Page 6 of Waylaid in Whittier (Cruise Director Millie Mysteries #5)

Millie said the first thing that popped into her head. “We were right. Elvira went searching for gold and is missing in Alaska’s wilderness.”

“Not even close,” Sharky said. “She’s in jail.”

“In jail?” Millie made a choking sound. “What happened?”

“I don’t know the details. What I do know is it involves someone from the gold mining group.” Sharky told her he was on his way to Patterson’s office to see if he could get more information.

“I’ll go with you.”

It was a quick trip from the theater to the other end of the ship. As luck would have it, the lights were off with no sign of the head of security.

Not wanting to broadcast Sharky’s personal emergency, she dialed his cell phone number. Patterson didn’t answer, so she left a brief message. “While we wait, we can check the local news to see if there’s anything being reported.”

“Good idea.” Returning to their starting point, Millie ushered her friend into her office. She promptly turned her desktop computer on. “I’ll start with Whittier’s local news.”

A preliminary search came up empty-handed. “Crud. I’m striking out.”

“Try Anchorage. We’re close to the city.”

“Good idea.” Millie cleared the screen and tried again, this time clicking on a local news link.

Several recent stories appeared. She made it halfway down when a post caught her eye. “I may have found something.” Millie slipped her reading glasses on. “Do you know the name of the company Elvira was shadowing?”

“I have it written down in my office,” Sharky said. “It was gold something.”

“Gold Grade Mining Group?”

“Yeah. That’s it.”

Millie crooked her finger. “Check it out.”

He hurried around the desk and peered over her shoulder. “Georgia Woman Arrested for Vicious Attack.” The story claimed an out-of-state woman who arrived in Alaska several days prior to work alongside a team of goldminers and television production crew, became involved in an altercation with another woman, also a part of the team, at a bar in downtown Whittier. After leaving, the victim was attacked and taken to a local hospital.

Near the bottom of the story, the victim’s name was released, Wanda Tillman. The last paragraph listed the suspect’s name, Elvira Cobb.

Millie blew air through thinned lips. “I hate to say it, but Elvira is in big trouble.”

“No kidding.” Sharky straightened his back. “I don’t think she did it.”

“Let’s go with the scenario Elvira and this woman, who was part of the gold mining team, got into an argument over gold. Even if provoked, Elvira wouldn’t retaliate?”

“I mean. I suppose she might, if she had to defend herself. Dernice is practically begging me for my help.”

“Help what? To see if the judge will set bail so we can get her out? I’m not sure how a violent assault charge from a person who lives out of state is handled up here, but I’m pretty sure they would consider her a flight risk, which means the judge might not set a bail amount.”

“Good point.”

While Sharky paced, Millie searched for more stories, but found nothing. “We’ll be in Whittier tomorrow morning and staying overnight.”

Chirp. “Patterson is calling me back.”

“Maybe he has some news.”

“Hey, Patterson. I’m with Sharky and have you on speaker.”

“I have news on Elvira Cobb.”

Sharky crossed his fingers. “Good news or bad?”

“Elvira is in the Whittier jail. She’s being charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and attempted murder.”

“Both charges?” Millie asked.

“Both. Wanda Tillman, the woman who was attacked, is related to a local law enforcement officer.”

“So the cops charged her with the most serious offense possible because she’s related to a local cop?”

“It’s looking that way,” Patterson said. “From what I was told, the judge has decided not to set bail or bond. She’s not going anywhere. I’m guessing you and Sharky plan to get off the ship tomorrow morning to see what you can do.”

“I…” Millie shot Sharky a questioning glance. “I’m sure Sharky will get off, but I don’t know if he wants my help.”

“Yes.” Sharky nodded his head. “I need you, Millster.”

“Okay. It looks like I’ll be getting off too. With any luck, she’ll be allowed visitors,” Millie said.

“I’m one step ahead of you. I was able to verify that she is. How many and when…I’m not sure on that.”

“We’ll figure it out.” Millie thanked him. She ended the call and waved her phone in the air. “We dock at seven. Clearance to disembark will take a few minutes. I’ll have to see the passengers off. Why don’t we plan on meeting at eight near the gangway?”

“Eight it is.” Sharky rubbed the back of his neck. “We might need help, depending on what we find out from Elvira.”

“Meaning you think we should round up the team…Danielle, Annette and Cat in case we need more boots on the ground?” Millie asked.

“I want to be prepared for whatever we find when we get there.”

“Which is probably a wise decision.” Millie sent out a group text, asking the trio to meet in her office.

Within minutes, the friends had assembled. Taking turns, Millie and Sharky brought them up to speed.

“We believe it’s possible Elvira may have found something. Another miner, a woman who happens to be related to a local cop, is part of the mining group. She argued with Elvira in public with people around.”

“A bar,” Millie chimed in.

“The woman, Wanda, left and was attacked either at the bar or somewhere nearby. Patterson confirmed she can have at least one visitor. Millie and I are gonna try to see her tomorrow morning to get the details.”

“And then what?” Cat asked.

“We go from there. Siren of the Seas will be docked overnight, which means we have some time—not a ton—but hopefully enough to do some digging around.” Millie motioned toward Danielle. “The new group of passengers will start boarding around eleven. Would you mind filling in for me?”

“Not at all,” Danielle said. “Disembarkation morning is chaotic, but after the current passengers leave, we’ll have a few hours to catch our breaths and get ready for the evening events.”

“And I’m banking on us figuring this out in record time,” Millie said. “As long as Elvira can give us some solid leads to work with.”

Danielle excused herself. She stepped out of Millie’s office and returned moments later. “I told Brody what was going on. He’s offered to help since I’m going to hang out on the ship to fill in for you.”

“Awesome.” Millie wasn’t surprised, considering he and Sharky were good friends. “We’ll take all the help we can get.”

The others left, promising to keep their radios and cell phones handy in the event they were needed to help the following morning. After they left, Millie turned her attention to her upcoming itinerary and schedule.

She tweaked several events based on the forecast, something she had learned to keep track of because of the unpredictable early fall weather.

Alaska had been a season filled with adventures, the first one kicking off when she and Nic were at the airport, flying to Ketchikan to catch up with the ship.

The eventful summer continued in Skagway during a scenic train ride when a passenger had fallen off in the worst possible spot, and now this. Would she and Sharky be able to clear Elvira’s name…or was it possible his girlfriend was behind the attack?

She didn’t know Elvira well, but she did know someone who did. Her friend, Carlita Garlucci.

Millie finished revising the new schedule. She sent copies to her staff along with one to the main office to be printed so it would be ready for the room stewards to drop off inside the passengers’ cabins.

Although the ship’s app was a handy tool and something many guests preferred to use, Millie was still a little “old school.” In her mind, there was nothing better than perusing the Cruise Ship Chronicles with a morning cup of coffee out on the balcony.

The paper version harkened back to the days when cell phones were a rarity. In some ways, Millie missed those days. So often, she caught guests sitting at a table across from each other…not engaged in conversation but engrossed in their phones. She occasionally wondered how much of an uproar it would create if cell phones were banned from the dining room.

Not long ago, guests were prohibited from recording the headliner shows, but now the company welcomed the recordings, and the shows were seen around the world. In Majestic Cruise Lines’ defense, it was a savvy business decision. What could be better than free advertising?

Still, phones created an element of social distancing, which made Millie sad. She glanced at her watch. It was mid-afternoon, the perfect time to track down Carlita Garlucci to get the scoop on Elvira and find out if she thought the woman might be behind the attack.

Millie picked up her phone to place the call when she noticed a text from Cat, asking her to call as soon as she had a chance.

Instead of calling, she decided to swing by Ocean Treasures. She found her friend standing at the cash register while several customers milled about. Cat was working alone, which was unusual for a busy sea day.

“Hey, Cat. I got your text. What’s up? You look a little stressed.”

“My new employee, Kendra, took her break and hasn’t returned. I’m really worried about her. She seems depressed. I think she might be homesick.”

“Uh-oh. Do you want me to go find her?”

“If you don’t mind. She’s not answering my calls.” Cat shot an anxious glance at a cluster of women perusing the clearance rack. “I can’t leave.”

“Any ideas about where I should start?”

“Maybe her cabin.” Cat rattled off Kendra’s cabin number.

Millie told her friend as soon as she had word, she would let her know. She exited the gift shop and went straight to the crewmember’s deck. Millie knocked on Kendra’s door, but no one answered.

She reached for her main keycard, thinking the woman might have had some sort of medical episode, but decided against letting herself in. Entering her cabin would be the last resort.

Millie made a beeline for the cafeteria. No sign of her. The employee lounge was next, followed by the computer center and the gym, all to no avail.

She started to backtrack toward Kendra’s cabin when another potential spot to search popped into her head. It was the place she would go if she was looking for solace and a quiet spot to be alone.

Turning on her heel, Millie took the side stairs and climbed all the way to the tippy top of the ship. Her gut told her she would find Kendra. The question was—how could Millie help the homesick young woman?