Cody stared out the salon window at the increasingly dark evening. Looking up the companionway, he could see the glowing light over their gate, the fish market, some of the other businesses on the pier…and still no Nick who was now over thirty minutes past due.
Of course, it wasn't like his partner was never late; sure he was from time to time. But he'd sounded tired on the radio, and Cody didn't think he'd even been in the mood for dinner. And without a car, it didn't seem like the best night to run errands. So, Cody was…well, a little concerned anyway.
Murray bounced up from below, pulling on his corduroy jacket. "Hey. Nick here?"
"Not yet."
The phone rang, and Murray snagged the receiver. "Riptide Detective Agency."
Cody glanced back out the window, hoping to see his partner striding through the gate.
"Just a second," Murray seemed concerned as he handed Cody the receiver. "It's for you."
Not liking the look on Murray's face, he took the phone. "Cody Allen."
"Mr. Allen, this is the emergency department at Harbor Memorial. We have a Nicholas Ryder here, and you're listed as his emergency contact and next-of-kin."
Cody's throat went dry as he tried to catch his breath. That damn chopper finally went wheels up and took Nick with her. And what about his passengers? "Is he okay?"
"Well, he has some injuries. Will you be able to come down?"
Distracted with worry, Cody nodded then realized that she couldn't see him. "Uh, sure. What about the other people? Are they okay?"
She was quiet for a second or two. "Uh…I believe he was alone."
Huh? Cody didn't waste time asking questions. Explanations could wait. "We'll be right there."
Murray was standing close by, watching in concern. "What is it?"
"Nick's in the E.R. Let's go." He grabbed the keys to the Jimmy and headed up to the wheel house.
"Is he all right? What happened?"
By this time, Cody was vaulting over the side of the boat and jogging up the companionway. "She just said he was hurt. I didn't get the details. Had to be that damn chopper though."
Murray jumped in the passenger seat of the Jimmy as Cody cranked the key. "What about his passengers?"
"She said he was alone."
Murray looked confused, "That doesn't make sense, Cody. Why would he go back up again after landing his tour? Unless he went back out for fuel."
"I don't know, Murray, I don't know!" Cody tried to control his anxious breathing.
Murray reached over to rub his shoulder. "Okay, take it easy. Just try to stay calm. Did she say if he was okay?"
"Just that he was hurt." Cody appreciated that Murray was trying to soothe him, but that just wasn't going to happen—not till he knew Nick was all right. Then he'd finally get to say I told you so about that old pink deathtrap, and everything could get back to normal. Or what passed for normal on their boat anyway.
The drive seemed to take forever but was probably only a few minutes by the time Cody screeched to a halt in the parking lot of the hospital. He and Boz rushed to the desk in the E.R. "Nick Ryder? Someone called me."
The woman glanced through the pages on her clipboard. "Here it is. Are you Mr. Allen?" At Cody's anxious nod, she pointed to the waiting room, "Just have a seat, someone will be right with you."
Cody was about to protest, but Murray pulled at his arm and motioned for the chairs. Cody looked back at the lady who was now on the phone saying Mr. Ryder's family had arrived. He hesitated, but Boz tugged again, looking more determined. Finally, Cody let himself be led to the bench closest to the desk.
They hadn't been sitting for more than a few minutes when a man wearing a white coat came out with a uniformed officer that Cody didn't recognize. Cody's heart rate hit new highs as he bolted to his feet. Murray stood beside him, tense.
"Mr. Allen?"
Cody nodded, "I'm Cody Allen; this is Murray Bozinsky. How's Nick?"
The doctor studied them for a second, "I'm Dr. Shattuck. He's not bad, considering."
"Considering what?" Cody braced himself for the news.
"How badly he was beaten."
Cody blinked in surprise. "Beaten? What the—? What happened?"
The doctor turned to the officer who glanced down at his pocket notebook. "The department got a call about a fight in an alley near PCH and 8th Avenue. When we got there, we found Mr. Ryder unconscious. It was a pretty severe beating."
Cody struggled to shift gears from a helicopter crash to a beating. "Wait a minute. PCH…and 8th?"
Murray stared at the officer in confusion, "What was he doing over there? That's the opposite direction from the boat."
"He claims he was going to visit Lieutenant Joanna Parisi, and that he got jumped by four guys." The cop looked and sounded skeptical.
Cody glanced at Murray, "Joanna?"
Boz shrugged, "Did he say anything about going to see her when he radioed earlier?"
Bewildered, Cody shook his head and looked back at the officer.
"So you do know Lieutenant Parisi?"
"Sure. Is she here? She can verify it."
He eyed them both as if trying to make up his mind. "I haven't contacted her yet. Mr. Ryder seemed confused and upset; I didn't want to bother her unnecessarily."
Murray squared his shoulders, "Well, you just call her. She'll confirm it." He turned to the doctor, "Can we see Nick? Is he okay?"
"He will be. Cracked ribs, a separated shoulder. Bruises and contusions. Slight head wound but no concussion. He's gonna need to take it easy for a while."
The officer flipped through the pages in his notebook, "Wait a minute; did you say your name was Bolinsky?"
Murray turned back, "Bozinsky. Why?"
The cop found what he was looking for. "Huh. Maybe he was telling the truth about that, too. Do you know a Melba Bozinsky?"
Murray zeroed in on the officer, just as intense as Cody had been seconds ago. "That's my sister; what has she got to do with this?"
"Mr. Ryder claims she was with him and that the men who beat him took her. Kidnapped her."
"Kidnapped her?"
Cody just barely caught Murray's arm before he grabbed the cop's notebook. The officer stepped back, clearly surprised at skinny Murray becoming so aggressive. Murray tried to pull out of Cody's grip and only turned at the last second to see what was holding him back.
Cody looked back at his usually sweet tempered partner. "Easy."
Murray breathed hard and nodded briefly before turning back to the cop with slightly better control, but still pretty forceful. "Nick said Melba was with him?"
The officer looked back at Murray with a whole different level of respect. "That's what he said, but, again, he seemed confused, and he had been unconscious. There was no sign of a woman in the alley where he was found."
Murray started to bark more questions, but Cody moved to intervene, glancing at the man's nametag. "Look, Officer…Shields? Why don't you call Lieutenant Parisi, and we'll go see Nick. Maybe we can clear some of this up after we've talked to him."
Shields studied them both briefly, apparently still not sure if he should believe their story, but he finally nodded and headed to the desk. Cody and Murray turned to the doctor who motioned them back through swinging double doors.