Peggy Dulle - Liza Wilcox 03 - Secrets at Sea (21 page)

“What’s that?” I asked Tom.

“It’s a Super Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club?”

“Okay, that’s not what I expected to find when I stepped off the ship in Mexico.”

Tom shrugged. “They have to have stores, too.”

“But next to the dock?”

We had a quick lunch and walked down to Deck A to the gangway.

We had to show both IDs as we left the ship and had to put our Navigator card into a machine. A cruise employee checked our faces against the pictures that came up. It was efficient and made me feel safe.

Three different cruise photographers took our pictures as we left the ship. I stopped. At the bottom of the gangway stood two men dressed in army uniforms. They carried machine guns and they were looking at Tom and me. My heart stopped and I gasped.

Chapter 24

“Easy, Liza,” Tom said.

“But,” I said between short shallow breaths. “They have machine guns.”

“They always have machine guns.”

“What?”

“It’s better than it used to be. Now you only see them at the docks and certain other locations. They used to be all over the streets, too.”

“You mean they’re not here because of us?” I asked.

“No, they would have been here anyway. But the way they’re looking at us, I think Brian told them about your situation.”

The two men watched as we walked away from the ship. It felt very strange to have two men holding machine guns follow me with their eyes.

On the dock, a man held a sign for our horseback riding excursion. We gave him our tickets and stood with the rest of the people. There were quite a few families going on this excursion with us. Several of the younger kids ran around and through the group. It took every ounce of control not to yell at them to get in line with their parents. After all there were men with machine guns standing a few feet from us. If I had known this was the favorite “family excursion” I might have let Tom drag me to the ATV Adventure.

Ten minutes later we followed him to a parking lot and boarded a bus. It took us through a small town with rundown houses where kids wandered without shoes. It made me sad to see it. We have so much in America, we don’t realize how lucky we are until we see the way other people have to live, I thought. Then we were on the open road with fields on each side. The crop was something low and green. I wished farmers would put signs on their fields so I’d know what they grew. It was lovely until we came to a tall cement building topped with barbed wire and guard towers - a prison.

I leaned over to Tom. “Feel at home?”

He frowned. “That’s a job I wouldn’t want even at home. I’m more of a finder and catcher than a watcher.”

Ten minutes later we pulled into a driveway with three single-story buildings, all brightly painted. Several tables were set up with items for sale.

A Mexican man came on to the bus dressed in jeans, a button up plaid shirt, cowboy hat and boots. “Welcome to La Desembocada. My name is Luis and I will lead you on your horseback-riding adventure today. I need each person’s signature on a form, then we’ll get you a horse and be on our way.”

“Is that a waiver absolving them of any responsibility if we get hurt?” I asked.

“Of course. They have lawyers in Mexico, too,” Tom replied.

The guide told us after horseback riding we could go to the tequila tasting room, buy a snack at the cantina, shop, or even get married in the small chapel.

Tom looked at me and smiled.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. There was no way I would get married in a small chapel in the middle of nowhere in Mexico.

We signed the consent form and walked behind the buildings toward the stables. Along the way we passed the one ostrich they kept in a small fenced-in pen.

“I thought we’d see a herd of ostriches,” I told Tom.

“The rest are probably in the tasting room having a morning shot,” Tom said and several people around us laughed.

They matched us up with a horse. When I mounted, a sharp pain came from the area of my wound and I took a deep breath, calming the pain into a dull throb. Thank God Tom hadn’t noticed. He was too busy trying to settle himself on his horse. Even with the aching pain in my side, it felt wonderful to be back in a saddle again — I hadn’t realized how much I missed it. Tom didn’t look comfortable or happy and his horse tried to bite the other horses when they got near him.

We left the stables, walked along a road, and into the countryside. It was a lovely ride. Our tour guide pointed out the local vegetation. I had never seen a mango or banana tree before. We walked along the Mascota River and several times the horses waded through the shallow sections. We climbed up a small incline to a rest stop with several benches, lots of trees for shade and five tables. We stopped and dismounted. Water and soda were available to buy, as well as silver jewelry, painted tiles and tequila. Several of the men went directly to the tequila table, complaining about the saddles and then downed several shots. I had to agree with them, I’d never ridden on a wooden saddle before, either.

“You’d think they’d treat us to a bottled water, given the excursion’s cost,” Tom said as he got off his horse.

I ignored his comment. “How are you enjoying your ride?”

“Bumpy, uncomfortable, and who ever heard of a wooden saddle?” Tom complained.

I patted my butt. “You just don’t have enough padding, Tom. I’m very comfortable.”

“Would you like a drink?”

“Sure, let’s help the Mexican economy. They seem to need it.”

Tom bought each of us bottled water. We sat on a bench under a tall leafy parota tree and enjoyed it.

“Let’s walk down to the river and those of you who are swimming with the horses can enjoy that wonderful experience,” Luis, announced to the group.

We all followed him down the hill and over to the river we’d just walked across with our horses.

“Isn’t that a little shallow for swimming?” I asked Tom.

He shrugged.

When we got to the river, Luis explained, “One section of the river is over twenty feet deep. You will be riding bareback on Smiling Jack.”

We watched a young boy get on the horse, lead him into the water, and then turn upstream. The horse started to sink, then took off swimming. It really did look cool, but the river was brown and who knew what lurked in there? As the horse turned to walk out of the river, his lips were pulled straight back. He was grinning. I guess that’s where he got his name.

When the boy returned, Luis asked, “Who’s first?”

A woman in her early twenties jumped up. “I want to try it.” Her mom and sister told her she was nuts, but her dad encouraged her to give it a try. She smiled and stripped down to her bathing suit and Luis helped her onto the horse. She screamed with delight as the horse took off swimming, and her mom got the entire thing on film.

Several teenagers were eager to go after watching her. When they finished, Luis asked for the next person and nobody in our group moved forward.

I turned to Tom. “Well?”

He shrugged and raised his hand. “I’ll go next.”

Tom had worn his swim trunks, so he didn’t need to take anything off except his shirt. He handed it to me.

“Have fun!” I held up the camera. “I’ll take your picture.”

I moved to a small dirt mound where everyone stood to take the pictures. As soon as Tom got on the horse, Tom gave a small yelp.

“This is the boniest horse. It’s a good thing I already have a kid because this might ruin my chances of ever having another one.”

Everyone laughed, except me. The only thing I could think about was - does he not want more kids? I knew he had a son, but I had no children and I wanted at least two. It was another topic we’ve never discussed. People who are engaged should have already had this conversation.

The horse stepped away from the river’s edge, walked a few steps, and plunged downward. Tom held on tight as the horse swam twenty feet up the river. I used the camera’s video option to capture the experience. The horse galloped onto the shore, both Tom and the horse were smiling.

Tom dismounted and I handed him his shirt.

“How was it?” I asked.

“Actually, quite refreshing. The water’s cool and it felt good on my hot and sweaty body.

I smiled and watched several more people take their turns swimming with the horse. After everyone got their chance and the first girl did it again, we walked back to our horses and remounted. We took a mountain trail back to the stables. Luis talked, but I didn’t listen. All I could think about were all the things Tom and I hadn’t discussed before he asked me to marry him and I said yes.

When we got back to the brightly painted buildings, Tom tasted the tequila. I watched his face as he shuddered on a few, spit one completely out, and nodded approvingly at the next.

Afterwards we went over and browsed the craft tables.

Tom picked up a hand-painted tile of a mountain range. “This will go well with the Mexican theme in our kitchen.”

Our kitchen? Oh my God, I can’t breathe. It took all the strength in my body to smile and nod. I quickly turned and looked at the silver jewelry. Tom bought the tile and we got back on the bus.

“Liza,” Tom began when we took our seats.

I patted him on the leg. “I’m going to rest for a bit. I’m tired.”

“Okay.” He frowned. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” I leaned my head back on the seat and closed my eyes. Kids? Houses? Jobs? Families? They all kept going round and round in my mind. And no matter how I configured it, it wouldn’t work. How was I going to tell Tom?

Chapter 25

When we got back to the dock, Tom asked, “Do you want to go into town and shop?”

“No,” I told him, not wanting to watch him buy things to decorate a house I’d never live in. He frowned and I added truthfully, “I think I’d like to go back to our cabin and take a nap. My side aches a bit.”

“Okay.”

We walked down the dock. At a gate we had to show our ID and Navigator card to a man in a uniform, flanked by two armed guards. Before we entered the ship, we had to put our card into the security machine. A cruise officer checked our picture, Tom set his purchase on the conveyer belt and we walked through the metal detector. I felt like I was at an airport.

“Hungry?” Tom asked as we walked down the corridor to our cabin.

“Not really,” I said.

Tom nodded.

When we got into our room, I went directly to the bed and lay down. Tom put away the tile he’d bought.

I closed my eyes and felt the bed dip. Tom must have decided to take a nap, too.

“Open your eyes, Liza,” Tom insisted, an edge to his voice.

“I’m taking a nap,” I told him.

“You don’t nap, honey. I do, in fact I love one in the afternoon, but not you. I’ve never seen it, so open your eyes and tell me what’s wrong?”

I opened my eyes. Tom lay on his side with his head propped up by his hand and stared at me.

“I was stabbed and I’m tired. I need a nap!” I insisted with a definite edge to my own voice.

He shook his head. “You have a superficial cut, but more important than that, you don’t want any food. What’s wrong?”

“I’m fine, Tom,” I insisted. I didn’t want to talk about what was going through my head.

“I’ve seen you stand up to some really mean guys. Remember Carlos, Bruno? And there were the dogs and the guards. And let’s not forget the gun-wielding mayor.”

“So?” I shrugged.

“I’ve even seen you stare down a gun barrel and be mad but I’ve never seen you scared, until today.”

“When was I scared today?” I sat up.

“When I showed you the tile and said it would look good in our kitchen.” Tom sat up and faced me. “You looked as if I’d threatened your life.”

“No.” I shook my head in a denial I didn’t feel.

“Oh yes,” Tom said. “And all the questions and lack of answers kept your mind stirred up the entire ride back to the ship.”

I didn’t answer. He was right, of course.

He stroked the side of my face. “I know there are many unanswered questions about our future, but there’s one thing that is certain.”

“What?” I asked.

“Well, maybe it’s two,” he said, scratching the side of his face.

I pulled his hand down. “What are you talking about?”

He held up one finger. “I love you.” Then he brought up another. “And we are going to get married.”

“I know.” I scowled and pulled his hand down again. “It’s just all the other questions that are driving me crazy.”

“Okay.” He put his hands behind his head and lay down on the pillow. “Ask me anything you want.”

“Really?” I turned and looked at him.

“Of course.” He smiled.

“How many kids do you want to have?”

Tom sat up quickly and started coughing.

I waited.

“You don’t start with an easy one, do you?” he said when he finally stopped coughing.

“It’s an important question.”

“I don’t know.” He rubbed his hand through his hair like he always did when he was nervous.

I brought his hand down again. “I know you already have a son. Who, by the way, I haven’t met. But I want kids of my own, too.”

“Having Michael was the one bright spot in my marriage,” he pointed out. “And having a child with you would be wonderful. Let’s have an even dozen.”

I started coughing.

Tom laughed. “Okay, how about two?”

“Two would be great,” I said when I finally could talk.

“Anything else?” Tom asked.

“About a million questions,” I told him.

He sighed, put his hands behind his neck and lay back down on the bed. “I’ll give you one more, then I’m taking a nap. My whole body hurts from horseback riding.”

“Just one?”

He nodded.

“Okay, let me see, what’s the most important?” Jobs? Home? No. “What happened between you and Pamela?”

He turned his head and looked at me. “You couldn’t start with something like where we’d live?”

“No.” I shook my head. “I want to know why your last marriage didn’t work.”

He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed.

I put my hand on his shoulder and he turned to look at me. “I know it’s probably none of my business, but I don’t want to make the same mistakes.”

“No, it’s your business. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about it, but it’s still hard to put into words. Pamela and I were high-school sweethearts.”

“You were the first string quarterback and she was prom queen and head cheerleader?” I asked, teasingly.

“Yes.” He nodded and shrugged. “After we graduated, we went to the same university. I majored in criminal justice and she in psychology. The first year we had separate apartments, but we spent so much time with each other that during our sophomore year, I got rid of my apartment and moved in with her. We were crazy about each other, spent every minute of every day together.”

“So you got married.”

“Sure, it was the next thing to do. I went to the police academy and she went back to school to get her masters. That’s when it started to fall apart.”

“Why?” I asked.

“I started hanging out with the other police recruits and she had her friends in the master’s program. Needless to say my new friends and hers didn’t agree on anything. We had several parties trying to get them together, but they always ended in disaster. One of her friends would tell one of mine the police were stupid or one of mine would tell hers psychology was crap.”

“Okay, so your friends didn’t get along. Big deal. Why did it tear you two apart?”

“We’d never experienced life without each other before and neither of us, including myself, would give up all of our new experiences for the other. She stayed out late and so did I. Sometimes we’d go days without seeing each other. It didn’t matter because we really didn’t like each other anymore. At that point we were more like roommates than spouses.”

“And Michael?”

“Michael was an attempt to fix the problem. It only made it worse. Being pregnant interfered with Pamela’s social life and when the baby came, he only exacerbated our problems. We argued and fought over everything, but especially Michael. I took care of him and she partied. When Michael was three, she came home smelling of whiskey, pot, and sex. I moved out and took him with me.”

I put my hand on his arm. “I’m sorry.”

He shrugged.

“So you took Michael?” I prodded him onward. I wasn’t sure what was more important, that I needed to hear the rest of the story or he needed to tell it.

“Yes. Pamela was glad to see him go. She dropped out of grad school and started living with a poet. For almost a year I didn’t hear from her. ”

“But she has him now.”

Tom shook his head. “Oh yeah. When I finally decided to get a divorce, she showed up on my doorstep. She looked like hell and wanted me to take her back. I couldn’t do it. She was mad and told me I owed her for giving me a son. I threw her out. But when we got to court she was dressed in a tailored suit and told the judge she was finishing her doctorate. And to do that, she needed my alimony and child-support checks.”

“I’m surprised the judge gave her custody after she abandoned her child for a year.”

“I don’t blame him. My hours are so irregular. When something happens I’m at work for days straight. She was in school and had plenty of time to spend with Michael. And actually I think it was a good thing Michael stayed with her.”

“Why?”

“I wasn’t there to take care of him so she had to. She found out she liked being a mother and she loves Michael.”

Tom’s phone rang. He answered it in his usual professional manner. “Sheriff Owens.”

He handed me the phone. “It’s Justin. I’m going to sit on the balcony.”

“Hey Teach, what’s wrong with the sheriff?”

“Nothing, he’s just a little sore from our horseback riding excursion.”

Justin laughed. “I’ve got some information for you.”

“Let’s have it.”

“Okay, the only two people who are listed on the ship manifests for five years ago when Adam and your dad saw each other, four years ago when Adam was killed, and now are Carmelita Ringdon and Dorian Graystone.”

“Unless someone is using an alias,” I suggested.

“If someone got on with a fake passport, I wouldn’t be able to see that.”

“Okay, what about where my parents were going?”

“That I did find. Their flight plans had them landing in four places. But I checked the designated airports and they only actually landed in one – Dallas. They didn’t rent a car, so somebody must have picked them up at the airport.”

“How long did they stay?”

“Two days. Also I couldn’t find them checked into any hotel in the area, so they paid cash or stayed with someone else.”

“Adam died the week before they flew to Dallas, I wonder if their going back had something to do with that,” I suggested as I stood and made my way toward the balcony door.

“Maybe, but according to the newspaper article I originally found on him, he was buried in Phoenix,” Justin said. “Could there have been a family member of Adam’s still living in Texas that your parents wanted to visit?”

“According to the Feds, he had a son there.”

“That kid’s never mentioned anywhere. What’s his name?”

“I don’t know. You remember the paternity suit you found?”

“Yeah.”

“The child is from one of Adam’s mistresses.”

“Do you want me to find him?” Justin asked.

“Not yet, I’m not sure it’s important. Were they flying home after that?”

“No, they were supposed to go to Portland, Oregon.”

“We didn’t have family or friends there, so why were they going there?”

“I don’t know, Teach,” Justin replied. His voice sounded as frustrated as I felt.

“Thanks for your help, Justin. I really appreciate all the work you do for me.” I told him.

“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.”