ten. I think I’m too nervous to sit still. Can we take a walk?”

  “Sure.” I grabbed my beach bag and we went up onto the top deck. The sun felt warm on my shoulders and the boat seemed to be moving faster than usual, but it was still a very smooth ride.

  We strolled around the deck, until ten-fifty, then Tom walked me to the deck to meet Carmelita and Rod.

  Carmelita had already commandeered several lounge chairs with her stuff and Rod was staring down people who tried to sit in them. They made quite a couple. Her pink bikini was clearly visible through the mesh white cover-up with gold buttons. Rod had on another Hawaiian print shirt, this one with surfboards.

  I waved at them and kissed Tom on the cheek. “Good luck, love.”

  “Thanks.” He smiled nervously, then handed me his cell phone. “Keep this handy, just in case.”

  I threw the cell phone into my beach bag and pushed him away. “Now go!”

  “How’s it going?” I said as I joined my friends.

  “Great,” Rod said. “Pick a seat.”

  I took the one on the outside, so they could sit together. Rod took the other outside chair and Carmelita sat in the middle.

  “Where’s Tom going?” she asked.

  I told her about the show and that Tom was going to sing as Frank Sinatra.

  “That’s great.” She smiled. “The show is always fun to watch. A few of the crew members are in it and even the dancers participate. And some of the people on board have wonderful voices.”

  “Tom does a great job singing, but he is nervous.”

  “Oh honey, just get him on that stage and he’ll love it.”

  “I hope so.”

  The waiter came over and Carmelita ordered champagne. Rod ordered a Coke and I had a Diet Coke.

  “Not having champagne, Rod?” I asked.

  Carmelita patted him on the arm. “Poor baby is working, so no drinking.”

  “Well, I appreciate your watching over us, Rod.”

  “It’s my job,” he said.

  “Is that what you do for a living?”

  “No, I program computers for a consulting firm.”

  Carmelita smiled and patted his brawny arm. “Smart, brave, strong, and can defuse a bomb before it explodes. He’s the perfect man.”

  Rod blushed again.

  I laughed.

  The waiter brought our drinks and we settled back to enjoy the sun and the canned Mexican music that exuded from speakers placed strategically around the deck, so that the music could be heard everywhere.

  An hour later, Dorian arrived and sat in the lounge chair next to me.

  Carmelita smiled. “Great, you’re here to watch Liza. I’m starving, so Rod and I are going to get something to eat.”

  “What about you, Liza? Are you hungry?” Dorian asked.

  “No, we had a late breakfast. I’m okay.”

  “Great, we’ll be back.” Rod and Carmelita left.

  I felt totally safe with Dorian watching over me. He was an ex-Navy Seal, after all.

  Dorian picked up my hand and smiled. “Did you give the bulldog his ring back?”

  “No.” I pulled the box from my beach bag, took out the ring and slipped it back on. “Remember, it’s too big. I’m afraid I’m going to lose it.”

  “Too bad,” he said. “I was hoping you changed your mind.” He leaned back against the lounge chair.

  Tom’s cell phone rang. I rummaged through my beach bag and found it. It was Justin.

  “Hey, Teach.”

  “How’s it going, Justin?” I asked.

  “Great. I’ve got some more info for you.”

  “Okay,” I glanced at Dorian. His eyes were closed and his breathing was slow and steady. He must be sleeping. “Let’s hear it.”

  “I was finally able to track that email you got.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, it skipped through a hundred different places but finally I traced the source. It came out of Cartena, Texas. Isn’t that where you were born?”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “That’s weird,” he said.

  Could the email have been from my dad? That wasn’t possible and I didn’t want to think about it, so I changed the subject. “How are you coming along with the Fed tech?”

  “He’s cool. His name is Aaron and we’ve been chatting back and forth quite a lot.”

  “Anything new on the website?”

  “It’s really a chat site for criminals. You can buy, sell, rent, order, and employ just about anything or anyone you can imagine.”

  “Can you research into the history of an employee or employer?”

  “Sure, I think so. What are you thinking?”

  “Can you get on right now?”

  “Yes, give me a minute.” I heard him type away. Then he said, “Okay, I’m in.”

  “Can you find Adam’s and my dad’s original contract?”

  “Probably, give me a minute.” More typing. “Sure, here they are.”

  “Okay, can y
ou see which employee picked them up?”

  “The employee resumes are on a different screen but they should have a way to link one to the other. If I were looking for a killer, I’d want to know what he was working on and if he accomplished his assignment.”

  “It sounds like we’re talking about a gardener instead of a killer,” I told him.

  He laughed. “A job’s a job, I guess. Okay, I’ve got it.” He paused a long moment. Then, “That’s weird.”

  “What?”

  “Actually, two people picked up the contract on the same day and they’re both taking credit for both kills.”

  I glanced over at Dorian, still asleep. “Well, that makes sense in Adam’s case. He actually had two different poisons in his body.”

  “Oh, well then, what about your parents?”

  “As far as I know, they were killed in the plane crash.”

  “Well, let me look again at the two resumes.” More typing. “Wow, look at this. This is really weird and cool. How’d I miss this the first time? I never looked at the two resumes side by side. Wow!”

  “Justin?” I said, interrupted his barrage of excitement. “I can’t see what you see.”

  “Oh, sorry, Teach. When I pulled up the two resumes and put them side by side, I found a lot of similarities.”

  “Explain what you mean.”

  “Okay, up until four years ago, these people did totally different jobs, different states, countries, everything. Then they both picked up the contract on Adam and your dad. They both took credit for the kill and since then their resumes are identical. They pick up the same jobs and complete them.”

  “They’re doing them together?”

  “Yes.”

  “They’ve become partners.”

  “Yes, I better call Aaron. We never saw this before. They shouldn’t be looking for one guy, they should be looking for two.”

  “Give them a call. I’ll talk to you later.”

  I closed the phone and put it back into my beach bag. The photograph was still on the bottom, so I picked it up. There were so many dead people from one picture. Other than the four crewmen, there were only three left – Dorian, Carmelita, Emily and Carl. Should we have contacted him? I didn’t know his last name but Carmelita should. I stared at his picture. He was only a few inches taller than me, relatively short for a man, since I was barely five feet tall myself. I didn’t know much about him except he had a gambling problem.

  I heard Dorian stir next to me and glanced at him. He really was a gorgeous man, I thought. He was dressed in tailored tan shorts and a black collared shirt. His wavy hair was perfect and he wasn’t sweating, even though it had to be at least ninety degrees out here in the sun.

  “Stop watching me, Liza. You’re making the temperature in my body elevate.”

  “I was not watching you,” I said.

  He opened his eyes and smiled. “Yes, you were. How’s Justin?”

  My eyes widened. “Ah…,” I stuttered.

  He smiled. “I wasn’t sleeping, Liza. What kind of bodyguard would I be if I slept instead of watching after you?”

  I quickly mentally played Justin and my conversation in my head. How much had Dorian actually heard?

  “Stop thinking, Liza.” He grinned. “Do you know your eyes dart back and forth when you’re thinking?”

  I glared at him. Is that how Tom always knows when I’m going to lie to him? Was it my “tell” like a gambler who’s going to bluff?

  “Anyway, I think a couple that’s killing is a romantic notion.”

  “A couple?” I hadn’t considered that possibility.

  “You said they were partners. It would be almost impossible for two men to kill together, too much ego. But a couple, they could do it. They’d complement each other’s skills rather than constantly argue over who was the better assassin.”

  He had a point. “Maybe.”

  “I’m getting hungry. Would you walk with me so I can get something to eat?” Dorian slid his legs off the lounge.

  “I’ll just wait here for Rod and Carmelita.”

  “No, I suspect they won’t be back for quite a while. Carmelita prefers room service or the Supper Club. And I’m sure one thing leads to another in their room.”

  “Then I’ll just wait here. I’m fine.”

  “No, I don’t want your bulldog mad at me.”

  “You’re an ex-Navy Seal; I think you can handle Tom.”

  “Not when it comes to you, my dear.” He extended his hand.

  I rolled my eyes. “Really, I’m fine.”

  “I haven’t had anything to eat since early this morning. Emily and I had breakfast on the pool deck around six.”

  “Wait!” I jumped up. “You had breakfast with Emily?”

  Chapter 34

  “Yes,” Dorian said.

  “But she and Jack got sick in Mazatlan. They didn’t get back on the boat.”

  “She told me. Jack insisted on eating a burrito off a cart in town. She only had a small bite, so she was only a little sick, but when Jack grew much worse, they went to a clinic in Mazatlan where they were given something to settle their stomachs. But it took so long, they missed the ship. They took a charter boat and barely caught up with us in Cabo.”

  I grabbed my beach bag. “I want to go see her.”

  Dorian looked at his watch. “She had a massage scheduled at eleven. It’s twelve now, so she’s probably just leaving the spa.”

  “Then that’s where I’m going.”

  “I’m starving, Liza.”

  “You’re whining, Dorian.” He frowned, but I continued, “How about this? Walk me to Jack and Emily’s room. I’ll sit with Jack until Emily gets back. Tom should be done by twelve-thirty and I told him to meet me at our room. It’s only three doors down from Emily and Jack. I’ll be perfectly safe.”

  “Tom’s going to be there in,” he glanced at his watch again, “twenty minutes?”

  “Yes.”

  “And you’ll stay in Jack and Emily’s room.”

  “Of course.” I started walking.

  Dorian followed. Okay, most of that hadn’t been exactly the truth. I had no idea when Tom was finished with his practice and we hadn’t made plans to meet in our room. But I was very tired of being watched over. And I’d be perfectly safe in Jack and Emily’s cabin.

  When we got to their room, I knocked and Emily opened it. She was dressed in a bright blue sundress. I could see Jack lounging on his bed, covered with a blanket. His eyes were closed and he appeared to be sleeping.

  I walked in, threw my arms around her and hugged her.

  She smiled. “I’m glad to see you too, Liza.”

  “Okay, you stay put and I’ll go and get something to eat,” Dorian said.

  I waved. “Bye, Dorian.”

  Emily closed the door. “Dorian’s following you around.”

  “And I never thought I hear myself say this, but it’s a bit aggravating and he whines.” I gave her a wry smile.

  Emily laughed.

  “But hey, he’s my bodyguard for a moment, while Tom rehearses for the karaoke show.”

  “Hey, what’s all the noise about?” Jack asked.

  “It looks like you and I are guarding Liza while Dorian goes to find food,” Emily explained as we walked over to Jack’s bed.

  “Guarding Liza? From what?” Jack asked, sitting up and looking serious.

  I came over and sat on his bed and told them everything, from the first day at the Nordic Inn all the way to the bomb on the catamaran and how I suspected a couple who were the assassins. As I talked my eyes kept going to a pile of chips on the nightstand and my mind wandered. I broke off my story and looked at Jack. He sure liked to play blackjack.

  “Oh my,” Emily placed her hand on her cheek and glanced at Jack.

  “So you need to be careful, too,” I told them. “I’m so glad you guys are all right.”

  “Nothing a case of Pepto-Bismol won’t help,” Emily said.

  We all
laughed. Then it all came together - a man with a gambling problem, two people on the same cruise five years ago when Adam and my parents were killed, no report from any hospital about their illnesses, and a couple who killed together.

  It was time to get out of the room.

  I stood up. “Well, I’m glad you guys are safe. I left Tom in our room and promised to come right back.”

  Emily moved over and blocked the door. “Damn, you’re a very smart woman, Liza.”

  “What?” I asked, as anxiety settled in my stomach and threatened to work its way up my esophagus.

  “Go sit back down on the bed,” She commanded.

  “Emily, I told Tom I’d be right back. He’s waiting for me.” My clenched my fists to stop the trembling in my hands.

  She pulled a gun from the waistband of her shorts and pointed it at me. “Go sit down, Liza.”

  Tom’s cell phone rang in my beach bag.

  Emily shook her head. “Let it go to voice mail.”

  I sat on the bed.

  “Where’s the picture, Liza?” Jack said.

  “What picture?” Liza asked.

  “The group shot your mother took,” Emily added, pointing the gun at my head.

  “It’s in my beach bag.”

  Emily rummaged through my bag. First she pulled out the phone and turned it off and then brought out the picture.

  I turned to Jack. “So is your real name Carl or Jack?”

  Emily gazed at the photo and smiled. “Honey, you’ve sure toned up since this picture was taken.”

  He grumbled, holding his abdomen with both hands. “But now I’ve got a hole in my stomach where some butcher in Mexico dug a bullet out. I’ll be lucky if I don’t get an infection.”

  “You’ll be fine, dear. We’ll get you home to our own doctors and they’ll fix you right up.” She leaned over and kissed him gently on the forehead. “That Fed got the worst of it, dear. He’s in a morgue somewhere and you’ll live to kill again.”

  “So you two are the original killers assigned to kill Adam and my parents?”

  “Yes, it’s business, Liza. It’s nothing personal.”

  “It is to the victims’ families.”

  “That’s not my concern.” She held up the picture. “But this is. The group photo shows Jack and me together. Your mother and her damn copies.”

  “It wasn’t her fault, Em. We didn’t even know each other at the time.”