Page 37 of Waylaid in Whittier

“We went by the map you drew.”

Elvira fished her keys from her pocket. “I had better take another look at the original drawing. My coordinates may have been off.”

“Which camper is yours?” Sharky spun in a slow circle.

“The little one on the end. The one that looks like a bubble.” Elvira led them across the open field to the smallest RV. The group gathered at the door, watching as she stuck the key in the lock. “It looks like someone scratched the lock.”

A sinking feeling settled in the pit of Millie’s stomach as she unlocked the door and stepped inside.

“Great.”

“Let me guess. Someone broke in,” Millie said.

“Yeah. And they tore my place apart.”

She stuck her head around the corner and peered inside the camper. Sure enough, the place was a mess. Cupboard doors and cabinet drawers were open. Utensils, dish towels and papers were strewn across the bench seat. The bed’s mattress stood on end.

Elvira began frantically digging through the kitchen cabinets. “It’s gone.”

“The map?” Sharky asked.

“Is missing. Hang on. I remember now.” She dropped to her knees, wiggled the register’s cover from the floor and removed a folded sheet of paper. “Whew. For a minute there I was freaking out.” Elvira rocked back on her heels. “Someone broke into my RV while I was sitting in jail. They had to have been looking for my map.”

“How on earth did they know it was here?” Millie eased past Sharky. “Did you tell anyone about it?”

“I may have mentioned it to Wanda, although I guess by then she already knew the location.”

Millie began poking around the kitchen area. “Is there any chance Wanda broke in here?”

“No way.” Elvira told her she was late arriving at the bar because she got caught up exploring Mount Baldie. As soon as she finished, she ran home to shower and meet the others. “Wanda was already there. Besides, she didn’t need a map. Like I said, she already knew how to get to my special spot.”

“And then she was attacked,” Millie said. “We can cross her off the list.”

“I usually keep it with me, but decided to leave it behind,” Elvira said. “Someone must’ve come here looking for it.”

“Came looking for it and made a mess.” Millie ran her hand along the counter. “Maybe someone is spying on you.”

Elvira squared her shoulders. “Not a chance. I own a PI company and can spot surveillance devices from a mile away.”

“But onlyifyou were specifically looking for them,” Millie pointed out. “It’s a shame we don’t have a hidden device detector.”

“You mean like this?” Sharky unzipped his backpack and removed a rectangular, black box. “This little gem can detect wireless cameras, body wires, locate wiretapping devices, phone taps, GPS trackers, you name it.”

Brody admired Sharky’s gadget. “I need one of these. What kind of Gs can this track?”

“1.2G, 2.4G, all the way up to 5.8G.”

Brody rubbed his palms together. “I can’t wait to see how it works.”

“It works great. The best thing is the price. It only set me back forty bucks.”

“You’ll have to send me the link to where you bought it.”

“Will do.” Sharky handed it to Millie.

“This is slick. I’ll admit I’m curious. What do you use it for?” She answered her own question. “Never mind. I’m sure I don’t want to know.”

“Probably not. All you have to do is extend the antenna, flip the switch and start pointing it. The faster the beeps, the closer you are to a hidden device.”

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