The Woman in Cabin 10

After Anne realizes that Lo has recognized her, she shrugs and leaves the room quickly, slamming the door behind her. Lo is in shock, and realizes that it was not Ben but Lord Bullmer who was in charge of both Lo’s kidnapping and the threatening messages. Lo realizes that she has very little control over her situation, but can take basic care of herself–she decides to shower, and eat the congealed meal of fish in cream sauce that Anne has left for her.

After her shower, Lo realizes that her only hope of getting out alive is to appeal to Anne, and try to convince Anne to set her free. She thinks for a moment that Ben or Tina might notice her absence or report her missing to a friend or to Rowan, but that such things are unlikely—Anne appears to be Lo’s best bet. Lo tries to think about how she might appeal to Anne, and realizes she knows so little about her–Anne, in her head scarf, was so antisocial, quiet, and wealthy. The woman in Cabin 10, on the contrary, was sassy, quick-moving, and had cheap make-up. It was almost, Lo thought, as if Anne were in fact two people. At that thought, Lo has a sudden realization. The woman feeding her isn't Anne Bullmer at all. Anne Bullmer is dead, and the woman feeding her is Anne's murderer. The woman in Cabin 10 has been impersonating Anne for the entire cruise. 

When the woman in Cabin 10 reappears, Lo is sitting on the bed quietly, planning to win her over. Lo apologizes to the woman for the incident with the tray, and promises to be on her best behavior. She asks for another book to read–the woman had given her The Bell Jar, and Lo had finished it. As the woman turns to leave, Lo makes a sudden gesture of friendship, and asks the woman her name. The woman is startled, and Lo quickly admits that she knows the woman is not Anne Bullmer. At this, the woman's expression darkens, and she becomes concerned and angry. Lo explains what she knows, and then encourages the girl to tell her, using the excuse that the woman has nothing to lose, because Richard is planning to kill Lo anyway. The woman asks, frantically, why Lo can't stop digging her own grave. Lo demands that the girl see her side–Lo was nearly a murder victim herself, and she reminds the woman that Lo was fighting for her, so the woman's family and friends could have peace.

The woman becomes enraged, and tells Lo that she was never a victim, and never would be. Lo points out that Richard will likely want to cover his tracks after landing, and the woman may know too much. The woman reveals that she and Richard are in love. Lo wonders aloud why Richard would beat the woman and ask her to impersonate his dead wife if he loved her. The woman gets defensive, and claims that she and Richard had never planned for this situation to happen. Lo continues to push the woman, thinking about how Richard might have grown fond of his freedom while his wife was having cancer treatment. She wonders if a prenuptial agreement stopped him from getting a divorce and losing his fortune. The woman shakes her head and storms out of the room, enraged, slamming the door behind her. Lo fears the woman won't come back. Hours later, when no dinner arrives, Lo becomes convinced that she may have pushed too far, and done herself in.

Lo tries to occupy herself in the silent, empty hours without food or a visit from the woman in Cabin 10. She thinks about books she has read, but tries to avoid thinking of Judah–the thought is too painful. Finally, she falls asleep. When she wakes, something about the room seems different. She turns on the lights, but everything seems to be the same as when she fell asleep. Lo then realizes that the engine has turned off. She grabs her plastic bowl from her last meal and bangs it on the ceiling, screaming for help. She hears a screeching sound, like something moving outside the ship. She realizes that the gangplank is being lowered, and the guests are leaving the ship. Lo becomes frantic, screaming louder, but knows that no one will hear her. She is far below water level, and they are outside in the cold wind. Lo falls on the bed, sobbing, realizing that her family will have to spend days, maybe years, waiting for her to return, and she will never come home.

The section ends with an email from Judah to Lo's parents, with a handful of Bcc’d friends and family. In the email, Judah reveals what they know about Lo's case. The Norwegian police have sent photos of Lo's clothes, which Judah has identified as hers. The police have not yet released Lo's body. Judah notes that the media have had a number of false leads and reports, and that Lo’s parents should not trust what they see. He also expresses his deep sadness at the thought that Lo might be dead.