Page 14 of Tiki Hut Tragedy (Cruise Director Millie Mysteries #6)

Millie’s heart skipped a beat. “You found someone?”

“A body. It appears to be a female. Call Patterson and let him know we have a recovery, not a rescue.”

“Will do.” She fumbled inside the storage compartment. Removing her cell phone from the waterproof bag, she dialed Patterson’s number.

“Hey, Millie.”

“Hey, Patterson. Sharky and I are alongside the jetty. We found a woman’s body.”

“You’re familiar with the members of the excursion group. Do you recognize her?”

“We couldn’t get close enough on the PRV, so Sharky swam over to the rocks. I’m not sure.” Millie glimpsed two boats out in the water with logos similar to those she’d noticed earlier. “I see two of the rescue boats.”

“Tell Patterson we can rendezvous with the rescue boats!” Sharky hollered.

Millie relayed the message.

“Let me make a quick call.” Patterson told her to hang tight.

Less than a minute later, he called back. “The rescue boats see you, but because of the shallow depth, they’re unable to get any closer. Ask Sharky if he’s able to transport the victim.”

“Patterson wants to know if we’re able to take the body to the rescue boats.”

“It’s gonna take a little rigging, but I think we can make it work.”

“Sharky says he thinks so. Tell the rescue people we’ll be there asap.” Millie ended the call. “What do you need from me? ”

“There’s an inflatable vest and tow strap in the back.”

“This might be tricky.” Millie cautiously swung her leg over the side and turned so she was facing backward. Digging through the compartment, she removed the vest. With the flick of a button, the vest inflated.

“You have been paying attention during the safety drills.”

“Every week for years now. I see the tow rope. You want me to hook the vest to the strap and then toss it to you?”

“Correct.”

Millie grimaced. “I’m not sure about my aim.”

“I have faith in you, Millster.”

“Here goes nothing.” She secured the vest, tying it tightly. “Ready when you are.”

“You want me to swim back and grab it? ”

“Nah. I got this.” Millie adjusted her stance. Balancing both feet on the footrests and mindful not to rock the PRV, she ratcheted her arm back. Using all of her strength, she tossed the vest and tow rope toward Sharky.

It landed dead center on a pile of rocks a few feet away.

“Nice throw.” Sharky scrambled over the rocks and grabbed hold of it. “Easy breezy.”

Millie watched as he dragged it toward the body. He unsnapped the vest and slid her arm through the opening. Picking up the pace, he slid her second arm through and secured the snaps. “We’re ready to go. Make sure the power switch is on low before you press the button.”

“Power switch?” She studied the panel of buttons inside the rear compartment. “Which one is the power button?”

“The one with the bright red letter P. ”

“I see it.” Millie flipped the button. A whirring sound ensued, and the rope started to retract.

Slowly…slowly, the woman surfaced.

“Turn it off.” Sharky frantically waved his arms.

Millie flipped the switch. “What’s wrong?”

“This isn’t gonna work. The current is too strong. She’s also caught on something I can’t see.”

Millie swallowed hard. “Do…uh…do you need me to swim over and help?”

“We can’t leave the PRV. You’ll need to call Patterson to let him know the marine rescue team will have to figure out another way to recover the body.”

Millie made the call, repeating what Sharky had said.

“I’ll let them know. Be careful coming back. Stop by my office as soon as you get here.”

“We will.” Millie hit the “end call” button and waved her phone in the air. “Patterson is working on finding another recovery team. Do you need me to untie the rope?”

“Yeah.”

Millie untied the rope and shaded her eyes, watching while Sharky wrapped it around a rock and secured it. “She won’t be going anywhere.”

“Be careful.”

He crept to the end of the jetty, getting as close as possible to the Quadski. He dove off and was promptly sucked under by a powerful wave.

“Sharky!” Millie scrambled to the side. “Sharky!”

He popped out of the water and began swimming toward the PRV.

As soon as he got close, she reached down to give him a hand, half pulling, half dragging him back onto the rescue vehicle.

“It’s rougher out there than it looks,” he gasped.

“You could have gotten pummeled against the rocks. ”

“No way.” Sharky slipped his life vest back on. “I’m a strong swimmer.”

Millie shifted her gaze to the splotch of blue. “Were you able to get a good look at the…person?”

“Yeah.” Sharky described Dixie. “Hopefully, the rescuers can get over there before the rope works its way loose, and she floats away.”

“I see a jet ski heading our way.”

Sure enough, a red rescue vehicle skimmed across the water, passing less than a hundred feet from where they were. Dropping anchor, the pair on board dove into the water and swam to the jetty.

Things moved fast as the marine rescuers removed Dixie’s lifeless body and placed it in a makeshift raft. They attached the raft to the rescue vehicle and began making their way toward shore.

“This wasn’t the outcome we had hoped for,” Sharky said .

“You mentioned it was chaotic when the tiki hut tipped. Do you think during the panic, Dixie hit her head and drowned?”

“It’s the only thing I can think of. I know I didn’t hit her.”

During the return ride to the ship, Millie mulled over what had happened. Astrid mentioned a reptile or snake. The only way to find out for sure was to question those who were on the tiki hut during the fateful trip.

An inkling of suspicion crept back into Millie’s mind.

The Belly Busters were fiercely competitive.

Dixie was a top contender, and many of those women probably believed she was a shoo-in to win.

What if one of them came up with a plan to get rid of her?

It was possible. Anything was possible at this point.

Back on board the Siren of the Seas, Millie and Sharky went straight to Patterson’s office. They arrived to find he wasn’t alone. A distraught Astrid and sullen Wendy the Wolfette Jorgensen were seated across from him.

“Hello.” Millie cautiously greeted them.

“Come in.” Patterson waved them inside. “I gave Ms. Pace and Ms. Jorgensen the news we may have found Dixie Trent’s body.”

“Do you think she hit her head and drowned?” Wendy asked.

“Could be,” Millie replied. “Only an autopsy and investigation will determine what happened to Dixie.”

“We were having a good time, enjoying the beautiful weather. Zema, who I’ve heard is the owner of the tiki hut, was personable and attentive. Things were going great and then suddenly.” Astrid snapped her fingers. “Pure chaos.”

“Dixie freaked out,” Wendy said. “She started yelling. Next thing I know, everyone is running to the side. ”

“Tipping it so the group ended up in the water,” Astrid added. “We were all trying to get away from it. Zema kept yelling there wasn’t anything and helping the women back on board when the man on the rescue vehicle arrived.”

“Me,” Sharky said. “I helped him pull people from the water.”

“You didn’t see a reptile or whatever may have startled Dixie?” Patterson asked.

“No, but by then the hut was rocking back and forth. It could have slithered off the side with everyone else.”

“It’s a terrible tragedy.” Astrid clutched a crumpled tissue and dabbed at her eyes. “Poor Dixie.”

“She’s the one who tipped the tiki hut in the first place,” Wendy said. “Maybe she was popping too many stomach relaxers and got sick.”

“Sick?” Patterson echoed .

“Dixie was complaining about not feeling well, like maybe she ate something bad, and wanted to go lie down. I can tell you that those little peppermill pills that relax the stomach muscles can do a real number on you if you’re not careful.”

Millie perked up. “Peppermill pills?”

“They’re a natural stimulant, to increase your appetite and stretch your stomach. All completely acceptable in the food-eating competition world. However, like Wendy said, taking too many can make you ill,” Astrid said. “This is the first I’ve heard of Dixie not feeling well.”

“She said it loud enough. I thought everyone heard her,” Wendy said. “Or it could have been the spicy jalapeno omelet she had for breakfast. They mess my stomach up every time.”

Patterson reached for his pen and began jotting notes.

“The deceased complained about not feeling well shortly before she thought something was crawling on her. I’ll be questioning the others in your group.

Perhaps one of them saw or heard something you may have missed.

” The head of security asked a few more questions and told them they were free to leave.

Millie waited until they were gone. “What do you think?”

“I think there may have been some animosity toward the victim, but at the end of the day it was an unfortunate accident.” Patterson consulted his notes. “This group sounds familiar. Are these the same ones who were involved in the food fight yesterday?”

“They are.”

Sharky tapped his chin. “There’s something different about that chick.”

“Wendy is a professional eater. I suppose professional eating could be considered an unusual line of work,” Millie said.

“Not Wendy. The other woman.”

“Astrid? ”

“Yeah. She’s giving off a vibe.”

“A timid vibe?” Millie asked.

“Wimpy but maybe something else. You don’t sense it?”

“No, although I have to say, her bandana is an interesting choice for a tiki hut outing, but other than that, I’m not feeling it.”

Sharky shrugged. “Maybe it’s a guy thing. Anyway, if you want my two cents, I don’t think it would hurt to keep an eye on her.”

“Keeping an eye on Astrid won’t be a problem. I’m handling a bunch of their events. Amerifinest is hosting a major competition in Miami next week,” Millie said. “Astrid and the contestants are under a lot of pressure right now.”

“But how much is really at stake?” Patterson arched his eyebrow. “A few thousand bucks and bragging rights? ”

“And a television pilot program with the winner being offered a contract.”

“That might make it worth the risk to take out the top competitor,” Sharky said.

Patterson slid his notepad into his pocket. “I’m heading out to speak with the tiki hut owner again.”

“I’ll go with you, boss,” Sharky said. “Between the three of us, maybe we can figure out exactly what happened.”

The men took off, heading to the gangway to track Zema down. Millie checked her schedule. As luck would have it, she was hosting another Belly Buster event, minus one contestant.

Was it a case of a tragic accident, or was something much more sinister playing out? If Millie hung around the group long enough, she might be able to figure it out.