Page 41 of Before and After

I nodded. “Is Ollie okay?”

“Yes, my neighbor’s with him.” Allie rubbed a hand over her face.

“You should go home. Get some sleep.”

“There’sno wayI’ll sleep. I need to know that she’s okay.”

The minutes ticked by, and I couldn’t make myself let go of her hand.

Finally, one of the doctors pushed through the doors.

Allie shot to her feet, and I rose.

“The young lady is going to be fine. She’s asleep now.” The man’s face turned serious. “She has GHB in her system.”

I cursed.

“That’s a date-rape drug, right? God.” Allie ran a hand through her hair.

“I’ve reported the incident to the local police,” the doctor added, his gaze swinging my way. “You’re in charge of security at the Windward?”

“Yes. I’ll follow up with the police. I won’t let things like this happen at the Langston Windward.”

“Good.”

I glanced at Allie. “I need to make a call.”

“Okay.” She looked back at the doctor. “Can I visit with her? I don’t even know her name, but I want her to know she’s not alone.”

“Yes, but keep it brief,” the doctor said. “We found a wallet in her bag. Her name is Mellody Evans.”

“Thanks.” Allie shot me a look, then followed the doctor.

Meanwhile, I pulled out my cellphone. I texted Hugh and got confirmation that Mellody Evans was twenty-four years old and a guest at the hotel. Then I called the local police. I wasn’t surprised when, fifteen minutes later, Officer Sanchez walked in.

“Late night,” the woman said.

“Yeah. Not how I’d hoped it would go.”

She pulled out a notepad. “Tell me what happened.”

“The young woman, Mellody Evans, is a guest at the hotel. She was in the bar and said she’d only had one drink. She stumbled into Allie Ford, one of our housekeeping supervisors. She was clearly under the influence of something.” I calmly told her the rest of the story.

“She was lucky it was Ms. Ford who found her.”

“Dammit.” My mouth flattened. “I hate knowing there are men who do this sort of thing.”

“I’ll bet, and you aren’t alone.” Sanchez slid the notepad away. “You said Ms. Evans was partying with a group of guests?”

“Four guys. They’re here mountain biking. They’re into extreme sports.” My jaw hardened.

Sanchez reached out and touched my forearm. “Now, Castro, no playing judge, jury, and executioner. I’ll investigate.” There was a warning look in her eyes.

The door opened and Allie stepped in. She saw us and jerked to a halt. “Um, sorry. Should I come back?”

I waved her forward. “Allie, this is Officer Sanchez. Allie is the housekeeping supervisor I mentioned.”

Sanchez dropped her hand, all business again. “Can I get your statement, Ms. Ford?”