Lost Empire (Fargo Adventures 2)

“I used the word ‘journal’ for lack of a better term. In fact, it’s a potpourri: diary, field sketchbook . . .”

“Can we see it?”

“If you’d like. It’s in the vault.” Off the workspace, Selma had a temperature- and humidity-controlled archive area. “It’s in bad shape—insect-eaten, soiled, water-damaged pages stuck together. Pete and Wendy are working on the restoration. We’re photographing and digitizing what pages we can before we start work on the damaged portions. There’s one more thing: It appears the journal also served as Blaylock’s captain’s log.”

“Pardon me?” Remi said.

“While he never mentions the Shenandoah or the El Majidi, many of his entries clearly indicate he was at sea, on and off, for long periods. Blaylock does, however, mention Ophelia quite often.”

“In what context?”

“She was his wife.”

“THAT WOULD EXPLAIN his obsession, I suppose,” Sam said. “Not only did he mentally rename the Shenandoah, he also carved Ophelia’s name into the bell.”

“Ophelia is a distinctly un-African name,” Remi said. “It had to be the name of his wife back in the U.S.”

Selma nodded. “There’s no mention of her in the biography. And he never speaks in detail about her in the journal—just little snippets everywhere. Whether he was simply yearning for her or it’s something more, I don’t know, but she was never far from his mind.”

“Are there dates in the journal?” asked Sam. “Anything we can cross-reference with Morton’s biography?”

“In both books, only months and years are used; in the journal, those are far and few between. We’re trying to do some matching, but it’s turning up discrepancies. For example, we found a time where in the biography he’s trekking in the Congo, while according to the journal he’s at sea. It’s slow going so far.”

“Something doesn’t add up,” said Sam.

“Just one thing?” Remi replied. “My list is longer than that.”

“Mine too. But on the captain’s log angle: If we’re thinking Blaylock might have been at sea aboard the Shenandoah—El Majidi, I mean—then we’ve got a contradiction. By all accounts, after the Sultan of Zanzibar bought the Shenandoah in 1866 he all but abandoned her at anchor until she was destroyed either in 1872 or 1879. I think someone would have noticed her missing.”

“Good point,” Selma said, jotting down a note. “Another point of curiosity: Sultan Majid died in October 1870 and was succeeded by his brother and bitter rival, Sayyid Barghash bin Said. By default, he became the owner of El Majidi. Some historians find it curious that Sayyid didn’t change the ship’s name, let alone keep it around.”

Sam added, “Can we put together a time line of the Shenandoah/ El Majidi? Be easier to visualize the events.”

Selma picked up the phone and dialed the archive room. “Wendy, can you throw together a rough time line of the Shenandoah/El Majidi? Thanks.”

“We also need to find out more about Blaylock’s life before Africa,” Remi said.

“I’m working on that as well,” said Selma. “I reached out to an old friend who might be able to help.”

Wendy stepped out of the archive room, smiled at them, held up a Just one second finger, then sat down at one of the workstations. She tapped away at the keys for five minutes and said, “On your screen.”

Selma used the remote control to find the new graphic:

• arch 1866: Shenandoah sold to Sultan of Zanzibar.

• ovember 1866: Shenandoah arrives Zanzibar, renamed El Majidi.

• ovember 1866-October 1870: El Majidi spends most time sitting at anchor or on occasional merchant voyages.

• ctober 1870: First Sultan dies. Brother’s reign begins.

• October 1870-April 1872: El Majidi presumed at anchor.

• April 1872: Hurricane damages El Majidi. Sent to Bombay for repair.

• July 1872: El Majidi reportedly sinks en route to Zanzibar.

• July 1872-November 1879: Six years’ lost time. Disposition unknown.