Cindy didn't realize he'd been stabbed until she got him completely rolled over and then got up and turned on the lights and saw the knife sticking out of his chest and the squishy circle of red blood widening with each passing moment.
What struck her first was the ridiculousness of it all. She knew, at least according to all the movies she'd seen, that she was (a) supposed to scream, (b) run terrified from the cabin, or (c) faint.
But actually what she was thinking of was what a wonderful letter this would make to Aberdeen.
Dear Aberdeen,
By now you've probably heard about the murder of that handsome TV star Ken Norris.
Can you keep a secret? He died in my cabin during the cruise. In fact, I was in the shower just before we were supposed to-
Well, I suppose you can fill in that particular blank for yourself, can't you, Aberdeen?
I can't tell you the terrible sadness I feel. Ken and I had become extremely close during the evening we'd spent together. He'd shown me the photos in his wallet (of his 1958 red Thun-derbird and his house in Malibu) and I'd told him all about the insurance company and how you and I suspected our supervisor, Mr. Flan-nagan, of being an embezzler and everything.
But please, Aberdeen, respect my feelings. Please keep this our secret.
Yours sincerely,
Cindy
Aberdeen would be on the company's PA system for sure with this one, and what fame it would be for Cindy. How she'd sparkle among the drab people. A Pacific cruise turning into the murder of a TV star right in her own cabin. It was like Nancy Drew with sex added.
Then she heard the noise behind her, just outside the bathroom, and realized that someone was in the closet next to the bed.
This time she did scream.
This time she did start to feel faint.
She had just reached the cabin door and the corridor when she heard the closet open. Curiosity forced her to turn around for at least a glimpse of the person emerging from behind the racks of Cindy's clothes.
Cindy gasped.
You couldn't tell if it was a man or woman. A black snap-brim fedora and heavy black topcoat with a collar that touched the edge of the hat rushed from the closet into the moonlight and then pushed past Cindy.
"You killed him!" Cindy shrieked. "You killed him!"
But the figure kept moving, not running exactly, just moving steadily away from the closet and out of the cabin.
Cindy knew better than to grab for the person. She did not want to end up the way Ken "High Rise" Norris had. For one thing, she'd be dead. For another, she wouldn't be able to write Aberdeen a letter about any of this.