S. feels lucky that he does not have to join the sailors’ in their painful work; however, he cannot suppress his intense desire to know what goes on below deck. He is positive that the “secret work” has to do with why he was kidnapped form the Old Quarter.

That night, S. decides to find out what goes on in the lower portion of the ship.

Eric asks Jen how she became such a good researcher. He is clearly impressed with her findings on Straka.

Jen explains that she took a library science class that she loved. Although Eric has been working on Straka for years, Jen has a skill set that is proving to be incredibly useful to Eric. The reader is starting to see how important their partnership is.