Page 16 of Waylaid in Whittier (Cruise Director Millie Mysteries #5)

Sharky parked the Flamethrower in front of the bicycle rack and wrapped the chain lock through the bars. “What’s the plan?”

“We need to find out as much as we can about Wanda.” Millie checked her wallet and found she had a few five-dollar bills, a ten and a couple of ones, “persuasion cash,” if needed. “I have to admit, I’m curious about how these people live in such tight quarters, almost on top of each other.”

“More like literally on top of each other,” Sharky joked. “Probably the same way we all live on board a cruise ship day in and day out.”

“Good point, although I don’t think I could handle the long winters hunkered down in one building. At least on the cruise ship, we’re able to go out and explore.”

Stepping inside the compact yet well-lit lobby, she placed her hand on the concrete wall and shivered. “I’m not getting a warm and welcoming vibe.”

“It seems a little dark and depressing,” Sharky said. “Maybe the other building, the even bigger one, has a nicer setup.”

Millie wandered over to a bulletin board covered in Plexiglas, similar to the ones used in office buildings. “Check this out. It looks like this used to be some sort of resident directory.”

“Until somebody figured out that it might not be safe to post personal information.” Sharky grabbed his phone. “Elvira mentioned what unit Wanda lives in, but I forgot.”

“The Caboose incident traumatized you,” Millie teased. “I would be rattled if I had a moose charging me too.”

“It’s a day I’ll never forget. Oh boy,” he muttered. “That figures.”

“What figures?”

“Nothing. Elvira sent a message. She’s at the cop shop, having trouble getting her paperwork processed. She said Wanda lives in unit 504, on the fifth floor.” Sharky shoved his phone back in his pocket. “Where are the elevators?”

“Hidden away, down some dark, dreary corridor.” Millie scoped out the lobby. “There’s only one way to go.”

A woman passed by them, giving them a second look, more than likely wondering who they were.

Sharky must’ve thought the same thing. “We’re getting the old side eye.”

“Maybe we should have asked her if she knew Wanda,” Millie said. “Let’s check out her unit first, before we get sidetracked. After we’re done, we’ll knock on the neighbor’s door.”

Following in the general direction the woman had taken, they found the elevators at the end of the hall. Millie jabbed the up button. The elevator made a grinding noise. Seconds later, the button’s light went off.

“It sounds like the elevator is on its last leg,” Sharky joked.

“Where are the stairs?” She stepped to the side and began looking for the emergency exit and stairs sign.

“No need. The elevator is here.” He grabbed her arm and whisked her inside. “See? Nothing to worry about.”

“Other than the fact you know I’m not a fan of elevators. I dislike elevators that make a grinding sound and are super slow even more.”

“For such a fearless leader, you sure picked an odd thing to dislike.”

“I have my reasons.”

The doors finally closed. The elevator shuddered and the grinding sound resumed.

Millie instinctively grabbed the handrail. “We’re taking the stairs on our way down.”

The elevator shuddered, and Millie’s heart started pounding. “I wonder if there’s an emergency button if this thing breaks down.”

Sharky plucked a yellow placard tucked in above the button panel from its spot. He flipped it over.

Millie clutched her chest when she read the sign. Out of order. Please use stairs. “Something tells me this thing breaks down pretty regularly.”

“I wasn’t gonna say anything, but Elvira mentioned it in passing. It was out of service the last time she was here visiting Wanda.”

The elevator shuddered to a stop. The lights flickered but stayed on.

“Great. We stopped.” Millie gazed at the bar of buttons over the door and noticed the number three was flickering. She strained to hear noises…any noises, even the grinding sound.

Sharky jabbed the number button. Nothing happened. He pressed six, then seven, then one, followed by the “door open” button. “I hate to say it, Millster, but it looks like we’re stuck.”

She reached past him and pressed the emergency button. “Hopefully, someone monitors this relic and will rescue us.”

“Let me try my cell phone.” Sharky pulled it from his pocket. “Nope. Deader than a doornail.”

“Did you have to use the word dead?” Millie could feel the onset of a full-blown panic attack and combatted it by taking measured breaths. It would be all right. Eventually, someone would realize they were missing and come looking for them.

Cat, Danielle, Brody, all knew where they were headed. On the downside, they didn’t plan on seeing them until later…much later.

“What time are you supposed to be back on the ship?”

“I gotta be there to check in a special delivery at five. It’s three thirty. No one’s gonna notice me missing until at least five,” Sharky said. “Except for Elvira. She knows where we are.”

Millie attempted to make light of the situation. “Great. We’re leaving our fate in Elvira’s hands.”

“We’ll get out soon.” Sharky eased onto the floor. “I’m sorry I didn’t go with your idea to take the stairs.”

“It’s all right. It’s not your fault we’re trapped. I’m a magnet for elevator malfunctions.” Millie followed suit and plopped down. “Believe it or not, I feel fairly calm.”

“Maybe you’re finally conquering your fear.”

“It’s not a fear, more like an intense aversion if that makes sense.”

Sharky started to say something and stopped.

“What were you going to say?”

“Earlier, when we were talking about Elvira, I got the impression you don’t like her.”

Millie thought about his comment and carefully chose her words. “I don’t know her very well. I will say she’s an interesting person. If you’re happy, then she’s good in my book.”

“I’ve been thinking a lot lately.”

“About what?”

“The last time we talked about the future, I told you I was socking some money away and thought maybe I would buy a houseboat or find a small place near the water,” Sharky said.

“I remember.”

“Elvira’s been hinting around, asking what my plans are for when I retire.”

“You think she’s trying to figure out if you two have a future together?” Millie asked.

“Yeah. It’s still a few years down the road, but it’s never too early to plan for retirement.”

“I agree,” she said. “Regardless of what you decide, it’s going to be a drastic change. Going from living at sea to being on shore or, in your case, near land.”

“Right. I’m still leaning toward a houseboat to keep expenses low, docking it somewhere I can dip my toes in the water whenever I want. I’m thinking waterfront property will probably be out of my price range, so living on a boat would make more sense.”

“Clearly, you’ve given it some thought. It will be important to make the right decision.”

“Because I’ll be using a hefty chunk of my savings,” Sharky said. “If you don’t mind me asking, when did you realize Captain Armati was the man for you?”

Millie drew her knees to her chest. “I remember going to the bridge with Andy. He introduced us. My first thought was he wasn’t particularly friendly. In fact, I was pretty sure he didn’t like me.”

“It wasn’t love at first sight.”

“Not at all. He called me to the bridge not long after. I don’t remember the exact timeline. I thought he was going to fire me.” Millie chuckled at the memory. “He invited me to his apartment.”

“Ah.” Sharky made googly eyes. “The captain inviting you to his place was where the love story began.”

She laughed out loud. “He introduced me to Scout and asked if I would take him with me around the ship because he was lonely. Looking back, it may have been a ploy to get to know me better. I’ll have to ask him.”

“He has a lot of patience with you.”

“He does. Nic is my soulmate. I believe God brought us together. He gave us both a second chance at love.” Millie explained that Nic’s first wife had died. “The bottom line is you never know what the future holds.”

“True.”

“About Elvira. You two seem compatible yet different enough to keep your relationship interesting.”

“We are. The distance between us can be a bummer,” Sharky said. “Or maybe it’s a good thing. Elvira and I might drive each other nuts.”

“Distance makes the heart grow fonder.” Millie picked at a piece of lint. “Are you disappointed she might not join us for our cruise?”

“Sort of. Once I got used to the idea, I figured we would have fun. My main concern right now is trying to help clear her name,” Sharky said. “I know she didn’t attack the woman unless Wanda started it.”

“My gut tells me it ties into her gold mining site. The map. The hidden camera. All we need to do is figure out who it is.”

“My money is on someone from her group.”

“Mine too.”

The elevator made a grinding noise. The lights flickered again, and they started to move. Instead of continuing up, the elevator went back down.

Millie grabbed hold of the handrail and pulled herself to her feet. “I survived being trapped in an elevator.”

“Trapped in an elevator with me, no less,” Sharky joked. “It must be your lucky day.”