The look of shock on Holmes' face was enough to send a chill through Kit. She knew him well enough already to know he was not a man who blanched easily. She instinctively reached out to him, grasping his forearm to steady him.

"I've got to tell the Captain." Austin was in a state of sheer panic. Large beads of sweat and sea spray rolled down his face.

Holmes kept a tight grip on his friend's shirt. "He already knows. He's on his way up to the bridge." Holmes gave him a slight tug to get his attention. "Austin?"

The First Mate blinked at him, not seeming to register who it was that had spoken. Kit imagined the sight of all three of them, stock still in a hallway seething with people, supporting arms entwined around each other, bodies all leaning together.

"Austin?" Holmes tried again. "Can you show me where she fell?"

"On deck."

"Yes, but where? Exactly where on deck? Can you take me there?"

Austin nodded. Something about the voice of his childhood friend had reached him. He grabbed onto Holmes' sleeve and pulled the lanky detective along after him. Kit followed, keeping her own hand glued to Sherlock's shoulder so they could not be forced apart in the throng.

They emerged onto the passenger deck, the chill and damp of the sea soaked air hitting them in the face and eyes. The boat was rocking now. At some point in the last few minutes the gentle pitch and yawn of the ship had increased. The wind had risen, and now cut deeply into the skin, battering at hats and scarves.

There was a large crowd of people gathered around the stern railing, the ones who were close enough to be able leaning over to peer into the dark churning water frothing away in the wake of the large vessel.

There were lifeboats strung along the exterior wall of the deck. A group of uniformed crew members worked to get one of these free and swing it out over the water. A large hand crank, operated by two men together, was necessary to lower it down over the side of the ship. Another man tugged at the small boat's stern lines, trying to keep it straight as it swayed suspended in the air.

"Where, Austin?" Holmes pressed as soon as they were outside and had a moment to take in the scene. "Did she fall from the stern railing?"

Austin shook his head, confused. "No. No I don't believe so."

"Believe so? You didn't see it?"

"I heard…" The other man swallowed hard, distraught. "I heard her hit the water. I ran over to the railing…there."

He pointed to a spot not far from the door they had just exited. A smooth piece of railing devoid of any distinguishing feature.

"You're sure?" Holmes pressed.

"Yes. Yes, I'm sure. I was able to see her through the window of the door before I came out. I knew something had upset her at dinner. I stopped to check my watch in the hall, and when I looked up again, she was gone. I was through the door and to the railing in an instant."

"And you heard her scream?"

"No. I heard her body hit the water."

"In this weather? Above the wind?"

"What are you saying?!" Austin pushed against Holmes, keeping him at arm's length.

"Calm yourself, man. I didn't mean anything by it. You know I'm only trying to help. Is it true that you didn't actually see the fall?"

"I did not."

"Then how do you know she went over?"

"I saw her after." Austin's eyes filled with tears. "In the water." He was sobbing now. "I saw her when I looked over the railing into the water."

"Oh, God," Kit breathed.

There was a tremendous shuddering suddenly, and a deep throb ran through the ship, vibrating under everyone's feet.

"They're trying to bring the boat to a stop," Holmes told her, taking a protective grasp on her elbow to keep her steady. "They'll put the boat into reverse, it causes the whole ship to shake like this."

Kit was confused. "Do they intend to try to retrace their steps backwards?"

"Not exactly. A ship this size takes miles to come to a complete stop. At this speed we're already miles past her. Putting it into reverse is the only way to try to hold our relative position and not keep drifting forward," he said.

She nodded her understanding. "We're fighting against our own current."

"An apt analogy." Holmes turned back to Austin, who had nearly fallen over at the sudden cease in motion, and was righting himself shakily. "Was there anything else that you remember?" Holmes probed. "Anyone else?"

The First Mate wiped sweat and spray from his face, his hand stopping over his mouth. He nodded, eyes growing suddenly dark.

"Yes. I saw Geoffrey."

"Lord Norton?" Kit asked.

"Yes, when I looked back up I saw Geoffrey walking down the deck."

"How far away?" She cast a significant look to Holmes, who did not seem pleased at this news.

"Not far," Austin confirmed. "He was heading back towards the bow."

"Surely you're not suggesting…" Kit was aghast. "I admit, he is an unpleasant man, but it is a long step between that and…doing as you seem to be suggesting."

"Believe me Miss Rushford, as bad as you think he is, I promise he is ten times worse. He was the bane of my sister's existence."

"Are you suggesting he had a motive, Austin?" Holmes' voice was deadly serious.

"He left directly after her! You saw him. And where is he now, while his fiancé is lost overboard?! Where is he?!"

"Are you looking for me, Austin?" Lord Norton stood to the left of them, his hand resting lightly on the railing. "I don't think I like the gist of this conversation." His tone was flippant.

"Don't like the gist?!" Austin lost whatever hold on his composure he had left, reaching blindly for his future brother-in-law, lacing his fingers around his throat. The two men crashed into each other, nearly pitching them over the railing into the oily black sea.

"Austin!" Holmes grabbed his friend from behind and tried to pull him free. Kit grabbed one of Norton's arms, clinging there with all her strength, trying to hamper the enraged man's ability to fight back.

Ogilvy arrived beside them an instant later, puffing from his mad dash down from the bridge to the site of the accident. "Stop this!" He bellowed. "This does not help us find her! Austin! Stop this at once, or I'll have you demoted down to stoker in as long as it takes to send the communication to White Star and back!" Austin allowed himself to be pulled away, shrugging off Holmes' hands and re-adjusting his jacket violently, yanking the fabric until it almost tore. "That man," he pointed at Norton, "needs to be restrained in irons!" His chest rose and fell in great shuddering breaths.

"You are insane," Norton shot back, pushing Kit roughly out of the way. "You'll be hearing from my solicitor directly we land."

"Gentlemen!" Kit's voice cut through the threats, causing a hush to fall. She continued in a quieter voice. "None of this is helping Anne. The longer she's in the water, the harder our chances of rescue."

"I'm afraid it's too late for that, my dear." The Captain was looking out at the water. Searchlights had been turned on from the upper decks, and their harsh lime white light played over the roiling water. He gestured out at the now heaving whitecaps. "There's too much chop on the water. It's blowing over thirty knots out there if it's blowing at all. The lifeboats will be useless. I can't endanger my men on the off chance she's still alive out there somewhere."

"We have to try," Austin's voice rose in desperation. "You must let us at least try."

The Captain's face remained stern. "If it was anyone else, would you endanger our men to go get them?" Ogilvy placed his hand on his First Mate's shoulder, squeezing tight. "I'm sorry, but you know in good conscience I can't."

"I volunteer," Holmes spoke up, already removing his frock coat and ties.

"You'll do no such thing!" Kit shot, grabbing him firmly about the wrist.

"Yes," Austin latched on to the suggestion as if he were the drowning man. "Yes, we only need a few men. I'll go. With Holmes and Norton, we only need one or two more."

Norton frowned at his inclusion in the idea. "Hang on a second now, Austin..."

"You're coming." Lord Austin rose to his full height, his face making it clear that Norton was going over the side of that ship, either within the lifeboat or without. The two deck hands who had operated the lifeboat crank stepped forward after a brief whispered exchange, one speaking for both.

"We'll help, sir." They were both young, sallow, with hands dry and cracked from constant exposure to salt water. "This is Embry," the fairer of the two pointed at his companion, and then at himself. "I'm Jones sir. We'll go with you."

Austin nodded. "Fine. That's five. More than enough." He looked hopefully at the Captain, who pressed his lips together tightly. "Please, sir." Austin pushed, already removing his cap and uniform jacket. "If it was your own sister would you let anything stop you from going after her?"

Ogilvy's eyes narrowed. Finally, he jerked his head towards the lifeboat in assent, stepping out of the way.

The volunteers moved to climb in. Kit had still not let go of Holmes' wrist. "Please don't," she said low, under her breath.

He patted her hand. "Darling." She blinked at that. He continued. "I understand your concerns. I have may of the same ones myself."

"You do?"

"Of course. That railing is far to clean-looking."

She frowned. "What?"

"I can detect no fingerprints. It seems to me that if I were being hoisted over the side of a boat, I would try to grab onto something to halt my fall. The railing is the natural choice."

"Sherlock?"

"And I don't swallow the suddenly-appearing Lord Norton. True, that man followed her out of the dining room for a purpose, but one argument does not a killer make. Someone must have seen them together."

"Sherlock?!"

"Ask around amongst the passengers, gather what information you can. Get a closer look at that railing. Look around for anything dropped, anything broken, out of place, try to be reasonable." He smiled devilishly. "Despite the obvious hurdle of your gender."

She spluttered something, and he kissed her soundly, using her frozen shock as a means to escape to the lifeboat. "I shall be back directly, and we will discuss your findings," he called over his shoulder as many hands helped him up the side of the lifeboat and inside.

A moment later the small craft was being lowered jerkily towards the clamoring water.

Kit tried to pry her eyes away, but she seemed unable to move herself from the railing. Just until he gets down safe she promised herself.

A large hand fell on her shoulder, and she gasped and turned around.

Everett McHugh stood behind her, his glasses speckled with spray. "Oh, I'm sorry, Miss Rushford. I didn't mean to startle you. I wondered only if there was something I could do to help?"

"Mr. McHugh! Yes, sir, thank you," she stammered, trying to collect her thoughts. "Actually, your timing is exceptional. Would you be so good as to find us an electric torch?"

McHugh removed his glasses and wiped them with the sleeve of his overcoat. He used them to gesture over his shoulder at the many crew members carrying them to and fro across the deck. "I don't think that should be too much trouble."

"Excellent," she continued. "We will also need a note pad and something to write with."

He nodded and hurried away. Kit made her way back inside with determination.

Holmes kept a white-knuckled grip on the side of the lifeboat as it dipped lower and lower. The erratic rocking of the larger ship caused the smaller craft to pitch and crack against the broad side of the steam ship.

"This is madness," Norton yelled to be heard over the roaring wind and water. "The water temperature will make it impossible for her to survive longer than a few minutes!"

Austin glowered at him. "No one asked you for your opinion Geoffrey."

"You need to accept it, Austin. It's a body we're looking for."

Austin surged forward, but Holmes grabbed Norton by the tie and yanked him out of the First Mate's reach.

"Leave him," he growled at his friend.

The first waves were starting to lick at the bottom of the lifeboat. It tossed on it's suspended lines. Embry lost his seat and tumbled into the bottom of the boat, splaying out to try to steady himself. A wave hit them from the side and tossed them like a toy into the side of the Empress Queen. There was a sickening crack as the boards on the ship-side of the lifeboat bent inward with the power of the impact. The sound was close and deafening.

Holmes braced himself against one of the bench seats, arms ridged with strain. Austin staggered over and knelt on the bench in front of him.

"They must drop us quicker," he informed Holmes. "If they leave us dangling here we'll be smashed to pieces."

Holmes glanced over the side at the frothing water.

"We'll be swallowed up if we touch down, sir," Jones called, voicing the detectives own concerns. "We tried sir, but it's too dangerous."

"Nonsense," Austin called back. "Just prepare to shoot the oars as soon as we land." His voice rose to a roar over the waves. "If these bloody idiots ever get us put down!"

Holmes glanced back up at the railing of the ship, now so high above him. There were white faces there, and hurried movement, but the particulars were lost in a haze of spray. Such a long way away.

Kit stood at the railing, surveying it inch by inch. McHugh appeared at her shoulder again, this time bearing a touch and some scraps of paper.

"From a ladies' journal," he explained apologetically. "What have you discovered?"

"Nothing," She said. "Absolutely nothing. I went inside and took a visual measurement of all the railing it was possible to see from inside the hallway through the door. Austin said that when he was headed after Anne he saw her for a moment through the window, and when he looked back, she was gone. Well, that means that she had to have gone over somewhere between my bag-" Kit gestured to where she had dropped her clutch as a marker next to the railing, "-and that ribbon." A hair ribbon. Also supplied by herself. "But I see nothing, no scuffs, smears, dropped items…."

"Well, it is a bit wet and blowy…" McHugh ventured.

"Precisely. Let's go back over it with the torch."

They did so. Every inch. There was nothing there to offer any clue, even of the exact position Anne had fallen.

McHugh hummed in disappointment. "Perhaps Austin was mistaken about the place…."

Kit gave him a consoling look. A shout caught her attention. Several crew members had rushed over to the winch that was lowering the lifeboat down. There was a frantic discussion and waving of hands. Kit felt the pit of her stomach drop.

"Mr. McHugh, will you do me a favor?"

"Of course, my dear. What can I do?"

"Speak to everyone you can. See if anyone saw or heard anything. Lady Austin, Lord Norton, anything. Anything at all, write it down on your notepad. Agreed?"

"Agreed." McHugh saluted her with his pencil and hurried away. Kit moved towards the crew gathered around the railing.

The lifeboat swung again, this time crashing harder, sending them rebounding out over the water. A wave shoved them from below, tilting them hazardously towards the ship. The men were all thrown towards the lower side of the leaning boat. There was a scramble of hands and feet as they all fought to keep themselves from sliding over to plunge into the freezing ocean. There was also the horrifying possibility of getting caught between the two craft and crushed.

"Oh, Lord, we'll all be killed!" Norton wailed.

Austin said nothing to this. He was too busy holding on for dear life.

"Pull us back up!" Jones bellowed, hands cupped around his mouth to make himself heard above.

The lifeboat bucked suddenly, pushed by another wave, and the hoist line at the stern gave way at the hook, causing the back end of the lifeboat to crash down into the water. The impact was so hard it shook the teeth of the men on board. Another wave crashed over the side, submerging the stern, sucking it deep under water. Tethered now at only one point, the bow spun crazily, and smashed into the Empress Queen again.

Holmes had been lucky enough to be sitting closer to the bow when the line snapped, and was able to grab hold of the bench. He was still holding there now, stretched out to full length with his feet dangling and kicking above the water. The angle of the boat was so severe he was almost upright. Straining his chin against his chest he could make out the four other men in the boat, scrabbling and sliding around like fish, trying to get a hold on anything despite the slippery spray.

"Grab onto my belt!" He yelled to Austin, who was closest. "Get a hold on each other to form a line!"

Another wave tossed over them and the lifeboat flipped. They were all dumped into the ocean, pinned under the boat.

There was a gasp on deck. Kit reached the side just in time to see the five tiny figures disappear under the boat. The men operating the hand crank strained against the handle, trying to pull the boat back up out of the water. Kit hurried over, seizing the nearest man by the arm.

"Stop."

"We need to pull them up," the man sputtered.

"No. the boat's too heavy to be hauled up with one line. The rope will snap."

Ogilvy intervened, hearing the commotion. "Miss Rushford, really - "

Kit's face remained stern as she turned to the Captain. "You'll lose all of them." Her heart was pounding madly in her chest, her hands clenched to stop them trembling. He studied her face for a moment longer, and then heaved a sigh from deep in his chest.

"What would you suggest then?"

"Lower a second boat. The next lifeboat in line. Don't let it touch the water. Keep it suspended a few meters above the other, and then throw a rope down and haul the men up."

Ogilvy frowned, immobile for only a second, and then his face cleared, and he gave her a short nod. "Fine." He snapped around to the crew standing shivering around him on deck. "Do it. And get the ship's doctor up here at once. If we do get them out they'll be half drowned."

A few moments and much hurrying and called orders later and the second lifeboat was swung out over the side. Three men sat inside, surrounded by several long coils of hemp rope and a few warm blankets. They began their trembling decent.

Holmes felt the shock of the cold water, followed by searing pain as it seemed his arms would be pulled from their sockets. Something was pulling him down, dragging him under. Austin, his brain fetched him the answer. Austin must have been able to grab a hold on him as the boat went over. He was holding on for two. Maybe more, if they had taken his suggestion. The water rushed and receded, and he realized that they were not fully submerged, simply upside down, with the waves coming in and out of the covered area created by the hull of the boat.

The waves ran out again, and Holmes saw Austin, clinging desperately to the detective's leg. Norton was there too. Jones and Embry further down the line had it far worse than him, since the angle of the boat meant they were now constantly under water.

Another wave caught them, tossing them over again, spinning to expose them once again to the sky. Holmes glanced down, dizzy, and could make out Austin and Norton, still clinging on to him. Jones was farther to the stern, his body curled around a forward bench. Holmes could not immediately tell if he was alive or drowned. Embry was gone.

His fingers cramped terribly, and he was aware that prolonged rubbing against the rough bench must be cutting his hands and wrists. The cold, however, made it impossible for him to tell. He was shaking and nauseous, finding it hard to put any thoughts together in a cogent string. He knew there was great danger, and that he must not let go. He also knew that in a matter of minutes he would be dead.

And that something was missing.

That something he could not identify was tugging at the back of his mind. Shivers wracked his body and needles of pain crawled up his limbs and down his legs, but there was something, something, something, that should be here but was absent.

A large dark shape seemed to descend towards them from above, rocking in the wind. Perhaps his mind had gone completely.

There were sounds now, yelling, and Holmes frowned at the air above him. He could see nothing. A shadow obscured his view of the sky and deck of the ship. Faces. He saw faces, leaning over from the side of the dark object, and suddenly his mind snapped back into some kind of working order. Another boat, not trapped in the waves as his was.

"We're going to throw a rope!" A voice informed him.

"We won't be able to climb" he yelled back.

"Then hold on and we'll drag you up."

Something rough and heavy landed across Holmes' chest, slithering out along his body. A long hemp rope. He strained to see down the line of men hanging perilously by each others belts along the length of the life boat.

By chance the end of the rope had landed close to Norton, and Holmes bellowed down at him.

"Take the rope Norton!"

The huddled mass unfolded and a face appeared, white with fear. Norton's eye fell on the rope and he grabbed it. Thankfully, the rescuers had had enough forethought to loop the rope at the end, and Norton was able to slip his arms in, settling it under his armpits.

The men above began to haul, and little by little, the body of Geoffrey, Lord Norton, was hauled up through the air into the waiting lifeboat.

Holmes felt tears squeezing out the corners of his eyes. Exhaustion had brought him almost to the end. He was holding on now from habit more than anything. How could the waves be any worse than this? In fact, the rhythmic call was hard to ignore. All he had to do was relax his hands, and the rest would be quick, and utterly devoid of pain.

The rope fell again, and something in the sound roused Holmes from his stupor. He kicked at it with his free foot, sending it downward towards the remaining deck hand.

"Jones?!" Austin called. The small form stirred, and then saw the rope. A thin hand came away from the bench, trembling, and clamped like a vice around the loop. He managed to get it around his body, but a sudden swell sent him tumbling over the side of the boat, crashing head first into the Empress Queen. His body hit with a wet smack. The hulls crashed together again, pinning one of his arms in between them. His scream was lost in the sound of waves, and soon, not seeing the damage, the rope yanked him away from the side, pulling him up through the air. Blood and seawater dripped off him onto the faces of the men below.

"My God, Sherlock," Austin said, his face white and waxen. "My God man, I'm so sorry."

Holmes shook his head. "Shut up, Austin. You're next." Holmes tried to smile at his old friend, but he knew it was a grimace. The rope coiled down again, and this time it missed the boat. It had to be retrieved, recoiled, re-thrown. This time Austin was able to get his hand on it. Fitting it around himself he gave Holmes a frantic look as his body began to move upwards. Holmes had the distinct impression that he had seen something he should not have. If only his mind would work. He felt here was something there he should recognize.

Holmes' hands gave way. He slid downward and caught himself with his feet against another bench. Now that there was no weight pulling him he felt a euphoric sense of lightness. His mind floated out over the surface of the waves, perhaps finding Anne there, waiting for him, far below the hostile surface.

The rope hit him in the face. Salty splinters of hemp ground against his cheek. He tried to grab on, but he found his hands locked closed. Frozen. He pulled one open with his teeth, and used it to help him wiggle into the loop. The line pulled taut, and then there was the new pain of rough rope cutting into his back and underarms as his entire weight hung suspended in mid-air.

On deck the last remaining line to the damaged lifeboat was cut, letting the smaller boat fall away from the ship before it could do any more or lasting damage.

Holmes was alone, a dark figure swaying over the dark ocean, long body hanging soaked in seawater.

Then there was a hand on his shoulder, many hands, and he was being lifted over the side of another vessel. A scratchy grey blanket wrapped around his shoulders, and the waves were gone, the pain and the cold and even Anne, long gone and forgotten.