“I bet,” I said, trying not to be too pointed about it. "Did you ever see Liam socially?”
"Well, I would bump into him here and there in a restaurant or at a bar from time to time.”
"Did he ever come to the house?”
"We don't have tennis courts.”
I smiled. "Did you ever see him at the Seven Seas?”
She shifted uncomfortably. “No.”
“No?”
“Well, I may have encountered him at a social function.”
“Liam was very social in the Pineapple Cabana.”
Gwen swallowed hard. “What are you getting at?”
I gave her a flat look. “There’s really no need to hide it at this point. According to the phone records, you met him there seven times.”
Gwen stiffened.
“He came to the house on more than a few occasions. How about you start telling me the truth?”
14
Gwen looked around to make sure the neighbors weren’t watching. “I think it's best if we have this discussion in private.”
She stepped aside, pulled the door wide, and invited us in.
We walked into the foyer, and she closed the door behind us, once again glancing to the street. We followed her across the expensive marble tile into the spacious living room. Gwen offered us a seat on the sleek, modern furniture. Copious amounts of light spilled in through the large window walls.
With dark hardwoods, French gray walls, and white trim, it had a classic feel but still light and airy.
Gwen composed herself and took a seat in a chair catty-corner. “I’m going to assume what’s said in confidence will remain in confidence.”
“I’m only interested in who killed Liam,” I said. “But there really aren’t any secrets in Stingray Bay, are there?”
A frown tightened her lips. Everybody in Stingray Bay seemed to know everybody else's business. What else was there to do around the posh neighborhood besides talk about people behind their backs?
“You have to believe me when I tell you I stopped sleeping with Liam the moment I found out he was involved with my daughter.”
“When did you become aware?”
“Just recently.”
It was an intentionally vague answer.
“Define recently,” I said.
Gwen shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe a few weeks ago. I should have caught on sooner. They’d been getting awfully close. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined the two would…” She couldn’t bring herself to say it.
I don’t think she was being a hundred percent honest. According to cell data, the two had spent time together over the weekend at the Seven Seas.
“When did their relationship begin?”
“I’m not really sure. He started coaching her when she was a junior. With Liam’s help, she ranked top 40 in the National Girls, and peaked at 152 in the Junior ranking. Now she’s fielding offers from several strong colleges. Turning pro is her dream, and it’s all possible because of Liam. As you can imagine, we were ecstatic about the results. I had no idea there was a growing attraction between the two.”
