Page 34 of Tiki Hut Tragedy
“From the eyewitnesses I spoke with, Dixie felt something crawling on her and started screaming. The others panicked and tried to escape. The tiki hut tilted and dumped everyone into the water.” Millie told them about the rescue mission and the tragic results of their search. “Dixie must’ve hit her head and been knocked out. While everyone was scrambling to get back on board, the current carried her over to the rocks.”
“I thought the tiki hut would be fun, but now I’m thinking it’s a recipe for disaster.” Cat held up her finger. “Number one, it’s tippy, plus the passengers are drinking. All it would take is for tipsy passengers to stampede to one side. Next thing you know, you’re in the water.”
“And in their case, trying to get away from a reptile or rodent,” Millie said.
Danielle pointed to the clock. “I hate to rush, but I have a solo meet and greet starting soon.”
“I won’t hold you up.” Millie told her friends about Pastor Haakenson, sharing the same storyshe had with Annette. “The pastor is lonely and struggling. I’m looking for suggestions about how we can help him.”
Cat elbowed Andy. “You’re good at coming up with ideas. What do you think?”
“What does he like to do?”
“He likes coffee. His coffee maker stopped working, so we took it to Sharky to fix it.”
“Millie, my dear, you answered your own question.” Andy shared his idea.
Her eyes lit. “It’s perfect. Thank you, Andy. As soon as it’s ready, I’ll plan an official welcome party.”
Danielle left first, with Cat and Andy not far behind, leaving Felix, Millie and Annette in the galley to go over the details of the foodie scavenger hunt.
“Have you checked with Astrid to make sure they’re up to participating?” Felix asked.
“I spoke to her right before I got here. Her first inclination was to cancel events, but after meeting with the grief counselors, the group unanimously decided to keep their schedule.”
Bang!Barty barreled around the corner and collided with the counter. He lost his grip on the tray of rolls he was carrying. As if in slow motion, the rolls flew into the air, like mini missiles firing off in every direction. The tray hit the floor with a loud clatter.
“Not again.” Barty fell to his knees, frantically trying to gather them up.
Felix ran over to help him. “Talk about rolling in the dough,” he joked.
“I’m a disaster.” Barty hastily finished scooping up the rolls. “At least it wasn’t rice.”
“That was yesterday,” Annette sighed. “Go ahead and toss them in the trash.”
“I’m sorry, Miss Annette.”
“It’s okay. Mistakes happen.”
Barty, still apologizing profusely, began backing up.
“Watch out for…”
It was too late. He collided with the mixer stand, almost tipping over a bowl of batter. He snatched it upright and breathed a visible sigh of relief. “I need to find a safe project to work on.”
“Preferably one that doesn’t involve sharp knives.”
Millie waited until he was gone. “Poor guy. I think he’s nervous.”
“Nervous energy resulting in klutziness,” Annette quipped. “He tries so hard.”
“Maybe too hard. You were giving him the look.”
“What look?”
Felix scrunched up his eyebrows and set his lips in a straight line.
“Do I look like that?”
