The cabin phone was ringing. Wes answered it quickly, nodding to her. Doctor Kilbride had seen that one of his nurses had called to tell them that Edward Thompson was ready to speak with them, anxious to do so, wanting to thank them.
“Two minutes!” he told Chloe.
Grabbing clothing, he hurried into the shower, and as soon as he was out, they headed to the ship’s hospital.
Again, he somewhat marveled that a ship’s infirmary could be so complete, spacious—and ready for just about anything. Then again, he supposed that was the kind of thing that came along with a luxury cruise.
They were led in quickly to see Edward Thompson. The man was covered in a blanket and an IV was still sticking out of one arm.
“You two! My heroes, I understand. Thank you verymuch. So much! I want you to know that anything that Milestones can do for you, we will do!” he vowed passionately.
“We’re just so grateful to see you looking alive and well!” Chloe told him, standing by the bed and squeezing his hand.
“And I made you—and tons of people in all the fear and excitement—miss classes they want to attend. But the people onboard here are great—they’ll just reschedule anything that was missed,” Edward said.
“Again, nothing compared to you, sir,” Wes said politely. “What happened?” he asked, as if perplexed. “Despite the decks, the railings are pretty high. It’s not as easy as one might think to just fall off a ship.”
“I guess it was the excitement, people all wanting to see,” Edward replied. “I heard there were a bunch of dolphins near the ship!” He frowned and shook his head. “I had a great position and then...”
“Then the hustle and shove of everyone trying to see?” Chloe asked.
The man’s frown remained. He stared at Wes, narrowing his eyes.
“I couldn’t have... I couldn’t have been pushed on purpose!” he said.
His words were passionate.
The expression on his face belied something more behind them. “I guess, I mean, sometimes, the wrong people do get hurt! And in this business... No, I couldn’t have been pushed on purpose!”
“Oh, sir, you’re such a good and giving man,” Chloe murmured.
“Oh! I know, sir, you might be thinking of the people in Fort Lauderdale,” Wes said, as if the idea had just occurred to him. “That girl who went crazy and shot all the people with her—and then herself!”
The man lowered his head and sighed. “I knew her. I knew her well. Jane Sewell. She was such a sweet and giving person—brilliant! She had amazing and innovative ideas. I’d offered her a job and I believed that she was going to come to work for me! I can’t imagine what happened except...”
“Except, sir?” Chloe said.
“Just Edward. Please call me Edward,” the man said. “Jane could be... fragile. She was humble. She was in love and... maybe he didn’t love her back. I’m still wondering myself what could have caused her to do such a thing. Again, she was a beautiful human being, and... Oh, seriously, no! I couldn’t be in any danger. What happened had to have been an accident.”
As he spoke, Doctor Kilbride walked back into his room.
“Mr. Thompson, you are a beloved man! I just heard from Milestones. They’re sending in one of their nurses, a young man, and he’s going to be with you for the next several days.”
“But I’m already feeling so much better—”
“Sir, you took quite a hit to your entire system. I like and admire what Milestones has done. You’re a smart man, sir. You know that it will be good to have someone dedicated to looking out for you, ready to act and get you back out on deck. No need to let something trivial become something life-threatening,” Kilbride said.
“I... I guess,” Edward said. “I mean, yes, of course, you’re right. I am a lucky man. These two beautiful young people diving in right after me, and a company that cares enough to send someone to look after me. Thank you, Dr. Kilbride.”
Wes glanced at Chloe. Neither of them wanted to leave the man before the legat agent/nurse arrived, he knew.
“By the way, Edward, we’re so sorry about your friend, Jane Sewell,” Chloe said.
“My heart breaks for those she took with her!” Edwardsaid, shaking his head. “For Jane, of course, too, but all those innocent others... I never even knew that she was such an amazing shot. She killed five people before she killed herself. They had no defensive wounds, nothing!”
Chloe glanced over at Wes. He knew that she was curious as to how Edward Thompson knew so much about the investigation. The deaths were common knowledge; the media had shared that much with the public.
But the specifics had never reached the media.
