Lost Empire

“Officially, fourteen, but on any given day in 1883 there were hundreds of small fishing vessels and cargo boats sailing back and forth. Of course, it was easier to account for the ships because of insurance claims. Also, we were able to cross-reference captains’ logs to account for all the vessels present.”Standing before a plaque on the far wall, Sam asked, “Is this a list of the ships and their crews?”

“Yes.”

“I recognize one of these names: the Berouw .”

The guide nodded. “I’m not surprised. The Berouw is somewhat famous. She was a side-wheel steamer that was anchored in Lampung Bay fifty miles from Krakatoa. She was picked up by one of the tsunamis and carried several miles up the Koeripan River. The ship was found almost completely intact, but her entire crew was killed.”“There are only thirteen names,” Remi said.

“Pardon me?”

“On this list. You mentioned fourteen ships, but there are only thirteen listed here.”

“Are you sure?” The guide stepped up to the plaque and counted the names. “You’re right. That’s odd. Well, I’m sure it’s an administrative error.”

Remi smiled. “Thanks for your help. I think we’ll wander around a bit.”

“Certainly. If you’re so inclined, feel free to experiment with the kiosk. All of the documents in our collection-even those not on display-are available for viewing.”

Remi walked over to the wall of photographs where Sam was standing. She said, “I was half hoping the Shenandoah’s name would be on the list.”“Would a picture do?” Sam said.

“What?”

He pointed at the uppermost photo on the wall, a four-by-six-foot enlargement. The plate beside it read:

LOOKING NORTHEAST FROM THE DECK OF

BRITISH CARGO VESSEL SALISBURY ,

ANCHORED ELEVEN MILES EAST OF KRAKATOA, AUGUST 27TH, 1883.

SHOWN: PULAU (ISLAND)

LEGUNDI AND MOUTH OF LAMPUNG BAY

“Do you see it?” Sam asked.

“I see it.”

In the foreground of the photo against the backdrop of Pulau Legundi was a square-rigged, three-masted clipper ship, her upper hull painted black.

“It doesn’t mean anything,” Remi said. “I’m sure there were plenty of ships of that era that looked identical to the Shenandoah.”“I agree.”

“Let’s find out. Shenandoah was two hundred thirty feet, twelve hundred tons, and rigged for battle. I guarantee you that a ship like that sails into the Sunda Straits, any captain or officer of the watch worth a damn is going to make note of it.”

THEY WALKED TO THE KIOSK, played with the touch screen for a few moments, then began searching the museum’s archives, which were organized and cross-referenced by subject, date, and key word. After an hour of trying various word combinations, Sam found an entry made by the captain of a German merchant ship named Minden .He brought the translated text up on the screen:

26th August 1883, 1415 hours:

Passed close astern by sail amp; steam clipper ship, identity unknown. Eight ca

27th August 1883, 0630.

Eruptions worsening. Nearly swamped by rogue wave. Have ordered crew to prepare for emergency departure.

“Here we go,” Sam murmured. He tapped the touch screen and another log entry filled the screen:

27th August 1883, 0800.

Proceeding flank speed, course 041. Hoping to reach leeward side of Pulau Sebesi. Unidentified clipper ship still anchored south side of Pulau Legundi. Again refused hail.

Sam kept scrolling, then stopped. “That’s it. The Minden’s last entry. Could be her. The time frame is right; so is the description: eight ca

“And if it was?” Remi replied. “The Minden’s last entry was two hours before Krakatoa’s final eruption. Whatever ship they saw probably made a run for it and either got clear or was overtaken by the tsunami or the pyroclastic flow.”“There’s one more possibility,” Sam replied.

“Which is?”

“She suffered the same fate as the Berouw . She was picked up and carried inland.”

“Wouldn’t she have been found by now?”

“Maybe, maybe not.”

“Sumatra’s a big island, Sam. Where do you propose we start?”

Sam pointed up at the picture again. “The last place she was anchored.”

“Hello, Fargos,” a voice said behind them.

Sam and Remi turned around.

Standing before them was Itzli Rivera.

Sam said, “We keep ru

“I can arrange that.” “As long as we help you finish what you haven’t been able to on your own.”

“You read my mind.”

“The problem with that plan,” Remi said, “is that it ends with you killing us.”

“It doesn’t have to be that way.”

“Yes, it does,” replied Sam. “You know it, and we know it. Even now we know enough about Garza’s dirty little secret to topple his government. Compared to your other victims, we’ve got a mountain of information. You murdered a woman in Zanzibar just because she found a sword.”“And eight others for much less, probably,” Remi added.

Rivera shrugged and spread his hands. “What can I say?”

“How about, ‘Where’s the tallest building I can jump off of?’”

“Here’s a better question: Why don’t you give me all your research, and I’ll tell my boss I killed you?”

Remi said, “After all we’ve been through together, you still think we’re that gullible? You’re a slow learner, Mr. Rivera.”

“You’ve been lucky so far. It won’t happen again.”

Sam said, “Let me see if I’m understanding you correctly: Option one, we give you everything we’ve got and you murder us; option two, we give you nothing and see how much farther our luck takes us.”

“When you put it that way, I can see your point,” Rivera replied. “So let’s change the terms: You give me what I want and I promise to kill you quickly and painlessly. Or we continue to play our cat-and-mouse game, and I will eventually catch you and torture your wife until you give me what I want.”Sam took a step forward. He stared hard into Rivera’s eyes. “You need to learn some ma

Rivera pulled back his jacket a few inches to reveal the butt of a gun. “And you need to learn some discretion.”

“So my wife tells me.”

“You’re stubborn. Both of you. We’re going to leave together right now. If you fight me or try to attract attention, I’ll shoot your wife, then you. Let’s go. I have a boat outside. We’ll walk outside and-”“No.”

“Pardon me?”

“You heard me.”

“I’m not bluffing, Mr. Fargo. I’ll shoot you both.”

“I believe you’ll try. Don’t think I’ll make it easy.”

“Nobody will stop me; I’ll be gone before the authorities arrive.”

“Then what? Did you really think we’d come here carrying all our proof? You’ve really got a problem with underestimating people. You’ve searched our hotel room and found nothing, correct?”“Yes.”

“All we’ve got with us is a few pictures, and they’re nothing you haven’t already seen. If you kill us here, everything goes public. By the time you get back to Mexico City, every news cha

“That makes two of us.”

“What you’re forgetting is, I’ve dedicated myself to keeping this secret for almost a decade. You’ve been involved for a few weeks. Whatever you find, whatever story you tell, we’ll spin it the other way. You know who I work for and you know how powerful he is. Even if you manage to survive, by the time we’re done with you you’ll be a pair of money-hungry, spotlight-seeking treasure hunters who created a fantastic lie for their own personal gain.”“We’ll still have our health,” Remi said sweetly.

“And our sense of humor,” Sam added. “If you’re so confident, why don’t you go home and let the chips fall where they may?”