Soft lights along the inner side of the boat deck dimly lit my path.
I hurried forward, hearing the soft scraping of my shoes on the deck.
Nearing the wireless room, I heard a man call out to me.
"Hey you, c'mere." I looked back, and noticed him up on a higher level of the deck. I glanced at the wireless room that was only yards away, and turned back to the man in the plaid suit.
"I'll be back in a few minutes." He shrugged but nodded. I almost went to talk with him right then, knowing that I needed to blend in with the people, and not seem suspicious. But I figured that if he had been there in the first place, he would still be there when I returned.
I placed my hand on the doorknob of the wireless room, but was stopped by a man in uniform.
"Good evening. Third Officer Morrow here." The man with the cap eyed me suspiciously.
"Hello, I'm Carlson." I offered a smile, but his gaze remained stiff. "I just wanted to have a look around the wireless room... It's amazing that a ship such as this would have such an advanced form of communication."
"Sorry, but the wireless room if off-limits to passengers. No passengers allowed..."
I paused, trying to think of something constructive to say. "The sea appears calm." I sighed, knowing that I could have thought of a better topic than the weather.
"Yes. Very Calm." He replied, seeming to be interested. So I continued.
"It's a clear night, but dark." I looked out to sea, and he followed my gaze, raising his eyes to the empty sky.
"No moon. I don't like that. Can't see what's coming. No moon means surprises. As if we don't have enough already." I watched him curiously, nodding politely, and he continued. "Mr. Ismay, the White Star Lines President is onboard. We're walking eggshells 'round him I tell you." He chuckled. "Though that's nothing compared to the creeping about my brother-in-law's doing at the moment. His entire London office is in an uproar." He sighed with a slight role of his eyes.
"What uproar?" I asked curiously, thinking I may have heard something about any uproar in London.
"Tom works in the Admiralty. Seems our plans for troop deployment against Germany disappeared three weeks ago. Tom says the big boys're petrified the Gerrys'll get wind of it. Could upset the balance of power. Politics! Desktop espionage! Bureaucrats! Pah!" He scoffed, and gestured out towards the ocean. "Give me the sea. You can toss the rest." He crossed his arms to make his point.
"You like Politics?" I asked, knowing what his answer would be, but it was worth the try I guess.
"Never have. Not since the war." I stared at him, not having suspected he had been a man of war.
"What war was that?"
"South Africa. Boer War. The officer was a drinker. He was drunk when they caught us out on the veldt. It was a moonless night, just like tonight. It was a massacre, we never saw them coming. Drink always leads to the devil."
"No wonder a moonless night makes you jumpy." I said feeling a little bit un-easy now.
"An interesting connection. For all I know it could be true! A man's got his troubles. Sick child. Being away form home. But I hate whiners, and apologizers. But thank you for your insight."
"Now, may I visit the wireless room?" I asked hopeful that our conversation had helped me out even in the slightest.
"Have a look why don't you? Mind you, Phillips'll have my head if he catches you, but I don't see any harm. Go on in." He turned and walked away. I breathed a sigh of relief, and walked into the wireless room.
I looked around, and fiddled with some of the equipment. After a moment, I found the telegram I was looking for. It was a jumble of letters, and specified that it was only one word. I stuck it in my bag, and headed back out side. I smiled, and waved at Officer Morrow. I noticed that the man in the plaid suit was still standing on the upper deck area, leaning against the rail. I gripped the cold rail, and walked up the stairs to greet him. I extended my hand.
"Good evening. I'm Carlson." I smiled, and he chuckled. As soon as he began to talk, I picked up that he was from a city in America. He accent was almost overpowering... not like anything I was used to.
"Dontcha love the sea air?!" He inhaled and exhaled boisterously, holding his cigarette off to the side of him. "Ahhh. Really clears out the sinuses. Max Siedleman, Philadelphia PA. Buyer for Haymakers Department Store. The sharpie of Spruce Street they call me." He paused, but by no means long enough for me to get a word in." You a sporting type? You look like the sporting type. Come on down the smoking room for a nightcap. Riviera is looking for someone to play a few hands of blackjack with. Waddaya say?" I opened my mouth to answer, but quickly shut it, noticing that he wasn't quite finished talking. "Not much else to do. Not tonight. Brrrrr. Cold as a cast iron commode out here. So waddaya ya say?"
I nodded. "Yes, I'll go." I winced, knowing I had to decode that telegram I had gotten from the wireless room. "But I can't stay long. I need to get back to my cabin."
"Great, first lets swing by the Parisian Cafe. There's a man there, name of Zeitel. Claims he's a businessman, but I think he's got something else up his sleeve. I know the type, dollars to donuts he's in some kind of racket. So come with why don't you. We'll hit the Smoking Room from there." I nodded eagerly. I was actually going to meet Zeitel. The so- called bad guy that Penny and I were after. I followed Max down to the Café.
Down the row of tables, near the back sat two men. One was older, Zeitel, from the picture Penny had shown me. The other man was much younger, and seemed to be very jumpy about something. I sat across from them, and Max sat beside me.
"Hey Colonel how ya doing? Willie? Like ya to meet a friend, Carlson." I smiled, and shook both of their hands in greeting.
"A pleasure." He took a drag on his pipe and puffed the air towards the ceiling. "Haderlitz and I, we a diversion especially on such an uneventful passage. Don't we Willie?" He gazed at the younger, jumpy fellow.
"Certainly." Willie answered. His accent sounded German, but most definitely had an odd twist of Russian.
"Willie is at the University of Vienna dissecting children's fables!"
"C-Culture and mythology, it's quite interesting." Haderlitz answered excitedly. "As only a junior professor I tried to interest Dr. Froid, he's a genius, and I- I-"
""I'm sure, quite." Zeitel interrupted, seemingly irritated to Willie's tendency to prattle on. "On the passenger list it says you embarked at Cherbourg, yet I have not seen you with the others. You were there, were you not?" He questioned, though it almost seemed like an accusation.
"I don't make much of an entrance." I said timidly, worried that he might suspect something.
"I see... you are British then. Not many of you in Titanic's first class cabins." He raised his eyebrows. "These days most of the rich are American. Businessmen like Max. Tell me. Why do you go to New York?" He watched me carefully, and I tried to act indifferent by his intimidating poise.
"I am on holiday." I lied carefully. "I was hoping to see some of America before I go back to work."
"I am envious. " He said. Unfortunately my work does not allow me to indulge in the pleasures of the leisure class."
"The Theory of the Leisure Class? I have read Dr Veblen. He is quite good, I-" Haderlitz said excitedly, fervent to share his knowledge of such things with us. Zeitel had no tolerance for such things.
"Quite." He looked at me expectantly. I soon realized that it was my turn to start a new conversation.
"What do you do?" I asked, hopefully. Maybe I could get a truthful answer out of him. If he trusted me, that is.
"Me? Inspecting our Embassies. Imperial Germany intends to make a good impression in North America. Willie is continuing on to the west to study aboriginal cultures." Answered, seemingly surprised.
"The Indians! They are fascinating!" Willie said, his eyes growing large. Once again, I was taken aback by his enthusiasm.
"Yes, yes. However I place faith in science- not superstition." I wondered what he meant by that.
"The Colonel was saying this wireless stuff is revolutionizing everything. Sending messages to each other. It's the end of books and newspapers!" I turned towards Max, surprised that he had kept quiet for so long. He must have had a strong respect for Zeitel.
"Like the Titanic, a technological triumph. Here we dine in comfort while racing along at Twenty Knots." Zeitel said, lifting his drink and taking a sip of it. "It's still tied to the outside world by the wireless." He added thoughtfully. Willie seemed to be preoccupied, but jumped back to life.
"That reminds me, Colonel Zeitel? When I go to send your telegram, they told me it was to be delayed. They are too many messages! The passengers-" Zeitel cut him off with a nervous chuckle.
"I'm sure our guests do not care to hear a detailed discussion of your encounter with telegraphy. Now if you would excuse me." He pushed out his chair to stand.
"Please, excuse us." Willie did the same.
"Won't you call on us tomorrow... here in the cafe. The Linzer torte's quite passable for a British ship. Stop by." He gestured to the room with his hand "Willie and I welcome it most heartily..."
"Yes, most heartily." Willie said, smiling warmly at me.
I nodded. "Sure... I'll be here."
"And before I leave you must allow me to give you some advice." He turned back to me. His advice sounded more like a threat, or warning. "Do not wander the ship. It is not good I think on a ship as big as the Titanic." With that he smiled, and headed towards the door, Willie following after him. "Goodnight, friends."
"Goodnight." I called out. The door swung closed, and I turned back to Max.
"See? What did I tell you? What did I say! Those two... up to something. That brainy kid gives me the creeps. What a grind. He should hang out with that blonde." He whistled, looking up at the ceiling. "She's a look I tell ya." He grinned. "Come on let's hit the smoking room. I'll introduce you to Riviera." He paused, and glanced at me. "Waddaya ya say?"
I looked at my pocket watch, and shook my head. "I had better not."
"Okay, I'll be up in the Smoking Room if you change your mind. Goodbye." He waved, stood, and walked out. I turned to watch the door shut, and then sighed. I stood, and leaned up against the window staring out at the open sea. Wondering what to do next.
I looked back at our table, and noticed something sitting on it. I approached the table, recognizing the item as a pipe. I lifted it up to examine it, and soon realized that it was Zeitel's pipe! Max was smoking cigarettes, and Willie was already hyper enough, it had to be Zeitel's. However, I could probably find someway to use it to get information. I looked back out the window, catching sight of a shooting star. Maybe it was a sign that I was on the right track.
"Hey you, c'mere." I looked back, and noticed him up on a higher level of the deck. I glanced at the wireless room that was only yards away, and turned back to the man in the plaid suit.
"I'll be back in a few minutes." He shrugged but nodded. I almost went to talk with him right then, knowing that I needed to blend in with the people, and not seem suspicious. But I figured that if he had been there in the first place, he would still be there when I returned.
I placed my hand on the doorknob of the wireless room, but was stopped by a man in uniform.
"Good evening. Third Officer Morrow here." The man with the cap eyed me suspiciously.
"Hello, I'm Carlson." I offered a smile, but his gaze remained stiff. "I just wanted to have a look around the wireless room... It's amazing that a ship such as this would have such an advanced form of communication."
"Sorry, but the wireless room if off-limits to passengers. No passengers allowed..."
I paused, trying to think of something constructive to say. "The sea appears calm." I sighed, knowing that I could have thought of a better topic than the weather.
"Yes. Very Calm." He replied, seeming to be interested. So I continued.
"It's a clear night, but dark." I looked out to sea, and he followed my gaze, raising his eyes to the empty sky.
"No moon. I don't like that. Can't see what's coming. No moon means surprises. As if we don't have enough already." I watched him curiously, nodding politely, and he continued. "Mr. Ismay, the White Star Lines President is onboard. We're walking eggshells 'round him I tell you." He chuckled. "Though that's nothing compared to the creeping about my brother-in-law's doing at the moment. His entire London office is in an uproar." He sighed with a slight role of his eyes.
"What uproar?" I asked curiously, thinking I may have heard something about any uproar in London.
"Tom works in the Admiralty. Seems our plans for troop deployment against Germany disappeared three weeks ago. Tom says the big boys're petrified the Gerrys'll get wind of it. Could upset the balance of power. Politics! Desktop espionage! Bureaucrats! Pah!" He scoffed, and gestured out towards the ocean. "Give me the sea. You can toss the rest." He crossed his arms to make his point.
"You like Politics?" I asked, knowing what his answer would be, but it was worth the try I guess.
"Never have. Not since the war." I stared at him, not having suspected he had been a man of war.
"What war was that?"
"South Africa. Boer War. The officer was a drinker. He was drunk when they caught us out on the veldt. It was a moonless night, just like tonight. It was a massacre, we never saw them coming. Drink always leads to the devil."
"No wonder a moonless night makes you jumpy." I said feeling a little bit un-easy now.
"An interesting connection. For all I know it could be true! A man's got his troubles. Sick child. Being away form home. But I hate whiners, and apologizers. But thank you for your insight."
"Now, may I visit the wireless room?" I asked hopeful that our conversation had helped me out even in the slightest.
"Have a look why don't you? Mind you, Phillips'll have my head if he catches you, but I don't see any harm. Go on in." He turned and walked away. I breathed a sigh of relief, and walked into the wireless room.
I looked around, and fiddled with some of the equipment. After a moment, I found the telegram I was looking for. It was a jumble of letters, and specified that it was only one word. I stuck it in my bag, and headed back out side. I smiled, and waved at Officer Morrow. I noticed that the man in the plaid suit was still standing on the upper deck area, leaning against the rail. I gripped the cold rail, and walked up the stairs to greet him. I extended my hand.
"Good evening. I'm Carlson." I smiled, and he chuckled. As soon as he began to talk, I picked up that he was from a city in America. He accent was almost overpowering... not like anything I was used to.
"Dontcha love the sea air?!" He inhaled and exhaled boisterously, holding his cigarette off to the side of him. "Ahhh. Really clears out the sinuses. Max Siedleman, Philadelphia PA. Buyer for Haymakers Department Store. The sharpie of Spruce Street they call me." He paused, but by no means long enough for me to get a word in." You a sporting type? You look like the sporting type. Come on down the smoking room for a nightcap. Riviera is looking for someone to play a few hands of blackjack with. Waddaya say?" I opened my mouth to answer, but quickly shut it, noticing that he wasn't quite finished talking. "Not much else to do. Not tonight. Brrrrr. Cold as a cast iron commode out here. So waddaya ya say?"
I nodded. "Yes, I'll go." I winced, knowing I had to decode that telegram I had gotten from the wireless room. "But I can't stay long. I need to get back to my cabin."
"Great, first lets swing by the Parisian Cafe. There's a man there, name of Zeitel. Claims he's a businessman, but I think he's got something else up his sleeve. I know the type, dollars to donuts he's in some kind of racket. So come with why don't you. We'll hit the Smoking Room from there." I nodded eagerly. I was actually going to meet Zeitel. The so- called bad guy that Penny and I were after. I followed Max down to the Café.
Down the row of tables, near the back sat two men. One was older, Zeitel, from the picture Penny had shown me. The other man was much younger, and seemed to be very jumpy about something. I sat across from them, and Max sat beside me.
"Hey Colonel how ya doing? Willie? Like ya to meet a friend, Carlson." I smiled, and shook both of their hands in greeting.
"A pleasure." He took a drag on his pipe and puffed the air towards the ceiling. "Haderlitz and I, we a diversion especially on such an uneventful passage. Don't we Willie?" He gazed at the younger, jumpy fellow.
"Certainly." Willie answered. His accent sounded German, but most definitely had an odd twist of Russian.
"Willie is at the University of Vienna dissecting children's fables!"
"C-Culture and mythology, it's quite interesting." Haderlitz answered excitedly. "As only a junior professor I tried to interest Dr. Froid, he's a genius, and I- I-"
""I'm sure, quite." Zeitel interrupted, seemingly irritated to Willie's tendency to prattle on. "On the passenger list it says you embarked at Cherbourg, yet I have not seen you with the others. You were there, were you not?" He questioned, though it almost seemed like an accusation.
"I don't make much of an entrance." I said timidly, worried that he might suspect something.
"I see... you are British then. Not many of you in Titanic's first class cabins." He raised his eyebrows. "These days most of the rich are American. Businessmen like Max. Tell me. Why do you go to New York?" He watched me carefully, and I tried to act indifferent by his intimidating poise.
"I am on holiday." I lied carefully. "I was hoping to see some of America before I go back to work."
"I am envious. " He said. Unfortunately my work does not allow me to indulge in the pleasures of the leisure class."
"The Theory of the Leisure Class? I have read Dr Veblen. He is quite good, I-" Haderlitz said excitedly, fervent to share his knowledge of such things with us. Zeitel had no tolerance for such things.
"Quite." He looked at me expectantly. I soon realized that it was my turn to start a new conversation.
"What do you do?" I asked, hopefully. Maybe I could get a truthful answer out of him. If he trusted me, that is.
"Me? Inspecting our Embassies. Imperial Germany intends to make a good impression in North America. Willie is continuing on to the west to study aboriginal cultures." Answered, seemingly surprised.
"The Indians! They are fascinating!" Willie said, his eyes growing large. Once again, I was taken aback by his enthusiasm.
"Yes, yes. However I place faith in science- not superstition." I wondered what he meant by that.
"The Colonel was saying this wireless stuff is revolutionizing everything. Sending messages to each other. It's the end of books and newspapers!" I turned towards Max, surprised that he had kept quiet for so long. He must have had a strong respect for Zeitel.
"Like the Titanic, a technological triumph. Here we dine in comfort while racing along at Twenty Knots." Zeitel said, lifting his drink and taking a sip of it. "It's still tied to the outside world by the wireless." He added thoughtfully. Willie seemed to be preoccupied, but jumped back to life.
"That reminds me, Colonel Zeitel? When I go to send your telegram, they told me it was to be delayed. They are too many messages! The passengers-" Zeitel cut him off with a nervous chuckle.
"I'm sure our guests do not care to hear a detailed discussion of your encounter with telegraphy. Now if you would excuse me." He pushed out his chair to stand.
"Please, excuse us." Willie did the same.
"Won't you call on us tomorrow... here in the cafe. The Linzer torte's quite passable for a British ship. Stop by." He gestured to the room with his hand "Willie and I welcome it most heartily..."
"Yes, most heartily." Willie said, smiling warmly at me.
I nodded. "Sure... I'll be here."
"And before I leave you must allow me to give you some advice." He turned back to me. His advice sounded more like a threat, or warning. "Do not wander the ship. It is not good I think on a ship as big as the Titanic." With that he smiled, and headed towards the door, Willie following after him. "Goodnight, friends."
"Goodnight." I called out. The door swung closed, and I turned back to Max.
"See? What did I tell you? What did I say! Those two... up to something. That brainy kid gives me the creeps. What a grind. He should hang out with that blonde." He whistled, looking up at the ceiling. "She's a look I tell ya." He grinned. "Come on let's hit the smoking room. I'll introduce you to Riviera." He paused, and glanced at me. "Waddaya ya say?"
I looked at my pocket watch, and shook my head. "I had better not."
"Okay, I'll be up in the Smoking Room if you change your mind. Goodbye." He waved, stood, and walked out. I turned to watch the door shut, and then sighed. I stood, and leaned up against the window staring out at the open sea. Wondering what to do next.
I looked back at our table, and noticed something sitting on it. I approached the table, recognizing the item as a pipe. I lifted it up to examine it, and soon realized that it was Zeitel's pipe! Max was smoking cigarettes, and Willie was already hyper enough, it had to be Zeitel's. However, I could probably find someway to use it to get information. I looked back out the window, catching sight of a shooting star. Maybe it was a sign that I was on the right track.