Page 50 of Tiki Hut Tragedy
The bonus abruptly ended.
“According to what they told me, the tall chick, Dixie, was playing the machine and left. Her companion, colleague, whatever you want to call her, started playing it and won a jackpot. Dixie came back and accused her of stealing hermachine.” Brody told Millie that they caused a scene and he ended up escorting them out of the casino. “Haven’t seen Dixie around since.”
“You won’t. She drowned during a tiki hut excursion in Grand Turk.”
Brody made a choking sound. “I heard someone drowned, but I didn’t know it was her. Was the other woman on the same excursion?”
“Wendy was, which is why I’m here. You witness a lot of interesting altercations play out. Do you think Wendy was angry enough to want to harm Dixie?”
“Nah. I mean yeah, the conversation got a little heated, but to kill someone over a slot machine would be taking it to an extreme.” Brody told her Wendy had returned to the casino the previous night and apologized. “I’m not sure a killer would apologize for acting up.”
“True. I could be trying to create a mystery when there isn’t one.” Millie casually gazed around theroom. “Out of curiosity, how many people do you kick out of here during any given cruise?”
“Sometimes none. Sometimes one. This week I’ve had a handful.” Brody nodded his head toward the sports betting section. “I do have someone on my radar. It’s a passenger who has been losing money on the sports betting and is close to being banned.”
“What a shame.” Millie shook her head. “You’ll probably be doing them a favor if you ban them from coming back.”
“It’s a woman. She’s a real looker and gets a lot of attention from the male passengers. She’s a flirt and they buy her drinks, stuff like that. I kinda feel sorry for her losing a bunch of money, but on the other hand, if you’re gonna gamble, you better know when to hold your cards.”
“And know when to fold…or something along those lines. It reminds me of a song.”
“I’ve heard it, and now, it’s going to be stuck in my head,” Brody joked. A small scuffle broke out near the blackjack table. “Time to get back to work.”
Millie exited the casino, mulling over her conversation with Brody. Perhaps she was digging too hard, trying to turn a tragedy into some sort of mystery. Dixie and Wendy both had strong personalities, which meant they were bound to butt heads. Living in close quarters would only add to the strain.
With a quick pass through the lido deck, she ran down to her office to go over the following day’s schedule. Making a few minor adjustments, she logged out and began straightening her desk.
Danielle appeared in the doorway.
“I was getting ready to radio you to check in. How’s it going?”
“It’s been a loooong night.”
“Let me guess…the mingling singles are driving you crazy,” Millie joked.
“It’s the Belly Busters.” Danielle pressed her fingers to her temples. “I hosted a Superhero Strong costume contest, and they played the song over and over.”
Millie’s eyes twinkled mischievously. She belted out a few of the words she remembered, improvising as she went. “I need a superhero sandwich before the night is through,” she sang loudly and off-key.
Danielle clamped her hands over her ears. “Please stop,” she begged. “It’s already giving me a headache.”
“Sorry. I couldn’t resist.”
“You know how you mentioned you didn’t think Dixie’s death was accidental?”
“Yeah.”
“You’re not the only one. I overheard two of the contestants talking. They said that someone drugged Dixie and pushed her into the water.”
Millie’s mind whirled. “No kidding. Who was it?”
“Off the top of my head, I don’t remember their names. I can tell you it wasn’t Wendy, Hannah or Gail.”
“Was it Astrid?”
“No. She was hovering in the corner, staring at her phone most of the time, except for the introduction when she basically warned the women to behave themselves.” Danielle told her when they realized she was listening in they started talking about something else. “I told Patterson. He’s going to follow up.”
“Were you around when Astrid mentioned an incident involving Wendy and Dixie inside the casino?”
