Juliana walked up and down the dark deck of the ship. Gripped by fear, she could no longer think clearly. "If I return to the cabin, they'll find me," she thought frantically. "I could use my gun, but what good will it do, they'll shoot me. ¡Dios mío ayúdame! I wonder where Sean is, he might be dead."
The usually calm and collected bureaucrat had never faced this kind of danger. In nine years of investigating environmental crimes she rarely went to the field herself. Technicians did the dirty work of collecting and analyzing the evidence. Her job was to prepare reports and appear in court to support her findings, without breaking as much as a fingernail. The once shy Puerto Rican girl, raised partly in the Bronx, had risen high at the EPA on her analytical and technical abilities, but since transferring to the Criminal Investigations Division, she now lived a much more dangerous life. The CID was working on an unprecedented number of cases and the recent victories and increased regulatory power created an insidious black market for trafficking of toxic material. The job now demanded that investigators work more often with experienced and highly trained FBI agents.
Juliana received some training in the use of hand weapons before signing up for this mission, but she did not have the experience, the avocation or the constitution to work for such dangerous operations. Faced with this life-threatening situation, her heart was racing and she was short of breath. Her forehead was moist. She thought, "This is way more than what I signed up for."
She looked for somewhere to hide, but all doors were locked. An hour passed as she walked around secluded decks, catching glimpses of the ocean by moonlight. Finally she calmed down and experienced a surge of courage - that energy inside all of us that seems to emerge when we most need it. She took a deep breath and decided to walk toward the room where they found the toxic drums. There were sure to be more clues there.
Surprisingly, no one was around, but this time the door was locked. As she tried to open the lock someone from behind placed a heavy hand on her shoulder. Juliana froze in utter panic. She held her breath and trembled.
Meanwhile, back in the dining room, Mr. and Mrs. Molina were worried. "Carlos, I think Julie is in trouble. I know we can't wait any longer. I'm going to use the phone to relay a message to my sister in New York to make sure she contacts Mr. Martin in the morning, or even tonight if she can."
