She disappeared into the bedroom area of their salon for a brief minute, grabbing clean clothing.
Then she got into the shower.
Just as she left, another thought sprang into his mind.
What if he had been pushed? What if someone on the ship was determined on finishing the job? Was he going to be safe in the ship’s hospital?
His burner phone had been in his pocket; he drew it out, amazed to see that it was still working. Then again, Alonzo wouldn’t have sent them out without the best available equipment.
He called the contact in his phone listed as “Uncle Joe.”
Alonzo answered. “Joe here.”
Always prepared. Making sure that it was Wes calling him, that the phone hadn’t been taken, and that he wouldn’t be known as who he really was.
Wes quickly described what had happened—and his fear for Edward Thompson now.
“No problem. I’ll take care of it,” Alonzo promised. “It’s already been picked up by the media—that a man fell from a cruise ship. Apparently, from chatter, there was a massiveschool of dolphins frolicking near the ship, too, and that caused people to lean over the rails and press into one another.”
“Sir, how—”
“Like I said, news travels fast. No secrets—it’s all over the internet. We’re lucky that with everything going on, none of the passengers got good shots of you or Chloe. I asked you both to change it up a bit in case you did wind up in family photos and there was the odd chance you’d be recognized as who you really are and what you do, but... Anyway, I guess it was such a zoo at the time and the distance from the ship’s decks to the water was enough to pretty much show nothing but the tops of your heads in anything that our tech crews have been able to find. My point—the world knows what happened. It will be easy to see to it that Milestones gets a nurse of their own out there to watch over Thompson.”
“Okay, but—”
“It will be George Garcia, who is a registered nurse practitioner—but also with one of our legat offices.”
“Ah. Okay, thanks. I don’t think that I could have figured out a reason for Chloe and me to be in there at all times.”
“You think he was pushed.”
“I do.”
“I’ll get right on it.”
Alonzo ended the call. Perfect timing.
Chloe emerged from the bathroom towel-drying her hair. He frowned, noting that the towel had dark stains on it.
“Ah, come on. Obviously, black dye. And no matter how good, it comes off a bit,” she told him.
He grinned. “So, what color is your hair really?”
“Like a light reddish-brown,” she told him.
“Well, the black does enhance your eyes. Man, they are green!” he told her.
She laughed. “Good! Glad it all matches.” She frowned, looking at him. “And what about you?”
“Alonzo told me to change it up, too. I’d had a beard—well-trimmed, of course, kind of, at least. Now I’m clean-shaven and the opposite—andmyhair is usually very dark.”
“And with any luck, neither of us will have roots showing during the time we’re here,” Chloe said. She wrinkled her face. “Not a fan of beards, anyway.”
“So sorry!” he said dryly. “Anyway, what’s important. Alonzo is getting a nurse on board who will be arranged by Milestones—with direction from the assistant director himself. We won’t need to worry about keeping watch over Edward Thompson hour after hour.”
“Or worry that someone will stick something else into his IV,” Chloe murmured. “We agree that we think he was pushed?”
“I think it’s more than possible. But...”
