Page 10 of Waylaid in Whittier (Cruise Director Millie Mysteries #5)

Annette quietly listened while Millie filled her in on their visit with Elvira. “The good news is we have a ride. Brody rented a truck, thinking we might need an extra set of wheels.”

“Awesome,” Millie whooped. “Sharky and I have his scooter. Maybe he and I should stay closer to town while you check out the mining site.”

“The Flamethrower won’t have any trouble getting around out in the wilderness,” Sharky whispered in a loud voice. “Mountains are no problem for my powerful set of wheels.”

“I don’t doubt this is true, but maybe it would be best if we let them go. They’ll get there quicker.” And in one piece, Millie silently added.

“Fine, but it would’ve been cool to check out Mount Baldie,” Sharky grumbled. “We might have even found a nugget or two of gold.”

“The plan is to divide and conquer. We can’t do it all.” Millie promised to forward a snapshot of Elvira’s drawing to Annette. She ended the call and did just that.

Annette confirmed she’d received it and wished them luck.

“Where to?” Millie shaded her eyes and scoped out their current location. At least Whittier was relatively compact, meaning it wouldn’t take them long to reach the bar. “I say we head to the bar first. It’s on our way to the mining group’s base camp.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Sharky waited for Millie to straddle the Flamethrower and strap on her helmet. As soon as she did, off they went, through town and down several side streets until reaching the bar.

Bay Bar & Grill was similar in both size and appearance to several of the other commercial buildings near the harbor. Long and low with a covered front entrance, they found several vehicles, all sporting varying degrees of caked-on mud, parked out front.

Sharky chose a spot near the road and beneath the street sign. He pulled a chain lockset from his backpack and secured the Flamethrower before joining Millie, who stood off to the side. “You planned for everything.”

“This beauty right here is a solid piece of machinery.” Sharky proudly patted the seat. “You better bet I’m not taking any chances. You never know when someone might be tempted to swipe my prized possession.”

The duo crossed the gravel parking lot and stepped inside. Music blared from a jukebox in the corner, a honky-tonk tune that sounded vaguely familiar.

A cluster of men stood off to the side playing pool. They gave the newcomers a passing glance before continuing with their game.

Millie and Sharky veered left and approached the bar.

“Morning folks.” The bartender made his way over. “Welcome to Bay’s. What can I get you?”

“A Diet Coke,” Millie said.

“Sprite for me,” Sharky said.

“A Diet Coke and Sprite coming right up.” He filled two glasses with ice and soda and set them on the counter. “Do you want to look at menus? The kitchen stops serving breakfast at eleven.”

“No thanks.” Millie fished a ten-dollar bill out of her purse and slid it toward him. “We’re crewmembers from the cruise ship. Our friend was in this bar the other night when a woman was attacked. She’s been arrested and we’re trying to figure out what happened.”

“Elvira Cobb,” the man said. “I was working the night of Wanda’s attack and heard them arguing. You said you were friends?”

“We are,” Sharky replied. “Elvira’s insisting she wasn’t behind the attack and we’re here to see if maybe someone else can shed some light on what went down.”

“It’s pretty simple.” The man introduced himself as Lyle. “Alex and his crew came in the other night for dinner, drinks and to hang out, something they’ve done almost every night since they set up camp here in Whittier. Wanda and Elvira argued. Wanda left. Elvira followed her out and attacked her. I wasn’t the only one who saw them arguing.”

“Seeing them argue and seeing Elvira hit the woman over the head are two entirely different things,” Millie pointed out. “We’re wondering if there was anyone else who didn’t like the woman and may have had a reason to attack her.”

“Wanda is a Whittier local. She’s lived in this area her entire life. As far as I know, she doesn’t have any enemies other than your friend.”

“No neighbors or co-worker she may have had a beef with?” Millie pressed.

“Wanda has plenty of neighbors. She lives in the Valley Shore Apartment building. It’s one of two in town where almost every other person, including myself, lives.”

“Valley Shore,” Sharky repeated. “Is it nearby?”

“Walk out of this building and look to the west. You can’t miss it. It’s the second tallest building in Whittier. Like I said, the Tillman family is well known. All the locals know Wanda.” The bartender excused himself to help another customer.

Millie waited until he was gone. “Elvira mentioned stopping by the bathroom after she and Wanda argued. I want to take a quick look around.”

“I’ll hang out here until you get back.”

Millie slid off the barstool and followed the restroom sign down a long hall. Near the front was an open door leading to the kitchen. On the other side was a narrow door. It appeared to be some sort of closet.

She continued walking and found the restrooms near the end. Millie slowly eased the women’s bathroom door open, making sure no one was standing on the other side.

She took care of business and made her way to the sink. While washing her hands, Millie noticed a handicapped stall at the far end. She tossed the paper towel in the trash and made her way to the empty stall.

It had all the standard features…toilet, sink, hand towel dispenser and…a window.

With a quick glance to make sure the coast was clear, Millie locked the stall door and walked over to the window. She flipped the latch and slid it open. Bouncing on the tips of her toes, she stuck her head out.

Directly behind the bathroom was a gravel alley running the length of the building. A dumpster sat next to the rear entrance door. She took a step back, trying to envision Elvira climbing onto the sink, leveraging her weight and launching herself through the open window.

It was possible. She was small enough and could have made it through. But there were several obstacles, namely sneaking out of the bathroom, attacking Wanda, and returning to the bathroom before another patron realized the end stall was empty.

She slid the window shut and made her way back to where Sharky sat waiting.

“Well?”

“I noticed a window inside one of the stalls. Elvira could have climbed out.”

“Somehow I can’t picture her sneaking out of the bar, attacking Wanda, and then sneaking back in. How big is the window?”

Using her hands, Millie gave him a rough guesstimate of the dimensions.

“She’s agile, but I’m not sure she has those capabilities,” Sharky said.

“I was thinking the same thing.”

The bartender wandered over. “Can I get you folks anything else?”

“No. I think we’re all set.” Millie and Sharky thanked him for the information, quickly downed what was left of their sodas and headed out.

“Well?” Sharky asked. “Where to next?”

“According to my map, we’re not too far from base camp. We’ll start working our way in that direction. Hopefully, Annette, Brody and Cat are having better luck than we are.”

*****

“This is a pretty awesome ride, Brody.” Annette studied the decked-out truck, a four-wheel-drive pickup with mud tires, a three-inch lift kit and a set of floodlights mounted on the roof.

“It’s my dream machine.” Brody’s eyes lit as he ran a light hand over the metallic blue hood. “She’s a beaut. When Danielle told me you needed a set of wheels to do a little back roading, I figured I might as well go all out seeing how it’s only for a few hours.”

“We’ll be riding in style.” Annette hurried around to the passenger side. She scooched across the seat, making room for Cat.

Brody, with a look of pure joy on his face, climbed behind the wheel. Once inside, he spent a few minutes familiarizing himself with the features. “If I ever give up ship life, I’m gonna buy me one of these trucks, a bunch of land out in the middle of nowhere, and live happily ever after for the rest of my life.”

“With Danielle?” Cat asked.

“Sure. I mean, if she wants to and if we’re still together.” Brody told them he saved every dime he could, stashing it away in retirement and interest-bearing accounts. “Thanks to Majestic Cruise Lines covering all of my living expenses, I’ve been able to sock away some serious cash.”

“Same here,” Annette said. “One day I’ll have seen enough of the world and want to plunk down roots in a quiet little spot somewhere in the US. I might even grow a garden and raise a few chickens and goats.”

“Maybe with Jose?” Cat teased.

Annette’s face turned bright red. “Jose?”

“C’mon, Annette. Everyone knows you and Jose are dating.”

“I heard it too,” Brody said. “He’s been telling everyone you’re his girlfriend.”

“He had better not be.” Annette frowned.

“Why not? It’s true, isn’t it?”

“I-uh. W-well. I mean, we have been hanging out,” Annette stammered.

“You liked Jose or Gary, whichever name he goes by way back when,” Cat reminded her. “There’s nothing wrong with having a boyfriend.”

Annette shifted uncomfortably. “Can we talk about something other than my love life?”

“I’m sorry if I upset you,” Cat apologized. “Andy and I are going to buy a sailboat and sail around the world.”

Brody’s jaw dropped. “Seriously? That’s sounds sweet. Not as sweet as buying a bunch of land and living in the country, but sweet in a different way.”

“I’m kidding.” Cat tugged on her seatbelt. “To be honest, we haven’t talked about it much. Although Andy has mentioned returning home to the UK.”

“And you won’t mind living there?” Annette asked.

“Maybe not year-round. We could split up our time between my hometown and Andy’s hometown. At least I don’t have to worry about Jay.” Cat’s ex-husband, now in prison for her attempted murder, would hopefully be locked up for the rest of his life.

“Time to hit the road, ladies.” Brody revved up the motor and shifted into drive. Smooth as silk, the truck coasted out of the port’s parking lot and onto the main road. “Which way?”

Annette tracked down the map Millie had sent her. “According to Elvira’s map, we’ll need to head north.”

They sped out of town, along a side street and up a hill. Reaching the top, they made another turn. The paved road turned to gravel and eventually became nothing more than a rutted path.

“I hope we’re going the right way.” Cat anxiously peered out the window at the rugged terrain and towering trees with nary a single structure in sight.

“We are.”

The road narrowed again.

Brody slowed to a crawl. The truck jostled over the ruts and the tires started to spin. “Time to put it into four-wheel drive.” He pushed a button on the dash. The tires stopped spinning.

“How on earth did Elvira find this place?” Annette leaned forward, studying the vast wilderness. Every few feet, they found dirt paths branching off in different directions. “It looks like mining crews have been all over this area.”

“Can you imagine getting lost out here?” Cat asked.

“No, which is why we’ll be sticking with the map Millie sent me.” Annette clicked on the photo and enlarged the drawing. “It looks like we’re getting close. I say another half mile and we should almost be on top of it.”

The truck continued inching along the path, traveling deeper and deeper into the wilderness.

“I hope we have plenty of gas,” Cat joked.

“The tank is full,” Brody said. “We could drive around for days on this tank.”

“I wonder if we’ll run into a bear or some other wild critter.”

“It’s possible.” Brody patted his pocket. “Which is why I brought my gun.”

Annette lowered her gaze. “We’re almost at the spot Elvira marked with a big x.”

“This is the end of the road for us.” Brody shifted into park and shut the engine off. “We’ll have to walk the rest of the way.”

The trio climbed out of the cab and gathered near the front.

Annette tapped her phone to make the map bigger. “It looks like we need to go left.”

“Down that trail?” Brody pointed to a rocky, rutted path a few feet away.

“I see a boulder near the hill,” Cat said. “Her gold mining spot should be on the other side.”

“I’ll go first.” Brody stepped onto the trail. Cat followed close behind while Annette brought up the rear.

Walking single file, they made their way down a sharp incline, walked across a roughly ten foot flat spot and began climbing.

The hill was higher than it initially appeared and by the time they reached the top, Cat was out of breath. “I hope we’re close,” she gasped.

Annette consulted the drawing again. “According to Elvira’s map, the spot is only a few feet away.” She started to move forward.

Brody stopped her. “I think I should scope it out first.”

“Be careful.”

The women waited on the trail while he circled past the boulder. He came to an abrupt halt. “Did Elvira mention what kind of condition this honey hole of hers was in?”

“According to what she told Millie, it’s a pristine spot, and she’s itching to start digging.”

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news.” Brody motioned to them that the coast was clear. “Unless the map is wrong, someone beat her to it.”