EPISODE: 22

Illustration for "MRS. LUCY CRAWFORD LEAVES LIFEBOAT No.13." Created by the author. Copyright © 2011-2025 Stephen J. Williams.

"April 1912 - the ill-fated RMS Titanic is sinking: But when a certain Mrs. Lucy Crawford gives up her place in the lifeboat, the services of Mr. Tibbs are required to protect the Time-Line - Lucy should have survived the sinking - but for some reason she abandons her seat to a strange young man and this gesture will change the future; and possibly not for the best!"

Episode may contain the following warnings: 

Alcohol - smoking - strong foul language [including historical language and opinions that are certainly not woke!] - sexual references [including sexual violence and BDSM] - Violence [including torture, combat, domestic and sexual] - references to prostitution, human trafficking, classic slavery and treating women as chattels - Supernatural & paranormal experiences - Horror - Terror induced fear and threats of violence. Reading about historical and past events which have NOT BEEN SANITISED in any way! Oh, and some episodes contain Nazi's; new and old.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER:

“All incidents and dialogue, and all characters with the exception of some well-known historical figures, are products of the author's imagination and are not to be construed as real. Where real-life historical figures appear, the situations, incidents, and dialogues concerning those persons are entirely fictional and are not intended to depict actual events or to change the entirely fictional nature of the work. In all other respects, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. 

SOME OF THESE EPISODES CONTAIN VERY STRONG LANGUAGE, VIOLENCE, HORROR AND SEXUAL REFERENCES. They are AGE RECOMMENDED suitable for persons aged 12+ years only. Some episodes are rated HIGHER at 15+ and ALL the 'ALEXANDRA' Series versions are AGE RATED at 18+”

Stephen Williams

THE AUTHOR.

Author’s notes about this episode:  

[1] ***Plot spoiler*** 

This episode contains the graphic description of a brutal murder.

[2] Names have been changed to protect the innocent!

[3] This story is based – obviously - in part, on a true incident which is probably the world's best known shipwreck! Should you require further information, then check this 'WIKIPEDIA' entry, HERE.

[4] The original Title for this episode was: ‘LIFEBOAT.’

[5] A ‘Jericho Tibbs’ original story.

[6] This episode is 'linked' to the following episodes:

 [a] "Karma."

 [b] "Jericho Tibbs and the tablet of creation."

[7] "MRS. LUCY CRAWFORD LEAVES LIFEBOAT No.13." The original illustration for this episode was created by the author, as was this episode, which was also conceived and written by him. Copyright © 2011-2025 Stephen Williams. No reproduction of any part without written permission.

[8] There is an 'ALEXANDRA' adult extended version currently available entitled:

"ALEXANDRA'S TITANIC NIGHT TO REMEMBER!"

Episode details:

Concept date: 22nd May 2017

First published: 1st November 2017

Status: COMPLETED & PUBLISHED.

Location: BOOK SERIES 2 – EPISODE 10

Revisions: 5 [last revised January 2019]

Version: Final.

Published Episode No. 22

Previous episode: “Marcus Colla and the fighting dead.”

Next episode: “William Shakespeare’s lost play: The Lady of Cappanni.”

Age recommendation: 12+

Average reading time: Approximately 60 Minutes.

Angel-in-charge: Margret 

Team Assigned: Team 74

Mission: 11 - 271899 - 5 – 1912

Human time:

Gregorian Calendar: MCMXII

Muslim Calendar: 1330 - 1331 [AH]

Hebrew Calendar: 5672 - 5673

Christian Calendar: 1912AD 

Episode:

"MRS. LUCY CRAWFORD LEAVES LIFEBOAT No.13."

1. OLD NIGHTMARES.

Mrs. Lucy Crawford woke with a jerk and covered her face with both hands, she sighed as she wiped the tears from her cheeks and groaned a little about her neck – she had fallen asleep in the damn chair again and dreamt about him – yet aain.

It had been over a year since Robert’s death, and she still cried at dreams in which he appeared; smiling and pushing back his dark curly hair with a real exaggerated sweep of the hand; then the broad grin and gentle touch upon her hands. Her only son had died – just aged ten – and his premature death had finally ended her empty marriage. She rose slowly from the chair and stretched; glancing at the wall clock which displayed 10.05 PM, she must have slept for about a half hour which was good for her these days.

 She poured water from the pitcher and opened her embroidered pillbox, removing two little white tablets and dropped them into her mouth and sipped the water slowly.

Lucy could feel the movement of the ship and so she wrapped her coat about herself, adding a hat and scarf, for extra warmth. “I’m on a damn ship in the middle of the ocean, so i will follow Doctor Halstead’s recommendation and get some sea air!” She muttered and unlocked her cabin door and made for the Deck stairs – the chill of the air made her draw shallow breaths - as she opened the sea door and stepped upon the deck. Lucy was surprised to see several couples walking the deck and a polite ‘Good Evening’ was passed between them. She wandered along the deck until she noticed the young man smoking a small pipe by the Dining Room doorway; he was wearing evening dress and checking his pocket watch; a very handsome man with black curly hair and dark eyes. He watched her approach and raised his pipe in salute; “Good evening, Madam.”  

 Lucy concluded that his accent was American, probably from the Southern States. She nodded her greeting and walked on; she resisted looking back for a few seconds, then glanced over her shoulder and for the first time in many years; blushed. He was smiling at her and he raised his hand a little, and then disappeared into the Dining Room. Strangely enough, she didn’t feel any shame; after all, married women should not send such signals to unknown handsome young men – but she didn’t really care!

 In reality, her marriage had been over for some years before Robert’s death, but divorce was no option for a woman like her, in England. But not so in America and so her husband; John Crawford was waiting in New York. The Lawyer’s had been carefully selected and now all that was required was a five-minute court case before a sympathetic Judge and it would be finished.                                  

Lucy noticed the lights coming from the bar and decided upon a large brandy for a nightcap and a shield against the cold of the North Atlantic. A very smart looking Steward opened the door and she was greeted with a smile. He helped remove her coat and scarf, but Lucy kept her hat firmly on and sat at the table by the fireplace, ordering her desired brandy.

“Will you be joined Ma’am?” The Steward asked, placing the large Brandy upon the table. Lucy was about to say no when the Sea Door opened, and the handsome young man stepped in; rubbing his hands against the cold. He smiled at Lucy, and she turned to the Steward and ordered a second Brandy. He dropped into the seat next to her and pushed a hand through his dark hair; “I’m David Grey and I do believe you are Mrs. Lucy Crawford, of the Crawford’s of Liverpool, am I correct?”

Lucy smiled and nodded; “How did you acquire such knowledge?” She asked sipping her Brandy, watching his dark eyes which never left hers. He grinned and held up both hands; “I asked the damn Steward!” They both laughed and began to chat, all small talk and Brandy.

They left the bar just after Eleven o’clock and walked slowly to her cabin and David opened the door with the key offered. Lucy hesitated in the doorway for a few seconds then strode into the room, removing her hat and gloves. They stood before each other for about a minute without saying a word; then David slowly gripped her, and they kissed passionately.

At 11.40 PM the pair was disturbed by a large shudder which interrupted their lovemaking and made the lovers laugh as Lucy admitted it was the first time she felt ‘the earth move!’ – The interruption didn’t last long as they immediately continued their embrace, oblivious of the chaos that was starting around them.

2. THE NEW NIGHTMARE.

 They were woken by hard banging on the door and a voice shouting; “Mrs. Crawford, Mrs. Crawford, the Captain has ordered all passengers to their Life-boat stations at once. Please dress warmly and wear your lifejacket!” Gripping each other tightly, they could hear the same message being replayed for their neighbours and so both slipped from the bed and David helped Lucy dress. They kissed passionately and made their way to the deck. The corridor was packed with people walking slowly, talking and smoking, with many carrying their lifejackets. “If it wasn’t for the damn lifejackets and bedtime attire; you would think everyone was cuing to get in the opera!” David said, holding on tightly to Lucy’s hand. That made Lucy smile and the pair hurried up the nearest staircase and through the big sea-door, manned by a nervous young steward who gestured them through; “Please make your way to your lifeboat station: it’s the captains orders!”

 When on deck the couple joined a group gathered around a lifeboat which was being swung out by a couple of sailors. A young Officer stood close by with both hands in the air and shouting; “Women and children only! Captains orders! Women and Children only!” Lucy and David exchanged looks and gripped each other’s hands.

They quietly argued about the situation and David won; Lucy would board this boat and he would find one that was allowing men to go. The Officer helped Lucy climb in and she joined about fifteen other ladies and several children. She watched David standing upon the deck, talking with several of the other men and lighting his pipe. She could make out the small white sparks and little yellow flames. He grinned and waved; like she was catching just a train and not saving her life by going. Their eyes met and Lucy knew what she had to do. David was a young man with all his life before him; her life was over and she knew it. She signalled the Officer and spoke to him quickly and quietly; he reluctantly agreed that the pair could trade places. David refused at first, but Lucy convinced him that she had a far better chance of gaining a seat in another lifeboat than he could. Much to the shock and embarrassment of the waiting passengers, the pair embraced with some passion and swapped places, with Lucy striding down the deck, this time not looking back, heading for the bar.

Lucy gripped the doorway to the bar and breathed deep; she had already decided not to bother seeking out another life-boat and made her way inside and sat at the very same table the pair had enjoyed earlier – except there was a very striking young couple - sitting and drinking brandy, in two of the chairs. Lucy sat down without introduction or inquiry about the empty seats and quickly ordered a Brandy from the Steward.

The pair smiled at her, and the very beautiful young woman raised her glass and said quietly; “To family, friends and loved one’s and a damn space on a little wooden boat!” They both chuckled and sipped their drinks, Lucy smiled and raised her glass; “To love and the stupid, but wonderful things it does to you!” The pair agreed with that sentiment and the three sat chatting, strangely enough they made little negative comment about Lucy giving up her seat for someone, who was a total stranger yesterday. Lucy discreetly omitted the part concerning their lovemaking; they were strangers after all!

 Through the door came an Officer with two Stewards who were carrying blankets; he glanced across to their table and walked over. With a grim face, he leaned over the table and spoke quietly; “You ladies need to get to a boat at once, this ship is sinking and will go under. There are too few damn lifeboats for everyone, so go now. The captain has ordered only women and children first, but the boat I am to command will take young men, make for number nine and do it now – do you understand, you must go now - she will sink in less than an hour, get to a boat now.” He straightened up and without further comment walked away, followed by the two Stewards struggling with their pile of blankets.

There was silence at the table until the young man slapped his top hat on and smiled; “Well, Mrs. Crawford, I think it’s time to find that little wooden boat and take our leave from this grand, wonderful, but dying ship.” The young Lady arose and adjusted her hat and coat; “Come on Lucy, let’s find our future.” At first Lucy refused, but the pair was very persuasive, and she slowly agreed to join them, and the little group headed for the deck and all three could feel the strange new movements of the ship.

 They passed a mum and daughter, gripping their lifejackets and walking quickly up the deck, the young girl stopped and threw a bottle over the side shouting; "I promised Uncle Raymond that I would write from the ship at sea!" She actually grinned, but a couple of men standing opposite shook their heads and also threw something over the side; several deckchairs tied together, forming a fragile raft. Other people were just rushing about in a panic: real fear was starting to appear with the ship now at quite an angle into the dark cold sea. It was slowly dawning on the somewhat complacent passengers that the damn ship would sink!

 The little group stopped and Jericho slowly smiled; “The band is still playing, good heavens that’s the British spirit!”  Alex agreed and grabbed Lucy by the arm; “I studied the life-boat stations – I was really bored waiting for dinner one night – and Station No. 9 is close by, come on!” Lucy’s mind was reeling and the shocking and terrifying thought that she would actually drown in that dark freezing sea now swept over her. She cursed her now apparent conscientious stupidity and thanked the almighty that she met this kind and caring couple.

3. THE UNTHINKABLE HAPPENS TO THE UNSINKABLE.

 Bright white flares punctuated the dark night sky and illuminated the dreadful sight of people rushing about the decks; some crying and screaming, some standing with arms folded and grim faces. “The ship is going under.” The young man commented with no emotion in his voice and they made their way through the throngs of desperate people until they reached boat number nine. Lucy glanced at her watch and saw 1.25 AM; the boat was starting to be lowered. It was the young lady who called across to the Officer; “Have you room for this Lady?”

He nodded and the young man gripped Lucy by the arm and almost frog marched her to the boat, where the officer helped her board for the second time that night. “Aren’t you coming?” Lucy spluttered in amazement as the two started to walk away from the boat, which now jerked gently and started the long descent to the quiet and dark ocean surface.

The young woman called back; “See you in New York Lucy!” and the pair disappeared into the crowds heading for the boats. Lucy gripped the side of the boat and watched until she couldn’t make them out anymore. The boat dipped into the sea and cold water splashed nearly everyone in the small boat. Lucy pulled her coat about herself and brushed off the freezing spray, then realised that the water was so cold few people would be pulled from it alive.

She slumped back and gripped her seat as the lifeboat rolled with the waves and started to head away from the ship. The woman next to her wiped her wet face and sighed; “I can’t see him anymore; I can’t see him.”

 Lucy and the woman gripped hands and she stared up at the ship and felt her heart stop; by the rails where number nine was launched stood David, looking about and puffing hard on his pipe. Lucy sat in cold fear and with some growing anger, tried to stand shouting; “You idiot! You had a place in a bloody boat, what are you doing there!” She was screaming and the other passengers shouted for her to calm down; the sailor at the helm pushed her hard into the seat shouting; “You’ll capsize us you stupid cow!”

The boat was rowed away with some effort as several of the women sobbed loudly; including Lucy, but the little boat fell almost silent as the terrific noise of escaping steam and breaking metal filled the night air. They watched in utter horror as the ship plunged into darkness and they could make out her silhouette splitting into two and slowly [so it seemed] the great ship disappeared from view. For a few long seconds there was a kind of silence, then the screaming and pitiful crying of those thrown into the icy water floated across the sea’s surface.

 With a shaking hand, Lucy held her watch up to her face and could just make out the time: 02.20 AM. It had been just over three hours since David and she had found each other. They had been together for just three hours and now that was all gone.

Lucy bowed her head and sobbed.

“Why don’t we go back and help them?” One elderly lady shouted at the sailor holding the tiller, He said nothing, and she repeated the question, being joined by another couple of women who demanded they return to help those poor souls freezing to death in the water.

“No.” he said simply and wiped his face with a dirty rag, he looked about the little boat and added; “They will swamp the boat and sink us – they are desperate and won’t care a fig about drowning us – so we’ll wait until it gets a bit quieter, then we’ll try.” He coughed loudly and blew his nose.

The Lady sitting opposite Lucy also wiped her face and said with a very firm and clear voice; “You mean go back when most of them are dead?” There was a little murmur amongst the women, but several agreed with the sailor and the discussion seemed to fade away in the shivering, bitter cold as the little boat rose and fell with the soft waves.

Lucy sobbed quietly for some minutes and then felt something in her coat pocket and fumbling about, pulling it out; to her amazement it was a large hipflask. She had no idea how it came to be there, and she slowly unscrewed the cap and sniffed the contents; Brandy! She ran her fingers over the metal body and found it was etched with the name; JERICHO TIBBS, Esq. she had never heard of him, but Lucy took a little sip – it tasted like nectar – then she offered the Lady next to her and the woman gulped some down and smiled at her benefactor. “I couldn’t see him, you know, I just couldn’t see him.” Lucy gently lowered the woman’s head upon her shoulder and wrapped her coat tightly. 

"I couldn’t see my husband, David; I never saw him to say… to say goodbye.” The woman gripped Lucy’s hand and Lucy now whispered. “What was his name?” The woman lifted her head and wiped her face again; “David Gray. My husband is called David Gray, We’re from Richmond in Virginia. Some people were….are surprised....or even shocked because he is so much younger than I. But we don’t care about that.”

 Lucy realised that the woman must be similar in age to herself and noticed that her tears had stopped. The woman introduced herself as Mrs. Elizabeth Gray and had been visiting London for the funeral of her English grandmother; she was also showing off her new, young husband to relatives.

 Lucy found out that Elizabeth had been widowed a couple of years, her first husband had been a very wealthy man involved in the textile business and cotton production. He was found dead in the toilet of his Richmond factory; a vicious heart attack had taken him quickly and with little fuss. It made Elizabeth a very wealthy widow, but she was sad that she and Henry [her late husband] never had the blessing of children. She was apparently barren and every doctor the pair consulted reached the same diagnosis. She had met David shortly afterwards, but the pair had to wait a ‘respectable’ time before marrying due to the period of mourning expected or rather; required by polite society.

 Elizabeth wiped a couple of more tears from her face and openly confessed that David and she had fought over the revelation that she was in fact, barren. She had only confessed after they married, and he was quite angry about it. But why on earth did it matter - he knew she was an 'older' woman - when they wed, and the prospect of children was already gone!

 Lucy spoke about the loss of her young son; Robert to Scarlet fever and the enduring pain that she carried regarding his death. Her only comfort was her two grown daughters; both due to marry next year. She slumped back on the hard wooden seat and realised that she would have given her life up for an apparently worthless, cheating seducer. She shuddered and sipped some more brandy, thanking her lucky stars that she had encountered that strange couple; but what had become of them, she now wondered?

She stared out into the darkness and could make out another lifeboat some yards away; everyone waved and shouted; the sailor at the tiller turned towards the other boat and shouted to pull hard at the oars. The two little boats headed for each other in the icy blackness.

 4. SO MANY DEAD; SO MANY SOULS.

 The white galleon slid across the sea's surface with ease, dipping gently and rolling very little with the waves. On the fore deck, Captain Alfonzo Stark consulted his mirror with great interest, doing the math’s in his head, he turned to Alex and smiled; "We've recovered some 1,496 souls from the water. But we have nine souls still missing which is rather strange, wouldn't you say?" he gestured to the vast empty ocean and added; "Where the hell could they go out here?"

 Alex was also reading her mirror and shook her head in some puzzlement; "The total taken by the sea is given at 1,503, so how do we have nine missing souls; that's two too many by my calculations." Jericho chuckled and pushed his mirror back into the folds of his long, dark frock coat and folded his arms; "There were two stowaways amongst the steerage passengers, they came aboard when the ship stopped at Queenstown [now called Cobh]. They pretended to be part of the crew working the PS America, the tender that carried passengers and cargo to the Titanic; they then slipped aboard. Now that has to be the worst travel plan in history." He looked down at the lower deck, watching countless souls being greeted by the ten collectors assigned to the case. Little flashes of light gave notice of individual souls commencing their journey to the 'hereafter' or rather; to be recycled or quarantined! He smiled at Alex; "Angel Margret is going to be busy processing this lot. I understand that Angel Francis is lending a hand [he was Duty Death Angel before Margret took over the position] He knows what he's doing,"

Wilson and Owen joined the little group upon the fore deck and confirmed the figure of 1,496 souls being processed - they had the figure on good authority; Raj Bakshi, the Senior Collector present, had told them. Wilson also informed Jericho that the two stowaways were amongst the missing souls.

 Jericho rubbed his chin, deep in thought until Owen said; "Maybe they were hiding deep in the ship and simply couldn't escape to the upper decks in time.”

 "Maybe, but that wouldn't explain why their souls are missing." Jericho muttered and his thoughts were interrupted again, this time by Alex, who tapped her mirror; "The two stowaways were local men whose families reported them missing some weeks after the disaster. Of course, no-one knew what had actually happened to them and so there was never any link to the Titanic tragedy, except both families said the men wanted to move to America for a new and better life.”

 "We need to look very carefully at the missing souls. Owen, get me all the information Records has on them. I think the answer may lay with one of the missing souls." Jericho thrust both hands into his pockets and one hand emerged with a strange little glass orb. They all gathered around him and watched as wavy, soft red streaks started to appear around its circumference. "Oh fuck." Muttered Captain Stark as he realized that those little streaks indicated a Minion of the 'Dark One' was about – now possibly in human form. The little group stood in silence until Jericho sighed loudly; "There is only one place the bastard could be hiding in this vast nothing." Everyone followed his gaze towards the huddle of lifeboats some distance away.

"We must have been too quick on scene for it to escape with its prizes." Captain Stark spoke directly to Jericho, who nodded his agreement; "Yes, you would have seen the dark light appear quite clearly and could have called for a Guardian. So, the bugger hid where it thinks it’s nice and safe - amongst the still living."

"Which means we must go amongst them and find it before the rescue ship arrives [RMS Carpathia] in a couple of hours. We are now really up against the clock and it’s not in our favour." Jericho stared at the little boats as they tried to gather together in the rolling waves.

"I've put a call in for a Guardian." Wilson said simply, then chuckled; "It’s quite a swim to reach them." Jericho allowed himself a little smile and pointed to an empty and damaged lifeboat floating some yards away; "Can you get that for us captain?" Stark shouted; yes, as he made way down the stairs nearby to arrange its retrieval.

 "History records that 705 people survived this disaster, which means our little friend, must be one of them. If we take him or her we change history, and we can't do that, so we need a changeling. Alex, pick one of the dead who has not yet been processed and keep them on standby; I'm pretty sure they will be happy with that!"

Not surprisingly Alex objected to being an arbiter of life and death, but nevertheless, reluctantly agreed. To no-one's surprise, she selected a young child; but remained unhappy about her allocated task.

But everyone was happy when the Guardian appeared; it was their old friend and former colleague; Oscar. He was greeted with much warmth and friendship, even receiving a little kiss upon the cheek from Alex. "O.K. you motley crew of old sea dogs, let's go demon hunting!" Jericho shouted and they made their way to the now resurrected lifeboat and headed towards the other boats.

5. HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT?

Lucy watched the other lifeboat approach with great interest and a little relief; the odd young couple was safe and sound after all. But the other three characters in the boat caught her eye and she was both puzzled and a little amazed; a strapping big African man, a well-dressed dwarf and a strange young boy with a peculiar grin! She certainly couldn't recall seeing a big black man about the ship and Lucy would have noticed a dwarf amongst the passengers - he and the black man - would have been the talk of the voyage. Lucy now wondered about their connection with the strange young couple and believed they must have kept to their cabins to avoid being objects of fascination, whilst at sea.

"Oh my God; a black man!" Elizabeth Gray almost spat the words out and added; "I hope he doesn't expect to share this little boat with decent white people." Her words didn't shock Lucy, but they did surprise her. Mrs. Gray clearly didn't like or value black people, but she was from Richmond, Virginia and that may go a little way, to explain her unpalatable hatred, Lucy reasoned to herself.

 That bought her thoughts back to David and they weren't pleasant ones - she really was disgusted and ashamed with herself, at what had passed between the two, especially now; sharing this lifeboat with his wronged wife and she was the other half to that awful, cheating infidelity and deception. Lucy wondered how many other stupid, desperate women had fallen for his obvious fake charm. She glanced at Elizabeth, who was adjusting her hat against the sea spray and felt a little sympathy for her. She pulled her coat about and shivered in the cold night air and she realised that it would be good to speak to the strange couple again - they had a quiet, reassuring manner about them - and they had certainly saved her life.

 Jericho's lifeboat came aside and the sailor at the tiller of Lucy's boat shouted out in welcome; he was clearly relieved to see other men had escaped the terrible calamity. But wondered why the boat only carried five persons. Mr. Andrews [the Titanic's designer and architect who had sailed with her from Liverpool] had told the lifeboat crews; that the little boats were built to carry seventy full grown men. The sailor also knew that many had been launched only half full, under officer's orders to fill with women and children only. He looked about his little boat and deduced that nearly everyone here was a first or second-class passenger. What happened to all those women and children in steerage? He pushed the thoughts from his mind, but had his wife and children been on board, they would probably be at the bottom of the sea now. He shuddered at that thought and tried to focus on the job in hand; keeping his passengers safe and sound until rescue.

Oscar leaned forward and, in a voice, just above a whisper said; "It's not here, there's nothing showing on my orb." He pushed the little glass ball back into his pocket and relaxed back in his seat. Jericho nodded his agreement and also replaced his orb into a coat pocket. That's when Alex spotted Lucy, waving and smiling at her. Alex turned to Jericho; "Its Lucy Crawford!" They both exchanged a quizzical look and Jericho rubbed his chin, thinking hard on the significance of this co-incidence. He turned to Owen, who was on the tiller, and ordered the boat away; to try another craft.

 "Wait, hold on!" Alex suddenly exclaimed, as she realised that Lucy was moving quickly, but carefully, through her boat towards them. She could hear Lucy telling people that her friends were in that boat, and she was going to join them. The sailor at the tiller made no objection to that; it was one less damn troublesome woman to worry about!

 Lucy was gently eased into the lifeboat and hugged Alex with some feeling and settled next to her. Alex noticed the look upon Jericho's face and shrugged her shoulders in reply. There wasn't much they could do about this unexpected turn of events - and Jericho understood that - he sighed loudly and ordered Owen to guide the boat towards another two lifeboats nearby.

 "That must be some sort of record for any disaster; a place in three lifeboats in one night!" Owen grinned and guided the boat away. As Alex introduced Owen, Wilson and Oscar to Lucy, Oscar suddenly pushed a hand into his pocket and pulled out his orb; tiny little red streaks had suddenly appeared. He peered hard at the little glass ball and grabbed Jericho by the arm; "I have a very weak presence coming from our new lady friend here!" Jericho confirmed the weak signal with his orb and the little boat went silent with everyone staring at a very confused Lucy.

The team of temporal Detectives all knew what a tiny, weak signal like that indicated; a dark Angel in the making; one in human form and born to a human mother would mean that the dark Angel could survive in the world of humans. It would be a very dangerous adversary when it grew to adulthood and that must be prevented. [For an example of how dangerous these creatures are and the lengths the Temporal Department will go to destroy them, please see episode: ‘Sister Sarah dreams of demons.’]

But there was the dilemma that Jericho faced; if Lucy perished in the disaster that would prevent the birth of the dark Angel, but would change the current Human time-line; as she should have survived the sinking!

Jericho wasn't very subtle with his questing of the very reluctant Mrs. Crawford; he asked her directly; "Who did you sleep with in the last few hours?"

6. BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE.

It was Alex that finally squeezed the information that Jericho required from a tearful and embarrassed Lucy, the name of her lover. "There's a David Gray from this era who died at 26 years of age, at Lexington USA. He's a missing soul. Doc Underhill investigated and discovered that the body had been removed from the scene of departure [death] as well, but the fucker was a Satan worshipper." Owen lowered his mirror and Jericho nodded; "The demon has possessed the empty body and re-animated it. If Lucy is right in what his wife has told her, the bastard must have realised he couldn't produce a child with her; Hence the quick seduction of a grieving, separated and vulnerable woman."

 They all gazed at the weeping Lucy and Oscar coughed; "If the demon survived the sinking, we'll find the animated corpse of David Gray sitting in one of these little boats. If it couldn't get off the ship, it would abandon the body and make a run for home with its prize of nine souls and the possibility of a dark Angel in future times. All in all; a good days work for the dark bastard."

 "Let's check these boats!" Jericho stated and looked back at Lucy; with her, the team was between a rock and a hard place. The young dark Angel that she carried must be destroyed and that would mean leaving Lucy to die in the freezing water. Apparently just another victim of the disaster. But that would change the current human timeline and they can't allow that to happen! Then, there was the small matter of nine missing souls.

Alex nodded her head and folded her arms; "A bloody big rock and hard place!" she muttered and sat back down next to the distraught Lucy. Jericho would have to make a decision - and soon - the rescue ship was less than an hour away. But first, they must ascertain if the demon or the possessed body of the late David Gray was lurking around the survivors and so they made for the next little gaggle of lifeboats, some meters away.

 Nothing there and so Jericho and the team moved on to the last few lifeboats, floating together in the soft currents, and again found nothing. But they did get some information about David Gray; the young officer in command of the last lifeboat they called at, remembered him and stated that an older woman had given up her seat for him. 

 "It was really odd Sir." The Officer spoke to Jericho as the two boats bumped gently together; "No sooner than the lady had left, he leapt from the lifeboat and – I believe -  went after her. But that wasn't the last time I saw him."

 Jericho asked the young officer to explain about his final view of David Gray. The officer wiped spray from his face and sadly shook his head; "Just before the ship went under, I saw him standing by the staircase to the bridge, just standing there, smoking a bloody pipe like he was on Blackpool promenade! Then she split, with her arse hanging in the air, and I watched in horror as he fell into the open decks, smashing off this and that, as he plunged into the interior of the ship. I watched that poor bastard die a terrible death and I will never forget that."

 Jericho thanked him and sat back in the lifeboat, pulling his mirror from the folds of his long frock coat; it was gently buzzing and vibrating. He flipped open the device and read the report with some astonishment; the nine missing souls had been recovered and were now aboard the Galleon with Captain Stark!

 The second report; from the Records Department was both disturbing and interesting - Jericho kept that one to himself - for the moment.

 Wilson and Owen were totally puzzled by this turn of events; "Why the hell did the demon abandon such a prize?" Wilson pulled his jacket tightly around and stared at Lucy. Both he and Jericho exchanged a smile, which Alex caught and realised what they were thinking. Jericho turned to Alex and Owen; "Help Lucy into this boat.” He said simply and Lucy was gently transferred to yet another lifeboat; after Jericho had retrieved his hipflask. 

Owen grinned broadly and whispered; "Bleeding number Four!"

 With Lucy safely transferred back to the original lifeboat that she should have been in; Jericho and the team rowed from the scene in silence. Alex broke the quiet; "The bloody demon had no idea that Lucy would end up in our lifeboat and when it saw that temporal detectives were on the case of the missing souls, it made a cold, calculated decision."

 Jericho nodded with a little smile; "Yes, it was caught between a rock and hard place too - Had it attempted to call the dark light and escape with the souls, we would have seen, and Oscar would have dealt with it - so losing the souls anyway. So, our clever little demon gambled that we didn't know, what had happened to Lucy and released the souls to throw us off its case. In so doing give the unborn Dark Angel a great chance of survival. But it had no idea that Lucy would suddenly climb into our bloody boat and give the game away!"

 "Well, its gamble seems to have paid off. We've let Lucy survive the sinking and she'll soon be on the rescue ship and heading for New York: complete with the young dark Angel. Swapping nine souls for a future dark angel is a pretty good result for the dark bastard."  Oscar spoke softly, unsmiling.

 Jericho gripped his arm and smiled; "Nothing is over until the fat lady sings, my friend." Everyone exchanged confused glances as Jericho sat back in the bow and grinned broadly. The galleon - 'The River Styx' - had appeared to pick the team up and they climbed aboard with some relief.

 The three bodies that had been originally found in the lifeboat were carefully replaced and the little boat was cast adrift for the final time. It would be found a month later by RMS Oceanic, complete with rotting corpses and of course, no traces of the temporal detectives were ever discovered.

Mrs. Lucy Crawford woke with a start in the lifeboat and found two elderly ladies wrapping her with a rugged blanket. "You were calling out in your sleep; we think you may have passed out."

One had a posh English ascent and smiled broadly. Lucy felt in her pockets but could not find the hip-flask - she asked the ladies about the strange couple - the big black man and the little dwarf from the other lifeboat. The two ladies chuckled and told Lucy that she must have dreamt the strange story up; she had gone nowhere since the lifeboat was lowered! That's when Lucy realised, she was in lifeboat No.13 and there was no Elizabeth Gray. She asked the younger of the two ladies, about the young man who was with her, when she entered the boat. 

Mrs. Alice Cassiter wiped spray from her tired face and told Lucy that she saw the young man disappear into the crowds. Both elderly women exchanged knowing glances; but said nothing. Such things were known to happen on romantic sea voyages, and both had witnessed the passionate embrace of the pair, before Lucy stepped into the little boat.

Lucy stared across the dark sea and wondered about the strange dream, as thoughts of young David plagued her mind and she started to doze again.

 7. NEW YORK; AUGUST 7th, 1912.

 Lucy sat in the drawing room of her husband’s New York apartment and sipped her tea; she ran a protective hand over her slightly swollen belly and smiled to herself. She had forgiven David for his cheating and lying, for her easy seduction and decided that his death, on that wretched ship, had wiped the slate clean between them. The baby was now Lucy’s, and she would love it.

 John Crawford had reluctantly taken Lucy back into his house; her condition demanded that - the scandal that could have surrounded his good name and family honour over her infidelity and subsequent pregnancy; would have ruined him and his business. Lucy had almost taken delight; informing her cuckold husband, about her condition, she certainly could not have passed the child off as John Crawford's; they've had no sexual relations for almost a year!

 She had decided to call the child David, if it was a boy and Elizabeth if born a girl. Lucy had read about Mrs. Elizabeth Gray becoming a widow for the second time and felt a little sorry for her. But they had never actually met, and she relished the idea of a new baby, despite her age. But her doctors had assured that the child appears normal and healthy for an 'older mother.'

 Lucy still thought it was strange, that a woman she had dreamt about was an actual person and she had been on the Titanic. Thoughts about the strange young couple also disturbed her sleep. They appeared so real to her.

 Another woman, Mrs. Doris Edgeware [a widow for six years] was not happy; in fact, she was deeply angry and upset that Lucy had thwarted her plans and future with John Crawford. She had been his mistress for some three years now and even birthed him a son; John had promised marriage as soon as he could divorce Lucy; that dream was now ashes, and the taste was heavy and bitter for her.

 John had pleaded with Doris to stay his mistress, but with little pride or future left, Doris had simply left him and returned home to Washington, taking his precious son with her and married a retired sea captain, who was delighted to have a young wife and son to dote on.

 John Crawford was a very angry and disappointed man; Lucy had simply destroyed his future and appeared to have taken great delight in doing so.  John Crawford brooded on his miserable life and after drinking for some hours, walked into the drawing room that afternoon, confronting Lucy with all his anger and heartache.

 She simply laughed and patted her stomach; "My child will know all about his real father, when he's old enough." She placed her teacup down and smiled at John. The smile was probably John’s breaking point: He said nothing more but stepped back and slowly picked up the heavy poker from the fireplace and beat his unfaithful wife to death. John walked slowly from the room and slumped in the big, high-backed chair in his study. After several minutes he could hear Lucy's lady-maid screaming and pulled open the bottom drawer of his desk and removed the little, pearl handed pistol from it.

 The already distraught maid heard the single gunshot and ran screaming into the road, where a passing police officer rushed to her aid.

8. ‘THE FAT LADY SINGS.’

 Alex eased herself into the big, comfortable armchair by the fireplace and picked up her book; ' The wreck of the Titan.' [Also known as Futility] written by Morgan Robertson. She was on the last few pages and sipped her brandy with some pleasure.

 "I can't believe he wrote this some fourteen years before the Titanic actually sank; it's totally fascinating that he could have made such a prediction." She spoke to Owen, who was playing Chess by himself, copying moves from a book on the subject of great Chess games of the past 100 years.  He looked up and grinned; "I knew you would love that, especially after that little adventure on the Titanic."

Owen moved a couple of pieces and decided now was the time to broach the subject of the Internal Affairs inquiry outcome; "Alex, can I ask you something?"

 Alex nodded; "Of course Owen." He chuckled and held up both hands; "How the hell did Jericho get you and Skyrise off the bloody hook?  That Chief Inspector Samoski had you bang to rights!" She smiled and shook her head; "I honestly don't really know Owen, all we received was a strong caution, when we both should have been demoted. That's what we were expecting." [See the episode: ’Dr. Alexander Harris and his battle with God’.]

"Wilson believes he [Jericho] got Angel Margret to pull a few strings with the Archangel himself. But little Oscar, said he heard that 'himself' [God] had made his opinion known and that was that. Wilson also understands that 'himself' had a visit from James the Knight, just before he made that opinion known. Strange that eh?" Owen said, smiling, rubbing his chin.

 Alex just smiled and settled back to finish her read but was now interrupted by Mr. Harris announcing Dinner and that Mr. Tibbs had returned to the lighthouse, straight from his meeting with Angel Margret.

 "Where's Wilson?" Owen asked; it was unlike Wilson to miss dinner! "Mr. Wilson is at the Inspectors Training Course and tonight is one of his study groups; Mrs. Harris will keep him something warm." Mr. Harris allowed a small smile to cross his face and departed for the Dining Room. Owen chuckled and jumped up; "Come on Alex, let’s grab some grub." Alex sighed and closed her book, placing it upon the coffee table and looked up as Jericho sauntered into the room and warmed his backside by the fire.

 "I saw Oscar today; he had some interesting news regarding that little adventure we had on the Titanic." Jericho said quietly and poured himself a whisky, sipping it very slowly. Owen and Alex stopped in the doorway and Alex folded her arms in anticipation of bad tidings. But Jericho smiled; "That little dark Angel won't bother any humans or us. It's dead." He swallowed down his whisky and rubbed his hands together, adding; "Let's get to dinner, its roast chicken with all the trimmings."

 "I can't wait to hear the rest of Oscar's news." Owen muttered and followed Alex and Jericho into the Dining Room, where over an excellent chicken dinner, Jericho imparted the news that Oscar had passed on to him.

Alex admitted to being sad over the manner of Lucy's death, but glad that the little dark Angel was gone. She asked Jericho if he knew her fate when he allowed her to re-join the lifeboat. He nodded but didn’t smile. "I received an interesting message from Records, when the call came in about the return of the lost souls. It appeared that Lucy's estranged husband would kill her less than four months after she reached New York, in a fit of drunken anger." He picked up his wine glass, adding: "You see, if Lucy died on the Titanic, then her husband would not have committed suicide, but would have married his long-time mistress and raised their son together. The boy was the problem, under his father's influence and with his inherited wealth, he entered politics and would have run for President in 1960 instead of Jack Kennedy and he would have won!"

"Bugger!" Exclaimed Owen and swigged his wine; "What did happen to the boy?"

"In the current Timeline, he fell out with both his mother and stepfather. He left home at sixteen without finishing school or college and joined the Navy. He was killed at Pearl Harbour."  Jericho sipped his wine and smiled a little at Alex; "Angel Margret was really quite pleased with the outcome, considering the bloody assignment took a couple of shitty twists!"

Owen shrugged his shoulders and raised his glass; "To the fat lady singing."

"This mission was considered a success because it prevented the birth of a Dark Angel, who would have been a formidable foe, when it became an adult. It also prevented a serious change to the current human timeline; the replacement of President Kennedy in 1960 would have simply changed everything. But the temporal detectives changed that outcome back to the original history, by their actions. Angel Margret was most pleased with her Team."

Mrs. Lucy Crawford was brutally murdered by her estranged husband John before she could give birth to the child that would have become a dangerous Dark Angel for the Dark Prince. Both her adult daughters were married in 1913/1914. Their marriages didn’t last long: both were widowed after the ‘Battle of the Somme’ in 1916. After her brutal murder, her soul was collected and processed.

David Gray had died at the age of 26 years, two years previous to the Titanic sinking. His body had been stolen and re-animated by a minion of the Dark Prince. No soul was collected from the disaster for David. The identity of the demon remains unknown but clearly was a Tier One as he impregnated Lucy.

Thomas Smith, the sailor holding the tiller in the lifeboat that Lucy sat, had only been with the 'White Star' line for three weeks. He survived the sinking and returned home to Liverpool. He was killed in 1941 during a bombing raid on the docks there. He left behind a widow and seven children. His soul was collected and processed.

Mrs. Elizabeth Gray had been made a widow for a second time with the sinking but married for a third time in 1917 and moved to Washington DC: where her new husband – strangely enough was also a David - worked for the Navy Department. She died in 1928 in an automobile accident in Delaware. Her soul was collected and processed.

Mrs. Alice Cassiter was a widow from New York City, returning home after visiting English relatives of her late husband in Liverpool. She survived the sinking, but not the 'Spanish Flu' epidemic in 1919. Her soul was collected and processed.

 John Crawford killed Lucy [and with her, the little 'Dark Angel' in the making] and then killed himself. His soul was collected and processed. His was quarantined until 2150.

 Mrs. Doris Edgeware married her sea captain, and all was fine until her son grew up. He argued constantly with her and his stepfather, dropped out of college, joining the US Navy and was eventually killed at Pearl Harbour in 1941.A heartbroken Doris died within weeks of his death [now a widow] and her soul was collected and processed.

 A real turn up happened when Mark Roberts [the officer in the lifeboat that Jericho spoke to about David Gray] who had survived the sinking, was killed in 1917, when the merchant ship he was on, was torpedoed by a German U-Boat off the coast of Ireland. No soul was collected. Temporal Inspector Stella Longstreet’s Team is investigating the incident. It does throw a dark light onto what he told Jericho back in 1912, about seeing David Grey killed. There is no resolution to the case; yet.

"It should be noted that Jericho made a rare error on this mission – one that could have proved disastrous – in that, knowing that the demon had impregnated Lucy Crawford, he should have called for a Knight; only the ultra-powerful Tier One demons can impregnate human women. Oscar is only a Guardian and would have been unable to deal with such an entity. Strangely enough, Oscar should have also pointed this important fact out.  Alex did ask about this oversight and really received no satisfactory explanation from either Jericho or Oscar. That incident remains the real outstanding mystery of this particular mission. 

NOTE: Names and places have been changed to protect the innocent!"

MISSION CONCLUSION:

SATISFACTORY

Copyright © 2011-2025 Stephen Williams. No reproduction of any part without permission.