She wiggled the dress down from her shoulders, smoothed it across her hips, frowned at the lawyer, and said, “He had to see a man. He promised he’d be back in five minutes. What’s the matter with your watch? It’s not nine-thirty yet.”
“How long since you’ve seen him?”
“Five minutes ago. Our party broke up when my husband received a note. He said he had to see a man on some business.”
“And what did you do?”
“Came to my stateroom. I slipped my gown off, because I’d spilled some wine on it. Carl and I are going to have a showdown. He’ll be back any minute— What’s all the commotion about? The ship’s jumping around so I can hardly stand up. We haven’t run into anything, have we? Look, there’s a light over there on the water! And look at the searchlights!”
Mason nodded, watched her while she hooked up her dress, and said, “I’m particularly interested in finding out about where your husband went and what he did.”
“Look here, Mr. Mason,” she said, facing him, “I’ve been married twice. I’m not exactly a prude. But I’m not accustomed to having men burst into my room while I’m dressing. I let you in because your voice indicated you wanted to talk with me on a matter of the greatest importance. Now, if you’ll please explain...”
Mason said, “I heard the sound of a shot. An officer tells me there’s a man overboard. Does that mean anything to you?”
For a moment she stared at him with wide, frightened eyes, then she crossed to the drawer of a dresser, jerked it open and stood looking down at the empty interior.
“What is it?” Mason asked.