"Doberman. Can't swim for shit," the man said. "Joey, are you feeling well enough to tell me what happened?" "How'd you know my name?"

"It's engraved on the inside of your wedding ring. I took it off before I put you in the bathtub." "You gave me a bath?" "No offense, but you stunk like a bong."

Joey checked her left hand-the platinum band was still there. The man easily could have stolen it, but he hadn't. He could have made her believe that she'd lost it in the ocean, but instead he'd returned it to her finger. By now she was ready to believe he was a decent guy. The early signs were promising.

"I was thrown off a boat," she told him.

"What kind of boat?"

"One of those giant cruise ships. The Sun Duchess."

The man sounded doubtful. "You'd need fifteen-foot seas to get pitched off a cruise liner. It wasn't nearly that rough last night."

Joey said, "I didn't get thrown off by a wave. I got thrown off by my husband."

"Oh."

"You don't believe me?"

There was an unreadable silence in the room. Joey raised her head and turned toward where she thought the man was sitting. "I didn't just fall overboard, okay? The bastard pushed me."

"That's a shitty move," the man said.

Joey told him exactly how Chaz had done it.

"But why?" the man asked.

"I don't know. I swear to God I don't."

She heard him rise and slide his chair away from the bed. She asked where he was going.

"There's no phone in the house. I've been charging my cell off the boat's battery," he said.

"Wait a minute. Who're you going to call?"

"First the Coast Guard and then the cops."

"Please don't," Joey said.

"Why not?"

"Tell me your name."

"It's Mick."

"Mick, please," she said, "don't call anybody. Not yet, okay? I need to sort this out in my head."

"Let me help. What your husband did is called attempted murder, and I'm pretty sure it's still against the law."