http://youtu.be/NYae3ZAAbLc

Onboard SS ERIN 2030 08NOV17:

Tom put his arm around Elizabeth and proceeded to walk her back to her cabin. Elizabeth nestled close and enjoyed the moment. Her sister and Tom's son fell in behind the couple. Blissfully ignorant of the storm clouds gathering around her and her sister, as far as she was concerned all was right in the world.

A sweet kiss at the cabin door and the two sisters entered their cabin and retired for the night. The girls said nothing as they prepared for bed both lost in their thoughts. This was most unusual for the normally talkative Crissie, but then this was a new world for the two young women.

As the door to the girls' cabin closed, Tom said nothing (he also was lost in his thoughts - but his thoughts were far more dark than the girls Tom left in the safety of their cabin) and quickly moved along the deck while Tom Junior struggled to catch up. Tom Dodge moved quickly until he reached the place where they stood a half hour earlier. He noted that there was a crewman armed with a sidearm standing where the Captain had stood a half hour earlier, looking out at the water. He would be there until the disappearance of Señora Pavo Real was discovered...

Tom stopped and placed his hands on the railing a few feet from the crewman standing guard and looked pensively out to sea. When Junior took his place next to his father, he also looked pensively out to sea. Both were silent. The only sound being their breathing and the swelling of the waves hitting the ship. After a few minutes, Tom Dodge said quietly "No change?"

"No sir! I don't understand why I cannot see any evidence of the crew. The ship is close enough in this light "

"Let's return to our cabin. We have to talk..."

Tom and his son walked side by side quietly back to their cabin at a slow pace. They said nothing. Each lost in their thoughts. If you could have seen their faces, Tom Dodge looked determined while Junior looked worried.

They entered their cabin and the door was shut. Tom and his son sat down in the two chairs in the small cabin facing each other. After an awkward silence, Tom Dodge said " We need to search the Captain's cabin tomorrow. Do you think you could get into his cabin during breakfast without being seen?"

"Certainly" Junior replied confidently - (the worried look no longer in his face).

"It will have to be a fast search. Get in and get out quickly. Leave the cabin undesturbed. There will probably be a safe. Don't try to open it. If possible, try to get a look at the Ship's log. Look for any letters. If you have time try to skim them. Make sure that everything remains in its place. If there are any charts, look for marks or comments. Look for pictures on the walls or his desks. Don't bother looking through his clothes or chests. I don't think there will be anything useful. If we need to get into his safe we will worry about later. This needs to to be a fast search. Don't remove anything and above all, DON'T GET CAUGHT."

"Aye Aye sir."

"Good, let's get up at 0500."

"Yes sir."

Without any further conversation. Father and son quickly got ready for bed. The lights were extinguished...

Señora Pavo Real had been unable to sleep. Her cabin felt suffocating. At 0300 she was still struggling to sleep. She Felt uneasy, even fearful. She could not describe how she felt if there had been anyone to talk too. It was as if she were a doe in a thicket, afraid to move as if there was a wolf pacing before her waiting to close his jaws into her neck.
She struggled to get up and get dressed. She felt nervous. She thought that a walk on the deck would help dispel the suffocating air in her cabin.

She opened the door and tried to walk out onto the deck. As she took her first step out of the cabin, something black dropped from above and snapped her neck before she could cry out. She was quickly and silently dragged across the deck and thrown over the side. No one heard the splash as her body hit the water. Something did feel the vibration of her body hiring the water. Something swift and deadly. Something hungry. The ship swept past leaving the corpse of Señora Pavo Real behind for the Great White patiently waiting for his meal.

The shark had been following the ship since it left New York harbor. The apex predator in the sea could sense that this ship would provide easy meals for the greedy children growing within her. One of her dependents would one day feast on human flesh off a large island near the great harbor of New York. Tonight, she would enjoy her second taste of human flesh.

At 0400, the Messenger performing his hourly duty walked by the door to Señora Pavo Real's cabin. Noticing the door was open, he approached and softly knocked on the open door. When there was no response, he looked into the cabin and saw no one inside. The Messenger following the standing orders raced to the bridge and reported what he had discovered.

The Second Mate ordered him to rouse both the Captain and the Second Mate. The messenger was then ordered by the Captain to rouse a party from the crew to search for Señora Pavo Real. The Captain ordered the speed of the ship slowed and a slow 180 degree turn. Two seaman were stationed at the bow and instructed to search for the missing passenger. A larger party from the crew began a through search of the ship. To avoid alarming the other passengers the search party was instructed to avoid searching the other passenger cabins until breakfast.

At 0500, Tom Dodge ( who had an uncanny internal clock) woke up and then called out to his son. They both rose and prepared for the day. While taking their showers (at different times) both Tom and his son noticed that the crew were making another search of the ship. After they had returned and dressed ( Tom Junior always took the first shower and dressed quickly while Tom Dodge was taking his shower), the two sat in their cabin waiting for breakfast. They went over the plan for searching the Captain's cabin twice and then killed some time speculating about the reasons for another search of the ship. Finally, Tom informed his son that the ship had reduced its speed and had reversed course twice as he had felt the second turn and noticed that the ship was now traveling on the original course South.

Tom and his son were taking a walk in the deck as dawn approached. As the light increased, one of the lockouts using binoculars noticed something in the distance. He reported seeing something in the water to the bridge. The First Mate immediately ordered a 90 degree turn to port and an increase in speed. Instinctively, Tom Dodge and his son raced towards the bow as the ship began its quick turn. When they reached the bow, both looked in the same direction as the lookout. What ever the lookout was seeing it was too far for Tom Dodge to see without assistance. Tom Dodge turned towards the seaman looking through the binoculars and in a loud voice that both Tom Junior and the lookout were familiar with said "HAND ME THE BINOCULARS!" Without hesitation, the seaman immediately handed the binoculars to Tom Dodge. Tom looked through the binoculars and clearly saw two masts. It was too far away to see the dark colored flag, but Dodge could clearly tell that the other ship was moving away from the SS ERIN at a greater speed. Tom handed the binoculars to Junior who looked quickly and handed the binoculars back to Tom Dodge who then handed the binoculars back to the seaman. Tom Dodge turned back to Junior and said "Another ship moving away." Junior said nothing as he saw the Captain walking towards them close enough to hear What Tom Dodge had said.

The Captain asked the seaman if he agreed with Tom Dodge. The seaman came to attention and said " I concur, Sir". The Captain then said "You have a good eye Mr. Dodge." He then turned around and headed for the bridge. The Captain had failed to contemplate why the seaman had handed the binoculars to a passenger!

Tom and Junior walked away out of earshot of the lookout and started quietly to converse, while the Captain returned to the bridge to order a reduction in speed and a return to the original course.

Tom asked Junior, "Was it the same ship?"

"Yes, sir."

Tom Dodge fell silent. He would have to carefully consider what had just happened. He should have asked the Captain about the search being conducted and the maneuvers if the ship, but he didn't for obvious reasons.

When Tom finally spoke, he asked Junior "Do you think you can still search his cabin without detection?"

Junior with a confident expression replied "Yes, sir!"

With that, Junior moved away while Tom Dodge proceeded to breakfast...

Junior waited patiently while the crew continued the search (fortunately, only a cursory search had already occurred in the upper decks where passengers rarely ventured) and the others made their way to breakfast. When he felt it was safe, Junior quietly made his way to the Captain's cabin without detection. Junior entered and quickly shut the door. The Captain had left the lights on in his cabin. Junior first looked for pictures. One on the wall caught his attention. It was a picture of a group of officers in German uniforms. Moving quickly towards the Captain's table, Junior found the Ship's log open on the table. Under the log book, there were several charts [maps]. Carefully noting its location, Junior carefully moved the log book to examine the charts underneath. The third chart had an island circled and a date annotated next to the island. Tom recognized both the location and the island. Carefully, he replaced the logbook one the same location and then proceeded to read the log entries for two weeks. Only one entry peaked his interest. The entry for two days prior to Nocermber 7th included the statement "received instructions from German Ambassador. SS ERIN will make an unscheduled port call in Colon to allow a Dr. Lorenz and another passenger to disembark with their luggage. Passengers will not reembark. Do not update ship's itinerary. If questioned, reason for port call is Dr. Lorenz needed to disembark to treat patient currently in Panama. Junior located the Captain's safe, examined it closely but made no attempt to crack it. Feeling that he had already used all of the time he could afford quickly exited the cabin and shut the door. As he turned , the Ship's Messenger turned the corner. The Messenger asked "This area is restricted. What are you doing here?"

"I'm lost! I was trying to find the bridge. I wanted to see it!" The Messenger replied "Come with me." He took Junior to the bridge and informed the First Mate why he had brought a passenger to the bridge. The First Mate dismissed the Messenger and then smiled at the kid. He gave him a tour of the bridge, described what the equipment was for and even allowed Junior to handle the wheel [steer the ship] for a few minutes. When the Messenger returned from his rounds, the First Mate bid Junior goodby and directed the Messenger to take the kid to Breakfast (which would almost be finished before Junior arrived). Before leaving the Bridge, Junior carefully and politely thanked the First Mate for the tour of the bridge. Later, the First Mate would fail to inform the Captain and the Second Mate that Junior had been on the bridge.

Breakfast was normal with three exceptions. Tom Junior was absent - No one outside of Tom's table noticed except the Turner sisters. Señora Pavo Real was absent. Her absence was noted by many present! At the end of Breakfast, the Captain stood up (by tradition, no one could leave during breakfast without first obtaining approval of the senior person at the table and then the Captain, if present) and announced that there would be another meeting of all the passengers at 1030. Tom Junior was waiting just outside when Tom Dodge quickly left the room. He had just enough time to nod to Tom Dodge before the Turner sisters arrived expecting another walk, which Tom and his son. We're happily to provide. As they walked around the ship, Tom Junior frequently looked out to sea (without Crissie or Eliza noticing - but Tom Dodge did notice!).

When the 1030 meeting started, the Captain informed the passengers that Señora Pavo Real was missing. He told them if what had been done to find the missing woman including a search of the ship, reducing speed, stationing lookouts, turning the ship around and then retracing the ship's movements since the time her absence was noticed. The Captain then announced that the ship would turn around again in a second time look for her in the water.

At this point Dr. Lorenz stood up and angrily shouted {in German: "I demand you immediate increase speed and head straight for Panama. If you don't I will contact the ambassador and have you removed."

The Captain raised his voice and responded "I am Captain here, not the Ambassador. The Ambassador cannot remove me. I do not report to him!"}

Tom Dodge understood everything they said. As did Col. Mostaza and the Professor.

Speaking in English, the Captain said we will make another attempt to retrace our steps in order to find her. If we do not, we will regrettably resume our voyage without our missing companion.

At this point, all of the women burst into tears and tried to comfort each other. While Tom Dodge stood up walked over to the Captain and said quietly (so no one else could hear) "I think we should place armed guards outside the women's cabins and give them an escort at all times." The Captain replied " I don't think that is necessary. I don't want to alarm the other passengers over an old woman accidentally falling off the ship"

When the meeting ended, Tom Dodge took the Turner sisters and his son aside and said "Elizabeth, Crissie I don't want you to leave your cabin or go anywhere without me or Junior present. If we are not avsilable, stay with one or more of the other male passengers. NEVER BE ALONE!"