Noah nodded slightly again, then tried to relax. The medic strapped him onto the stretcher and then he and his partner lifted it up until the wheels locked into place. A moment later, Noah could feel every bump and jolt as they rolled the stretcher across various kinds of debris.
He was taken to an elevator for the ride down, and then wheeled out and placed in the back of an ambulance. Noah saw several squad cars, and a police officer climbed into the ambulance with him and one of the paramedics, while the other paramedic went around front to drive. No one spoke, so Noah stayed quiet.
The ride seemed to last about fifteen minutes, and then he was being wheeled into an emergency room. He was pushed into a room with several curtained-off sections and placed into one of them, the curtain pulled around its curving track to give him some privacy. The police officer started to enter, but a nurse suddenly grabbed his arm and pulled him backward.
The nurse came in a moment later and began looking him over. “Hi, there,” she said. “You want to tell me what happened to you?”
Noah opened his mouth once, but nothing came out. He closed it and then tried again. “Bomb went off,” he said. “Just outside my hotel room.”
“Yeah, that’s what I heard. Any idea how that happened?”
“Somebody wants me dead,” Noah said in his gruff whisper. “I don’t know why he didn’t finish the job.”
“Okay, well, let’s get you out of those clothes. The EMTs think you might have a few broken bones in there somewhere, so we’re taking you down to x-ray.”
She helped Noah sit up and he cooperated as she helped him out of his shirt and slacks. When he was down to his underwear, she handed him the hospital johnny and helped him slip his arms into it, then tied it behind his back.
“Okay, lay back down. One of the orderlies will be here in a few minutes to take you to x-ray.” She turned around and slipped out of the curtained area, and Noah could hear the police officer asking if he and another officer could step inside. She stuck her head back in and asked, “Do you feel up to speaking to some policemen?”
Noah nodded slightly, then just said, “Yes, please send them in.”
She held the curtain opened as two men entered. One was a uniform officer, but the other was in plainclothes.
“Thanks for agreeing to speak to us,” said the one in the suit. “I’m Detective Gravois and this is Sergeant Gallagher. We’re kind of curious about what happened back at the hotel. Think you can fill us in?”
“I can give you some basics,” Noah said, “but first, do you have my wallet?”
Gravois nodded his head. “Yes,” he said. “Wyatt Wilson, right?”
Noah tried to grin. “Yes and no,” he said. “Do you have access to a magnetic strip reader? Check out the one on the back of my driver’s license and you’ll understand a lot more. I’m a federal agent, working undercover. Do you happen to know anything about the people who were in the room with me?”
“Were there people with you when the bomb went off? We found signs of other people, but no one else was there when we arrived.”
“Yes, there were three others. Two men and a woman.”
Gravois turned to the Sergeant. “The lieutenant has Mr. Wilson’s wallet. Give him a call and have him check that strip, would you?”
“You got it,” Sergeant Gallagher said, and then he turned and went through the curtain again.
Gravois turned back to Noah. “Undercover fed would make sense, considering the firepower we found in your room. You’re asking about others, so I’m guessing you were part of a team?”
“Yes, made up of myself and the other three I mentioned. Two of them were staying in room two oh eight, next door to mine. I’d appreciate it if you could have their things gathered up, but don’t let anybody tinker with the big suitcase. It’s highly classified equipment.”
“I’ll see what I can do. Meanwhile, what can you tell me about what happened?”
“My agency sent me here to try to capture a known terrorist and arms dealer who has been seen in the area. It looks like I was getting close, because he apparently decided it was time to try to get rid of me.”
Gravois chewed on the inside of his cheek for a moment. “Would he have taken those other people? And if he did, why would he leave you behind?”
“The answer to the first question would have to be yes, but I have no idea how to answer the second. I would have expected him to kill me while he had the chance. I vaguely remember seeing several men rush into the room shortly after the blast, and—I think I remember seeing the woman dragged away. I think I must’ve blacked out after that, that’s all I can remember. I suppose it’s possible they thought I was dead already.”
The detective switched to the other cheek. “Maybe. I think it’s likely the others were taken because this guy thinks he can use them for leverage against you, or against your agency, anyway. Any idea what he might try to get from your people in exchange for them?”