We observed America and Peregrine on the wall screen. The two brigs sailed maybe a hundred miles apart heading towards the Philippines. The wind blew behind and off their quarter so both were making good speed. Actually the Peregrine appeared to be ahead and sailing faster. Suddenly our boat disappeared. Gone, just like that. The America sailed on as if nothing had happened.”“What about the transponder and locator electronics?” asked Cutter.“There is nothing. Doc Jerry thinks it is defective equipment again. It’s like someone cut the wires. There’s no chatter or static as if it were something loose or vibrating. It just stopped. We checked with Navy and Coast Guard. They had the same experience.”When Cutter entered the New York meeting room, his face red with anxiety, the others looked up. They sat around the same table that he visited many weeks ago. Bill was in the midst, papers and maps spread before him. Against the meeting room wall in several cardboard boxes were samples of the black tee shirts with the white Peregrine logo.
