Page 23 of Waylaid in Whittier

“Maybe.” Elvira motioned the bartender over. “I’ll have a Bud Light and whatever she wants.”

Wanda placed her order and slid onto the empty seat. “Does it have anything to do with Mount Baldie?”

Elvira could feel the blood drain from her face. Mount Baldie was the exact location of the site. “Wh-what makes you think it had something to do with baldie, whatever you called it?”

“C’mon, Elvira,” Wanda chided. “I saw you coming down from the area with your backpack yesterday and again today. It’s a promising location. Did you find something?”

Elvira lowered her voice. She grabbed hold of Wanda’s arm and pulled her close. “Tell me everything you know about Mount Baldie.”

“People have searched the area for years and never found anything. It’s a remote spot requiring special equipment. You got some sort of special gear you haven’t told me about?”

Elvira’s mind raced. She’d been careful not to show the others her one-of-a-kind induction machine and had kept it safely stashed away in her backpack at all times. Surely, Wanda hadn’t seen it…hadn’t been spying on her, or had she?

Her eyes narrowed. “Have you been spying on me?”

Wanda’s face turned beet red. “Spying on you? That’s a terrible thing to accuse me of. I thought we were friends.”

“Accusing you?” Elvira asked. “I asked a simple question and you’re not answering. You better tell me the truth.”

“Or what?” Wanda smirked. “You’re going to pack your bags and leave?”

“I’m not going anywhere. If I found gold on my own, it’s mine.” She jabbed her finger in the woman’s face. “If I were you, I would be careful about who you’re messing with.”

Wanda’s voice raised an octave. “Don’t you dare come blowing into Whittier, throwing your weight around and threatening people,” she said in a loud voice.

“I didn’t threaten you,” Elvira said. “But I am warning you to keep your distance.”

A few other insults and accusations were hurled back and forth. Wanda stomped off. She made her way back to their group and said something to Alex and the others before storming out of the bar.

*****

“And that’s how it ended,” Elvira told Sharky and Millie. “She was hot onto my find. Our conversation got a little heated, and she left. Next thing I know, the cops show up at the bar. Wanda was attacked from behind. Someone hit her in the head and they’re arresting me.”

“You had an alibi,” Sharky said. “You were inside the bar.”

“I went to the bathroom right after she left. When I came back out, I went over and sat with the others from the gold mining group.”

“Did you notice anyone leaving around the time of Wanda’s attack?”

Elvira thought about it. “No. Not that I can recall.”

“What about robbery as a motive?” Sharky asked.

“From what I was told, nothing was stolen. Wanda’s in the hospital and expected to make a full recovery. She claims she doesn’t remember anything about her attacker. She didn’t see who it was. They didn’t say anything,” Elvira said. “The bottom line is she got whacked in the back of the head and her attacker ran off.”

“Randomly attacking a woman outside the bar with no motive.” Millie tapped her chin thoughtfully. “It doesn’t make sense.”

“I was thinking the same thing. Which is why I’m the prime suspect and the only one the cops have. Several people saw us argue.” Elvira snapped her fingers. “Not even five minutes later, the attack happened.”

“Do you have any idea who it might have been?” Sharky asked. “More importantly, do you think it has something to do with the gold mining?”

She shrugged. “It’s the only thing I can come up with.”

“It’s possible that others know about your honey hole,” Millie theorized. “Maybe Wanda told someone or they, like her, noticed you going to…what was the name of the place?”

“Mount Baldie.”

“Mount Baldie,” Sharky repeated. “How do we get there?”

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