Page 17 of Waylaid in Whittier

“And then what?” Cat asked.

“We go from there. Siren of the Seas will be docked overnight, which means we have some time—not a ton—but hopefully enough to do some digging around.” Millie motioned toward Danielle. “The new group of passengers will start boarding around eleven. Would you mind filling in for me?”

“Not at all,” Danielle said. “Disembarkation morning is chaotic, but after the current passengers leave, we’ll have a few hours to catch our breaths and get ready for the evening events.”

“And I’m banking on us figuring this out in record time,” Millie said. “As long as Elvira can give us some solid leads to work with.”

Danielle excused herself. She stepped out of Millie’s office and returned moments later. “I told Brody what was going on. He’s offered to help since I’m going to hang out on the ship to fill in for you.”

“Awesome.” Millie wasn’t surprised, considering he and Sharky were good friends. “We’ll take all the help we can get.”

The others left, promising to keep their radios and cell phones handy in the event they were needed to help the following morning. After they left, Millie turned her attention to her upcoming itinerary and schedule.

She tweaked several events based on the forecast, something she had learned to keep track of because of the unpredictable early fall weather.

Alaska had been a season filled with adventures, the first one kicking off when she and Nic were at the airport, flying to Ketchikan to catch up with the ship.

The eventful summer continued in Skagway during a scenic train ride when a passenger had fallen off in the worst possiblespot, and now this. Would she and Sharky be able to clear Elvira’s name…or was it possible his girlfriend was behind the attack?

She didn’t know Elvira well, but she did know someone who did. Her friend, Carlita Garlucci.

Millie finished revising the new schedule. She sent copies to her staff along with one to the main office to be printed so it would be ready for the room stewards to drop off inside the passengers’ cabins.

Although the ship’s app was a handy tool and something many guests preferred to use, Millie was still a little “old school.” In her mind, there was nothing better than perusing the Cruise Ship Chronicles with a morning cup of coffee out on the balcony.

The paper version harkened back to the days when cell phones were a rarity. In some ways, Millie missed those days. So often, she caught guests sitting at a table across from each other…not engaged in conversation but engrossed in their phones. She occasionally wondered how much of an uproar it would create if cell phones were banned from the dining room.

Not long ago, guests were prohibited from recording the headliner shows, but now the company welcomed the recordings, and the shows were seen around the world. In Majestic Cruise Lines’ defense, it was a savvy business decision. What could be better than free advertising?

Still, phones created an element of social distancing, which made Millie sad. She glanced at her watch. It was mid-afternoon, the perfect time to track down Carlita Garlucci to get the scoop on Elvira and find out if she thought the woman might be behind the attack.

Millie picked up her phone to place the call when she noticed a text from Cat, asking her to call as soon as she had a chance.

Instead of calling, she decided to swing by Ocean Treasures. She found her friend standing at the cash register while several customers milled about. Cat was working alone, which was unusual for a busy sea day.

“Hey, Cat. I got your text. What’s up? You look a little stressed.”

“My new employee, Kendra, took her break and hasn’t returned. I’m really worried about her. She seems depressed. I think she might be homesick.”

“Uh-oh. Do you want me to go find her?”

“If you don’t mind. She’s not answering my calls.” Cat shot an anxious glance at a cluster of women perusing the clearance rack. “I can’t leave.”

“Any ideas about where I should start?”

“Maybe her cabin.” Cat rattled off Kendra’s cabin number.

Millie told her friend as soon as she had word, she would let her know. She exited the gift shop and went straight to the crewmember’s deck. Millie knocked on Kendra’s door, but no one answered.

She reached for her main keycard, thinking the woman might have had some sort of medical episode, but decided against letting herself in. Entering her cabin would be the last resort.

Millie made a beeline for the cafeteria. No sign of her. The employee lounge was next, followed by the computer center and the gym, all to no avail.

She started to backtrack toward Kendra’s cabin when another potential spot to search popped into her head. It was the place she would go if she was looking for solace and a quiet spot to be alone.

Turning on her heel, Millie took the side stairs and climbed all the way to the tippy top of the ship. Her gut told her she would find Kendra. The question was—how could Millie help the homesick young woman?

Chapter 7

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