The Woman in Suite 11

Laura looks over the mess that resulted when her husband, Judah, allowed their children, Teddy and Eli, to dress themselves. Laura, who goes by Lo, was at a job interview and was greeted by the mess when she returned home. After Judah ends a work call, she tells him it’s unlikely she’ll get the job because the interviewer repeatedly mentioned that she was overqualified. While Judah thinks she should apply to higher positions, Lo worries about the five-year gap in her resume that occurred when she was raising the kids. Judah’s job at the New York Times is secure, but they could use more money, living in New York City. Judah has faith that she’ll find something.

Lo receives an invitation to the opening of the Grand Hotel du Lac in Switzerland as a member of the press. Judah says he’ll take care of the kids while she’s away, so she doesn’t mention the mess that resulted from his being in charge of the kids that morning. Lo is hesitant to accept the invitation because she doesn’t have an assignment to cover the hotel, so she may not make money off the trip. Judah argues that she deserves a free vacation, if that’s all it turns out to be. Lo is happy to be invited after not being an active freelance writer for a while.

When Lo picks up Eli from school, he says he missed her that morning. Laura takes Eli and Teddy to the park. While they play, she pitches an article about the Swiss hotel to some publications. However, the place doesn’t seem to be particularly unique, just expensive. Three publications will publish her piece, but pay little.

Teddy falls off a swing, which upsets rather than hurts him, so Lo takes him and Eli home. On the way, she gets an email from her contact at the Financial Times, Rowan, who is interested in an interview with the owner of the hotel, Marcus Leidmann. Lo thinks this is an exciting opportunity to get back to work.

On the day of her flight from New York to Switzerland, Judah fusses over Lo’s things. He reminds her to use her new US passport instead of her UK one; she’s taking both as a dual national. Lo worries that some of the clothes she bought before her pregnancies won’t fit and tries on a little black dress. Teddy doesn’t think mothers work, because he has never seen Lo work before. Lo plans to be gone for a week, as she’ll visit her mother in England after attending the hotel’s three-day event. Teddy is consoled when Lo mentions that Judah’s mother, Gail, will help Judah take care of them. Lo and Judah play tickle monster with Teddy.

Four hours later, Lo takes a cab to the airport. She doesn’t know who else is attending the event; the Leidmann Group won’t release the guest list to her. She also isn’t sure if Marcus will agree to an interview, but she learned that he’ll be in attendance. He never gives interviews, which worries her. Her research reveals that he has a son named Pieter and came from a rich Belgian family. Marcus’s contributions to the family business made him a billionaire.

When Lo checks in for her flight, she worries that she’ll have trouble with her passport because she’s a dual national. However, she learns that she has been upgraded to first class. Lo wonders who paid for this and guesses Judah. When she goes through security, her bag of liquids breaks open. A security guard helps her pick up her items and gives her a new bag. In the first-class lounge, she takes a picture and sends it, with a thank-you note, to Judah. He says he doesn’t know what she’s talking about. She can’t explain because she has to board. Once in her first-class suite, she tells him they’re about to take off and she must turn off her phone, so she’ll explain later.

The Grand Hotel du Lac was a castle, but has been rebuilt and modernized. It feels extremely expensive to Lo. She asks the hotel employee checking her in about the flight upgrade; it didn’t come from the Leidmann Group. Another employee takes her to her room. It’s even more impressive than her Swiss Air suite, which was quite impressive. She calculates the time difference and doesn’t want to call during Monday morning breakfast. So, she texts, telling Judah she arrived safely, and adds a picture of her room’s view.

Lo walks around the grounds, goes swimming in the heated pool, and has tea. As she’s leaving the restaurant, she runs into Ben Howard, her ex-boyfriend and a writer. He hugs and compliments her. She tells him she’s married with kids; she usually doesn’t wear her rings around the kids, and forgot to put them on before the trip. Ben has a much younger girlfriend and is writing for a new travel app. Ben read Lo’s book about her imprisonment on the ship Aurora; it gave him insight into how her trauma impacted her mental health. He apologizes for not listening to her on the Aurora. She thanks him and goes to her suite to get ready for the drinks reception.

Back in her suite, Lo calls Judah. After showing him her room on FaceTime, she tells him about seeing Ben. Ben brought back memories of being aboard the Aurora. Judah suggests that she go to therapy for her trauma, and she says she’ll look into it. They discuss a potential time for her to call later so that she can talk to the kids, and then they say their goodbyes.

As Lo gets ready, she finds a mascara tube in her makeup bag that isn’t hers. It’s the kind she wore on the Aurora and hasn’t worn since. Her regular mascara is also in her bag, and nothing else unusual is in there. She wonders whether she picked up someone else’s mascara when she dropped her bag at security in JFK airport. Then, Lo throws away the mascara, not wanting the reminder of the Aurora experience.

Ben greets Lo at the reception. He’s with another person from the Aurora: food critic Alexander Belhomme. Alexander read Lo’s book; he found her comical interpretation of him amusing and thinks she’s brave for writing about her trauma. However, he warns her that the wealthy live on through their money and influence, and her book might upset some people.

As Lo gets a nonalcoholic drink, she sees yet another person from the Aurora: photographer Cole Lederer. Seeing so many people from the Aurora in one place makes her suspicious. Cole compliments her. He’s divorced from someone else who was on the Aurora, Chloe, and they have a kid. She left because she wanted to be with a wealthier guy. They talk about a travel writer named Tina dying of lung cancer and how the travel TV presenter Archer lost favor after many accusations of sexual harassment.

Adeline LeBlanc, head of international relations for the Leidmann Group, introduces Pieter, who gives a generic speech about the company and hotel. Then, everyone has dinner. Lo drinks wine, and Alexander realizes that she doesn’t have the tolerance she used to. Alexander recommends Lo’s book to a Croatian guest at the event: It’s about Lo seeing someone throw a woman overboard and uncovering a conspiracy behind it. Cole admits that he hasn’t read it but promises he will. Pieter comes to the table and says Marcus will be at the hunt the next day. There’s also a foraging walk for people who don’t want to hunt, and Pieter wishes he could join this less bloody event, but he must impress his father.

After Pieter leaves their table, Lo says she’s heading to her suite. Cole offers to walk her there. They talk about his son and how Cole thinks he won’t remarry. Then, Cole asks if he let her down on the Aurora, and she assures him that he didn’t. She remembers Ben and the head of security being dismissive of her concerns, but not Cole. Cole also gave her a clue in one of his pictures. He suspected her at the time and now apologizes. She suspected him at the time but now forgives him. He kisses her on the cheek and says goodnight. Lo considers how Carrie is the only one who knows the full truth about the Aurora.

Back in her room, Lo finds a note asking her to come to Suite 11 as soon as possible. Lo calls reception and asks about the note. There was a shift change, so the person who delivered the note has left. Suite 11 belongs to Marcus. She hopes he’ll give her an interview, so she takes a notebook and pen. However, Carrie answers the door of the suite.

The chapter ends with a Reddit thread about investing in Leidmann stock. One user claims that Marcus has died and wonders if he should sell his Leidmann Group stock. Another user asks for evidence, but the original poster doesn’t supply any.