Chapter 6

The year is 2009, and Jonathan Alkaitis is in prison. His young cellmate, Hazelton, grates on his nerves and makes him feel old. Alkaitis notes that he was arrested in December of 2008 and arrived at FCI Florence Medium 1—the official name of his prison—six months later. FCI Florence Medium 1 is notable for being a more mild prison, and those locked up there are typically “thought to be too vulnerable for the general population.” Alkaitis fears the on-site hospital the most, since it is “the place where old men disappear.” 

The court sentenced Alkaitis to 170 years in prison, and he has a difficult time conceptualizing that he will spend the rest of his life behind bars. In order to keep his days from becoming bland and featureless, he makes an effort to try new things, and he even gets a job sweeping the cafeteria. In some ways, prison is a sort of relief for Alkaitis, who remarks that “there is exquisite lightness in waking each morning with the knowledge that the worst has already happened.” He receives occasional visits from journalists and his biographer, Julie Freeman, which he finds flattering. 

Prompted by a conversation with Freeman, Alkaitis begins pondering why he didn’t flee prior to his arrest. The truthful answer is that it simply never occurred to him, with the thought of arrest seeming too distant and improbable to warrant action. However, now that he is in prison, he begins envisioning different methods by which he might have avoided arrest and fantasizing about a “counterlife” in which he is still a free man. He decides that he would have liked to settle in Dubai, a place he always enjoyed visiting due to its beauty. 

Alkaitis also laments that he has not been able to communicate with the people he once cared about, including Vincent and his daughter, Claire, who was responsible for calling the FBI and bringing Alkaitis to justice. Claire refuses to interact with her father, and Alkaitis bashfully asks Freeman if she has any idea where Vincent is. Freeman responds that Vincent is “keeping a low profile,” as even journalists and other interested parties have been unable to find her.

Chapter 7

Vincent boards the container ship Neptune Cumberland for the first time. The ship’s steward, Mendoza, and third mate, Geoffrey Bell, escort her to her cabin. Vincent remarks that she does not believe in love at first sight, but she does believe that people can immediately recognize those who will play a major role in their life. She feels this sense of recognition towards Geoffrey.

When Geoffrey asks Vincent why she decided to go to sea, she reflects on the events that led up to her joining the crew of the Neptune Cumberland. After learning that Alkaitis had been running a Ponzi scheme, Vincent took five thousand dollars in cash, a selection of jewelry, and two expensive gowns as collateral to start her new life. She also cut off all of her hair, bought reading glasses, and stopped wearing makeup. This rendered her nearly unrecognizable. A year and a half later, she was working two jobs and living in a small rental unit above someone’s garage. 

The turning point for Vincent came when Mirella walked into the bar she was working at. After Alkaitis’s Ponzi scheme collapsed, Mirella’s boyfriend, Faisal, committed suicide. Although Vincent attempted to reach out on several occasions, she and Mirella had not spoken since Alkaitis’s arrest. Upon seeing her enter the bar, Vincent at first worried that Mirella would be confrontational, but she was left even more distressed...