Page 22 of Waylaid in Whittier

Making quick work of stowing their stuff, Millie questioned whether she could bring a pen and paper with her, to which the guard cleared both items.

Back in the hall, they followed him to the end and turned left. The trio trekked down another hall to an identical metal door. Using his keycard, the guard unlocked the door and ushered them inside.

Millie’s first impression was the room was dark and dreary, or perhaps it was a lingering depression from those who had passed through. Troubled souls, anxious inmates, those who had given up hope.

Hopefully, Elvira wasn’t one of them.

On closer inspection, Millie noticed tables and chairs lining both sides, each group strategically placed an equal distance apart.

“Your friend is over there.”

Sharky saw Elvira first. He gave a quick wave and hurried over. Millie slowly trailed behind, giving them a few moments of privacy to greet one another.

“Thank you for coming.” Elvira hugged Sharky and shook Millie’s hand. “It looks like I got myself into a real pickle this time.”

“You sure did,” Sharky said. “Between the three of us, I’m hoping we can get to the bottom of what happened.”

“I know what happened.” Elvira pointed at Millie. “And don’t take my comment as me being cocky or unappreciative because believe me, I need all the help I can get.”

“We heard the judge hasn’t set bail,” Millie said.

“Because the woman who was attacked is related to one of the local cops.” Elvira wrinkled her nose. “The good news is Gold Grade Mining Group’s producer knows the judge. He’s working on getting me out of this place and seems to think I’ll be released soon.”

“Unfortunately, we don’t have a lot of time,” Millie said. “We need to have this wrapped up and be back on board the Siren of the Seas by tomorrow afternoon.”

“I figured Millie and I would get a little background info on the woman who was attacked, swing by the bar where the incident occurred and go from there,” Sharky said.

“Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I thought Wanda and I were like this.” Elvira twined her fingers together. “Friends don’t attack friends.”

“Tell us everything that happened,” Millie said.

“It all started when the mining team headed over to Bay Bar & Grill…”

Chapter 9

Elvira stepped inside the Bay Bar & Grill, her eyes darting around the room as she searched for her gold mining group. Finally, she noticed Alex, the show’s head producer, casually leaning against the wall near the pool tables.

She crossed the room and caught up with her colleagues, including Wanda, a local who was helping the production team while actively searching for new spots to mine. Being the only women in the group, the two had become fast friends.

Little did the others know Elvira had inadvertently stumbled upon a promising spot, off the beaten path yet less than a mile from where they were currently mining. She’d found it using her handy dandy tricked-out pulse induction or PI machine she’d purchased before leaving Savannah, Georgia.

She’d originally suspected the seller, a guy who was a member of her treasure hunting group back home, had jacked up the price, thinking she had the word “sucker” plastered across her forehead. But after doing a little research, Elvira believed Jude, the name the treasure-hunting guy went by, was onto something.

She promptly plunked down the outrageous sum of twelve hundred bucks and purchased it, lock, stock, and barrel. Elvira, always on the hunt for a bargain, had convinced him to throw in solar batteries that continuously charged, even while the device was being used.

Taking advantage of every free second she had, Elvira mined nearly nonstop, pocketing the samples she found and bringingthem home with her each night to test. “Home” being the RV she was renting while in Alaska.

Her hard work was paying off. Her “honey hole” was not only promising, but she’d found genuine nuggets. Thrilled with her find, she was determined to keep her good fortune to herself.

Certain she had literally “struck gold,” Elvira was getting the paperwork ready to run down to the county recorder’s office and stake her claim. Now, it was only a matter of time before she could mine in earnest. There was only one problem, and it was a biggie.

Elvira eased in next to Wanda. “Hey, Wanda.”

“Hey, Elvira. I was wondering if you were going to grace us with your presence,” she teased.

“I got caught up working on a small…project.” Elvira eyed the bar, noticing two empty barstools on the end. “You wanna grab a drink? My treat.”

“If you’re buying, you betcha.” Wanda followed her across the room. “So, this small project…is it gold related?”

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