Page 38 of Waylaid in Whittier

“You’re wasting your time.” Elvira stuck her hands on her hips. “I’ve already checked around.”

“Only one time?”

“Yeah. When I first got here.”

“Someone may have installed a device after you checked.” Millie aimed it at the cabinets and along the bunk bed. Working her way down and right to left, she ran the detector over every nook and cranny of the main living area.

Up next was the dining room followed by the compact kitchen, comprising of a single sink, a mini fridge, a two-burner stove and tabletop microwave.

“The bathroom is on the other side of the door,” Elvira said. “Don’t blink or you’ll miss it.”

Millie eased the door open, anticipating the same mess they had found in the main section, but was pleasantly surprised. The bathroom was neat and tidy. She finished her inspection and returned to where the others stood waiting. “It’s clean.”

Sharky took the detector, his attention focused on the window in front of the sink. “Your window blinds are open.”

“I leave them open most days. In case you haven’t noticed, this camper is the size of a shoebox. I like the natural light.”

While Elvira talked, Sharky turned the detector on and aimed it at the window. It beeped loudly in rapid succession. “Detecto-meter is onto something.”

His girlfriend scrambled to her feet. “Where?”

“Over here. Hold this.” He handed the device to her. Using his fingernail, he popped the screen off.

“Bingo.” Sharky began wiggling a round dot, not much bigger than a thumbtack, which was wedged inside the window frame. “Someone has been spying on you.”

Elvira took the device and turned it over in her hand. “I can’t believe I missed this. I should fire myself.”

“Again, the device could have been installed after the fact,” Annette said.

“True.” Elvira placed it back where Sharky had found it, shifting it in a slightly different angle. “They don’t know it yet, but I’m gonna spy on the spy.”

“How will you do that?”

“I have my ways.” She stood back to inspect the slightly revised angle. “I still can’t believe I didn’t see this before.”

Millie patted Elvira’s shoulder. “Don’t beat yourself up too badly. You had no reason to suspect you were being spied on.”

“If you want my two cents, I believe whoever attacked Wanda also broke in here looking for your map. They couldn’t find it, so they installed a camera,” Annette said.

“It stands to reason. Perhaps Wanda has a partner,” Millie theorized. “You’ve been with this group for several days now.”

“Almost two weeks if you’re keeping track.”

“Are there any others you think could be behind the attack?” Sharky asked.

“We have the producer, Alex. Carter Morley is the co-producer. There’s Wanda, me and three other miners.” Elvira made air quotes with her fingers. “The experts.”

“How many of them live here in Alaska?”

“Wanda and the so-called experts. Alex and Carter are only here for the show. As soon as they finish taping, they’re hightailing it back to LA.” Elvira darted inside and returned with a glossy 8x10 photo. “Here’s a photo of us.”

Millie studied the group. “The goldminers are in the back. Alex and Carter, the production guys are in the front standing next to you and the other woman, I’m guessing is Wanda.”

“Correct.”

“So, potentially five suspects.” Millie shifted her gaze toward the open field and circle of travel trailers. “How many people are staying at this site?”

“I’m not sure. The RVs are all rentals. I met a few people who are here to mine. Others are hiking the Horsetail Falls Trail. I haven’t checked it out personally, but I heard there’s a glacier nearby. People from all over the world come here to stay,” Elvira said.

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