A Shaking Experience

By Michael Don Fess

Based on an actual cruise to the Panama Canal, a man experiences shocking events and meets amazing people. He learns about the search to prove that Hitler lived out his life in Argentina after the war. He learns surprising facts about the canal after the U.S. relinquished control and discovers how enemies can resolve their differences.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Michael Don Fess
• Release date: Apr 10, 2018
• ISBN: 9781370151103

Michael Don Fess

Michael Don Fess, an author since the early 1990s, has over twenty published books to his credit. His favorite genre is mystery novels, but has published some non-fiction books. He is a informative speaker at civic clubs and is an accomplished artist.His popular Caribbean Mystery series consist of four books and the historical fiction series about the wild Louisiana politics in 1964 is a three book series. The latest series about "The Secret DNA Code" has a sequel, "The DNA Conspiracy."

Book preview

Chapter One

Wednesday, February 1st

He knew something was wrong . . . Wes Fournette awoke with a start. His bed was moving from side to side and it was vibrating like his massage chair at home. He knew the side to side rocking motion was caused by wind borne swells in the ocean, but the intense vibration was abnormal on a cruise ship of this size.

Now fully awake, he rubbed his eyes, trying to adjust to the semi-darkness in his vibrating stateroom. His first thought told him that something was wrong with the ship’s engine or a drive shaft bearing. Neither problem was a good thing for a cruise ship out in the Atlantic ocean with 3,000 passengers on board.

The bright shaft of light piercing the crack in the swaying drapes told him that dawn had arrived. The big question was where should he go and who should he ask about the obvious problem.

His instincts told him that he should probably get up, get dressed, and go up to the buffet for coffee. One of the employees there should have the answer.

After donning shorts and a t-shirt, he departed his cabin, his flip-flops cushioning the short walk to the elevator lobby. The elevator ride was a quick trip from deck eight to deck fifteen.

Good morning sir, said the first waiter he met as he entered the huge dining area.

Morning, he responded, as he looked around.

He didn’t think a waiter would know any details about the vibration, so he didn’t ask. He looked around the busy buffet for a uniformed officer, but saw none.

Would you like some coffee? the waiter asked.

I would and I’ll sit over there by the window, he said, pointing to a table.

His concern increased when he sat down and saw the salt and pepper shakers jiggling and bouncing on the table. Even far above the engine room on deck fifteen, the vibration seemed even worse than it was in his cabin on deck eight.

Would you like cream for your coffee? asked the waiter, as he placed the cup of coffee on the table.

Wes nodded, as he considered the possible causes for the abnormal vibration. He knew that it had to be significant if it was being conducted through the ship’s frame all the way up to deck fifteen.

In deep thought, he poured in two small packets of sugar and stirred the mixture, preparing for his first taste of this blend. The sip proved acceptable.

It seemed strange to him that no one else seemed to be bothered by the unusual vibration. Most of the people were talking, eating and drinking coffee all around him as though they were completely unaware the ship was shaking their tables.

As he thought about the vibration and with his engineering background, he knew that kind of heavy vibration could eventually induce metal fatigue which could cause catastrophic damage.

Still lost in thought, he was abruptly jarred back to reality by a voice.

Is this taken? a man asked, pointing to the small table that was almost touching his identical table for two.

Wes smiled and made a friendly gesture for the man and his wife to take a seat.

We’re from Virginia, said the man. I’m Vern and this is Amy, pointing to his wife.

I’m Wes from Louisiana, he responded, and glad to have some company.

You’re not married? asked Amy.

Wes shook his head.

Divorced . . . and I’ve always wanted to see the Panama Canal, so I came by myself.

We’re excited about seeing it, too.

Wes took another sip of coffee as the tremor seemed to subside a little.

Have you noticed the vibration? he asked Vern.

I sure have, he said, nodding. This is our first cruise and I wondered if it was the norm for all cruise ships.

I’m an engineer, said Wes, and I can assure you that it’s not. Something, somewhere, is out of balance.

"Should we be concerned?

I’m not sure yet.

Well . . . we’ve had some serious concerns about the cruise. We made our reservation nine months ago and put down a deposit. Last month we received a letter from the company telling us that something had been damaged and the ship could not reach full power.

Really? That’s very strange.

Yeah . . . they said they were revising our itinerary. They changed our last port from Jamaica to Grand Cayman since it was closer and would allow us to get back to Ft. Lauderdale on time.

Hmmm . . . depending on what was damaged, it might explain this excessive vibration. It also sounds as if they might have to limit the engine speed to keep from tearing up something. We certainly don’t want to lose the engine in the middle of the Gulf Stream.

I told my wife I couldn’t imagine why a company would send a damaged ship out to sea with 3,000 passengers on board.

They probably don’t have a replacement ship and had already sold 3,000 tickets.

I wanted to cancel our trip, but they refused to refund our money.

That says a lot about why they allowed the ship to make the voyage. It has to do with revenues.

Vern nodded, then asked, Have you ever heard of this island where we will be stopping?

No . . . all I know is that it’s a small island in the Bahamas.

There are plenty of well known resorts in the Bahamas. I wonder why they picked this island."

I hear that the some of the cruise lines lease parts of islands for their own private use so they don’t have to pay port charges.

That makes sense, said Vern.

They would have to make an initial investment for the docks and a few buildings, but no weekly port fees for their ships.

"Well . . . I would prefer touring the old island towns and checking out the architecture. Many of the larger islands have modern conveniences, like piers where you can walk off the ship.

Yeah . . . I dread is having to go ashore in those little boats instead of walking out onto a pier.

Do you think that’s what they’ll do at this stop?

Yes and I agree . . . piers are much more user friendly. They call these little boats ‘tenders’ but unless the ocean is calm, they’re not very tender, said Wes. The waves can really toss you around.

He signaled a waiter and pointed to his coffee cup. The waiter quickly refilled the cup with fresh hot coffee.

You can’t fault the service in here, said Vern. These employees seem to be well trained.

The food has been good, too, said Amy. Our dinner last night was delicious.

Wes chuckled.

I hear that the average cruise passenger gains ten pounds while on a ten day cruise.

Which reminds me, said Vern, smiling, we are on our way to the exercise facility. We’d better move on, enjoyed visiting with you.

Amy smiled and nodded as they stood up and departed.

As he watched them leave, he glanced at a man walking by looking for a vacant table. Wes couldn’t help but notice that his face obviously had endured a bad case of teenage acne. His week-old stubble didn’t hide the damage. The name ‘scar face’ came to mind as he watched the man finally settle into a table at the far end of the dining area.

Wes continued to sit, contemplating his schedule on his first day at sea, still wondering who he could ask about the vibration as a waiter removed the cups and wiped the adjoining table clean.

May we? chirped a woman’s voice, pointing to the cleaned table.

Wes looked up to see two women, probably in their late thirties standing next to the vacant table.

You’ll have to behave yourselves if you sit there, he answered, with a grin.

That brought the expected laugh from both the ladies as they put their plates down and took their seats.

You drive a hard bargain, said one of them. I’m Shirley and this is Katie.

I’m Wes from Louisiana, he responded. You two seem to be having fun.

Yeah, said Shirley, we’re with the singles group organized by Vacations-To-Go. There are about 300 of us on this cruise.

Wow . . . that suggests that this ship may rock and roll for about ten days.

The girls laughed.

It did a little rocking and rolling last night while I was trying to sleep, said Katie. I’m not used to sleeping on a vibrator bed.

Wes nodded.

Yeah . . . I noticed that, too.

He decided not to share his concern about the excessive vibration figuring there was no point in causing a possible panic with these two.

As the girls ate their bacon and eggs, they discussed the scheduled events for the first day at sea.

I want to hear that author discuss his mystery books, said Shirley. I like to read and I see that he has his books available for autographing.

Yeah . . . that would give us something to read this afternoon while we’re sunbathing, said Katie. I get bored just sitting in the sun.

Don’t forget, we have to save time for the Spa, too.

So . . . you girls are going to get pampered?

You bet, said Shirley. we have to take advantage while it’s available.

Wes could tell that Shirley was a strong-willed woman

Well . . . I’ll see you ladies later, said Wes, standing, I need pampering too. I have a date with a shower and a shave.

Chapter Two

Wes Fournette reached down to tie his sneakers when he heard a warning signal ringing over the loud speaker in his cabin. He had just finished showering, shaving and slipping on some clean shorts and a t-shirt when he heard the announcement that followed.

Code Bravo . . . Code Bravo.

These words sounded pretty cryptic and he wondered what they meant. He went back in the bathroom to comb his hair when he heard the rest of the announcement boom out over the speaker system.

Ladies and gentlemen . . . this is the Captain. As you have noticed, we have turned around and are now going in the opposite direction. We have a medical emergency on board and will be rendezvousing with a Coast Guard helicopter in about two hours.

Wes, who had been in the shower, was unaware the ship had turned around. He walked over to the balcony to check. Sure enough, he saw that the sun was on the opposite side of the ship.

When this maneuver is completed, we will resume our original course, the Captain continued. Thank you for your patience.

The Captain’s Italian accent made it difficult to understand the entire message, but Wes understood enough to realize that this had to be pretty serious.

Now he knew what ‘Code Bravo’ meant. It designated a medical emergency and notified the crew to begin pre-planned procedure of where on the ship they were to go and what they were to do.

He decided to go up top to the swimming pool deck so he could watch the helicopter arrive. He had already noticed that there was no heliport on the ship, so he anticipated a complicated effort to pick up the patient.

Standing in the warm sun and knowing it would be over an hour before the helicopter arrived, he elected to indulge in a Bloody Mary while he waited.

The poolside bar was a busy place, since it seemed that over half of the 3,000 passengers had gathered to watch the event.

About half way through his Bloody Mary, he noticed that the ship was no longer moving.

We’re dead in the water, he heard someone say.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, a brightly colored, orange and white helicopter appeared from a northerly direction. For some reason, when it arrived, it flew in wide circles around the ship eight or ten times.

The crew had previously roped off the front observation deck, so Wes was unable to see what was happening on the bow.

What kind of medical emergency do you think it is? asked a man standing beside him.

It could be anything from a heart attack, stroke or a broken hip from a fall, said Wes. It has to be pretty serious for this kind of rescue.

Apparently, as they watched, the pilot established communication with the medical team and began to hover near the ship’s bow. They dropped a rope and lowered a man down to the ship.

That’s probably a medic, said Wes. You notice the pilot seems to be having trouble holding the helicopter against the gusting wind, but he keeps it pretty steady."

Then, after about ten more minutes, they lowered a metal reinforced stretcher from the helicopter to the ship.

Wow, I’d hate to be picked up in that thing, said the man. If the rope broke, I’d end up at the bottom of the ocean.

Well . . . they’re going to strap the patient in securely, but it will be a scary ride, especially if he has a fear of heights.

That copter been hovering out there for a long time. I hope he has plenty of gas.

Yeah, and they still have the trip back to Florida or to a fast Coast Guard ship.

Finally, they saw the patient being hoisted on the stretcher back up to the helicopter and then saw them lift the medic.

I can’t tell if the patient is a man or woman, said Wes. The person is covered up with a blanket.

You don’t think that person is dead, do you? asked the man.

No . . . if the person was dead, they wouldn’t need the helicopter rescue. There’s a morgue on the ship.

Wow . . . I didn’t know that.

They have a brig, too, so we better behave ourselves, said Wes with a chuckle.

How do you know all of that?

We have a long history with ocean going ships in Louisiana.

Well . . . I’m from Iowa. We don’t have many ships in our state, the man said, with a smile.

The helicopter began to move away from the cruise ship and head back toward Florida. The large crowd of observers also began to thin out.

The ship began to move and made a wide u-turn to get back on course.

I’m hot . . . I think I’ll have another Bloody Mary, said Wes. Will you join me?

No thanks . . . my wife is waiting to go look at the art display. I’ll see you around.

* * *

Opting for a late lunch, Wes entered the buffet up on deck fifteen about 1:30 and surveyed the offerings. The crowd had thinned leaving several window tables vacant. He had seen no one in uniform that he could ask about the vibration.

He grabbed a plate and after deciding to keep it light, he selected a broiled fish dish, some au gratin potatoes and a green salad. Carefully carrying his plate, he walked over to one of the window tables.

What would you like to drink, sir? a waiter asked, as he took his seat.

Just water, please.

As he took his first bite, two women seated themselves at the adjoining table.

You ladies must be here with the big singles group, he said.

How did you guess? asked one of them.

The ‘Vacations-To-Go’ ribbon around your neck gives you away.

They both laughed.

You’re a fast learner, said the other girl. I’m Sissy and this is Nell.

I’m Wes from Louisiana.

Do you have webbed feet? asked Nell, with a chuckle.

Wes smiled.

No . . . we usually wear boots.

The waiter brought his water and asked the ladies what they wanted to drink.

That was an exciting event this morning, he said, after they requested water. I’ve only seen that kind of rescue in the movies.

We missed it, said Sissy. We were in the Spa. Our group is having a cocktail party late this afternoon and we wanted to look our best.

It worked . . . you two look great.

Hmmmm . . . you have possibilities, said Sissy. Do you have a wife?

No . . . I’m divorced.

Then you’re invited to our party, said Nell. We’ve been doing this for the last three years and we have friends from all over the world. You’ll enjoy it.

Okay . . . when and where?

Five o’clock in Club Fargo down on deck five.

What’s the dress code?

Smart casual this time. Tomorrow night is the costume party.

Sounds like fun. I’ll be looking forward to it.

Wes finished his lunch while the girls chatted about the two o’clock art show.

I’ll see you girls at five, he said, standing up to leave.

We’ll be looking for you, said Sissy.

Chapter Three

Wes Fournette stepped off the elevator and entered the long corridor that led to his stateroom, stopping immediately when he saw a shocking sight about thirty yards down the corridor.

Amazingly, the sight he saw was a woman’s body being dragged into a stateroom. He blinked a couple of times trying to be sure of what he was seeing.

Stunned as he saw the feet disappear and heard the door slam, he ran down the corridor to try to determine in which stateroom this strange event took place. From almost ninety feet away, it was impossible to be sure which one of the identical doors now hid the body.

He stopped and listened, but heard no sound except the ship’s engine. His stateroom was a few doors away, so he decided to go call the ship’s security office.

As he reached for the bedside phone, he hesitated. Logic began to color his thoughts, making him question the reality of what he saw.

Realizing that it was possible the woman could have simply fainted, he hesitated to make the call. It also dawned on him that he would be unable to tell them which stateroom to check.

He stepped back out into the corridor and put his ear to about ten doors, but heard nothing. It was then he decided to go down to the security office and discuss what he saw in person.

The security officer listened to his story, making some notes about which deck and what range of cabin numbers were involved.

I agree, he said, that the lady could have fainted and with no help available, her companion had no choice but to drag her into the stateroom.

I certainly hope that was the case, said Wes.

I suspect that was something like that, since murders on cruise ships are very rare. Additionally, murdering someone in a public corridor would seem to be a unlikely choice.

You’re probably right . . . and the murderer would have no place to go in order to make his escape.

Could you tell about what age the person was?

No . . . all I saw was from the waist down at considerable distance. I could only tell that she had on pants and sneakers.

Well . . . thank you for reporting this. I’ll ask the room steward in that area to keep his eyes open for any unusual activity. Maybe we can solve this without alarming anyone.

Realizing that panic on a cruise ship could be dangerous, Wes nodded as he took his leave and went back up to his cabin. On the way, he stopped at some of the same doors to listen again, but heard nothing. When he reached his cabin, he tried to read, but he couldn’t get his mind off what he had seen.

Frustrated, he decided to go to the internet café and research the propulsion systems on cruise ships. That information might shed some light on the excessive engine vibration he was concerned about.

He bought two hours of computer time and began his research. He wanted to confirm what he thought he already knew about the cruise ship propulsion system being diesel electric.

The computer was extremely slow, trying his patience as he searched for cruise ship propulsion. After an agonizing wait, the search engine finally produced an article on the subject.

Sure enough, he confirmed his suspicion that the diesel engine drives several electric generators. They, in turn, supply current to the electric motors attached to the huge propellers.

Therefore, if the generators fail, not only is the ship is without propulsion, there is no power