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

good cop, bad cop, she’s a pro at spotting it. Just ask her the questions.”
    Detective Ramirez frowned and pointed to the couch. “Have a seat.”
    I sat down. Tom leaned against the wall. Before I could say anything, he said, “I told them we are here on vacation and we’re leaving tomorrow on a cruise.”
    Detective Ramirez glared at Tom, “Not if I say you’re not. This professional courtesy doesn’t extend to her leaving the country.”
    Tom back stiffened and he glared at him. It was a pissing match and I wasn’t in the mood.
    “What do you want to know?” I said.
    Detective Hansen sat in the chair across from me. “Just tell us exactly what happened.”
    “I went into the pool area and found a woman with a hole in her head. I assumed she was dead. It would have been rude to call you if she wasn’t,” I said.
    Tom laughed again, Ramirez glared, and Hansen smiled.
    Hansen continued, “Okay, did you know the woman?”
    “Not really.” Well, it was the truth. I wasn’t sure exactly how much to say to them. I wished I had been able to talk to Tom first.
    Ramirez flipped open his notebook, “According to Ramon, you and he talked about the woman.”
    “Yes,” I said and gazed at him.
    “You didn’t know her but you asked about her?”
    “Well, it’s complicated,” I said.
    Ramirez glared at me, then to Hansen he said, “Let’s take her in.”
    Tom stepped off the wall. “Liza.”
    I looked at him. “Yes?”
    “This isn’t Gainesville or Clainsworth; tell the detectives what they want to know. Stop stalling.”
    Gainesville was Tom’s turf and Clainsworth was in Oregon. Tom had rescued me from that police department after they wanted to charge me with shooting my gun at some kids. But I didn’t want to tell these men about my parents, their cruising group, Adam’s death, or any of it. How much could I tell them without telling them the rest?
    “I repeat, Miss Wilcox. How did you know Betsy Ruiz?” Detective Ramirez asked.
    “She was a friend of my parents.” I saw Ramirez’s eyes widened, so I continued, “But I had never met her before.”
    “Until today?” Detective Hansen asked.
    “Yes.” It was time to try the sympathy card. “You see, in August it’s going to be the anniversary of my parents’ deaths. They were both killed in a plane crash. Before they died, they took a cruise with a group of friends.” Thinking about them brought tears to my eyes. The tears were real, but I deliberately let them fall down my cheeks.
    “I wanted to relive their last vacation, so I’m taking the cruise they took. They stayed at this hotel, so we did too. Ramon told me Betsy was part of their group and that she was at the pool. I never knew their cruising friends. I went out to talk to her.”
    “What did she tell you?” Detective Hansen asked.
    Okay, this was trickier. Had anyone seen me with Betsy the first time I’d gone out? As my mom used to say, “in for a penny, in for a pound”. I went for it.
    “Nothing,” I told them. “She was dead!” I buried my head in my hands.
    I felt someone’s hand on my shoulder. I looked up, it was Tom. He stared at me and his eye twitched. A clear indication he knew I wasn’t exactly telling the truth. “It’s okay, Liza,” he said, then turned to the two detectives. “That’s it. Is there anything else you need?”
    “We’re not done with her,” Detective Ramirez said.
    “You are for now,” Tom stepped toward him. “If she thinks of anything else, I’ll call you.”
    “From the cruise ship?” Detective Ramirez bellowed.
    “Yes, they’ve got phones on it,” Tom turned and looked at me, “right?”
    I nodded.
    “We’re not done,” Ramirez said.
    Hansen stood up. “We know where to find her if we need her, Jack.”
    Ramirez scowled at me, then turned back to his partner, “Yeah, in Mexico.”
    Hansen turned to Tom. “I want you to stop by with her after you get back from the cruise.”
    Tom nodded. “We’ll come to the