“It had to have been the ruthenium,” Loren said excitedly.
“Yes, the Black Kobluna,” Pitt agreed. “But where did Franklin’s crew acquire it?”
“It might possibly have been discovered on one of the neighboring islands during a sledging excursion, while the ships were locked in the ice,” Perlmutter ventured. “Of course a mine could have been discovered much earlier in the expedition, anywhere from Greenland to Victoria Island, covering a distance of thousands of miles. Not much to go on, I’m afraid.”
“What I find strange is the behavior of the crew,” Loren noted.
“I heard a similar tale of some mill workers in South Africa going loony, which was blamed on possible exposure to ruthenium,” Pitt replied. “None of it makes sense, though, as there is nothing inherently dangerous about the mineral.”
“Perhaps it was just the horrible conditions they endured. Starving and freezing all those winters, trapped in a dark, cramped ship,” Loren said. “That would be enough to drive me crazy.”
“Throw in scurvy and frostbite, not to mention botulism brought on from a shoddy supply of tinned foods sealed with lead, and you would have plenty to test a man’s wits,” Perlmutter agreed.
“Just one of several unanswered questions associated with the expedition,” Pitt said.
“The account seems to confirm your trader’s story from the Miners Co-op,” Perlmutter noted.
“Maybe the answer to where the mineral came from still lies on the ship,” Loren suggested.
Pitt was already mulling the same thought. He knew that the frigid waters of the Arctic allowed for remarkable preservation of antiquities. The Breadalbane, an 1843 wooden ship sent on one of the Franklin rescue expeditions and crushed in the ice near Beechey Island, had recently been discovered fully intact, its masts still rising over the deck. That a clue to the source of the ruthenium might still exist on the ship was entirely possible. But which ship was it, and where was it located?
“There was no mention of a second ship?” he asked.
“No,” Perlmutter replied. “And the approximate location they provide is quite a bit farther south than where the Franklin ships were recorded to have been abandoned.”
“Maybe the ice drifted, moving them apart,” Loren suggested.
“Entirely plausible,” Perlmutter replied. “Leuthner has an interesting tidbit later in the journal,” he said, flipping a few pages forward. “A third-party Inuit claims to have seen one of the ships sink while the other one disappeared. Leuthner could never quite decipher the distinction from the Inuit.”
“Assuming it is one of the Franklin ships, it might well be critical to identify the vessel, in case the mineral was not brought aboard both Erebus and Terror,” Pitt noted.
“I’m afraid Koo-nik never identified the ship. And both vessels were nearly identical in appearance,” Perlmutter said.
“But he said the crew had a name for themselves,” Loren said. “What did he call them, the ‘black men’?”
“The ‘men of blackness’ is how they were described,” Perlmutter replied. “Somewhat odd. I suppose they called themselves that for having survived so many dark winters.”
“Or there might be another reason,” Pitt said, a wide grin slowly spreading across his face. “If they were indeed the men of blackness, then they just told us which ship they served.”
Loren looked at him with a quizzical gaze, but the light went on for Perlmutter.
“But of course!” the big man roared. “It must be the Erebus. Well done, my boy.”
Loren looked at her husband. “What did I miss?”
“Erebus,” Pitt replied. “In Greek mythology, it is an underworld stopping place on the road to Hades. It is a place of perpetual darkness, or blackness, if you will.”
“Fair to say that’s where the ship and crew ended up,” Perlmutter said. He gave Pitt a studious look. “Do you think you can find her?”
“It will be a sizable search area, but it’s worth the gamble. The only thing that can prevent us from succeeding is the same peril that doomed Franklin: the ice.”
“We’re nearing the summer season, where the melting sea ice is navigable in the region. Can you get a vessel there in time to conduct a search?”
“And don’t forget the Canadians,” Loren cautioned. “They might not let you in the door.”
Pitt’s eyes sparkled with optimism. “It just so happens that I have a vessel in the neighborhood and the man in place to find the way,” he said with a confident grin.
Perlmutter located a dusty bottle of vintage port wine and poured small glasses all around.
“Godspeed to you, my boy,” he toasted. “May you shed some light on the darkened Erebus.”
After thanking Perlmutter for the meal and receiving a promise from the marine historian that he would provide copies of any materials he had on the ship’s likely position, Loren and Pitt stepped out of the carriage house and returned to the car. Climbing into the car, Loren was unusually quiet. Her sixth sense had kicked in, warning of an unseen danger. She knew she couldn’t stand in the way of Pitt pursuing a lost mystery, but it was always hard for her to let him go.
“The Arctic is a dangerous place,” she finally said in a low voice. “I’ll worry about you up there.”
“I’ll be sure to pack my long underwear and stay well clear of icebergs,” he said with cheery comfort.
“I know this is important, but, still, I wish you didn’t have to go.”
Pitt smiled in reassurance, but in his eye there was a distant and determined look. Loren took one look at her husband and knew that he was already there.
42
Mitchell Goyette was sitting on the fan-tail of his yacht reviewing an earnings report when his private secretary appeared with a secure portable phone.
“Natural Resources Minister Jameson is on the line,” the winsome brunette said as she handed him the phone.
Goyette gave her a smug leer, then picked up the receiver.
“Arthur, good of you to call. Tell me, how are you coming along with my Arctic exploration licenses?”
“It is the purpose of my call. I received the maps of your desired Arctic resource exploration zones. The requested regions encompass over twelve million acres, I was rather shocked to find. Quite unprecedented, I must say.”
“Yes, well, there are riches to be had. First things first, however. Where are we on those mining claims for the Royal Geographical Society Islands?”
“As you know, a portion of the islands’ exploration and production rights are held by the Mid-America Mining Company. My office has drafted up a revocation of their license for due cause. If they fail to meet production output quotas in the next three months, then we can rescind their license. If this political crisis with the U.S. heats up, then we may be able to act sooner.”