Chapter 33
Gloria handed the can of black spray paint to Millie. “You were right. It was Jeremy.”
“I knew it,” Millie let out a whoop. “He vandalized the ship and tried breaking into the Fire Up cabinet. Ten bucks says if we keep looking we’ll find the missing CBD.”
Millie’s cell phone chimed. She glanced at the screen. It was a message from Annette: Willow just left.
“Great. We need to get out of here.” Millie tucked the can of spray paint under her arm. Picking up the pace she jogged to the door with Gloria close behind.
After a quick check to make sure the coast was clear, they slipped out of the cabin and made a beeline for the main corridor.
Gloria struggled to keep up with Millie’s fast steps. “What are you going to do with the paint?”
“Turn it over to Patterson.” Millie slowed her pace. “You won’t get into any trouble. If anything, I will.”
“Even though you have proof Jeremy was behind the vandalism?” Gloria asked incredulously.
“Sneaking into cabins is strictly prohibited. Ask me how I know.” Millie turned right at the end of the corridor. They climbed the steps and continued walking until they reached the head of security’s office. Through the frosted glass she could see someone moving around.
Noticing the door was ajar, Millie called Patterson’s name before easing it open. Instead of the head of security, she found Oscar standing in front of the whiteboard, marker in hand. “Hello, Millie.”
“Hey, Oscar. Is Patterson around?”
“He’s in a meeting on the bridge.” Oscar eyed the can of paint. “What do you have?”
“Proof that Jeremy Manning is behind the vandalism.” She set it on the desk. “We found this in his cabin.”
“You sneaked into his cabin? You know this is against company policy.”
“I do, but how else was I going to nail the guy?”
Oscar briefly closed his eyes. “I’ll let him know what you found. He won’t be happy.”
“I’m sure he won’t.” Millie stepped toward the door. “If he wants to talk, tell him to give me a call.”
Gloria grew quiet, a troubled look on her face as she followed her cousin out of the office and down the hall to the elevator. “I hope you don’t get into too much trouble.”
“Patterson will lecture me, maybe even write me up but he’ll also be glad that we finally have proof of Jeremy’s involvement.” Millie tapped out a text to the group, letting them know they’d accomplished their mission.
“I hope you get this guy.” Gloria pressed the up button. “I should go check on Lucy.”
“Good idea. And by the way…” Millie winked. “Thanks for the backup.”
Her cousin laughed out loud. “Anytime, Millie. Anytime.”
With a nonstop schedule on tap, she slipped into cruise director mode. She kept her phone on and turned up, eager for word from Juji.
The evening ended with a couple of back-and-forth texts. Juji was still waiting to talk to a couple of the shop owners and promised she would do so as soon as they opened for business early the next morning.
She also got a message from Patterson, telling her he wanted to meet with her to discuss what she’d left in his office. Millie put off replying, thinking it would be in her best interest to give him time to calm down.
Ruth and Dot had monitored Jeremy and Devan at the fitness center but found nothing out of the ordinary or suspicious.
Later that night while Millie lay in bed tossing and turning, she mulled over all that had transpired. What would happen if Juji discovered no one had sold the burner phone? They would be back to square one, except for a can of black spray paint she couldn’t use to nail Jeremy.
The fact of the matter was that Siren of the Seas sat in the middle of the ocean with one or more individuals on board who might, at that very moment, be plotting more chaos.
*****
“Working out at this hour should be against the law.” Liz trudged behind Gloria and Margaret on the way to the fitness center the next morning. “I haven’t even had a decent cup of coffee.”
“At our age, we need to be moving more. You should consider adding exercise to your daily routine.”
“Does shopping count?”
“I suppose if it isn’t online and you visit a brick-and-mortar store.” Gloria opened the fitness center’s door. “Our best bet is to split up and spread out.”
Margaret flexed her muscles. “Free weights are my jam.”
“I’ve always wanted to try a Peloton bike,” Gloria said. “The treadmills might be more your speed, Liz.”
“I suppose.” She plodded over to the row of treadmills.
Gloria, with her hand on her hip, watched her walk along the entire row. “What are you doing?”
“Trying to decide which machine I want to use.”
“They’re all the same,” Margaret said.
“Location, location, location.” Liz pointed to the windows. “If I have to sweat, I prefer an unobstructed ocean view.”
“The ones on the left fit the bill.”
“I was thinking the same thing.” Liz daintily plucked a sanitizing wipe from the container and cleaned the display screen. She set the used wipe in the cup holder and began fiddling with the buttons.
Margaret tugged on Gloria’s arm and whispered in her ear. “She doesn’t know how to use it.”
“Give her a couple more minutes,” she whispered back.
Liz made unhappy noises, pressing the screen and knobs on both sides. She stomped her foot and muttered under her breath.
“She’ll never figure it out.” Margaret stepped onto the treadmill adjacent to Liz’s. “Need some help?”
“Please.”
She showed her how to start the treadmill, how to clip the emergency stop’s tether to her shirt and step on and step off. With a couple practice runs, Liz insisted she had the hang of it. “How long are we staying?”
“An hour.”
“Are they…”
Gloria had scanned the room as soon as they entered, noticing Jeremy and another man near the workout stations. “By the workout stations.”
“Gotcha.” Turning it to the lowest speed possible, Liz plodded along the treadmill’s track. “This isn’t hard. In fact, it’s easy breezy.”
“The lever on the left increases the speed,” Margaret said.
“I’m comfortable at the pace I’m going.”
“You won’t burn many calories going a half a mile an hour,” Gloria pointed out.
“I don’t care about burning calories,” Liz snapped. “I didn’t want to come here in the first place, so don’t you dare criticize my workout.”
“Point taken.” Her sister held up her hands. “Workout at your own pace…and Liz?”
“What?”
“Thanks for taking one for the team.” Gloria blew her a kiss. Making her way over to the Pelotons, she chose the machine closest to the workout stations.
Margaret scooted in between the rows until she reached the free weights, directly opposite the workout stations.
Ten, fifteen, twenty minutes passed.
Liz had long since given up on the treadmill. She stood near the counter, dabbing at her forehead with a cool towel while sipping chilled lemon water.
Gloria noted the hour. According to Millie, Juji planned to call shortly after nine. It was almost half-past. She said a small prayer they would get a break in the case. If not, Jeremy still had ample opportunity to instigate another disruption, possibly even more serious than the last.