The Man with One Thousand Faces had listened grimly as the Captain announced Lady Em’s death over the ship’s public address system.
I’m sorry I had to kill her, he thought. It was for nothing. The necklace was gone. It wasn’t in the safe. I searched through all the drawers in the bedroom. I didn’t have time to look in the living room. But I’m certain she would not have left it there.
Where is it? Who has it? Anyone on this ship could have followed her and seen her enter her suite. Who else would have had a key to her suite?
As he paced around the promenade deck, he began to calm down and plan. The kind of people on this trip certainly aren’t the type who would steal a necklace, he decided.
She obviously didn’t feel well at dinner. Anyone who was watching her as closely as I was could see that. Would her assistant, Brenda, have gone up to the suite after dinner? It was possible, even probable.
It appeared that there was some strain between her and Lady Em. Was Brenda the one who had the necklace now?
Ahead of him on the deck he caught sight of the Meehans. Instinct told him to be careful of Alvirah. He had looked her up. She better not try to solve this crime, he thought.
He slowed his pace so as not to catch up with them. He needed time to think, to plan. There were only three days left until they would reach Southampton, and there was no way he was leaving this ship without the Cleopatra necklace.
And Brenda was the only one whom he was sure had a key to Lady Em’s suite. He knew what his next move would have to be.