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 hadample opportunity to instigate another disruption, possibly even more serious than the last.
Chapter 34
Millie waited until ten on the dot to track Cat down. “Any word from Juji?”
“Not yet. Patterson is with me. We’re calling her now.”
“Where are you?”
“On the promenade, starboard side.”
“I’ll meet you there.” Millie pivoted and headed toward the meeting location. Thinking they might be at the other end, she turned toward the aft of the ship when she spotted them standing near the railing.
Cat noticed her first and waved her over. “You made it just in time.” She tapped the screen and dialed Juji’s number.
A familiar voice echoed over the line. “Cat. Oh dear. I forgot to call you. We have another ship in port. As soon as I unlocked the door, customers arrived.”
“It’s all right. Have you had a chance to talk to the other shop owners?”
“I have. You’ll be pleased to know a disposable cell phone was purchased yesterday with the exact number you gave me assigned to it,” Juji said.
“You wouldn’t happen to have a description of the customer, would you?”
