The Mystery

Sometimes in retirement, I can wake up with a great storyline that I decide to try out. Well, I think it sounds great and then I think we will just have to see where it goes. My husband has the television on from the first thing in the morning until the last thing at night. I have found other ways to keep busy. However, I still get into quite a bit of his daytime television. As I said, retirement! Some of the programs that I have sat through and may just be my favorites are Monk, Dr. Mark Sloan in Diagnosis Murder, and Jessica Fletcher in Murder She Wrote.

In a dream, one time the three of my favorites, were on a cruise to Alaska. It was beautiful weather for Alaska. The ship was enormous and had all the absolute best things for a cruise. Good food options, luxury quarters and great entertainment. It never fails that when these three go on vacation though, someone is murdered right? Well, at least it’s that way in their television shows. The reason they are all on the cruise is for a live interview from aboard the cruise liner to sell Alaskan cruise ships to their fans and to talk about their lives as television actors. And people are interested in their comparing notes. They are cruising with some fans who won the opportunity to spend some time with their favorite television stars. My husband would enjoy this cruise, although he wasn’t in the dream.

The first night of their trip, someone was reported overboard. The woman who saw it couldn’t be clear about what she saw, except she was sure it was a man that went overboard, and by the time she got to where he went over, she couldn’t see him in the water. By the time the ship had stopped, they were already a significant distance away and unable to find anyone in the water. The crew notified the authorities and were told there would be a search and that they would stay in touch. In the meantime, the crew was asked to figure out who was missing as family would need to be told. It was not normal for someone to fall into the water and survive on an Alaskan cruise ship at any time of year as hypothermia would set in quickly.

Jessica was having dinner with the Captain and Monk was invited to join them as well. When they were told what had been reported, they were both curious to hear everything the Captain knew and decided to join the on-board investigation. They asked questions as they finished their dinner, and with Jessica and Monk both on the job, they were able to discover that no one was missing - no one except their friend Dr. Mark Sloan who the search team couldn’t find anywhere. The woman who saw the person go overboard was unable to say anything more than she had already. Well, it just so happened that the entertainment onboard was a hypnotist. Jessica convinced the hypnotist to help them find their good friend Dr. Mark Sloan, who was thought to have fallen overboard. They talked to the woman about being hypnotized, convincing her that she may know something she does not realize that she knows. As she is being hypnotized, an audience grows around her. As the woman is being asked what she saw, she starts to describe seeing a man standing next to the railing on the deck above her. She said the man started to climb on the railing and he started to slip. She couldn’t watch anymore and tightly closed her eyes. By the time she gets to the place she assumed he had fallen, she couldn’t see anyone or anything.

Suddenly, from the audience came a male voice asking who fell overboard. The voice, it turns out, was none other than Dr. Mark Sloan. Apparently, he had been reaching for a handkerchief that had fallen as he finished using it. And it had gotten caught in a place that he could not quite reach. He could see how it may have looked like he had started to climb on the railing and quickly changed his mind. He moved quickly as only Dr. Mark Sloan can, as he knew if he did not move swiftly his handkerchief would be gone. That is when the woman must have thought he was going overboard. When asked where he was as his stateroom was being searched, he laughed and said that he had fallen asleep in a surprisingly comfortable deck chair, enjoying the early evening breeze. Mystery solved.

So, what would it be like to take a cruise with Monk, Dr. Mark Sloan, and Jessica? This is the real mystery I would like to talk about. If there was a murder, they would solve it. Just how often is there a murder aboard a cruise ship? Not very, although they do happen, I’m sure. I am guessing though, that since they are only actors, they would be asked to mind their own business. They would not have any more part in solving the crime than I may. After all, they are on the cruise for relaxation and recuperation, not for playing the part they had on television. And besides, are they all still alive? Hahaha. Yes, they are, and Jessica is 96. Your chances of a cruise death happening is more likely from an infectious disease, like the pandemic. I was told your odds of dying on a cruise are way less than your odds of dying in a traffic accident.

Would I take a cruise? Probably not. I get seasick, air sick and car sick. Car sick much less often and air sick has not stopped me from flying. I just sleep most of the way as I will take meclizine and it allows me to sleep without much after effect. Now a cruise is a different story as even though I love the water, I would not pay to spend a week on board with the thought that it could get rough, and I could be sick and probably need to sleep for a lot of the time. I can sleep at home, without any of the side effects. If the trip was paid for and my husband or good friends or other family were going, then maybe. Now, that will never happen. End of story. It is fun to think a mystery through to the end.