Page 24 of Waylaid in Whittier

“I have a map in my RV. It’s a little tricky to find. Other than a small sample spot, the entire area is pristine and untouched, just waiting for me to dig, nuggets, dig.”

“It wouldn’t hurt for us to go there and check it out,” Millie said.

“To see if someone has been turning up dirt seeing how I’m sitting here in jail,” Elvira said. “If so, we know for certain it wasn’t Wanda. She’s laid up in the hospital.”

“Good point,” Sharky said. “I can see you’ve given this some thought.”

“I’ve had plenty of time sitting in my cell to replay what happened. As far as the attack, either Wanda has an enemy or she, along with someone else, is onto my spot.”

“How do we get there?”

“When you leave here, head down River Street. At the main drag’s stop sign, turn right. You’ll go up a hill, a really steep hill. When you reach the top, make another right. You can’t miss it. There’s a ginormous totem pole with a wooden eagle perched at the very top.”

“Hold up.” Sharky made a timeout. “I’ll never remember this.”

Millie slid her notepad and pen across the table. “Do you think you could draw us a map?”

“With my eyes closed.” Elvira uncapped the pen and reached for the notepad. At first, Millie couldn’t make heads or tails of what she was drawing, but then it started to make sense.

She finished and tapped the top. “Do you think you can find it?”

“I hope so.” Sharky glanced at the crude drawing. “If not, we’ll have to stop by your RV and pick up the original.”

“I hid a key.” Elvira told them the location of her RV and where to find the spare key. “You might run into Alex, the producer. I’ve mentioned your name several times. Tell him I gave you permission to go inside and grab something.”

“What are the chances it’s Alex, the producer?” Millie asked.

Elvira gave her a thumbs down. “Nil. Zero. It’s not Alex. He’s straight as an arrow. You’ll see what I mean when you meet him.”

The guard approached their table. “Time’s up.”

Millie shoved her chair back. “Good luck getting out of here.”

“Alex promised he would do what he could. I believe him,” Elvira said. “My cell phone was confiscated. If I get out and they give me my stuff back, I’ll call you.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Sharky darted around the table and hugged his woman. “Hang in there, babe. We’ll clear your name as soon as we can.”

Millie offered words of encouragement before exiting the visiting area. She grabbed her things from the locker, which is where Sharky caught up with her.

“Elvira appears to be in good spirits.”

“Because she thinks she’s getting out.” Sharky wiggled his backpack back and forth, working hard to extract it from thesmall locker. “I have to say, she’s more optimistic about the situation than I am.”

“I give it a fifty-fifty chance. At least she knows someone who can help get her out of here. The clock is ticking.” Millie glanced at her watch. “We have some solid leads to follow up on, but we need help.”

“It’s time to call in the troops,” Sharky said.

“Precisely. We need to cover as much ground as possible. Let’s go outside and make the call.”

Chapter 10

Annette quietly listened while Millie filled her in on their visit with Elvira. “The good news is we have a ride. Brody rented a truck, thinking we might need an extra set of wheels.”

“Awesome,” Millie whooped. “Sharky and I have his scooter. Maybe he and I should stay closer to town while you check out the mining site.”

“The Flamethrower won’t have any trouble getting around out in the wilderness,” Sharky whispered in a loud voice. “Mountains are no problem for my powerful set of wheels.”

“I don’t doubt this is true, but maybe it would be best if we let them go. They’ll get there quicker.”And in one piece,Millie silently added.

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