Page 26 of Waylaid in Whittier (Cruise Director Millie Mysteries #5)

“We might as well get comfortable.” Elvira eased in behind a towering pine tree. Crossing her legs, she set her backpack in front of her. “I figure we have half an hour before the crew starts their final taping, giving whoever attacked Wanda…aka Carter…the opportunity to show up to search this area.”

Millie perched on a boulder a few feet away, hidden from view by a clump of scrub brush. “You seem certain he’ll show.”

“Because he’s running out of time. Besides, I dropped plenty of clues and CTA. There’s no way he won’t.”

“CTA,” Sharky repeated. “Can’t tell anyone hints?”

“Call to action. Any last-ditch effort to find something will have to be today. Whoever attacked Wanda knows she and I are hot on the trail of finding gold.”

“Or at least have a general idea of the vicinity,” Sharky said.

Wanda settled in next to Elvira. “I have my emergency remote phone ready to call my brother. As soon as we get a visual, he’ll secure his search warrant and bam!” She slapped her palms together. “We’ll have proof. My brother once worked as an undercover cop. He knows how to get the goods and get them fast.”

“I hope you’re right.” Millie watched Elvira unzip her backpack and begin rummaging around inside. She removed several Siren of the Seas’ RTG meal bags, one right after another. “You brought food.”

“Breakfast. I didn’t have time to grab something earlier and I’m starving,” she said.

“Even though grabbing breakfast is the reason why you left this morning while I took a shower.” Sharky gave his girlfriend a pointed stare.

Elvira had the decency to look slightly embarrassed. “I was running behind after taking care of a few errands.”

“Giving yourself permission to access an unauthorized area of the ship,” he reminded her.

Wanda sat quietly watching the couple bicker. “Something tells me there’s a story here.”

“You don’t want to know,” Millie said. “Trust me.”

“I brought enough food for everyone. Call it my peace offering.” Elvira handed out the ready-to-go-meals. “Annette hooked us up.”

“I had to hustle to get out the door as well.” Millie took the bag of food. “Thank you.”

“It must be pretty awesome living on a cruise ship.” Wanda unwrapped her breakfast sandwich and inspected the contents. “Ham, egg, and cheese on a ciabatta bun. Yummy.”

“Along with fresh fruit.” Millie opened the plastic bag and popped a grape into her mouth. “Amit and Annette do a great job of making sure the RTG meals are balanced and nutritious.”

“Even the healthy stuff is tasty.” Sharky peeled back the lid on his yogurt. “Did I ever tell you that Annette and I once dated?”

“Annette from the ship, Annette?” Elvira asked. “No. I don’t recall you ever mentioning it.”

“It was a long time ago.”

“What happened?”

“We didn’t connect romantically.”

“And now she’s dating Jose Juan Carlos what’s-his-name aka Gary.”

“You don’t like him?” Sharky asked.

Millie tipped her hand back and forth. “I’m on the fence. I heard he dumped Annette, transferred to another ship, and now he’s back. What about you? You worked on Siren of the Seas when he was here before. Did you know him?”

Sharky belched loudly. “Excuse me. That one came out of nowhere. He had a reputation for being a womanizer.”

“And now? Are you hearing the same thing now?” Millie’s inkling of concern over her friend’s budding romance skyrocketed.

“Nothing yet. Although I’ll keep my ear to the ground,” Sharky said. “I would hate to know he’s mistreating her.”

“Annette doesn’t strike me as the kind of person to put up with a cheater,” Elvira said.

“She isn’t,” Millie said. “But clearly there’s something about him she’s attracted to.”

“You can’t fake a genuine attraction,” Sharky said. “As far as Annette and I are concerned, we realized we were better friends than lovers.”

Millie, who had bitten down on another grape, started choking. Cough. Cough.

“Are you okay?” Wanda patted her on the back.

“Yeah,” Millie croaked. “I was getting a visual of Annette and Sharky as lovers.”

“Hard to visualize, eh?” Elvira chuckled. “I was thinking the same thing.”

Sharky scowled. “What’s so hard about visualizing Annette and me having a romantic relationship?”

“You’re both good friends, not to mention it was a long time ago. A lot has happened since then.” Millie wisely changed the subject and motioned to Wanda. “Your color is much better this morning. How are you feeling?”

“Almost back to a hundred percent.” Wanda lifted the corner of her bandage and showed them her purple lump. “I don’t know what my attacker used, but whatever it was, he or she had a wicked hook.”

Millie stared at her. “What did you say?”

“I said I don’t know what my attacker used, but he or she had a wicked hook.”

“Did the police ever find a weapon?”

“Nope,” Wanda said. “Neil thought it might have been a tire iron.”

“Or a crowbar.” Millie’s mind whirled. This was it. This was the clue that had been bouncing around in her head after they ate at the bar the previous night. “I know who attacked you.”

“Who?”

“Lyle Gardner.”

Wanda blinked rapidly. “Lyle who owns Bay Bar & Grill?”

“No one has mentioned the weapon used to attack you. It hasn’t been found,” Millie said. “Yet I specifically remember him saying something about a crowbar.”

Elvira and Wanda exchanged a glance.

“What is it?”

“Wanda and I have been meeting up every night at the bar to compare notes. Lyle is always working. He’s chatty, asking a lot of questions. I figured he was curious about the show, but maybe it was our gold mining.”

“Do you recall discussing specifics while you were there?” Sharky asked. “Maybe you said something. He happened to be listening in and took note.”

“Mount Baldie has been a hotspot for decades,” Wanda said. “The buzz around Whittier has always been this specific area was rumored to have gold.”

“It’s massive, with miles and miles of ground to cover.”

“Ground where you and Wanda happened to find a promising spot,” Millie said. “It’s possible he overheard you talking about finding gold and planned to stake a claim.”

Sharky picked up. “He needed to get you out of the way so he could claim it for himself. You two got into an argument at the bar. Lyle saw his chance when he watched Wanda leave.”

“And me head to the bathroom,” Elvira said. “He probably slipped out the kitchen’s back door where he wouldn’t be seen and attacked her, not to kill her, but to take her down.”

“Because time was running out,” Millie said. “The roads and mining areas were only hours away from being shut down for the season. He’s the one who told the authorities you two had argued. The cops arrest you. Wanda is in the hospital leaving your so-called honey hole wide open for him to dig.”

Sharky shoved the rest of his breakfast sandwich in his mouth and scrambled to his feet. “If the bar owner shows up, we’ll know we have our guy.”

“If he didn’t throw the weapon away, there’s almost a one hundred percent chance the crowbar is at the bar, in his vehicle, or at his house,” Millie said.

Wanda patted her walkie-talkie. “Neil is itching to nab my attacker. All I have to do is say the word.”

“As soon as we have a visual, make the call.” Millie shaded her eyes and surveyed their surroundings. “You’re sure this is the right spot?”

“One hundred percent.” Wanda stepped in beside her and pointed to a dirt path and a narrow incline. “There are two ways to the spot. They intersect at this location. Veering off the path will get you lost pretty darn quick.”

While they waited for Lyle to show up, Millie tried to envision what sort of person he was. Attacking a local, someone he knew. Swooping in and helping himself to their claim. If this was the case, she wondered what else he might be capable of.

Sharky consulted his watch for the umpteenth time. “Are you sure this is the last day?”

“Very last,” Wanda confirmed. “At sundown, the DNR will close the roads.”

“I’ll bet people disobey the rules and sneak back here,” Elvira said.

“Like you would try to do?” Millie joked.

“I won’t lie. I might be tempted.”

“Tempted and caught. The DNR patrols these sites. If you get caught, you’ll pay a hefty fine and they’ll confiscate whatever you found and is in your possession.”

Elvira clutched her gut. “The punishment seems extreme.”

“You have to understand, when the weather turns, the idiots who come out here end up risking the lives of rescuers. It’s to set an example and discourage others from trying it.”

“It makes sense. Rules should apply to everyone without exception,” Millie said. “It’s not fair to those who obey, while others don’t.”

Wanda began waving her arms in the air. “I see someone coming,” she hissed.

Millie ducked down, watching as a figure appeared on the horizon. At first, the person was too far away, but as they drew closer, she realized it was Lyle Gardner.

Wanda must’ve recognized him at the same time. She reached for her radio and hit the side button. “Hey, Neil. It’s Lyle Gardner. I repeat. Lyle Gardner who owns Bay Bar & Grill.”

Thank goodness the group was a safe distance away…too far for him to hear Wanda talking.

Neil’s reply was prompt. “Dispatching officers now to his vehicle at the trailhead and the bar. Will keep you posted.”

“10-4.” Wanda adjusted the volume, turning it down. “Should we go chase him down?”

“No way.” Millie shook her head. “He could be armed.”

Elvira stood in a small clearing and snapped a picture of him right before he disappeared around the bend. “I can’t believe it’s Lyle. All this time, I thought he was a cool dude.”

“He’s a cool dude with motive and opportunity,” Millie said. “With any luck, your brother will get the evidence. We can wrap up this mystery and be back on board the Siren of the Seas with plenty of time before we set sail.”