The Ghosts Of Her Past (A Completed, Steamy Romantic Mystery)

Part Eight

It was late when we landed in Seattle.  My mind is still spinning and my heart is aching for Lisa.  I am hanging on to hope that it's a case of mistaken identity, but each time I called her phone, I was only greeted by her voicemail.  Lisa never rejects my calls.

My brother reserved us a hotel room where I cried while tossing and turning all night long.  Eli tried to comfort me, but eventually, he succumbed to his own exhaustion.  I wanted to hold Izzy, but she's so far away now.

It was barely 8 am when we left the hotel to meet Detective Sinclair at the police station. 

"I'm very sorry for your loss." He shook my hand. 

"Thank you, but I am having a hard time believing it's really her you found," I said.

"As I told your mother, you are more than welcome to make the identification, but before we do that, my partner and I have a few questions." He said.

He is an older man with kind eyes, but I still believe he is mistaken.  He took us to a room where a younger detective was waiting for us. 

"Miss Ashley, this is Detective Franks.  He is on your friend's case with me."

The younger man shook my hand and offered us a seat.

"As I'm sure you suspect, the police normally wouldn't be involved unless the death is ruled suspicious.  We have yet to determine that for sure, but the identity of your friend, along with a few other details, had us taking a closer look." Detective Sinclair said.

"Are you aware of anything from her past that could give us some clues?" Detective Franks asked.

"Lisa has always been a bit reclusive.  By that I mean she didn't form attachments with anyone other than myself and never talked much about her past.  We do have a friend from work, Lance, but he isn't as close as us. All I know is she's from Scipio, Kentucky and had a rough childhood. She rarely visits home, and a few weeks ago she mentioned that she had a brother.  She worked at the station longer than me, and we lived together for six years.  She never gave me any reason to believe she was living under a false identity." I said.

"How about her finances, what can you tell us about that situation?" He asked.

I cleared my throat.  "Well, that part never made sense.  She spent money like nobody else I know, but her salary was far less than mine.  When I would ask about it, she would change the subject." I said.

"Did she ever have visitors you didn't know or any family that may have come into her home or work?"

I shook my head.  "Never, she only mentioned a brother, but she didn't give a name or any information.  She never spoke of her parents, other family members, or friends."

"Are you aware that she truly was a very wealthy young woman?  We found a very large amount of cash, not only in her bedroom, but she had an offshore account along with even more money in a safety deposit box at a local bank." He said.

"As I said, I noticed her spending, but always figured she had a trust fund or inheritance.  She refused to discuss it." I said. 

"Her home had no mortgage because she paid upfront, her vehicle was paid for, and she had no outstanding debts, at least not under this alias." He said.

"I have no idea about anything other than the fact that Lisa is kind, didn't form many attachments, never worried about finances, and was very secretive of her past.  She is funny and very supportive and, by far, one of my favorite people."

"Was she involved in any illegal activities, like drugs, or anything else that could explain the amount of money in her possession?" He asked.

"No, we drank wine, but we never even talked about drugs.  She didn't have strangers at the house or go out with people I didn't know.  Lisa would never get involved in drugs or any other illegal activity." I said.

"Are you aware that she owned several guns?" He asked.

"Yeah, she said they were for protection." I answered.

"Did she seem paranoid or mention anyone that may want to harm her?" He asked.

I shook my head.  "No, she acted fine, other than being guarded about forming relationships.  After I got to know her, I was surprised she even let me in her life. I tried to get her to move back home with me, but she was stubborn about it and refused to even consider it."

"Was there any kind of romantic ties to anyone?" He asked.

I shook my head.  "She never brought anyone home and only had sexual encounters with men that she never saw twice."

"Was there any talk of relationships in her past?" He asked.

"No, like I said before, she never spoke of her life before we met," I said.

"Can you describe your friendship?  What kind of things did you do together?" He asked.

"We always had fun no matter what we were doing.  We went to clubs and were casual drinkers.  We took a few vacations together, and we both enjoy music.  We visited wineries in Northern California and took one trip to L.A., but we always stayed on the west coast. She is a good listener and always cares about what is going on in my life." I said.

"How did she take the news about you leaving Seattle?" He asked.

"She encouraged me to take the career opportunity.  She seemed sad to see me go, but we stayed in close contact.  She seemed absolutely fine, even when we spoke on Friday night." I said.

"Was there ever times she would leave and not be able to explain her whereabouts?"

"Actually, yes, now that I think about it.  At least once a week she would leave work and not get home until late.  She said she was visiting someone, but she never said who it was, and, like usual, she would change the subject."

"Well, I think that's all the questions we have for now.  You can follow us the Medical Examiners office if you like." Detective Sinclaire said.

"Thank you, we would appreciate that."