The Case of the Lost Letter

The Case of Lost Letter 

Part One 

Tracy and Martha prepared for the last dive of their vacation to Cozumel.   

“I am so glad we met at Delightful Dining.  I was looking for a dive buddy.” said Tracy as she tested her regulator. 

“Me too! I love to dive.  The ocean is an amazing world.  The coral is gorgeous.” 

The dive master indicated it was time to begin.  Over the side they went.  The current pulled the group along the coral reef that was teaming with fish.  All of a sudden Tracy noticed something glint in the diffused sunlight.  It was a mason jar and inside was some kind of paper.  She decided this trash should not clutter up the reef so she brought it up with her. 

Once back on the boat, the divers gathered around Tracy to see what she had found. She opened the jar and pulled out an envelope.  Most of the ink was faded away.  “What does it say?” asked Martha as she pushed forward ready to grab the envelope. 

“Wait! Hold on! I can’t read it.”  She carefully opened the envelope and found a piece of paper inside.  She unfolded it and saw a beautifully written letter dated April 2, 1942. 

 

Part Two 

Tracy and Martha found a letter in a jar on their latest Cozumel dive. Tracy was holding the letter decorated with hand drawn hearts and flowers encircling a short note. 

“What does it say?” inquired Martha. 

Darling George 

My dearest, I miss you with all my heart.  Stay safe and come back to me soon! I saw the battle near Puerto Rico on the Movietone newsreel.   I am so worried your ship was there.  I know you are doing a great thing to make the world safe again. 

I hope this letter reaches you in your heart. 

All my Love, 

Christine 

“That is beautiful! Said Tracy.  “How do you think it ended up on the coral reef?” 

“The currents carry many things through the Gulf” said Manuel the dive master.  “I once found a bucket that had floated down the Mississippi and ended up here.” 

“I wonder who they were.  I hope they were reunited and had a wonderful life.” said Martha. 

Tracy responded “Maybe we can find them when we get home.” and with that she carefully folded the letter and returned it to its jar.

Part Three

Tracy and Martha found a love letter from World War II on their dive in Cozumel.

“Do you really think we can find them?” asked Martha.

“Well, we have some facts and the internet is an amazing thing. Let’s give it a try.” said Tracy. The two women were in Tracy’s living room each with a glass of Chardonnay.

“I have been thinking about the couple, George and Christine, lovers separated by war. I keep dreaming about who they were, what brought them together and what tore them apart. Let’s see what we can find out.” Tracy said as she fired up the laptop.

Tracy examined the jar that contained the letter. It looked like a jelly jar with embossed lettering on it. Tracy held it up to the light and saw the words ‘Naples, Florida’ She examined the envelope that had spent the last 75 years in the jar. Most of the ink had faded away but she was able to make a part of the address ‘Geo.. Pac..’ The return address was a bit more helpful. It said ‘Andrews” and “Marc’

While Tracy was examining the letter, Martha was busy on the computer. “Oh my, I did not know that we were fighting Germans in the Caribbean during WWII. Here is an article about the Battle of the Caribbean.” She went on to say that German U-Boats were there trying to sink Allied Oil Tankers.

“Look up Naples Florida on the map and see if that helps us.” said Tracy.

“Marco Island is just south of Naples maybe that is the ‘Marc’ part of the address” said Martha.

Martha took the information they had and put it in the search engine. Up came a wedding announcement dated June 22, 1946. It said Christine Andrews and George Pachla were married at the Community Church of Marco Island on that day.

Tracy continued searching and found a George Pachla Jr. “I think I found their son and he is right here. He is a professor at Elmhurst College.” said Martha.

“Let’s email him and see if we get an answer” suggested Tracy.

Within minutes, Tracy’s email popped up with a response. Yes, he was Christine and George’s son. They made arrangements to meet at the coffee shop in Elmhurst the next day.

Tracy and Martha met George and over coffee discovered more about the couple. They were very young and in love when George shipped out. He was in the Coast Guard serving on the Acacia. It was sunk by a German U-Boat but he survived and returned to marry Christine. His father had passed away but his mom was alive. George said she will love seeing this letter again.

Tracy and Martha were pleased to be able get the letter back to its owner.

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