Nathan winced. “I can’t tell you hair or eye color and I can’t even describe his face. He was wearing a baseball cap pulled low and he had big sunglasses on. Yeah, I know, that could be half of the ship’s passengers. But I estimate his height at about six-foot even. He was wearing Bermuda shorts and a short-sleeved cotton shirt, and um... someone called out to him. I don’t know who, but it gave me the feeling that he wasn’t traveling alone. And, yes, I spoke to people—there was a fair amount of concern among the passengers—but I did keep my eye on your things. That’s the only incident I can think of when anyone might have gotten into a bag. What did they get?” he asked.
“A gun,” Millbrook said flatly.
“A gun?”
“Made of 3D-printed plastic, carried by our agents. Keep your eyes open and do excuse me, I’m putting the private warning through to all security,” Millbrook told him, stepping away.
“Oh, God, I am so ashamed and sorry!” Nathan told them.
Chloe shook her head. “No, no, please, you didn’t know, and it sounds as if this man thought maybe there was something that he could find. Please, don’t worry. You’re not at fault. Butif you see this man, stop him, chat with him, tell him that... that the captain is looking for him with some kind of an invitation and then inform us immediately!”
Wes dug deep into his pocket and found one of the cards that bore the number to his burner cell and the name Wesley Douglas.
“Please,” he said, handing it to Nathan.
“Right, absolutely.”
Millbrook had made his call to have security on the lookout for the man, warning those who didn’t know already that a gun was missing.
“Thank you, Nathan,” Chloe told him, and Wes nodded, as well.
“Where do we go from here?” Captain Millbrook asked Wes as they left the crew’s dining quarters. “Other than that, as far as I go, I need to get back to the bridge and, as I’ve said, our security people are good. It’s hard on a ship like this—you need people who are vigilant, tough and still capable of making the passengers feel safe and that they’re there to give directions rather than police the place. But is all that going to be enough—”
“We’ll find whoever has the gun,” Wes assured him. He still wasn’t sure how the hell they were going to do it, but they wouldn’t give up. Of course, before they went any further with anything, he wanted to talk to Alonzo.
Millbrook gave them a nod and left them.
Wes called him back and reminded him, “Sir, not to tell you how to run things, but you need some of your best people—”
“With me, watching over the ship. Got it,” Millbrook said.
“Take care, sir,” Chloe added.
He gave them a nod and disappeared.
As he did so, they stepped out to the casual dining area on the deck. To his surprise, Wes saw that Edward, Sally and George were at one of the tables.
“Time flies when you make a wild leap into the ocean to try and stop a serial killer?” Chloe murmured.
He looked at her and grimaced. “Might as well make sure they’re okay!”
“Well, we know none of them took the gun. They were laid out with medical help on the way down below,” Chloe reminded him.
“True. We won’t stay long—”
“Long enough for a hot dog, wings, a sandwich...”
“Yeah, we should grab some food. I’m surprised to see them—I had no idea that they could shake that drug in a matter of hours,” Wes said. “Then again, I’m not a medical man. And now I’m wondering how the hell Amelia learned so much. If she’d had any formal training with medicine or drugs, our people would have caught it.”
“I can only say this—if you’re determined, you can learn almost anything on the internet. It used to be books, but these days... Hot dog! I’ll get food, you check in with Edward and company.”
He walked toward the table where the three of them stood quickly as he arrived, each giving him a fierce hug in return.
“Again!” Edward said. “You and Chloe... you’re so amazing.”
“Well, as you know by now, we were just doing our jobs,” Wes told him. “Not that they aren’t jobs that make you really happy when there’s a good outcome for a man like you, Edward. But I’m so surprised! I thought you guys would be in your beds, sound asleep and getting over the stuff that was shot into you!”
“We were all in the hospital... Doc Kilbride and his people and a few medical folks who happened to be on the cruise were down there, helping, getting everyone all flushed out. I’m not speaking today or anymore on this voyage, but... well, we wanted to come out and feel how beautiful life is, how the sun can shine, how one can feel out on the water in the breeze!”
