What happens at Sea…

What did I just see? Ethan wonders and peeks around the corner again. But the two cruise ship attendants had already disappeared behind an ‘employees only’ door.

The pair had been hefting a large black bag between them, their eyes darting up and down the hall when Ethan had stumbled upon them. The look of panic and guilt on their faces had instantly put him on edge.

Pretending to act more inebriated than he was, Ethan stumbled back the way he came, hiccupping something about looking for a bathroom.

From years of watching crime shows, that bag had looked suspiciously like it held a body,

“No way.” He mumbles, shaking his head at such crazy thoughts. “It was probably just heavy garbage.” Then why had they looked so guilty?

He frowns, his mind churning. Come to think about it, they weren’t the first ship attendants to look guilty today.

Ethan had booked this solo cruise ship vacation to relax. Travelling with others in the past had been exhausting, so when he saw the ad for this Mediterranean cruise, he had jumped at it.

Two days in and he felt bored being alone. That’s when he introduced himself to his neighbors, Ena and Charles. The couple were in their late sixties and had invited Ethan to join them for meals, to which he happily agreed.

But this morning they hadn’t emerged from their room at the usual time for breakfast. Concerned, Ethan had questioned the housekeeper as she was exiting their suite. Guilt had flashed across her face before an overly friendly smile had covered it up.

“They’ve booked a romantic day for the two of them. You know, spa treatments and candlelit dinner. The whole nine yards. You probably won’t see much of them today.” She had waved and scampered away before he could ask more questions.

That entire exchange had felt… off. Besides, neither Ena nor Charles had seemed the overly romantic type.

“Where are you two?” Indeed, he hadn’t seen them at all today. Not at dinner or at the live concerts they liked to frequent in the evening.

It was getting late, but maybe he would check out the bar first before bed. Charles had a fondness for the old fashions they made. Perhaps he’ll see them there and put his mind at ease.

The crowd is sparse as Ethan walks in and it’s obvious neither is here. Disappointed, he’s about to turn and leave when he notices one of the attendants who had been carrying the large bag.

Narrowing his eyes, he sidles up to the young man. “Excuse me. I ran into you a few moments ago while you and another guy were carrying a large bag. It seemed rather heavy.” Ethan doesn’t elaborate, hoping the kid will laugh it off, confirming it was just garbage.

Instead, the attendant's eyes widen as that same look of panic reddens his face. “I don’t think so. I’ve been working here all night.” He stammers, struggling to get his emotions in check.

“I’m sure it was you. I have a great memory for faces.” Ethan says as he studies the man’s features. Cherry blond hair and freckles. It was him for sure. Why is he lying?

“Ha, nope! Like I said. I’ve been here all night!” Fake cheery voice, tight smile. The attendant was lying for sure!

Ethan huffs out his frustration as he spins to leave.

“Sir! I’d suggest not missing the captain’s mystery dinner celebration tomorrow night. The meal the chefs are preparing is… exotic! Something we’ve never done before.” The liar’s conspiratorial wink makes the hair on Ethan’s neck stand on end.

“Uh… yeah, sure.” Ethan hurries out of the room, feeling the attendant’s eyes on him the entire time.

“Do you think he suspects anything?” The bartender asks his freckled companion.

“Maybe. He saw me and James carrying it to the kitchens. I’m sure he doesn’t know what was inside, though.”

“You better hope he doesn’t. All we need is some nosey guest poking around and ruining everything.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on him. If I think he’s figured it out, I’ll take care of it.”

****

Ethan groans and rolls over, throwing a hand over his eyes. He had drunk far too much alcohol when he retired to his room last night.

He had stayed up late as dark scenarios had played through his mind. Where were Ena and Charles and what the hell had been in that bag? That attendant had been lying… why?? And why mention the mystery dinner?

His drunk mind had landed on an idea that was far too heinous. Human. They were going to serve us human at this dinner. Namely, Ena or Charles. Maybe both!

The bright sunlight shining through the porthole window makes these thoughts seem outrageous. Silly even. Ethan chuckles as he heaves himself out of bed. “I’m a dolt. No more crime shows for me.”

He rushes to shower, wanting to meet up with the couple. He’s sure Ena will get a kick out of his worry over their whereabouts.

As he exits his room, several housekeepers are pulling bedding out of Ena and Charles' room. With the door open, Ethan sees that the room looks empty.

Every suspicious thought comes rushing back to him.

“Where are the couple that was staying here?” He demands, startling both women.

The younger one gives him a wary glance and purses her lips, but the older lady glares at him. “They’ve upgraded to an ocean view stateroom suite. Not that it’s any of your business.”

Ethan glares back. “What room number? We’re friends and I’d like to check on them.”

“All I know is they’ve upgraded rooms, not which one. If they’re your friends, I’m sure they’ll get in touch with you. Now, excuse us. We have work to do.”

Not knowing what else to do, Ethan heads to breakfast.

As he sips his coffee, he watches people come and go, but no sign of Charles or Ena. He decides he’ll spend the day looking for them.

From the swimming pool to miniature golf, and every place in between, Ethan has no luck finding the couple. He even inquires at lobby reception, but the employee refuses to give him any information, stating it would be a breach of privacy. He offers to let them know Ethan’s looking for them.

The creepy thing is he’s run into the freckled face attendant several times.

The third time he spots him, Ethan’s anger bubbles over. Striding over to the guy, he jabs a finger at him. “Why are you following me?”

Not denying Ethan’s accusation, the kid grins. “Look. I lied. It was me you saw last night. I just need to know if you’ve figured out what we were carrying?”

Narrowing his eyes, Ethan frowns. “Oh, I have a pretty good idea.”

The attendant’s grin falters but before he can respond, several older ladies surround him, asking for his help. He’s effectively trapped unless he physically pushes them aside.

Ethan takes that moment to back away.

“Hey, wait a second. Don’t tell anyone about what you saw, okay? The dinner is supposed to be a secret!” He waves at Ethan, that worried look still on his face.

Spinning, Ethan nearly runs in the opposite direction.

“I’ll find you!” he hears the guy yell.

“Shit!” Ethan hisses, his panic building. “Why did I admit I knew about the body? I’m so stupid!”

Who could he go to about this? What if the entire crew was in on it? His cell phone was useless unless he was near the lobby, which he wasn’t.

“I’ve got to hide!” But where? The sun was setting, so maybe he could blend into the crowd that always gathered on the aft deck of the ship.

Avoiding as many of the employees as possible, Ethan sneaks his way there. Thankfully, it’s as busy as usual.

Grabbing someone’s discarded straw hat, he plops it on his head and slouches on a lounger. The ship was huge, so maybe it wouldn’t be impossible to lie low until the next port. He’ll just have to avoid going back to his room.

His blood chills when he spots freckles. And he’s not alone. His partner in crime has tagged along and both are scanning the crowd for him.

Slumping lower in his chair, Ethan’s foot bumps a table, sending several drinks crashing to the floor.

Eyes turn his way. Pointing, the pair stride toward him.

“Oh, fuck no!” Ethan swears, jumping up and backing away from them.

“Sir!” the two say in unison.

“Just come with us. We’ll explain everything.” The attendant’s fake grin doesn’t fool him.

“No way! I’m going to tell everyone what you’re serving at the dinner tonight! You won’t get away with this!” Ethan yells as he continues to move backwards.

“Sir. Just stop! Sir!” The kid’s voice rises as Ethan continues distancing himself.

Ethan’s about to bellow out the truth when his feet stumble over something. Pinwheeling his arms, he can’t stop his fall. A collective scream reaches his ears as he pitches up and over the railing, his breath leaving him as he hits the icy sea.

****

Shock washes over the crowd before the blare of the alarm sounds. “Man overboard!” Someone wails.

Both attendants stare wide eyed before bursting into action.

Hours go by as the crew enacts emergency protocols, but to no avail. Ethan Macrae is effectively lost at sea.

****

As Charles and Ena shuffle into the bar, each holding the other for comfort over this disaster, Ena sniffles. “I feel so bad we avoided the boy.”

Charles huffs, hugging his wife closer. “Hush, sweetie. Ethan just wouldn’t leave us alone, and we wanted our last few days to ourselves. We shouldn’t feel bad about that.”

A fellow passenger tips his glass their way. “I heard there was going to be a Hawaiian luau, complete with a pig roast for the captain’s dinner. Sucks we missed that!”

Ena and Charles glare at the man. How inappropriate! Some people were just so delusional.