Pitt introduced Loren. Perlmutter kissed her hand with a Continental flourish and then led them into a huge combination living room, bedroom and study. Shelves supporting the weight of thousands of books sagged from floor to ceiling on every wall. There were books on tables, books on chairs. They were even stacked on a king-size water bed that rippled in an alcove.

Perlmutter possessed what was acknowledged by experts as the finest collection of historical ship literature ever assembled. At least twenty marine museums were constantly angling to have it donated to their libraries after a lifetime of excess calories sent him to a mortuary.

He motioned Pitt and Loren to sit at a hatch-cover table lain with an elegant silver and china service bearing the emblem of a French transatlantic steamship line.

"It's all so lovely," said Loren admiringly.

"From the famous French liner Normandie," Perlmutter explained.

"Found it all in a warehouse where it had been packed away since before the ship burned and rolled over in New York harbor."

He served them a German breakfast, beginning with schnapps, thin-sliced Westphalian ham garnished with pickles and accompanied by pumpernickel bread. For a side dish he'd whipped up potato dumplings with a prune-butter filling.

"Tastes marvelous," said Loren. "I love eating something besides eggs and bacon for a change."

"I'm andicted to German cooking." Perlmutter laughed, patting his ample stomach. "Lots more substance than that candy-ass French fare, which is nothing but an exotic way to prepare garbage."

"Did you find any information on the San Marino and the Pilottown?" asked Pitt, turning the conversation to the subject on his mind.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I did." Perlmutter hefted his bulk from the table and soon returned with a large dusty volume on Liberty ships. He donned a pair of reading glasses and turned to a marked page.

"Here we are. The San Marino, launched by the Georgia Shipbuilding Corporation, July of 1943. Hull number 2356, classed as a cargo carrier. Sailed Atlantic convoys until the end of the war. Damaged by submarine torpedo from the U-573. Reached Liverpool under her own power and was repaired. Sold after the war to the Bristol Steamship Company of Bristol, England. Sold 1956 to the Manx Steamship Company of New York, Panamanian registry. Vanished with all hands, north Pacific, 1966."

"So that was the end of her."