Chapter 574

• When dessert was served Ben excused himself to use the washroom. On the way back he took the long way to see if he could spot the missing couple. They weren't out on the back deck, the front deck, or the lounge above the dining area. Finally he made his way up to the top deck. It was empty as everyone was downstairs enjoying the dessert.
• Then he picked up an odd sound. He held still and listened hard trying to separate the sounds of the ship from the odd noise. He moved around slowly until he recognized it as feeble crying but he couldn't find where it was coming from. Finally he tracked the sound to a low storage locker next to the top railing. He leaned over it and spotted Gretchen wedged between the locker and the railing lying on her right side. He could see she was bleeding and bruised. Her left arm looked swollen. How she'd gotten between the locker and the railing he had no idea but she wasn't able to move. She cried pitifully.
• "Gretchen? It's Ben Shepherd. Can you hear me?"