Page 65 of Tiki Hut Tragedy
“I’ll be heading there right before ten.”
“Sounds good. I’ll meet you at Lucky’s bar.”
She turned to go, and Cat stopped her. “Do you have a picture of Astrid?”
“I do.” Millie tracked down a recent snapshot and showed the photo of the plain woman with short brown hair to her friend. “Has she visited the gift shop?”
“Oh yeah. I remember her because Astrid is a snacker. She stopped by the other day and stocked up on potato chips and pretzels.” Cat rubbed her thumb and index finger together. “We don’t sell many snacks on board seeing how they’re cheaper if you buy them in port.”
“Then you won’t have any trouble recognizing her if you see her. Thanks, Cat.”
“I hope it works.” Her friend crossed her fingers. “If anyone can track this woman down, it’s you.”
“She’s proving elusive. Something tells me we’ll have our work cut out for us.”
The hours flew by. As soon as the second headliner show was underway, Millie swung by the galley to check in with Annette.
“Were your ears ringing? I was getting ready to call you.”
“Please tell me you’re not backing out.”
“Not a chance.” Annette darted to her office, returning moments later. “You’ll need these.”
“What is it?”
She handed her two sets of earpieces with built-in microphones. “So you, Cat and I can communicate.”
“Right. I’ll need you to monitor Astrid’s exact movements. With any luck, we’ll be able to figure out what she’s up to. We’re running out of time.”
“You work well under pressure,” Annette joked.
“I’m meeting Cat near Lucky’s bar and will give her the extra set of earpieces when I see her.”
“She knows what Astrid looks like?”
“Yep, and if she visits the casino tonight, there’s no way we’ll miss her.”
Chapter 27
Cat slid the earpiece into her ear and tapped the side. “Annette has nifty spy stuff.”
“Some of the best.”
“I’ve been meaning to ask, how is she going to help us track Astrid?”
“I’m sorry, Cat, but it’s super top secret. I promised a certain person I would keep it on the down low.” Millie made a zipping motion across her lips.
“I get it. Maybe the less I know, the better,” she said. “Although if this actually works, it’s kind of scary to think we can be tracked at any time.”
“We’re being monitored 24/7,” Millie said. “Think about it. There are cameras on every street corner, in shopping malls, and in restaurants.Probably half of the homes out there have Ring cameras. Unless you’re inside with the curtains closed, there’s a good chance you’re being watched.”
“And if you’re not being watched, someone could be listening in. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve talked about something and bam! Next thing I know, an ad pops up on the computer for the product I was mentioning.”
“Big Brother is watching.” Millie wiggled her earpiece and hit the power button. “Testing, testing. One two.”
“I can hear you, Millie.” Annette’s voice rang through loud and clear. “Is Cat with you?”
“I’m here, Annette.”
