Page 18 of Tiki Hut Tragedy (Cruise Director Millie Mysteries #6)

Millie waited until Nikki was free before making her way over to the Guest Services desk.

“Hey, Millie.”

“Hey, Nikki. Have you had any other complaints about the Superhero Strong song playing?”

“A couple, though not nearly as many. Thank you for jumping in and saving the day.”

“I’m sorry it got out of hand. The Belly Busters haven’t complained about not hearing it as often as they’d hoped, so it looks like we dodged a bullet.” Millie playfully swiped at her forehead. “I have a favor to ask.”

“You’re looking for information?”

“Yep. It’s about a passenger who drowned during an excursion in Grand Turk. ”

Nikki grew somber. “I heard. How awful. I was thinking about booking it myself because it sounded like fun, but now I’m not so sure.”

“Between you and me, I think there were too many people on board. A passenger started yelling about something crawling on her, which caused the others to panic. The women all ran to one side, tilting the hut. Most, if not all, fell into the water, and one of them drowned.”

“Someone mentioned they weren’t wearing lifejackets.”

“Cat and I were on the dock when it left. From what I remember, only a couple of passengers had them on.” Millie leaned an elbow on the counter. “The woman, Dixie Trent, shared a cabin with Wendy Jorgensen. I was wondering if you could tell me what cabin number they were…are in.”

“Sure.” Nikki shifted her attention to the computer screen, her fingers flying over the keyboard. “Cabin A4312. ”

“The Atlantic deck.”

“Yep.”

Millie repeated the number. “I have another question.”

“You want to know who the cabin steward is.”

“Bingo.”

“Lola Santos.”

“I know Lola. Thanks, Nikki.” Millie turned to go. “Actually, I have a third request. Can you pull up the tracking system and find out if Wendy Jorgensen has left the ship?”

“I’m on it.” With a couple of quick clicks, Millie had her answer. “She left this morning around nine. According to the tracking system, she hasn’t returned yet.”

“Perfect.” Millie gave her a thumbs up and made a move to leave.

Nikki stopped her. “You don’t believe her death was an accident. ”

“Let’s just say I’m not completely convinced. The women are all competitors. How easy would it be to get rid of one of the top competitors if you knew they were taking pills that affected their balance and judgment?”

“But why kill someone? I mean, they’re part of an eating competition, worth maybe a few thousand bucks.”

“True, at least in most instances. For this particular competition, the winner will be offered a contract to host a new food show.” Millie rubbed her thumb and index fingers together. “Which could lead to big bucks.”

Nikki whistled loudly. “Fame and fortune. If anyone can find out, it’ll be you.”

Millie thanked her again and took the stairs down to the Atlantic deck. With any luck, she would catch Lola before she finished her morning cleanings. She reached the section of the ship where Dixie and Wendy’s cabin was located and found a cleaning cart parked in the hallway .

As she drew closer, she noticed a cabin door was open and heard a muffled thump.

“Lola?”

A young woman with short dark hair and olive skin appeared in the doorway. “Hello, Millie.”

“Hello. I know you’re busy but was wondering if I could chat with you for a minute.”

“Sure.” Lola stepped out into the hallway.

“The Belly Busters are on board.”

“Yes. I am cleaning some of their cabins.” She patted her stomach. “They have told me about the eating contests. It sounds very exciting.”

“Exciting for sure. After the cruise ends, they’ll be competing in Miami.”

“I have overheard them talking about it. They take the eating part very seriously. Every day I carry stacks of dishes this high out of their cabins.” Lola held her hands up, about a foot apart. “ Sandwiches, soup, tacos, pizza, you name it. They are not wasteful either.”

“They gobble up every bite.”

Lola glanced over her shoulder and lowered her voice. “I think I have discovered their trick for eating so much.”

“What is it?”

“Water. They drink a lot of water.”

“I suppose it makes sense. Water helps with digestion.” Millie shifted her feet. “I’m here to ask about Dixie Trent and Wendy Jorgensen, both competitors and cabinmates.”

Lola’s expression grew grim. “I heard about Ms. Trent’s drowning. How awful.”

“It was a terrible tragedy,” Millie agreed. “Her death has been ruled an accident.”

“Dave Patterson has already been by to gather up Dixie’s belongings so they can be returned to her family. ”

“How is Wendy doing? I mean, how does she seem?”

“At first, she was taking it kind of hard. I don’t think she and Dixie got along.”

“What makes you say that?”

“I spend a lot of time in this hallway cleaning cabins. Sometimes you hear things.” Lola tapped her ear. “Through the doors, when passengers are passing by in the hall.”

“You heard Wendy and Dixie?”

The room steward nodded. “They argued often and loudly. Astrid, a woman who is a part of their group, came by a couple of times to calm them down. Wendy told me that she might be moving to a different cabin.”

“Do you remember when this was?”

Lola thought about it for a moment. “It was Sunday, our first full sea day. ”

“So about twenty-four hours after they boarded the ship,” Millie said.

“Correct.”

“As far as their cabin, have you noticed any odd or unusual items inside?”

Lola’s eyes slid to the side.

“You have noticed something.”

She looked away, clearly uncomfortable at Millie’s line of questioning. “Maybe. I’m not allowed to discuss what’s inside a passenger’s cabin. It is private information.”

“I understand.” Millie placed a light hand on the back of her neck. The last thing she wanted to do was put the woman on the spot.

She glanced at the cabin they were standing in front of. It was only a few doors down from Wendy and Dixie’s cabin.

A sudden thought occurred to her. “Wendy is off the ship. ”

“She is. She and some others went snorkeling. I watched them leave with their beach bags a few hours ago.”

Millie tugged on her master keycard—a keycard giving her access to any cabin on board the ship. “So…if I happened to take a quick peek inside Wendy and Dixie’s cabin, I might see the unusual items?”

Lola nodded. “On the bathroom counter,” she whispered.

Shifting her gaze farther down the corridor, she noticed a second cleaning cart, one belonging to another room steward. “I’ll be right back.”

“But…”

Millie held a finger to her lips. “Turn away and pretend you never saw me.”

“Good idea.” Lola turned and began rummaging around in her cart .

Moving at a quick pace, Millie reached cabin A4312. Using her keycard, she unlocked the door and stepped inside. Lola had already tidied up the cabin. The beds were made, no dirty dishes on the stand…everything neat and clean.

The cabin’s countertop was empty except for a copy of the Cruise Ship Chronicles, Siren of the Seas’ daily schedule.

Millie eased the bathroom door open. She flipped the light on and stepped inside, her breath catching in her throat at what she found sitting on the bathroom counter.