She paused in the hallway, just out of sight, to listen.
“Kat is worried about you.”
“She should have come herself.”
Caer sensed Zach’s hesitation. At last he said, “She didn’t feel it would be in anyone’s best interest if she came.”
“Oh, that child! I love her, but she’s absolutely convinced that Amanda married me for my money and is just waiting for me to die.”
Zach didn’t bother to deny it.
“She’s overprotective,” Sean said.
“She loves you,” Zach told him.
Caer could see Sean, in her mind’s eye, waving a hand impatiently in the air. “She should have a little faith in me. I’m not a doddering old fool. I’m not desperate for love and affection—or sex.” He paused, then went on. “The thing is, you’re here—where you shouldn’t be—to protect me, when I’m not the one in trouble. Eddie is. You should be in Newport, trying to figure out what the hell happened to him.”
Caer continued to hover just outside the doorway, listening.
“Sean, the sooner we can get back, the better chance we’ll have of discovering what happened,” Zach said.
Caer heard just a hint of impatience in the man’s tone, telling her that he felt he should already be on the trail of the man who had disappeared.
“Eddie’s got to be all right,” Sean said.
There was silence. She knew that Zach didn’t think Eddie was all right, and he wasn’t going to lie to Sean and say that he did.
Sean spoke again. “Who the hell would want to kill an old geezer like Eddie? He’s never hurt anyone. People love him. Maybe he was swept overboard and picked up by someone else. Maybe he lost his memory.”
“Amnesia?” Zach offered.
“Yeah, amnesia. It’s possible.”
“Sean, I’ve checked all the area hospitals. No one has admitted anyone who fits Eddie’s description.”
“And you’ve checked the morgues, too, right?” Sean asked hesitantly.
“Yes.”
“And no Eddie, right?” Sean asked.
“No,” Zach agreed.
“Maybe someone kidnapped him,” Sean suggested.
“Yeah, sure. Maybe,” Zach said. He sounded unconvinced. “So where’s Amanda?”
“At the hotel. She was feeling all wrung out from the stress of worrying about me, taking care of me…you know. Anyway, I told her to take some time today. Get herself a massage. She’ll be around later tonight. She’s anxious to see you.”
“I’m sure,” Zach said, not sounding sure at all. “What about the doctor? I have to talk to him. Kat will have my head if I don’t come back with a full list of all your medications, what you can do, what you can’t do.”
Caer heard footsteps in the hall, probably Sean’s doctor on the way. She slipped around the corner and headed for Michael’s office.
“Help. Is anyone out there?” came a weak cry from one of the rooms.
Caer paused, turned and headed in. A frail old woman was lying in one of the beds. She looked as if she had lived several lifetimes, all of them tough.
“Hi, what do you need?” Caer asked gently.
“Just the telly thing, there, dear. I hate to ring the bell and be botherin’ a nurse for such nonsense, but I can’t get the thing. It fell.”
Caer smiled and stooped down for the remote. “It should be on a string, attached to the bed,” Caer said. “I’ll see that someone comes in and fixes that for you.”
“Ah, bless ya, lass,” the woman said. Caer looked at her. She was old and worn, but her eyes were bright. Her hand, as it fell on Caer’s, was all bones and age spots, but it felt surprisingly strong. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at Caer, and something seemed to disturb her, but she offered a tremulous smile. “Gentle and kind, you are.”
Caer squeezed the woman’s hand and backed away quickly, glancing at the woman’s chart and her name. “Mrs. McGillicutty, when you need something and you can’t get it yourself, you ring that bell, do you hear me?”
“I don’t like to be a nuisance,” Mrs. McGillicutty said.
“You’re not a nuisance, so get that thought right out of your head,” Caer said firmly. “And I’ll send someone in here right away to fix that remote.”
As she started out of the room, another woman came in, moving quickly. She was perhaps forty or so, and pretty, except for her look of fatigue and stress. She smiled at Caer hesitantly. “Is everything all right? Mum is…?” Her smile was beginning to fade.
“Fine, fine. She just needs a bit of very simple technology—a cord for her remote,” Caer assured her, and the other woman let out a sigh and went to the bedside, kissing the old woman’s cheek as she took her hand.
“Mary, me love. So good to see ya.”
Mrs. McGillicutty took her daughter’s hand, and her eyes were bright.