Chapter 25
Millie clutched her chest. “Where?”
“Your keycard was used by someone who entered Sharky’s confiscated items room.”
She grabbed onto the back of a chair to steady herself. “I thought it was a keypad access code only.”
“We recently changed it,” Patterson said. “You need either the code or the special keycard.”
“What about Arturo Bautista?” Millie asked.
“We’ve been monitoring his movements since the vandalism. I’ve already verified it wasn’t him. He hasn’t left the ship today.”
“It could have been a passenger who had something confiscated, found your card and decided to go down and get it back,” Donovan theorized.
Millie immediately dismissed the idea. “How would they know where to find it?”
Patterson drummed his fingers on the table. “Our rescued yacht passengers had several items taken when they boarded the ship.”
“Such as?” Nic prompted.
“Drug paraphernalia and CBD.”
“You’re right. I remember now. Jeremy was upset because he said he needed his CBD for his epilepsy. You told him to go see Doctor Gundervan.” Millie slung her beach bag over her shoulder. “As soon as I change, I’m tracking Sharky down.”
While the others talked, Donovan grew quiet, tapping the screen. “I’ve requested corporate permanently disable your keycard. As you know, it could take up to twenty-four hours. I had to give them a reason for the request.”
“You told them it was stolen?”
“Correct. In case you’ve forgotten, it’s standard policy to be written up.”
Millie placed her hand on her forehead. “And deservedly so.”
“The idea of these troublemakers roaming freely with the card is concerning,” Patterson said. “You’ll need to put a temporary block on it.”
“Already done. It’s been deactivated. Corporate will confirm when it’s been permanently disabled.” Donovan told Millie to meet him in his office within the hour, and he would issue her a replacement.
“I’ll see you soon.” She swung by the apartment to freshen up and change into her work uniform.
With time to spare before her hosting event and welcoming passengers back from a day of sun and fun, she had a single goal in mind—to find out why whoever had stolen her keycard had used it to get into the confiscated room.
Or maybe it was more of a confirmation, because she already had a hunch regarding who it was. If Patterson had ruled out Arturo Bautista, the next logical suspect was Jeremy Manning. If so, he would regret stealing her stuff, at least if she had anything to say about it.
Millie arrived at the maintenance department’s office. Instead of finding Sharky, Reef Savage, the night supervisor stood at the filing cabinet, his back to her. “Knock. Knock.”
Reef glanced over his shoulder, doing a double take when he saw who it was. “Hey, Millie.”
“Is Sharky around?”
“He and Fin are in port doing some shopping.”
“Sharky went shopping?”
“If you call picking up some of Fin’s favorite fish snacks shopping then I guess so.”
“He spoils that cat rotten,” Millie chuckled.
“If my best bud was my cat, I would probably spoil him too. Is there something I can help you with?”
“Maybe.” Millie briefly told him what had transpired. “According to Donovan, my keycard was used a short time ago to access the confiscated room. I have my suspicions, and if a certain substance is missing, I’m pretty sure I know who it was.”
“Substance?”
“CBD. Jeremy Manning, one of the passengers we rescued from the sinking yacht, had CBD on him. Patterson confiscated it and locked it up until we get back to Miami.”
“I’ll try to help you find it,” Reef said.
“Would it be better to wait for Sharky?”
“Nah.” He shoved the file folders inside the drawer. “He keeps a detailed list of what’s in there, all labeled and marked.”
“He’s extremely organized.”
“Sharky recently changed the access code but I’m pretty sure I remember what it is.” Reef caught up with her in the hallway.
At the end of the corridor they made a couple of quick turns before reaching the confiscated room, off the “beaten path” and in a section of the ship few crew members used or had need to.
Reef entered the code. The lock clicked and he swung the door open. “CBD you said?”
“Correct.”
“Section C, shelf five.” Reef tucked the clipboard under his arm and walked over to the shelf.
Millie crept in behind him. “Do you see anything resembling CBD?”
“I’m not sure what I’m looking for. Was it a bottle of gummies, a jar of oil?”
“I don’t know. Patterson didn’t say.”
“Hang on. I see a bottle.” Reef slid a bottle off the shelf and read the label aloud. “CBD max strength gummies for anxiety.”
“This must be it.” Millie took the bottle from him and shook it. She unscrewed the lid and tipped it upside down. “It’s empty.”
“Patterson wouldn’t confiscate an empty bottle.”
Millie unclipped her radio.
“There’s zero reception in here.” Reef tapped the solid metal walls. “You gotta go out in the hall.”
“You’re right. Be right back.” Millie hurried out of the room. “Patterson, do you copy?”
“Go ahead, Millie.”
“I’m down in the confiscated items room with Reef. We found the item you mentioned earlier belonging to our…guest. The bottle is empty.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. “
“It was full when I last saw it.”
“Unless Sharky took up a new hobby, someone else emptied the bottle.”
“I’m calling you on your cell phone.”
Millie’s phone rang. “The CBD bottle is empty. Are you sure it wasn’t Bautista?” she asked.
“Positive. How would Mr. Manning know where to find the confiscated room?”
“Most crew members know about it. They talk. Maybe Jeremy befriended one of them and found out where it was.”
“I also took drug paraphernalia.” Patterson rattled off the items. “Are those missing as well?”
“I’ll check.” Millie ran back inside and asked Reef to crosscheck the list.
“Section A, shelf 7.” He scoured the shelf, finally finding the items on the far left hand side.
“So, the CBD gummies are gone but the rest of the items taken from Jeremy Manning are still here.” Millie returned to the hallway and shared the information with Patterson.
“It could have been him, but then it may have been someone else who took your keycard, let themselves in, saw the CBD and decided to steal it.”
“True.”
“Donovan is back in his office and has printed off a new card for you,” Patterson said.
“I’ll head that way now.” Millie thanked him and ended the call. She stuck her head around the corner to let Reef know she was leaving.
“You need to look for anything else?”
“I’m good.” She gave him a thumbs up. “Thanks for getting me in here.”
“Glad I could help. Good luck catching the culprit.”
“I’m going to need it. He’s a sneaky dude.” Millie’s schedule app chimed, reminding her about her first hosting event, which meant if she hurried, she would have enough time to pick up her new keycard and make it to the lounge with seconds to spare.
Donovan must’ve been waiting for her because as soon as she stepped into his office, she noticed a master keycard sitting on the corner of the desk. On closer inspection she saw her name printed in big bold letters with Cruise Director in smaller letters directly below it.
A panoramic shot of South Seas Cay, Majestic Cruise Lines’ private island replaced what had been a background image of Siren of the Seas.
“I like the new background.”
“We’re rolling these out next week,” Donovan said.
“It’s very tropical.”
“Did you find anything downstairs?”
“Jeremy Manning’s CBD bottle was empty. The other items Patterson took from him and his group were still there.”
“Maybe it wasn’t him,” Donovan said. “I checked again while I was waiting for you. I confirmed your card was only used to access the storage room. No other areas of the ship were accessed before I put a freeze on it.”
“Whew. That’s a relief.” Millie swiped her hand across her forehead. “I’ll need a new lanyard.”
“I have a few.” He opened his top desk drawer, pulled out a pink lanyard and handed it to her.
“Thanks.” She slid her keycard into the slot before draping it around her neck. “I’m going to find out who stole my card and took my cash. The weird thing is none of us noticed. Not me, my cousins, or their super-sleuth friends.”
“People tend to let their guard down while on vacation,” Donovan said. “Thieves and criminals are always looking for opportunities.”
“But someone had to have been paying attention to know what they were taking.” Millie thought about when Jeremy and the others were first rescued, how she’d delivered clothing, toiletries, and keycards to them.
“Now that I think about it, Jeremy’s friend, Devan, made a comment about my keycard, how he thought it was cool. ”
“What did you tell him?”
“The cards were only issued to officers and certain managers on board the ship, and they would be using crew members' keycards.” Millie briefly closed her eyes. “I may have inadvertently given him the idea to steal my card.”
“Could be,” Donovan agreed. “Speaking of your family and friends, are they having a good time?”
“I left them at the beach. Based on how my day is going, I’m sure they’re having a much more enjoyable one than I am. At least I hope so.”