Page 15 of Tiki Hut Tragedy (Cruise Director Millie Mysteries #6)

“The Belly Busters have met their match with this contest.” Annette handed Millie the foodie scavenger hunt. “Good job in coming up with some interesting items.”

“I can’t take the credit for this one. It was all Felix who, by the way, should be here any minute.”

“You called an emergency meeting,” Annette said. “What’s up?”

Millie filled her friend in on her conversation with the pastor. “The bottom line is he’s struggling, and I want to help.”

“We’ve all been there.”

“If not for meeting you first, then Cat, not to mention Andy taking me under his wing, I don’t know if I would have made it,” Millie said. “He needs some encouragement.”

Before Annette could reply, the galley door swung open. Felix, Danielle, Cat and Andy appeared.

“Good morning, ladies.” Andy cheerfully greeted them. “Millie is looking bright-eyed and chipper for a sea day.”

“We have a lot of fun events on tap.” Millie patted her activity app. “A full day of fun in the sun before arriving in Puerto Plata tomorrow.”

“I just left a meeting with some of the other senior staff members,” Andy said.

“Captain Armati told us about the drowning yesterday. Counselors have met with the women who are part of the group. A few of the details about what exactly happened are still a little unclear. I guess we’ll have to wait for the official report to get that information. ”

“From the eyewitnesses I spoke with, Dixie felt something crawling on her and started screaming. The others panicked and tried to escape. The tiki hut tilted and dumped everyone into the water.” Millie told them about the rescue mission and the tragic results of their search.

“Dixie must’ve hit her head and been knocked out.

While everyone was scrambling to get back on board, the current carried her over to the rocks. ”

“I thought the tiki hut would be fun, but now I’m thinking it’s a recipe for disaster.” Cat held up her finger. “Number one, it’s tippy, plus the passengers are drinking. All it would take is for tipsy passengers to stampede to one side. Next thing you know, you’re in the water.”

“And in their case, trying to get away from a reptile or rodent,” Millie said.

Danielle pointed to the clock. “I hate to rush, but I have a solo meet and greet starting soon.”

“I won’t hold you up.” Millie told her friends about Pastor Haakenson, sharing the same story she had with Annette. “The pastor is lonely and struggling. I’m looking for suggestions about how we can help him.”

Cat elbowed Andy. “You’re good at coming up with ideas. What do you think?”

“What does he like to do?”

“He likes coffee. His coffee maker stopped working, so we took it to Sharky to fix it.”

“Millie, my dear, you answered your own question.” Andy shared his idea.

Her eyes lit. “It’s perfect. Thank you, Andy. As soon as it’s ready, I’ll plan an official welcome party.”

Danielle left first, with Cat and Andy not far behind, leaving Felix, Millie and Annette in the galley to go over the details of the foodie scavenger hunt.

“Have you checked with Astrid to make sure they’re up to participating?” Felix asked .

“I spoke to her right before I got here. Her first inclination was to cancel events, but after meeting with the grief counselors, the group unanimously decided to keep their schedule.”

Bang! Barty barreled around the corner and collided with the counter. He lost his grip on the tray of rolls he was carrying. As if in slow motion, the rolls flew into the air, like mini missiles firing off in every direction. The tray hit the floor with a loud clatter.

“Not again.” Barty fell to his knees, frantically trying to gather them up.

Felix ran over to help him. “Talk about rolling in the dough,” he joked.

“I’m a disaster.” Barty hastily finished scooping up the rolls. “At least it wasn’t rice.”

“That was yesterday,” Annette sighed. “Go ahead and toss them in the trash.”

“I’m sorry, Miss Annette. ”

“It’s okay. Mistakes happen.”

Barty, still apologizing profusely, began backing up.

“Watch out for…”

It was too late. He collided with the mixer stand, almost tipping over a bowl of batter. He snatched it upright and breathed a visible sigh of relief. “I need to find a safe project to work on.”

“Preferably one that doesn’t involve sharp knives.”

Millie waited until he was gone. “Poor guy. I think he’s nervous.”

“Nervous energy resulting in klutziness,” Annette quipped. “He tries so hard.”

“Maybe too hard. You were giving him the look.”

“What look?”

Felix scrunched up his eyebrows and set his lips in a straight line .

“Do I look like that?”

“Sometimes, like now,” Millie teased.

Her brows furrowed. “It’s all a part of my natural charm and demeanor.”

“Speaking of charm, how’s it going with Jose Juan Carlos?”

“Pffft.”

“Uh-oh. Not good?” Millie wasn’t a huge fan of Annette’s on-again, off-again boyfriend, namely because he struck her as being possessive, keeping tabs on what she did and who she spent time with and…he didn’t like her friends.

“He seems determined to micromanage me, so I told him our relationship wasn’t working out.”

“I think.” Millie abruptly stopped.

“You didn’t like him,” Annette guessed.

“No, for all the reasons you gave, plus he doesn’t have the best track record. ”

“I can’t dump all the blame on him. I’m pretty set in my ways. My life is great. Adding a man only complicates things.”

“We love you the way you are.” Felix gave her a peck on the cheek. “Never change. We love you, bossy boss lady.”

“And on that note.” Annette handed them both a sheet of paper. “Here’s a copy of the scavenger hunt list you came up with.”

Millie slipped her reading glasses on. She scanned the sheet and burst out laughing. “Are you sure these gals will be able to find the items on this list?”

“Yep. Every single one of them but they’ll need a sharp eye.” Felix tapped the side of his forehead. “And be able to think outside the box.”

“Out of the box, behind the bar, in the spa.” She began rattling off the items:

- Dippin’ Dots.

- Orange peel.

- Coffee scrub.

- Maraschino cherry.

- Pickle juice.

- French cheese.

- Grey Poupon.

And the list went on, with a number of unique as well as common cruise ship condiments and foods.

“The contestants should be here any moment. We’ll need more copies.”

“Already printed.” Annette waved a stack of papers in the air. “I hear them coming now.”

Muffled voices grew louder. Astrid and the Belly Busters strolled into the galley. “Sorry we’re late.”

“Actually, you’re right on time,” Millie said. “I’m not sure if you remember Felix LaGrece from the food fight eating exercise. Felix is one of our entertainers. He came up with the items for your scavenger hunt.”

A polite round of applause ensued .

Felix took a bow. “Thank you. Thank you.” He explained the short and sweet game rules and then started the timer, giving the participants two hours to find as many of the items on the list as possible. “Ready…set…go.”

Grabbing a list, they dashed out the door at breakneck speed. Everyone except for Astrid.

“How are the others handling Dixie’s death?” Millie asked after they were gone.

Astrid tipped her hand back and forth. “They seem okay, although the mood is subdued. To be honest, I think we’re all still in shock. Several mentioned suing the tiki hut owner.”

“It was an accident. I hope they don’t.”

“I’m sure each of you signed a waiver,” Annette pointed out.

“Waivers are meant to be broken.”

“So you’re jumping on the bandwagon?” Millie asked .

“I’m not sure. I still need time to process what happened. In a way, it was Dixie’s fault for causing a panic, although no one could predict everyone would rush to the same side of the tiki hut.”

Millie thought about the previous conversation in Patterson’s office, how Wendy mentioned Dixie taking a peppermill pill before the excursion, and made a mental note to do a little research into the side effects.

Barty crept closer. “Miss Millie, do you think I could try finding the items?”

“Sure.” She handed him a copy. “If it’s okay with Annette, it’s okay with me.”

“I have always wanted to take part in a scavenger hunt.”

“Hunt away. Have fun. See you in two hours.” Annette waved goodbye, watching as Barty removed his apron and darted out the door. “My galley is safe from calamity for two hours. ”

Millie patted her arm. “He seems like a good guy. Give him time, and he’ll be right up there with Amit.”

“If my kitchen survives long enough for my new assistant to find his footing.”