“Waves may be rocking us around a bit, but it’s still so beautiful out!” Wes said reflectively.
“Right, beautiful.” For a moment, Kilbride appeared to be confused. He frowned, looking at Wes.
“You needed something?” he said.
“Checking in on George and Amelia,” Wes reminded him.
“Right. George and Amelia.”
In a matter of seconds it seemed, Doctor Kilbride had gone from being perfectly lucid to a man on the edge of dementia.
“Doctor—” Wes began.
But before he could say anything further, Dr. Kilbride blinked once and fell to the floor.
“Doctor!”
Wes cried the word and hurried around the reception desk. Kilbride’s eyes were closed; he was lying in a heap on the floor.
Wes fell to his knees, checking the man’s breathing and pulse.
Pulse, weak, breathing shallow. But he was alive.
Wes hefted the man up in his arms and hurried quicklyto push open the door to the nearest hospital room and lay him out on the bed, checking his vitals again.
Thankfully, he was alive.
Drugged.
Wes left Kilbride to hurry into the room where Amelia had been earlier, where George should have been keeping watch over her.
There was no sign of Amelia Swenson. Or George.
Swearing softly to himself, he pulled out his phone. He called Chloe’s number.
No answer.
He tried Edward. No answer.
As he started to head out, one of Kilbride’s nurses came into the waiting room, speaking as she arrived. “Got it, Doc, just as you ordered! Giant black coffee with exactly two teaspoons of sugar!”
She froze, seeing Wes.
“Get in there and take care of Dr. Kilbride. How long have you been gone? Were Amanda and George here when you left?” he demanded.
The poor young woman looked distressed and confused. “Yes, of course, and there was a security officer right outside... I thought that maybe he’d come in here. But—”
“They’re gone, Amanda, George and the security officer. And whoever did this dosed Dr. Kilbride with something! I’m going after them. Get in there, and please, please, please take good care of Kilbride. Pulse is weak, breathing is shallow—but he’s alive. Keep him that way! I’ll send an officer but if you can lock yourself in here—”
“Oh, I can, and I will!” she swore. “I just don’t know why the officer would have left, why George would have allowed Amelia out,” the young woman told him, her fear apparent in her eyes.
“Lock the door behind me!”
Wes hurried out of the hospital cabin on the ship, waiting just seconds to hear the click of a lock and the slide of a bolt behind him.
He tried Chloe again as he raced for the elevator. Hurrying up to the kids’ pool area with the other games, he found the little bocce ball court at the open deck toward the back.
There was no sign of Edward, Sally, Gina, Celia, Jeff, Daniel or Broderick.
