Peggy Dulle - Liza Wilcox 03 - Secrets at Sea (25 page)

“No. I’m on this cruise and I’m going to enjoy it.”

“That’s right.” Tom pulled me close.

Tom was asleep in seconds. It was good that some things always stayed the same. I listened to his slow and steady breathing and thought about my parents, their little cruising eco group, and the deaths.

Tom’s cell phone went off. I got up quickly, grabbed it before he woke up and took it into the bathroom. It was Justin.

“Hey Teach, I didn’t wake you up, did I?”

“No. Are you finished with Brian’s tech guys?”

“Yes, I helped them get into the site.”

“And they can’t trace anything back to you?”

“No, I was careful.”

“Okay, then. Good night.”

“Wait!” Justin shouted. “That’s not why I called.”

“Is Shelby okay?”

“Oh, she’s fine. She’s sleeping with my mom these days.”

I laughed. “She does like to be on a bed.”

“Yeah, well, my mom said she’d never have a dog that slept with her.”

“Famous last words – never say never.”

“That’s for sure. No, the reason I wanted to talk to you was something the tech said to me.”

“What?”

“He said he was surprised when Brian called and told him about the website.”

“Why?”

“Brian isn’t normally assigned to protecting a witness or even investigating homicides.”

“What does he usually do?”

“He works in the division that investigates ETCs”

“What’s that?”

“Environmental Terrorist Cells. They are groups who meet and plan acts of violence against anyone they feel is hurting the planet.”

“Like setting a fire at a refinery?” I asked, thinking about what Justin had found about my parents’ flight plan and secret landings.

“Yes.”

“So maybe he’s been lying to me about exactly why he’s on this cruise.”

“It’s possible. The tech said Brian was obsessed with stopping the ETCs. It has something to do with his parents’ deaths. They were both killed during a refinery bombing nine years ago and the group responsible was never caught.”

“That’s awful.” I felt sorry for the man and could understand how the loss of his parents could make him angry and frustrated, especially when he knew who did it, but couldn’t bring them to justice. I might feel the same way if I knew the person responsible for my own parents’ deaths.

“All right, thanks, Justin.”

“Stay safe, Teach.”

I closed the phone and leaned against the counter. What did it all mean? Was Brian here investigating my parents’ group or protecting me and looking for a killer? Was my parents’ little group really an environmental terrorist cell? And were Adam and my dad killed because of what they saw or because they were part of the cell? And how deep did Brian’s obsession go? Could he be the one eliminating the members? Was my protector actually a cold-hearted killer?

Chapter 29

I tossed and turned the rest of the night. There was just too much going through my brain to allow me to sleep. In the morning, I woke up more tired than if I’d just stayed up all night. At little after six, I finally gave up and got out of bed.

“Where you going, Liza?” Tom asked, groggily.

“I’m going to sit on the balcony for a while.”

“Okay.” And he was asleep again.

I wrapped myself in the big bathrobe and stepped out onto the balcony. The sun was just beginning to rise in shades of orange and red. I sat down on the lounge chair and leaned back.

The door to our room opened and Tom stuck his head out. “Are you okay?”

I smiled. “I’m fine.”

“Liar.” He frowned and came over to me. “Scoot up.”

I moved forward and he sat behind me. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close.

“You slept like crap, Liza.”

“I know, I’m sorry. Did I wake you?”

“A few times.” He smoothed my hair behind my ears. “Lean back and close your eyes.”

“I won’t sleep.”

“Do you want to talk about what’s bothering you?”

“Not really, it’s just everything.”

“Okay, hold still and let me get a little more sleep,” he said. “But when I wake up we’re going to talk about what’s bothering you?”

“But …,” I protested.

He put his hand over my mouth. “Sh! Sleep first, then talk.”

And he was asleep again. I could feel his heart beating against my back and eventually his slow and steady breathing lulled me right off to sleep.

Two hours later, I woke up feeling much better. I tried to get up but Tom pulled me back against him.

“I need to see what time it is, Tom. I don’t want to miss our excursion.”

He didn’t open his eyes, but he frowned. “Okay.”

The last thing I wanted to do was tell Tom about my parents’ group and what I suspected they might have been involved in because the bottom line was that Tom was a cop and he didn’t have any sympathy for people who broke the law.

The clock on the vanity said it was eight-thirty. At least I’d gotten a few good hours of sleep. I went back to the balcony door and opened it.

“I’m going to get in the shower.”

“What time is it?”

“Eight-thirty,” I told him.

“Can I go first?” He said as he came into the room.

“Sure, but why?”

“I promised Brian I’d come over to his room at nine so we could go over what the tech guys found.”

“Okay. Now is this a meeting I can go to or is more secret cop stuff?”

Tom rolled his eyes. “It’s not secret.”

“It is from me,” I said and then as Tom went through the bathroom door, I added, “It’s only fair, since I have a few, too.”

He turned around. “A few what?”

“Secrets.” I waved toward the bathroom. “Go and shower.”

“Liza?”

“I’m not sharing mine until you share yours.” I smiled and turned on the television set. They were replaying the Port Shopping Talk I’d heard earlier in the week, but I grabbed the Shopping Guide we’d been given at the talk and circled a few stores. I knew that Tom was debating whether to take a shower and talk to Brian or come back and talk to me.

I heard the shower going, so I went back to the balcony and sat down. The weather was already getting warm — it would be a great day at the beach. We were already anchored at the dock in Mazatlan. It looked like any other dock in any city, full of shipping containers, other ships, and machinery. There were also more armed guards. Beyond the dock I could see a hill covered with small houses. They looked like someone had taken brightly colored Lego pieces and stuck them into a hill of clay. I could also see the top of a church, with its two steeples and dome structure. At least there wasn’t another Walmart Super Store!

“Is that you, Liza?” Carmelita said.

“Yes.”

She opened the door between our balconies. “Brian’s in the shower.”

“So is Tom. They have some secret cop meeting.”

Carmelita rolled her eyes and sat in the lounge chair next to me. “Your dad would roll over in his grave if he knew you were seeing a cop.”

“I know.” I laughed. “He didn’t think very highly of any law-enforcement agency or agent.”

Carmelita blew out a whistle. “That’s putting it mildly.”

I shrugged. “Guess we can’t choose who we fall in love with.”

“No.” She shook her head. “I can’t believe Betsy, Norma and Donald are dead.”

“Brian told you?”

“Yes.” She lowered her head. “Another funeral for a friend and I missed it, too, just like your parents’. I thought the nine of us were so close. We’d see each other during the cruise and then five or six times during the year.”

“You were close, it’s just that the family members, like me and my sister, didn’t know about the group or we would have invited you to the services.”

“I never thought of us as a secret group.”

Tom stuck his head out the door. “Good morning, Carmelita.”

“Tom.” She nodded at him.

“I’m going over and talk to Brian, if you want to get into the shower, Liza.”

“They’ve got their own secret group,” I told Carmelita.

“Cops are good at that.” She laughed and stood up. “I guess I’ll shower during the secret meeting, too.”

She waved and went back to her own balcony, closing the door between us.

“What secret meeting?” Tom asked.

“My secret, the meeting between you and me,” I told him. “Tit for tat, Tom. You tell me yours and I’ll tell you mine.”

“Liza,” he started but I cut him off.

“I’m taking a long hot shower. Enjoy your meeting.”

I turned the water on as hot as I could stand it and stood under it for a long tine. Usually when I’m feeling out-of-sorts, I stay in the shower until the water runs cold. It didn’t seem to ever happen on the cruise ship so eventually I had to give up and get out.

I wore shorts and a tank top over my swimming suit. It would be nice to sit on the beach, let the sand crunch under my toes, and listen to the waves pound against the shore. I do my best thinking at the beach.

When I came out of the bathroom, Tom was gone probably still in his meeting with Brian. I got my beach bag and loaded it with towels, suntan lotion, and two bottled waters.

I was hungry, so I opened the door between the two rooms. Brian and Tom sat on the couch going over some papers. They both looked up when I came into the room and Brian shoved the papers into a manila folder.

“I’m going to the dining room,” I said. “I just wanted to tell you so you wouldn’t freak out when you came back into our room and I’m not there.”

I turned to leave.

“Wait up, Liza.” Tom caught up with me and took my arm.

I leaned back toward Brian. “I forgot to ask Carmelita. Are you two going on any excursions today?”

“No, we’re both going with Leslie. Carmelita for moral support and I’m going to talk to the local cops and get an agent assigned as her escort.”

“That’s nice of you.”

“It’s the least I can do.”

When I walked back into our room, I picked up my beach bag. Tom took it and said, “We need to talk.”

I shook my head. “No. I need to eat.”

He glanced at his watch. “We don’t have time to go to the dining room.”

“Whose fault is that? You and your secret meeting.”

“Let’s go up to the pool deck and get something. We can sit and talk for a few minutes before we need to go to the Carousel Room.”

“I’m not sure I want to talk to you. I think I’m taking back my offer to share my secrets with you.”

He frowned, but I turned away from him and walked out the door.

The food at the pool deck was good, although not as first-class as the Eggs Benedict in the dining room.

We took our trays over to a table and sat down. I decided on Oriental today. My plate was heaped with teriyaki stir-fry beef, white rice, eggrolls, pot stickers, and deep-fried asparagus. Tom’s plate was covered with a huge salad, fresh vegetables, and grilled chicken. That man was annoying on so many levels, so I didn’t even speak to him.

“Liza,” he said.

I scowled at him.

“Are you going to ignore me all day?” he asked.

I nodded.

“Well, I wanted to give you something at the beach. I know the way you feel about the sand and the sound of the ocean. But I guess I’ll have to give it to you now.”

He reached into his pocket and brought out a small box, a ring box. He set it on the table between us. My heart skipped a beat.

I looked up at him. “What’s in the box?”

“Oh, you are speaking to me?”

I sighed.

He picked up the box and opened it. There was an exquisite gold ring with a solitary diamond in the center and two smaller stones on each side.

I looked into his eyes and swallowed. “Where’d you get the ring?”

He smiled. “It was my mom’s and I’ve been carrying it since the first night we spent together. I knew then I loved you. It’s just taken me a few months to convince you.”

He pulled the ring from the box and said, “Marry me, Liza.”

“No secrets?” I asked.

“No.”

“Not even cop secrets?”

“I’ll tell you anything I’m not legally bound to keep as a secret.”

I held out my left hand and he slipped it on. It was a little big, but it looked wonderful.

He put his fingers under my chin and brought my face to his. We kissed. It was hard to stay mad at him when the inside of my body was mush and my heart was beating like an over-wound clock.

When we separated, his eyes and lips smiled at me.

“That’s not fair,” I said.

“Hey, I take any advantage I can get,” he said. “We’ve got a few minutes before we need to go down to the Carousel Room. Do you want to talk now?”

“No.” I held out my hand. “I’m going to admire my ring and we can talk later.”

“My mom would have loved you, Liza.”

“I wish I could have known your parents.”

“Me, too.” He stood, grabbed my beach bag, and put the small box into it. “I hear this excursion is one of the most popular. Let’s go and get a seat.”

“Okay.” I took his arm and we walked to the elevator.

Three times the elevator came, already full to capacity.

“We could walk,” I told Tom.

“That’s a good idea. It seems everyone is going down.”

The stairs were as busy as the elevators.

“Well, most of the excursions in Mazatlan leave between nine and ten-thirty,” Tom said as we took the stairs at an excruciatingly slow pace.

“Is that why I feel like a cow being herded?”

When we finally got to the Carousel Room, it was already packed with cruise personnel separating the crowd into groups by excursions. Tom and I stood with the largest number of people. Obviously the most popular tour.

We walked down more stairs, out the gangway and on to the dock, then through a market area with vendors selling some of the same stuff I saw in Puerto Vallarta. Our leaders put us into taxis that took us to an area called the Golden Zone, supposedly the best shopping in Mazatlan.

But first they took us to an arena to watch a performance by the Papantla Flyers. They were members of the Totonac Indians which was the Indian tribe who had performed the show in the 1986 World’s Fair. Six men and a child dressed in brightly colored Indian costumes did several dances to traditional Indian music and then four men climbed a ten foot pole. They positioned themselves on the four arms that protruded from the top, they spun around like on a windmill.

Following that, they climbed a pole which had to be at least a hundred feet high. After they set themselves on the four sides of the top, an older gentleman climbed up, stood on the top and danced.

“That guy’s got to be eighty years old,” Tom commented.

“He’s still young enough to stand on top of a hundred foot pole and dance.”

The four men on each side held the pole with their left hand and secured their right wrists to a rope. When they let go of the pole the spun all the way down the and to the ground. It was a dazzling performance and Tom and I gave them a standing ovation.

Next we wandered into the shops. I bought three Mexican blankets for my house and a brightly colored, checker-board tablecloth with matching napkins for Tom’s. We went to the hotel where they served a Mexican buffet. I was a little afraid to eat after what happened to Adam and Melvin.

“Do you think this food’s okay?” I asked Tom, who was working his way through a huge taco salad.

He took another big bite. “Yes, this is a major hotel and we’d be one of a hundred who got sick. That wouldn’t be good for the cruise line or this hotel.”

“Okay.” I took a bite of my pineapple and beef enchilada. It was very good and so were the chicken taquitos. I had a flan for dessert and Tom had a fruit bowl.