Page 48 of Millie's Cruise Ship Mysteries
Dot promptly replied,eating ice cream and figuring out our next activity.
Gloria:Meet Liz and me in Millie’s office behind the theater.
Dot:On our way.
“The Garden Girls are on the way.”
“And to the rescue.” Millie sent a text to Danielle and Felix, asking them to meet her in her office. “We can beat them if we take a shortcut.”
Stepping behind Guest Services, she led her cousins to a secret passageway she occasionally used when she was in a hurry to get to the other end of the ship.
“This is a cool corridor,” Gloria said. “More like a secret passageway.”
“I only found out about it a couple of years ago. Donovan Sweeney, the ship’s purser uses it along with a few other senior officers, when we’re in a hurry.”
The narrow walls forced them to walk single file all the way to the end to a circular set of stairs. Winding their way down, theyfound a metal door with a single knob at the bottom. A keypad and a small screen were directly above it.
“I’ve always wondered something.” Millie pressed her back against the wall. “One of you try using your keycard to unlock the door.”
Gloria squeezed past her and tapped the top with her card. She grasped the handle and tried turning the knob. “It’s locked.”
“I’ll try.” Liz leaned forward and tapped her keycard with the same result. “You need a special keycard to open it?”
“A master keycard.” Millie tapped her card. Waiting for the faint click, she turned the knob and eased the door open. “Only a few of the crew members, who have gone through an extensive background check, have them.”
“This is a James Bond caliber secret passage,” Gloria joked.
“Imagine sneaking in here, reaching the end and realizing there’s no way out because you don’t have the right keycard,” Liz said.
“I’m sure it’s happened.” Millie swung the door wide and waited for her cousins to clear the threshold.
“We’re here.” Gloria blinked rapidly, discovering that they were standing near the corner of the stage overlooking the theater. “I got completely turned around.”
Millie closed the door behind them. “And now you know one of Siren of the Seas’ best-kept secrets.”
“It pays to know the right people. This is even more exciting than the VIP tour you gave earlier.”
Liz perked up. “VIP tour?”
“We took some elite members on a special tour,” Millie explained.
Her cousin made an unhappy sound. “Why didn’t I get invited?”
“It was part of the ‘shadow Millie’ day,” Gloria said. “Besides, you were probably still in bed.”
Liz sniffled. “Had I known it was a VIP event, I would’ve made a point to set my alarm.”
Millie’s sneakers squeaked loudly as they crossed over to the other side, passing by the dressing room, makeup area and costume closet before arriving at her office, tucked away in the corner.
She flipped the light switch, her breath catching in her throat. There, painted in bold black letters, was the word,Cow.
Chapter 19
Gloria’s hand flew to her lips. “Someone graffiti’d your door.”
“We have cameras.” Millie shifted her gaze, motioning to the surveillance camera mounted in the corner. “I’ll need to call Patterson to get access.”
The trio stepped inside the office, leaving the door open for the others, who arrived moments later.
