Page 7 of Tiki Hut Tragedy (Cruise Director Millie Mysteries #6)

“Bravo! Bravo! Bravo! Blue Seas Dining Room stat!” Millie replaced her radio and crawled out from under the table to assess the situation. Food was still flying…savory dinner rolls, a slice of roasted turkey, a dinner napkin and even a French fry.

“What is happening?” Barty asked.

“The food fight is still going strong.”

A shrill shriek echoed. Felix ran past. He dove under a serving station, a dinner napkin covered in a thick layer of brown gravy on top of his head. “These women are crazy,” he gasped.

“They’re making a mess.” Millie anxiously consulted her watch, praying the security team would show up soon .

From their hiding spot, she noticed Astrid standing as still as a statue on top of the chair while food whizzed past her. String beans struck her in the arm. One grazed her leg…and yet there she stood, stoic and unmoving.

A niggling voice in Millie’s ear told her this wasn’t the first time the group had fought with food.

Heavy steps echoed and grew louder.

“Thank God,” Millie said. “Finally, help has arrived.”

Suharto’s voice rang out. “What is going on?”

A glob of dressing flew past his ear and struck the security guard behind him. “Who is throwing food?”

Things moved fast. More security guards arrived, surrounding the contestants and corralling them off in the corner, away from what was left of the food .

Millie crawled out from under the table, joined by Felix and Barty. “Where’s Annette?”

“Over here.” Annette, draped from head to toe in a tablecloth, traipsed across the room. “I tried saving the carved ham, but they got it too.”

Sure enough, chunks of ham littered the floor. A few pieces stuck to the wall, along with what appeared to be cranberry sauce and sweet potato pie.

“What a mess.”

Astrid, with a look of apprehension on her face, tiptoed over. “I’m sorry,” she said in an apologetic voice. “I should’ve known as soon as Wendy and Dixie got into it, this would happen.”

“This isn’t the first time,” Millie guessed.

“Nope. Their weapon of choice is always food,” Astrid sighed. “My boss is going to be ticked.”

“For good reason. Grown women should not be throwing food at each other. ”

“Or at us,” Felix said.

“I hope they’re all punished,” Barty chimed in.

“Nothing will happen to them.”

Millie’s jaw dropped. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah. These clowns…err…contestants are treated like movie stars. They bring in big advertisers. It’s all part of the show.”

Annette sucked in a breath, and Millie could tell from the look on her face she was about to go off on Astrid. She wasn’t wrong.

“This is ridiculous. They’re acting like spoiled brats.” Annette paced, ranting and raving about the wasted food, not to mention the mess.

To Astrid’s credit, her stoic, serene demeanor remained firmly in place. “Our company will reimburse you for any damage, the cleanup, whatever it takes.”

Millie cast a side glance at Suharto, who had somehow miraculously managed to get the women seated, all in a row, and was lecturing them about respecting other people’s property.

“You seem like a very reasonable and intelligent person, possibly even smarter than the women you’re hosting, but clearly they’re railroading over the top of you. ”

“I know, and to be honest, I’m fed up with it. I had hoped to be friends with these women, to become confidants and earn their trust,” Astrid said. “It appears my strategy is backfiring.”

“I’m curious, what happened when you told them the tiki excursion space was limited?” Millie asked.

“They took it better than I thought they would.”

“You’re on a roll.”

“Thanks. It feels good to take charge.”

“No, I mean literally…you’re standing on a dinner roll.”

Astrid peered down at her foot and burst out laughing. “Good one, Millie. ”

“Sometimes it’s good to laugh. If not, you end up crying.” Millie patted her arm. “This is the perfect opportunity to remind them that this behavior is unacceptable and to reinforce the fact you are in charge.”

“Right.” Astrid strode across the room and patiently waited for Suharto to finish. He and his team moved away, giving her the floor.

Millie crept closer, curious to find out how the woman planned to handle the rowdy contestants.

“First and foremost, I’m deeply disappointed in all of you,” Astrid said. “Look at the mess you’ve made—and not for the first time, I might add. We are all guests on board the Siren of the Seas, which means a certain code of conduct is expected. You have failed miserably.”

Millie held her breath while Astrid continued scolding them, shaming them for their actions and threatening to remove them from the competition .

An audible collective gasp filled the room. Based on what Astrid had confided, she didn’t have the authority to boot them from the group, but judging by their reactions, they took the threat seriously. She wrapped up her lecture and motioned Millie and Annette over.

The women stepped in next to Astrid, one on each side. “All of you owe these women, as well as Barty and Felix, an apology.”

“I’m sorry.” A chorus of murmured regrets echoed.

“An apology is a start, but not enough,” Astrid said. “Those of you who want to remain a part of the Belly Buster’s group will help clean this mess up. If you refuse, I’ll take this as your resignation from the group, and you can leave right now.”

It got so quiet, Millie could hear a pin drop, and she silently cheered Astrid. Their punishment was absolutely fitting.

Not a single person stirred .

“Good.” Astrid pivoted, turning to address Annette. “How long do you need to track down cleaning supplies?”

“Less than five minutes.” Annette spun in a slow circle, assessing the damage. “The walls will need to be washed, the floors scrubbed and we’ll also need to pack up the salvageable leftovers.”

“We’ll be waiting.”

Annette, Barty, Millie and Felix hurried out of the dining room. Working together, they assembled the cleaning supplies and returned to where the women sat waiting.

With Astrid taking control, Annette put her in charge of doling out the duties. The initial instigators, Dixie, Wendy and Gail, were tasked with scrubbing the floors while the others packed up food and washed the walls.

Millie felt someone nudge her arm. She turned to find Felix standing behind her. “Astrid found her backbone. ”

“And then some,” Millie chuckled. “It looks like she and Annette have it under control.”

“It’s a good thing they’re professional eaters and not axe throwers. We could have a whole other level of cleanup on our hands.”

“Right? I don’t even want to think about the carnage they could have left behind. The mess they made is bad enough.”

“Time for me to head out.” Felix did a fancy foot move and twirled around. “Line dancing class starts in five.”

“Thanks for helping.”

“I’m happy to assist. Working with you is always an adventure.”

After Felix left, Millie waited until Astrid was free. “It appears you have a good handle on your group. ”

“For once.” Astrid shook her head in disgust. “I’m hoping a little cleaning duty will give them time to reflect and regret the error of their ways.”

“And not try this stunt again.” Millie turned to go.

The group’s leader stopped her. “Thanks again for helping with the tiki hut excursion tomorrow morning.”

“You’re welcome. Isla mentioned it’s a new addition to our excursion packages and popular with passengers. It leaves right from the dock. I might have to swing by and check it out.”

“They’re fun. We’ve done one before.” Astrid assured Millie that she planned to chat with her group ahead of time to remind them to behave themselves.

Millie glanced over her shoulder, noticing Wendy and Dixie standing off to the side, having some sort of heated discussion. She pointed it out to Astrid .

“It’s an ongoing issue. Wendy, Gail and Dixie are constantly butting heads, trying to one-up each other.

All three are top contestants, which makes them frenemies.

” Astrid confided that the upcoming competition was causing even more friction.

“The Miami contest not only pays the winner big bucks, but this one includes a television contract. The winner will host their own pilot program. As you can imagine, they all want to win.”

“I bet.”

A small squabble between Roxanne and another woman caught their attention, and Astrid excused herself. “Time to play referee.” Once again, she took control of the situation, and it grew quiet.

With the dining room cleaning in the works, Millie headed to her next event, ticking off her mental to-do list as she walked. Tomorrow’s Grand Turk port day meant a slightly more relaxed schedule and her first official scheduled time off since returning from Alaska .

The day flew by with Millie bouncing from trivia to crafts to a VIP spa event.

A sea day meant formal night and a pre-dinner party for the past guests. Swapping out her daytime work uniform for her crisp formal duds, Millie was almost ready when Nic arrived home to freshen up.

“There you are.” Millie bounced onto the tips of her toes and gave him a quick kiss. “I haven’t seen you all day.”

“Same here. I heard about the food fight fiasco,” he joked.

“Good grief. Those women are high maintenance. Who knew food-eating contestants could be so temperamental?”

“Suharto mentioned he’s had a couple of issues with them already.”

Millie turned, giving her husband her full attention. “I’m sure the food fight was one. What else? ”

He shrugged. “You’ll have to ask him. I’m not sure.”

“Hmm.” Millie let it drop, briefly wondering what other mischief the Belly Busters had gotten into. “I had better get going. I’ll see you at the past-guest party.”

Nic stopped her. “What’s your schedule look like this week?”

“The usual. Why?”

“Just curious.” Her husband hurriedly told her goodbye. “See you soon.”

Because of the large number of previous cruisers on board, the popular event would take place in the theater. She arrived right on time, giving Danielle, who stood at the other entrance, a quick wave.

The party was a highlight of the voyage, an opportunity to thank their passengers for returning again and again to spend their hard-earned dollars cruising with them .

By the time the last guest arrived, the party was in full swing. The orchestra played a catchy tune, and guests hit the dance floor.

Joy Turner, a server and one of Millie’s friends, appeared. “We have a full house tonight. Guests love these parties.”

“For good reason.” Millie plucked a crispy bruschetta from Joy’s platter and nibbled at the edge. “Good food, a wide variety of drinks, top-notch entertainment. What more could you ask for?”

“It isn’t serving the Belly Busters.”

Millie sobered. “Uh-oh. What happened?”

“They’re obnoxious and demanding. I hosted an earlier event, and they ran me ragged.”

“I believe the host is finally getting them settled down.”

Joy crossed her fingers. “I hope so. I see some hungry cruisers over there. ”

Nic arrived, and Millie followed him onstage for the introductions.

After greeting their guests, she stepped off to the side, proudly watching while he introduced the other officers and staff, heads of each of the departments, who were cheered with enthusiastic applause, but no one more so than Annette.

“I trust you are enjoying your meals,” Nic said. “Annette Delacroix does an excellent job of keeping us well fed.”

Another round of applause ensued.

Working his way down the list, Millie was last. She took over from there, thanking the staff again and voicing her appreciation. She ended the speech and caught up with her husband, who was surrounded by a gaggle of women.

“…your wife is such a sweetheart. How long have you two been married? ”

A mischievous glint twinkled in Nic’s eyes. “She’s standing behind you. How long have we been married, my love?”

“Four absolutely blissful years.”

“You have my dream job,” a woman gushed. “I can’t imagine waking up to my prince charming every morning, enjoying the gorgeous ocean views from my private apartment, with all the delicious meals and endless entertainment right at my fingertips.”

“And a lot of long hours,” Millie added. “But I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

Nic, seizing the opportunity to slip away, excused himself. Millie chatted for a few more minutes and began making her rounds, talking to guests and inquiring about how the voyage was going.

Being cruise director was her dream job, her dream life. Millie had found her calling. God had put her exactly where she needed to be .

All too soon the party ended. While the guests wandered off to the show or dinner, she lingered, helping tidy up before heading to her next event.

Superhero Strong, the most annoying song she’d ever heard, played overhead. It reminded her of the Belly Buster’s tiki hut excursion scheduled for the following morning.

An inkling of uneasiness washed over Millie. Although Astrid appeared to have the group under control, her gut told her another incident could be lurking right around the corner.

Little did she know that a tragic accident would take center stage and she would find herself embroiled in a mystery that would put her sleuthing skills to the test.