“I cannot help you, sir. I know nothing you don’t already know, and I haven’t seen Phineas Bennet of late.”
“Is that so?” He ran a hand around the back of his neck and shrugged as if in discomfort. “I hope to hell you’re lying because I want him to know that I’m not going to disappear, nor am I going to prison. Not for doing as I was told. Not for staying alive.”
Rose pursed her lips. Liam Berne was starting to sound deranged in his tenor if not his words, and his agitation was clear on his face.
“Again, I must ask why you wanted to meet with me. I cannot help you.”
“You must,” he said, taking a step toward her. “Finn will listen to you, won’t he? It’s as if all those souls have come back embodied by his person. I can imagine them all crying out for justice, urging him to it, but I have done nothing wrong, I tell you.”
“If that is so, then why don’t you simply go to the police and tell them what you know. Tell them who it was who took you off the ship’s manifest. Tell them who put your name on the insurance policy.”
Even as Rose finished speaking, she realized her mistake.
Liam’s eyes seemed to catch fire as he came even closer, causing her to back against the windows.
“You do know who I am, don’t you?”
She shook her head.
“Yes, you do. I’m Finn’s old friend, not that he believes me. You’re going to help me make him understand. I didn’t want to die then, and I don’t want to go to prison now. Do you understand?”
“Yes, of course,” Rose told him. The man must have gone insane with guilt — or with fear, perhaps — though as far as she knew, he had not hurt anyone himself. “What do you want me to do?”
There was a rap at the door, or had she imagined it?
Liam showed no indication of hearing anything.
“You’ll help me then?” he asked, looking almost relieved.
Rose strained to hear another knock. Could the person on the other side of the door hear them? Perhaps it was a hotel maid.
“Help,” she called out, her focus entirely on gaining someone’s attention.
Another rap at the door, then the handle rattled.
“Rose!” Against all odds, incredibly, Finn was in the hallway.
At the same time, Liam took hold of her by her upper arms.
“If he won’t listen to me, then we’ll make a fair swap. My life for yours.”
She gasped. “What do you mean?”
“I’ll let you live, if he lets me live. Do you see?”
She nodded. Yes, she saw clearly that Liam Berne was mad as a March hare, as her mother would say. In other words, becoming quite unhinged.
“Help,” she cried out again.
“It’s too late,” Liam said. “Too late for both of us, I suppose.”
While keeping her pressed against the sill and imprisoned by his body, Liam leaned around her to slide the window sash up.
Rose felt the breeze off the harbor as it whistled past the hotel, lifting the hair at her neck and tugging at her pinned hat.
Plunge backward to her death? No, thank you.
As terrified desperation seeped over her bringing the prickle of perspiration to her skin and a rapid pounding in her chest, she resorted to a female’s final defense. She brought her knee up as hard as she could into Liam’s private parts.
