Page 51 of Millie's Cruise Ship Mysteries
Chapter 20
Millie pursed her lips. “I wasn’t the only one who got graffiti’d?”
“The fitness center was hit. I sent my guys up there first thing this morning to take care of it, before the sunrise stretch / yoga class.”
“Hang on.” Millie reached for her mouse. “The crew member who got booted off the ship had a twin brother who was hired at the same time.”
“Arturo Bautista,” Sharky said. “He’s still on board.”
“Is it possible…”
“Arturo picked up where his brother left off? Maybe. Could be both brothers are whack jobs.” Sharky told her he’d already called Patterson to let him know about her door. “He’s gonna want to ask you what happened.”
“My office and the fitness center were the only two places that were vandalized?”
“There was one more. I think you should see it.” Sharky escorted Millie and Gloria out of the theater and up the stairs all the way to the lido deck.
Crossing over to the other side, they stopped in front of the wall where Nic and Millie had hung Scout’s official portrait, taken the day he was christened mascot of Siren of the Seas.
Instead of her pup’s furry face smiling at them, someone had used black paint to give him a pointed chin and bushy black eyebrows that drew together in a menacing glare.
Millie could feel the tips of her ears burn. “They vandalized Scout’s photo.”
“At least the glass,” Sharky said. “I was on my way up here with a screwdriver to take it down and clean it when I got your call.” He told them he’d asked his maintenance crew to check every square inch of the ship to make sure there wasn’t more.
Millie rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Whoever it was made their rounds.”
“Yep.”
“Mr. Bautista is the only person who comes to mind, especially if his brother is in hot water with the FBI.”
“It’s a thought,” Sharky said. “He may have decided to stay on board to cause trouble.”
“We can’t rule out a disgruntled passenger. On the flip side, if someone had a beef, why not take their complaint to Guest Services?”
“Maybe they did,” Gloria said. “And the issue wasn’t resolved.”
Millie watched Sharky reach into his pocket. He removed a flathead screwdriver and unscrewed the frame. “I’ll have this like new before the sun sets.”
The trio backtracked and returned to Millie’s office.
Sharky placed Scout’s photo on the desk before arranging a clean drop cloth on the floor. He loosened the lid on a can of primer and painted overCow.
Millie paced, growing angrier by the minute. “I’m going to do a little snooping around.”
“Like I said, Patterson is already checking the surveillance cameras.” Sharky added a thick layer of primer and stood back toinspect his handiwork. “I can still see it. I’ll swing by later after it dries and add another coat. Two coats should do the trick.”
Following Sharky out, Millie and Gloria trekked across the stage, down the steps and through the theater. “Let’s swing by Guest Services first.”
Nikki had gone on break. When questioned, the employees working claimed they weren’t aware of any unresolved passenger issues.
“While we’re here, let’s see if Donovan is around.” Millie approached the purser’s office door and gave it a light rap.
“Hmpfm.”
She took the muffled response as an invitation to enter. Stepping inside, she found Donovan seated at his desk. “Hey, Millie.”
“Hello, Donovan. Got a minute?”
