Jack Lapsford frames the ongoing crisis aboard the Phoenix as a battle between himself and Anna Matheson. He dismisses the others as expendable and resolves to say nothing, believing silence is his best defense after witnessing how Judd Dodge’s admissions led to Judd’s death.

Through a flashback, Lapsford recalls how Kenneth Wentworth coerced him into the scheme by threatening to expose Lapsford’s secret kickback arrangement with Barnett Aeronautical, in which Lapsford profited from undercost military engine contracts. Wentworth promised either ruin—court-martial, dishonorable discharge, jail—or vast profit if Lapsford cooperated. When Lapsford challenged his motives, Wentworth declared he wanted to destroy Arthur Matheson for having “taken something” from him, implying a deeply personal grievance.

Returning to the present, Lapsford appraises FBI Agent Reginald Davis with disdain as Davis bluntly asks if Lapsford murdered Judd Dodge and Edith Gerhardt. Anna Matheson presses that prison is inevitable and probes Lapsford’s knowledge of the victims and his opinions of them. Lapsford deflects or withholds, claiming minimal acquaintance and feigned indifference.

When Davis questions Lapsford’s whereabouts between the group meeting in the observation car and Edith’s discovery, Lapsford asserts he was in his room the entire time. Anna challenges his credibility by raising his earlier lie about being in the galley soon after departure. His reflexive “Who told you that?” betrays unease, and Anna says Edith had reported it, pointedly asking if that is why he killed Edith.

Lapsford refuses to answer further without a lawyer, fully embracing silence despite how incriminating it appears. Davis and Anna continue trying to elicit answers for several minutes, but Lapsford remains mute. They eventually leave, and Lapsford regards their exit as only a temporary victory, convinced the larger conflict is ongoing.