Peggy Dulle - Liza Wilcox 03 - Secrets at Sea by Peggy Dulle Read Free Book Online

later.
    When I looked out the window, I counted four police cars, an ambulance, fire truck, and two other vehicles with flashing lights. I quickly shut the shades and turned on the TV. The only station the stupid thing got was in Spanish. I left it on for the noise and paced the room, which wasn’t an easy task, since it was barely eight by eight. I’d have worn a path in the carpet if it wasn’t so shabby already.
    A few minutes later, I heard a knock at the door. Could the cops be here to talk to me already? I looked through the peephole. Brenda.
    I opened the door and she came in. She had black marks under her eyes, like she’d been crying and had rubbed her mascara.
    “What’s up?” I asked.
    “Did you really find the body?” Her body shuddered.
    I nodded, “Yes.”
    “Oh, that’s terrible. Betsy was such a nice lady.”
    “You knew her? I thought you only had worked here for the last few months.”
    “I have, but before that I worked at the Carlton Inn downtown.”
    “Betsy stayed there?”
    “Yes. She used to come into town a lot and she always stayed there.” She leaned against the door.
    “Why’d she stay here this time?”
    “She said it was something about her husband. You know he died on a cruise.”
    “I heard that.” This woman might be a wealth of information, so I pulled Tom’s suitcase from the couch and indicated for her to sit down.
    When she sat down, I continued, “Why’d she come into town when she stayed at the Carlton?”
    “She works for a computer company. They installed new software in the computers at the Carlton. The stuff never worked right, so she always came down and worked on them.”
    “I think that’s how she met her husband,” Brenda continued, “on some job in Oklahoma. She installed the hotel software and he was there for a lawyer’s conference.”
    “Adam was a lawyer?”
    She shrugged, “I think so.”
    That was news. My dad had been a lawyer too. Is that how they knew Adam? Did they work together in Texas?
    “He cheated on her.” Brenda said as she stood, slid open the curtains and peered outside.
    “How do you know?”
    “He came into town a few times with her before they were married. She’d go into the office and work on the computers. She thought he was in the pool. But I saw him with a lady once.”
    “By the pool?”
    “No, in the hotel bar. When I went off duty, I saw them. She was tall, blonde and sleazy looking. Even as young as I am, I wear more clothes than she had on. I started over to tell him Betsy was almost finished but they got up and left together.” Brenda shook her head, “I never told Betsy.”
    “I guess it doesn’t matter anymore.”
    “Nope, they’re both dead. That’s weird — he died and now she’s dead.” Brenda reached for the doorknob. “Well, I better go.”
    After she left, I paced again. What did it mean, their both being dead? Was it a coincidence? Had he really cheated on her? And was it important?
    An hour later, Tom came into the room, two men following him. His face looked grim and angry. I’d seen the look before. It was when he was not in control.
    “Tom?”
    “These men are detectives from Long Beach’s Homicide Detail.” He nodded toward the first gentleman. “Detective Jack Ramirez,” then indicated the other one, “Detective Brad Hansen.”
    They both were dressed in dark suits rather than uniforms. Ramirez was taller, stockier, and Detective Hansen was short, thin, and very fair.
    Detective Ramirez stepped around Tom. “I just want to tell you that if you weren’t here with a cop, we’d be taking you down to the station for this interview.”
    Ah, good choice for the bad cop. He even looked mean. Now, where was the good cop?
    “We understand you’re shaken up by what you’ve seen. But we really need some questions answered,” Detective Hansen said.
    Tom’s demeanor softened and he laughed. Both men looked at him. “Guys, her favorite show is Law and Order . She’s seen so much