Murder & Mayhem At The Miami Marina

 

 

Who goes there?

Millionaires and blue-collar folks, street people and students, male and female, all with a talent for tactical sailing - a most unlikely pool of personalities from which to forge a team.

Julio Guerrera, a Cuban expatriate, a Miami nightclub owner, and a lover of the sea, is captain of “La Mancha,” a 98-foot, square-rigged wooden schooner.  It is his ship and his whim that have brought together this disparate group.

 

The Puzzle

ElaineVargas, Julio's navigator and secretary, is found floating face down at the Miami Marina. Who is responsible?  Julio’s wife?  His business partner?  Any one of the unsavory characters as was his wont to keep about?  There are several factions who would benefit if Julio was unsuccessful in his bid to repeat the winning of the Rockefeller Cup.  The cup race, open only to craft that are 90 feet or better “Length-Over-All,” is the most prestigious of the globe-circling races.  But what is the reason for murder?  Certainly the ship could have been put out of commission easily, scuttling any hopes of winning, without killing anyone.  A puzzlement.

The Hero

Julio was Peter’s Commanding Officer in the Army.  Now it is he who needs some direction and help.   Enter:  Peter Pansy, the La Mancha’s new navigator and Super-Sleuth of the Seven Seas.

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