The luxury cruise liner MS Mermaid appeared as a brightly lighted oasis in the midst of the ocean darkness. The twin screws of the ship churned up the water of the North Atlantic as they began pushing the fifty-five-ton ship forward.
     As the midnight hour approached, a lone figure appeared and lurched across the deck. He looked right and left, then moved toward the stern of the ship, glancing out into the blackness as he walked. He staggered toward the rail, gazed down into the boiling water below, hesitated for a moment and then, as he leaned further, suddenly tipped over and plunged into the raging torrent. It took only an instant for the figure to be amid the white water at the rear of the ship.
     The vessel continued on its voyage to Le Havre in France, with no one on deck as a witness to what had happened; no one to call out to a crewmember for help. There were no hands to throw the man a lifeline or hurl a life preserver toward him. The ship sailed on its path, increasing its speed, while the crew on the bridge worked and the other passengers relaxed, enjoyed a drink in the bar, or slept. No one knew that the ship had lost one of its guests; that there was now a missing passenger and a mystery that would soon envelop the entire cruise ship and especially two of its passengers.

Prologue​​

Somewhere in the North Atlantic
Thursday Night

 

The Last Mermaid