it's a deep water port on casco bay, an inlet to the atlantic ocean, which explains its role as a major fishing center. pearl smith worked as a fish packer. every day, she boxed crates of fish for shipment around the country. it was hard work with little pay. after work, she was a frequent customer at a bar near the docks, as was bill bruns, a man 13 years her senior. bruns was a trucker. his job was hauling fish from maine to montreal. the two had a lot in common. they liked to drink, and they were unlucky in love. pearl had been divorced five times, and bill's third marriage had just ended. they fell in love and were married in the summer of 1986. their relationship appeared to be close. they met for lunch each day at this restaurant on the docks. but on august 13th, 1991, pearl's daughter called police to report her mother missing. she said pearl failed to show up for a family gathering she had been looking forward to. >> my mother was very loving, very caring. everybody's best friend. >> south portland detective linda barker was assigned to the investigation. at the bruns home, she

. >> reporter: workers at new meadows lobster gassed up their boats on casco bay and proved them to more sheltered location. owner peter mcaleney says the hurricane-force winds could be disastrous. >> mother nature, she can really mess you up. if you don't pay attention to what's going on, you can lose a lot of money in the seafood business. >> reporter: mcaleney has been in the lobster business for nearly four decades. he knows what's ahead. >> you're talking $70,000 $80,000 easy. >> reporter: $70,000 or $80,000 if you're not back in business by next week? >> yep yep. >> reporter: at this hardware store in portland, the cashier says there's been a steady rush of customers preparing since the weekend. >> to get a foot to two feet, you know, all the mainers and everyone in portland gets scared. you got to stock up. >> reporter: local authorities are warning people to stay home. this waterfront oyster bar intends to stay open. >> as individuals i think we'll hunker down and enjoy the storm. >> reporter: and as an extra precaution, the u.s. coast guard spent much of the day on the water. sc