When we returned to our cabin, Mama looked me over carefully, checking to see if I had any bruises. I didn't—but I was still scared.

I had thought Peter was a nice man. But he yelled at me, pushed me onto the bed, and hurt my feelings. Now... I just don't know what to think.

I have so many questions—questions I don't think I'll ever get answers to.

One of them is: why was he in that lady's cabin?

The rest of the evening was quiet. The sun was still shining, and I wanted to go back outside to play. But Papa told me I wasn't allowed to go out on the deck alone anymore. Anneliese had to be with me at all times.

"Just because I'm the youngest doesn't mean they have to treat me like a baby," I grumbled, sitting on my bed with a pout.

"You're acting like a baby," Anneliese giggled.

I stuck out my tongue at her.

"You two stop that," Papa scolded.

"I'm bored," I whined. "Can't I at least go to the library and get the book I was reading earlier?"

"I really don't want you out there right now," Papa said firmly. "Not with that man still on the loose."

"Okay," I mumbled, arms folded.

As usual, Anneliese was playing jacks. I sat down beside her on the floor to join in, but before long, I drifted off to sleep right in the middle of the game.

When I woke up, Anneliese was helping Mama with something near the washbasin. I felt a little left out—not angry, just... sad that I wasn't part of whatever they were doing.

When supper time came, we all left the cabin together. I felt like I was being punished—even though I hadn't done anything wrong. I walked slowly, keeping my eyes on the floor the entire way to the dining room.

As we walked, I kept hearing little noises—soft sounds coming from behind the walls or down the hall. I tried not to think too much about it. It was probably just other passengers leaving their rooms, I told myself.

When we reached the dining room, I noticed an officer standing near the entrance, watching the passengers as they filed in. He didn't speak, but he was keeping a careful eye on the men entering the room.

I figured they were doing this because, sooner or later, Peter would have to show up.

He has to eat sometime...

~o~O~o~

I still felt sad about losing what I thought was a friend.

He was almost like a grandpapa to me. He must've been around forty or fifty years old, but he had been kind—at least at first. He was a nice man... or so I thought.

I kind of wished he hadn't turned out to be a bad person.

I had fun playing shuffleboard with him, even though I lost every time.

Yes, he was a bit strange, especially when he put his hand on my shoulder. But at the time... it hadn't hurt. Not physically.

I lay down on my bed and let out a long sigh.

Mama must have heard me, because a moment later, I felt her presence beside me.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" she asked gently.

"Nothing," I sighed again, not meeting her eyes.

"I know something's wrong," she said, sitting down next to me. "You always sigh like that when something's hurting on the inside."

I sat up slowly and rested my head against her shoulder. "It's Peter," I murmured.

"Peter?" Mama asked.

"He's the man I met earlier," I said quietly, barely above a whisper.

Mama's expression changed. "Josephine, he's not a good man," she said, sharper now. "He nearly hurt you. And he got you into trouble. You shouldn't have gone into that room with him. He could've done something much worse."

Her voice shook a little. I started crying.

"Oh, baby..." Mama wrapped her arms around me and held me close. "Why don't you try to sleep now, hmm? Things always look better in the morning."

"I hope so," I whispered through a yawn.

I lay back down, and Mama pulled the blanket over me. She walked over to check on Anneliese, already fast asleep in the top bunk.

"Momma?" I called softly.

"Yes, dear?" she asked, looking down at me.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, eyes heavy.

She gave me a soft smile, and before I could hear her reply, I was already asleep.

Date:Friday, the Twelfth Day of April, 1912
Place: Titanic – Family Cabin

Time: Fourteen Minutes Past Ten in the Morning

The next morning, just after we returned from breakfast, there was a knock at our cabin door.

It was Officer Boxhall.

He stepped inside and removed his cap. "We've caught him," he said quietly.

Peter.

Except... that wasn't his real name.

"He was hiding in third class," Boxhall explained. "Moving between empty cabins. A night watchman spotted him trying to break into the kitchen to steal food."

Papa clenched his fists, standing protectively near Mama.

Boxhall continued. "His real name isn't Peter Goodman. It's Francis Hermann—a former reverend from Salt Lake City, Utah."

The name didn't mean anything to me—but the look on Mama's face said enough.

"He's wanted in connection to the murders of two women from his congregation," Boxhall added grimly. "And he's also suspected of killing his ex-wives... and two of his own children."

My stomach turned.

"He's in custody now," Boxhall finished. "Locked in a secured room below until we reach America."

None of us spoke for a moment.

The cabin felt smaller. The air felt heavier.

All I could think was:
He wasn't just a bad man. He was something worse.
And I had followed him. Smiled at him. Played games with him.

I didn't say anything out loud.
I just sat down on my bed, and hugged my doll tight.

Date: Friday, the Twelfth Day of April, 1912
Place: Titanic – Second-Class Promenade / First-Class Deck
Time: Just after Ten in the Morning

Even with Francis in custody, I still wasn't allowed out of the cabin alone. Anneliese was, though—she was tired of being cooped up. We ended up going outside to the shuffleboard court.

"This is the same one Peter and I played at!" I cheered.

"You mean Francis," Anneliese corrected me.

"He was Peter when we played here," I said, trying not to cry.

"Let's not play this game," Anneliese muttered, staring down at the deck. "It gives me the creeps... knowing a murderer was standing here."

I was disappointed, but I nodded and walked on to find something else to do. As we strolled along the deck, we saw the two children from the other day—Marjorie and Marshall—playing Deck Quoits again.

"Hello!" I called to them.

"Oh, hi!" Marjorie waved. "Want to play with us?"

"Not really," I said as I came closer. "I'd rather watch."

"Suit yourself," Marjorie said with a smile. "What about you?" she asked Anneliese.

"I guess," Anneliese replied with a shrug.

While I watched them play, I overheard two men walking by. Their voices were low, but not kind.

"What's this garbage doing on board?" one of them growled, looking at the lifeboats lined along the deck. "What a waste of space on a ship that's unsinkable."

"I agree," said the other man. "Not even God Himself could sink this ship."

They laughed and continued walking.

Something about that line made me feel uneasy.

I decided to follow them. Anneliese was too busy playing to notice, and I thought I'd be back before she even realized I was gone.

I trailed the men across the deck, keeping a safe distance. They talked nonsense the entire time—boasting, sneering, bragging about money and politics. Eventually, I realized we'd gone quite far... and I hadn't been paying attention to where we were.

Suddenly, a man's voice shouted from behind me.

"Hey! You there—kid!"

I froze. A crewman was running toward me.

The two men I'd followed looked back at me, laughed, and kept walking.

"What are you doing on the First-Class Promenade?" the crewman demanded.

"The what?" I said, looking around in confusion.

"Come with me, young lady," he said, reaching for my arm.

"You don't have to do that," another voice interrupted gently.

The crewman turned—and his eyes widened.

"Captain Smith... sir!"

"I'll handle this one," Captain Smith said calmly.

The crewman nodded stiffly, released me, and hurried back to his post.

Captain Smith looked down at me with kind eyes. "So," he said, "you're the young lady who helped capture a criminal."

"

"What?" I gasped. "How do you know about that?"

"Come with me," he said with a smile, resting his hand gently on my shoulder as we walked. "Word travels fast on a ship. You became something of a hero, you know. That man's been running from the law for over fifteen years."

"But Peter was such a nice man," I whispered.

"Is that what he called himself?" Captain Smith asked.

"Yes," I replied. "Peter Good Man—" I paused, then added, "Goodmann."

The captain laughed. "He cleared his throat when he said it, didn't he?"

"Yes!" I giggled. "Every time!"

As we walked along the first-class deck, I spotted Mama, Papa, and Anneliese searching for me near the staircase.

"There's my family!" I said, pointing. We headed down to them.

Papa scolded me right away for leaving Anneliese behind—but then he looked up and saw who I was with.

"Captain Smith," he said, nearly stammering.

"Please," the captain chuckled, "call me Edward Smith."

"We're terribly sorry for what Josephine has done," Papa said, putting a protective hand on my shoulder.

"Don't be sorry," Captain Smith said warmly. "Why don't your whole family join me for dinner this evening?"

"Dinner... with you?" Mama asked, clearly shocked.

"We'd love to," Papa began, "but... tonight is Shabbat."

"You're Jewish, then?" Captain Smith asked kindly.

Mama nodded.

"Well," he said, "then let's make it a proper Shabbat dinner. I'll have my cooks prepare a traditional Jewish meal—matzo ball soup, baked fish, Challah bread, and Latkes. We can light candles at sunset, if you wish."

Anneliese and I lit up instantly.

"Let's do it, Papa!" we sang in unison.

Papa glanced at Mama, then looked back at us. He thought for a moment.

"...All right," he said. "It's not every day we're invited to dine with the captain of a ship."

Anneliese and I cheered.