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Chapter Three
Cammie probably wouldn’t have believed herself if she’d been in Zane’s position. A woman, who he’d known for a few hours, claiming that she’d stumbled on a dead body that had somehow gotten up and walked away? Yeah…that screamed straight-up cuckoo. She couldn’t totally blame him for not being one hundred percent on board with her theory that his case and the dead guy in her room were connected, either.
“This is very swanky.” Zane hadn’t moved beyond the door, which meant that Cammie, blocked by his imposing frame, also hadn’t stepped inside the room.
“Zane—”
“Hang tight. I just need to look for a minute.”
She tried to peek over his shoulder but couldn’t—even on tip-toes—get high enough. She attempted to scoot around him, but his torso was as wide and thick as a brick wall. She briefly contemplated bending lower to find a nook or cranny that would give her a view but realized how truly ridiculous that was. This is my room, dammit! She slipped her hand around his waist, fanning her fingers low enough to make a suggestion.
He grunted as he finally got the message. “You could have just asked,” he chuckled then moved to the side so she could see what he was seeing.
Cammie rolled her eyes but stepped into the space he’d created for her. She wasn’t expecting the crush of disappointment that raked through her when she saw that the room looked completely untouched.
Disappointed that there was no dead body?
How morbid.
There wasn’t a thing out of place, not even a dent in the carpet. Zane crouched, which seemed like it took some effort, given his height, so she crouched too, trying to see what he was seeing.
Nothing obstructed her view at that level. Nothing. Not even a fluff of lint or a speck of dust.
“This carpet isn’t plush enough to leave marks.” He pushed his hand into the carpet like he was testing its bounce. “The body was where, exactly?”
He stood up, leaving Cammie behind to stare at where she’d last saw the dead man—or thought she’d seen the dead man. Wouldn’t there be some indication that there’d been a body lying right next to my bed? Blood? A stray hair? Something?
After she’d tripped over the body, then had gotten over the initial shock of finding someone in her room, she had checked his vitals. While his skin hadn’t been cold to the touch, it hadn’t exactly been warm, either. He’d had no pulse, and he hadn’t been breathing. She wasn’t an expert on assessing dead bodies, but by the vacant look in the guy’s eyes, she was fairly confident that he’d been beyond the point of resuscitation. She’d bolted out of the room in search of help, shouting all the way down the hall until she’d finally found a security guard.
He’d taken her directly to see the captain, promising to send someone to her room to check on the man in her cabin when she’d protested.
Now, looking at the empty space and the virtually untouched room, she had to wonder if she’d really seen what she thought she had.
What if he had been just some drunk guy who had somehow gotten into her room then passed out? With his eyes open…and no pulse.
Right.This was not the time for second-guessing. Chin up, tits out, as some of the newer the Kitty Cats always said.
She pointed to the spot where the body had lain then started to get up herself.
“Oh, Miss Sheppard! Let me help you!” Ben, her steward, already had his hand under her arm and was heaving her to her feet before she could even glance over her shoulder at him. In the process of helping her stand, he pulled her back a step and the door began to close. She caught Zane’s eye seconds before the cabin door swung shut. He gave her a minute shake of his head, so she didn’t reach out to stop the door from closing.
“Thank you, Ben.” Cammie injected as much bubble into her voice as she could bear and plastered the fakest of fake smiles on her face. “It’s been a long night.”
“Did you lose something on the floor?” Ben flicked his hair out of his eye. “I can help you look. Was it an earring? I’m a pro at finding missing earrings.” He already had his key card out and ready to unlock her door.
It took Cammie more than a few seconds to realize that Ben clearly had no idea what had happened in her room. She put her hand on his to stop him. “Didn’t anyone talk to you about the…er…man I found in my room?”
Ben’s face blanched. “There was a man in your room? Without your consent?”
Well, yeah, you could say that.“Ben”—she shifted his hand away from the card reader—“I found a dead man in my room. I tripped over him.”
His eyes widened to an, almost, comical degree. “A d-d-dead man?” His hand fluttered to his throat. “I-in your room?”
“Nobody came to talk to you? Dilan Ross? Captain Evans? Any of the security team?” She watched his eyes, his face, even his body language, but nothing about Ben screamed duplicity. He seriously had no idea what she was talking about.
“No! I made my rounds at midnight like I always do. I came in to your room to turn down your covers like I do in every room on my decks, but then I went to bed. I left a few extra chocolates on your pillow.” He wrung his hands. “I’m so sorry, Miss Sheppard. I can’t imagine what you must be going through. A dead man in your room! I have to tell someone—”
He was so sweet and earnest that Cammie wanted to give him a hug and tell him it was all going to be okay. “I’ve already notified security and the captain.”
