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Dinner was delightful. The mood was romantic, the cuisine excellent, and the company interesting. A harpist played softly in the background. Michaela enjoyed the best company she’d encountered at any dinner aboard ship. The crystal chandeliers reflected beautifully in the mirrored ceiling and everyone at the table was beautiful or exceedingly handsome. It was a collection of beautiful people. Mic had a lovely conversation with First Mate Hensen, a handsome man from the Netherlands. Dottie had happily been the center of attraction for the Penningtons, Captain Wodensen, and Senator Bostitch.
Mic had finished her dessert, Bananas Foster, a recipe straight from the Big Easy, when she overheard Ian speak to Senator Bostitch.
“Peter, if you have time after dinner, Dr. O’Leary and I would like to speak with you about our concerns with Quelpro. James O’Leary has credible research that seriously questions the drug’s efficacy. Do you have a moment?” Ian asked with a serious look on his face.
Senator Bostitch nodded his head, “I’ve heard rumblings that tomorrow’s conference could be disappointing for Blake Pharmaceutical.” He gave Ian Pennington a grim look and continued, “Is this part of that reasoning?”
Ian nodded and said in a low voice, “I’m afraid so.”
“Are you all talking about that ‘dirty drug,’ or whatever you call it?” Dottie piped up from across the table. Her blue eyes were bright with interest.
“Countess, whatever do you mean?” Ian asked with a smile and a look of surprise on his face.
“Well,” Dottie said as she settled back in her seat for a bit of gossip. “What I mean is that I heard two men at the pool arguing this afternoon about some drug that one man considered to be unsafe.”
“Oh, interesting. What else did you hear, Countess?” Senator Bostitch asked as he leaned his head towards Dottie to hear better.
Dottie shrugged her shoulders. “That’s about it. They argued. That’s what I mean. The man from the drug company was quite angry,” she added. “And I do mean angry,” she reiterated.
Ian nodded his head. “I’m sure. What else did you overhear?”
Dottie looked over at Mic. “Did I miss anything?”
Michaela shook her head. “I overheard the same conversation as Dottie and it was quite heated,” she assured them as she watched the senator and Ian Pennington’s faces carefully.
Alana interrupted and said, “Oh, Ian, is that the antidepressant you’ve been so worried about? The drug you think caused the death of two of your patients?”
Ian smiled grimly and nodded at his wife. He continued, “Did one of the men have red hair?”
“Indeed he did,” Dottie said excitedly. “His hair was as red as a fire engine. He was very upset. There’s no question about that,” she said with authority. “He was very insistent the drug be tested further. He thinks it’s unsafe, and the angrier he got, the more red his face became.”
Ian shot a look at Senator Bostitch and said, “That’s Dr. James O’Leary. He’s a staff psychologist at the University of Maryland Medical Center. He’s also a clinical researcher. Dr. O’Leary has both a medical degree and a PhD. At one point in his career, he worked for the FDA. So, he knows the procedures for drug approval fairly well.”
Senator Bostitch nodded, his silver-white hair shined in the candlelight. “So, Dr. O’Leary is the man you want me to meet with in a little while, is that correct?” he asked as he picked up his dessert fork.
Ian nodded. “Yes, James is an expert researcher and he has compelling evidence that Quelpro, the brainchild antidepressant medicine released by Blake Pharmaceutical, isn’t safe.”
Senator Bostitch nodded and said, “I imagine this is going to be a pretty sticky situation. At this point, Quelpro is their signature drug. They’ve invested millions of dollars in it, hours of time in research and development, not to mention marketing.”
“Humph, I heard something about this medicine on a morning television show a few weeks ago. Isn’t this the antidepressant that’s been implicated in several unexpected deaths in patients?” Michaela asked.
Ian nodded his head. “Yeah, it is. Dr. O’Leary has credible information that Quelpro is quite dangerous — bottom line, he believes it should be recalled and further testing be done. He doesn’t want it prescribed until the deaths and side effects can be tested, explained and/or minimized.”
Senator Bostitch fiddled with his dessert spoon and was silent for a moment. He knew the Quelpro dilemma was an explosion ready to ignite. “And you, Dr. Pennington, what is your opinion? Tell us your experience with Quelpro since you’ve eloquently discussed Dr. O’Leary’s opinion.”
Ian picked his words carefully. “I, too, have concerns about the drug. A number of people in our local psychiatric group have significant concerns. At the very least, we believe Blake Pharmaceutical needs to further examine Quelpro — test it some more.”
“Well, if you ask me, I think all those damned drugs need to be taken off the market,” Dottie huffed. “People take way too many drugs. Honestly, I feel ten times better when I don’t take all that damned medicine,” she blurted. “I hate the crap.”
Michaela rolled her eyes and said, “Dottie, you know that—”
Michaela’s sentence was interrupted by seven short blasts of the ship’s alarm and a voice on the PA system that repeated, “Charlie, Charlie, Charlie,” over and over At the same moment, a crewmember entered the dining room and whispered into the captain’s ear.
A look of anger flashed across Captain Wodensen’s face and he hastily stood, “I’m afraid I must leave. There’s something I need to immediately attend to.” He turned to Dottie and said, “Thank you, Countess, for a lovely evening.” He leaned down and kissed Dottie on both cheeks. Then he looked at the rest of the passengers at the table and said, “Carry on. Enjoy yourselves and thank you for being our guests for dinner.” Then he gave a curt bow and left the dining room just as the ship’s communication’s area re-broadcasted the “Charlie, Charlie, Charlie” alarm.
Senator Bostitch looked concerned. “What does ‘Charlie’ mean? What the hell is going on?” he asked as he looked at his tablemates.
Michaela shrugged her shoulders. “I’ve no idea, Senator.” She turned to Dottie and asked, “Do you know, Countess? You’ve cruised more than any of us, I imagine. Plus, you do own most of the cruise line.”
Dottie shook her head, her blue eyes pools of dark ink. Her face was pale. “I don’t know, but it can’t be good. What I do know is that it takes something very serious for the captain to be disturbed at dinner,” she said in a worried tone. “Especially when he’s dining with me,” she added.
“You mean something like an iceberg or collision with another ship?” Alana asked, a note of fear in her voice, her eyes wide with fear.
Ian smiled and put his hand over his wife’s hand. “I hardly think there’s an iceberg in the Mediterranean Sea,” he said with a wink. “Whatever it is, I’m sure it’ll be under control in several minutes.”
Senator Bostitch nodded his head, his silver hair gleaming in the light. He smiled at the women. “Ian is absolutely correct. Everything is fine. The ship is practically brand-new and I’m sure nothing serious could go wrong,” he assured them. “In the meantime, I think I’ll order a Drambuie,” he said as he signaled the waiter.
“Good idea, Senator,” Dottie agreed, always the gracious hostess.
“The Titanic was new as well, and look what happened to it,” Mic grumbled. “That story just doesn’t hold water, Senator,” she said as she challenged him.
“I suggest we enjoy our after-dinner drinks,” Senator Bostitch suggested. “If something bad happens, I’m sure we’ll hear about it.”
Michaela reached for her Drambuie and took a sip. It burned all the way down and took her mind off the potential danger. “Let’s have a toast. To the Countess Borghase. Thank you for this lovely dinner,” she said.
The sound of the glasses touching was almost musical. Michaela stared at the ceiling and looked at the happy faces reflected in the beautiful mirrored ceiling, but she knew that somewhere on the ship, things weren’t nearly as lovely. Once again, the feeling that something wasn’t right passed through her. It gave her chill bumps, but she decided to ignore the feeling and savor the moment.