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“Do you think he is?”
“I don’t trust him,” I say firmly. I also don’t want to give up on the idea that Mae might’ve been in our room more recently than that night, though it now seems unlikely.
“Fine. Yeah, okay. When? We’ll have to go back to the room to call him unless he gave you a number to reach him.”
“There’s a way to message him on the app. It’s how I sent him a photo of Mae, but you can’t call within it. We need something quicker than that. Let’s go back to the room.”
“Great.” She starts walking. “That’ll give me a chance to get my stuff from my room anyway.”
“I keep forgetting to ask if you’ve heard anything else from her parents,” I say when we get to our deck.
She runs her hand through her hair, scratching her scalp. “No. Her mom texted once to tell me to keep them updated, but I haven’t had a ton of service. I’m probably being terrible. I know how worried they must be. Remind me to call them before we leave the port, okay?”
“Sure.”
Florence stops before we pass her room. “Okay, I’m going to go get my things, and I’ll be right there. Go ahead and call Diego without me and let me know what he says.”
I don’t have to be told twice. I continue on to my room and let the door slam behind me as I reach for the phone and press the security office’s extension.
Within seconds, a young man’s voice comes across the line. “Security.”
“I need to speak to Diego please.”
“I can check to see if he’s available. Can I tell him who’s calling?” I consider giving him a fake name. Will I have annoyed his boss enough that he’ll make up an excuse not to take my call? “Sir?”
“Blake Barlowe. Tell him it’s urgent.”
A few seconds later, Diego’s voice comes across the line. “Yes, Mr. Barlowe? Do you have an update for me?”
“More of a question. In the video you have of my wife at the bar, do you recall what she was wearing?”
“Excuse me?”
“Was she wearing a dress?”
He’s quiet for a minute. “Um, no. I don’t… Hang on. Give me a second.” I can hear him typing something, then he says, “No. She’s wearing a T-shirt that has something written on it… Vandalay Industries?” He reads the words slowly. “I think that’s what it says, anyway. The quality isn’t the greatest, as you know.”
Her favoriteSeinfeldshirt. The memory of it sends a pang through my chest.
I don’t know how to feel. On one hand, this probably absolves me of suspicion in Florence’s eyes, but it means my wife was here, in this room with me, just hours before she disappeared. Did she put on comfortable clothes with the intention of leaving me?
More and more, that’s how it feels.
“Why are you asking?” Diego asks.
“We, uh, we found a dress in my room. A dress I thought she was wearing that night. I’m guessing when she used her key card, she must’ve come back and changed into the T-shirt.” As soon as I say it, Florence’s warning rings in my ears, and I regret it. Now he’s sure to think she woke me up and I followed her. That I saw her with him and did something terrible.
It’s what I would think if the situation were reversed.
“I see. Yes, she must have. She’s not wearing a dress here.”
I change the subject. “Have you heard anything else from the Coast Guard?”
“Unfortunately, there’s nothing to report. They’ve found no evidence to indicate she went into the water. Of course, that doesn’t mean anything. It’s still an ongoing investigation.”
“Right. Okay. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Mr. Barlowe. I should tell you,advise you, rather, that when we make it back to shore, the police will be there to question you. They’ll want to take an official statement and declare her missing. I can’t stop you from leaving today while we’re at our port of call, but if you don’t, just be prepared for that when we return the day after tomorrow.”
