Page 55 of Waylaid in Whittier

Elvira waited until they reached base camp. She shut the engine off, plucked her phone from her pocket and pulled up a recent picture Dernice had sent of her and Vinnie Garlucci looking cozy. She handed it to Wanda. “That’s Vinnie and my sister, Dernice.”

“You’re right. He looks like he should be on the cover of GQ magazine.” Wanda handed the phone back. “It’s good to have close friends who are like family.”

“The Garluccis are the best.” Elvira swung the driver’s side door open. “It looks like the others are still out at the mine.”

“Hopefully, we’re not missing something good.”

“No way. You and I both know Mount Baldie is where it’s at.” Elvira unlocked her trailer door and waited for Wanda to step inside.

After verifying the camera was still where Sharky had left it the other day, she set her backpack on the table, logged into her phone’s app and clicked on the play button. “Like I said earlier, someone bugged my RV, broke in and ransacked it looking for the map, and now I’m going to turn it right back around on them.”

“You’re using their camera?”

“Yep. Most people don’t know there’s a way to bypass the original app and reroute the device to wherever you want,” Elvira said. “I learned this nifty trick not too long ago.”

“What happens when they try logging in and checking their recordings?” Wanda asked.

“When they open the app, they’ll see inside my RV, but it doesn’t move. In other words, it’s stuck in a perpetual loop.”

“Clever.” Wanda appeared impressed. “They think they’re getting live feeds, but in reality, they’re looking at the same thing over and over.”

“Precisely.” Elvira grew quiet. “I see someone coming to the door.”

Wanda ran around the table and peered over her shoulder. “It’s Carter Morley.”

“I knew it. He’s trying to get in.”

“He’s trying the handle.”

They watched as Carter moved out of camera range. He returned, tried the door again, and then walked away.

Elvira drummed her fingers on the table. “We’re gonna have to figure out a way to catch Carter, to find out if he’s the one who hid the camera.”

“And attacked me. To think I invited Carter to my apartment and even made him dinner,” Wanda said indignantly. “I want him to pay for what he did.”

“We’ll need some help setting up a stakeout.” Elvira started to pace. “Proving he was behind your attack and my break in is going to be tricky unless he trips up.”

“Maybe your friends, the ones from the cruise ship, will have some ideas,” Wanda said.

“I hope so. I mean, I have my own ideas, but I think implementing them might get me into more hot water than I’m already in.”

Chapter 21

Millie swallowed hard, peering through the twilight at the abandoned mine, casting dark shadows across the murky pond.

Woot, woot, woot, woot.

She stumbled back, clutching her chest. “What was that?”

“An owl,” Annette said. “He sounds close by.”

“I bet he’s not the only creature lurking in the vicinity,” Danielle said. “Did either of you think to bring some sort of protection?”

“I have my mace.” Millie showed them the pepper spray. “I thought about bringing an air horn. I heard they’re good at driving wildlife away. Unfortunately, we’re fresh out.”

“I bet Sharky has one.”

“And we could be listening to him blow the air horn instead of his whistle,” Annette joked.

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