An Unsinkable Love - By Terri Benson Page 0,59
shipping line and he'd heard from some friends White Star was searching for him. If they got a hold of him, he'd likely face charges—bad ones—for stealing the lifeboat, and maybe murder if he couldn't convince some of his shipmates to come forward with the whole story.
Fred couldn't sleep anymore. Visions of Chief Steward Latimer's surprised expression as he slumped to the deck, his head with a neat little hole in it bouncing off the railings with a metallic clang, haunted him. The cries of children calling for their mothers, the thrashing of drowning passengers echoed in his ears, all while his own lifeboat bobbed safely along, nearly empty. He'd accept any punishment, so long as Mr.
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An Unsinkable Love
by Terri Benson
High-and-Mighty DuMont got his as well. It wasn't right the man got off Scott-free just because he was a nob.
Fred followed the dark suit, stepping carefully so as not to alert his quarry. Eldon turned and sauntered up a few steps to a back stoop before knocking three times, then twice more, then a final time on the door of a big three-story house. It opened and he slipped inside. Fred couldn't see anything but shadows through the heavily curtained windows, but it seemed several people moved about. He looked around and found a corner behind some ash cans to hunker down and wait.
Once, a pretty young woman wearing naught but a silk wrapper came out the door with a box of trash. She walked toward him and he flattened himself in dust, and worse, as she deposited the trash in a dustbin. A short while later another man was admitted after he used the coded knock, then a different man came out. Fred thought about it, and decided the building was either a gambling hall or a whorehouse. Either way, if he played his cards right, he would find a way to make life miserable for the bastard.
The second schooner of beer he'd had for lunch was making him mighty uncomfortable an hour later when DuMont reappeared and headed back to the street where the fancy car waited.
Once it motored out of sight, Fred ambled out of the alley and sat on the stoop of an empty storefront, pondering his next step. He didn't need to follow the car. He'd already visited the rich estate where the man lived. It had cost him a pretty penny to get on the train in New York, but he hadn't 190
An Unsinkable Love
by Terri Benson
wanted to risk never finding the man again after seeing him in the station. After watching DuMont's party disembark in the hamlet of Linton, he made a beeline for the local pub. It only took a few beers and friendly conversation with the locals to find out who the man was and where he lived. It took him the better part of a day to walk to the house and back, after spending time scouting around for good places to spy on the occupants.
Fred made a mental note to find out exactly what went on in the house off the alley then slouched back to the dingy boarding house where he had a room. He would take his time and do this right. He wasn't likely to get another chance.
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An Unsinkable Love
by Terri Benson
Chapter 28
Melody tried on yet another dress, stepping over the pile of discarded gowns already on the floor. She knew Marybeth would be livid when she had to re-iron them, but she didn't care. All that mattered was when the post arrived earlier it included a note inviting the Parsons family to a community get-together at the DuMont home so everyone could meet Bree Barry. It was important Melody make a good impression at the soiree. She had to convince Malcolm he'd chosen the wrong woman, or at least manage to drive the girl off.
Her mother burst into the room, a haze of flowery perfume trailing behind. She waded right through the pile of clothing and plopped down on the bed. "What do you intend to do about Malcolm now, my dear?" she demanded without preamble.
Melody gritted her teeth. How like her mother to expect her to come up with all the ideas. Between them, her parents didn't seem to have a clue how to keep the family fortune together. "Why, I'm going to show Malcolm he's made a big mistake, and convince him I'm willing to overlook his foolishness this one time. But he'll pay for it before I'm done."
"You'd