Page 46 of Waylaid in Whittier

Sharky glanced at the photo and tucked his phone back inside his pocket. “Thank you, Miss…Wanda’s neighbor.”

“You’re welcome.” She shifted her purse to her other arm. “I should run along now. It’s almost five and time for my early evening news show to come on.”

“Almost five?” Millie glanced at her watch. “We need to get going.”

“Don’t you want to look at Wanda’s unit?”

“The Flamethrower can get us back to the ship on time, even if we hang around for a few more minutes,” Sharky said.

“And the elevator doesn’t break down again.”

“Ellie shouldn’t strand anyone until Wednesday. Like we said, she’s on a regular routine.” No-name continued talking as she walked down the hall. She stopped in front of the door with the number “504” on the front of it. “This is Wanda’s apartment.”

“And from your place you noticed the men coming and going?” Millie asked.

“Yes. Now, don’t think I’m a nosy neighbor who was spying on her. The reason I noticed them was because they were talking loudly, like this.” The woman made a loud honking sound. “It was blah, blah, honk. Of course, my hearing isn’t the greatest at my age, so I don’t know what they were saying.”

“Is there anything else you can recall about Wanda, anything that seems out of character or unusual for her?”

“No. Wanda is a good person, not to mention a great neighbor. I’m relieved to hear she’s going to be all right.”

“So are we.” Millie thanked No-name for the information and she and Sharky backtracked down the hall to the bank of elevators.

The woman stood watching while Sharky jabbed the down button.

“She’s waiting until we’re gone before going into her apartment,” Sharky whispered.

“No-name is taking her children’s don’t give out personal information advice seriously,” Millie whispered back.

The elevator made a grinding sound. It took another thirty seconds for the doors to open.

She hesitated. “I’m getting a bad feeling.”

“So am I,” Sharky said. “We have eight minutes to get back to the ship. I say we don’t risk getting stuck in Ellie and take the stairs.”

“I agree.” Millie stepped over to the sign labeled “emergency exit” with a picture of a set of stairs next to it. She eased the door open and waited for Sharky to follow her inside the stairwell.

They descended several flights before reaching the first floor. Taking the side exit, they circled around to the main parking lot. In a flash, they were back on the Flamethrower, speeding through town and to the ship.

Passing through security was quick and easy. They were on board with minutes to spare.

“Elvira should be checking in soon,” Millie said. “Your shift ends at ten?”

“Yep. We need a game plan. Someone from the gold mining group is behind Wanda’s attack. Now, all we need to do is figure out who.”

“The next logical step is to track down their names so I can start researching them on the internet.”

“Consider it done.” Sharky promised as soon as he heard from Elvira, he would get a list and send it to her.

“Let’s meet up in the galley at ten. By then, we should have something to go on.” Millie crossed her fingers. “At least that’s what I’m hoping.”

“If not, something tells me Elvira’s going to be stuck in Whittier for a lot longer than she wants.”

Millie took off, making her rounds, greeting guests and welcoming them. The first night of the cruise was the most exciting, at least to her…if she were to put herself in the passengers’ shoes.

A new ship, new shipmates, exploring the entertainment venues, checking out the cozy nooks and crannies, eagerly awaiting the evening’s headliner show, poring over the day’s schedule, savoring the first meal on board the ship…knowing you didn’t have to cook or clean for an entire week.

Meals from morning until late in the evening. The buffet, the formal dining room, the pizza station, the deli stand, the ice cream counter, room service. Or what was Millie’s personal favorite…coffee and croissants on her private balcony. All you had to do was hang your order on the door and it would be delivered when you wanted.

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