75. Disappeared Without A Trace

Days passed by quickly. On the fourth day of the couple's wedding anniversary, they had a romantic candle-lit dinner inside their suite and made love all night long. On the 5th day, the couple spends their time in the pool area of the cruise ship and enjoys the jacuzzi along with other couples. They watched skaters on the skating rink for one hour. They also tried bumper cars, bikes high above the ship, and skydiving simulators. Then they proceeded to try a roller coaster ride, took the plunge and loved the adrenaline-pumping, exhilarating experience. They were having so much fun. The couple also went to watch a show in the theater. That night, the couple watched movies in their room and after finishing watching the movies, they left their suite and went to their favorite spot to enjoy the lovely night. They settled comfortably in the sun lounger and admired the star-filled sky. "I want to drink chocolate coffee," Clarice said. Alpha Callum stood up. "Alright, let's go and buy coffee." "You go ahead, I'll just stay here," Clarice said, looking at the sky with sparkling eyes. "OK, babe, I'll be back in a minute. Don't go anywhere," Alpha Cullum said. He planted a kiss on her head and walked away. Clarice stared at the ocean, inhaling the salty breeze, loving the pleasant atmosphere of the night. She was alone. No other people occupy the place at the moment. It was already 10:00 in the evening and people were already sleeping peacefully in their cabins. She was unaware that a guy was watching her twenty meters away. That guy was Kaspar. As soon as he saw Clarice alone, Kaspar wasted no time and walked closer to her. He settled on a sun lounger three meters away from her. She got a company. Clarice immediately noticed the guy wearing a hoodie jacket. His face was partially hidden by the hoodie. He was sitting on the sun lounger near her, busy browsing on his phone. . Then out of the corner of her eyes, the guy stood up, walked to the railing of the ship and accidentally dropped his wallet on the floor, but he was unaware of it. Clarice stood up and automatically picked up the wallet and approached the guy. "Mister, you dropped your wallet," she said. Kaspar turned around, looked at her and smiled. That very moment he was already casting a freezing spell on her. "Thank you, Miss. You are so kind," he replied cheerily. Clarice couldn't get her eyes off him. Why does his voice sound familiar? She could never forget his voice. Her heart beat rapidly in her rib cage. Now she finally remembers! His voice sounds like Kaspar's! But it was too late to do anything. The spell had already taken effect and Clarice stood frozen. At lightning speed, Kaspar immediately lifted Clarice's body and dumped her into the water while the ship continued moving forward. For a second, Kaspar looked left and right to see if there were any witnesses but found none. He immediately left the area because Alpha Callum would return any time soon. Kaspar's movement was fast and flawless. He left no evidence behind that would tie him to his crime. He returned to his room and hid there. He won't be able to sleep tonight, knowing he killed Clarice twice. Back at the couple's favorite spot, Alpha Callum returned with two paper cups of hot chocolate coffee. His forehead furrowed when he didn't see his wife there. He specifically told her not to leave the place and wait for her. Where is she? He walked back and forth, searching for his wife. When he failed to find her in their favorite spot, he returned to their suite, but she wasn't there either. Where could she be? Alpha Callum's confusion grows as the minutes pass by. Something is not right... Did Clarice go somewhere? But why would she leave without him? She doesn't normally do that, wandering around the cruise ship on her own. They always explore places together. He left the suite and searched for his wife from top to bottom of the ship but couldn't find her. Three hours later, Alpha Callum finally approached the cruise staff and reported that his wife had gone missing. He can't find her no matter how he tries. The captain of the cruise ship decided to stop the ship from sailing due to the incident and management deployed staff to help Alpha Callum search for his wife. To make the search easier, he showed them Clarice's close-up photo on his phone. The staff also checked CCTV camera footage near the presidential suite, especially the camera near the couple's favorite spot. Unfortunately, the camera malfunctioned and stopped recording that morning. Every minute that passed by, the worry and unease Alpha Callum felt in the pit of his stomach was growing by leaps and bounds. "Did my wife fall into the sea?" he asked aloud. He and the staff rushed to the railing of the ship. Since the ship has already stopped moving, it's easy to see if something is floating on the surface of the water. They looked down at the calm water. They couldn't see anything floating on the surface resembling a human form. "But it would be impossible for an adult to fall into the water unless that person jumped willingly into the water or he or she was intentionally thrown into the water by someone," one of the staff stated anxiously. Alpha Callum's heart suddenly stopped beating. C-could it be that there's a serial killer on the loose on the cruise ship? That is possible! But before he left Clarice's side to get some coffee, she was alone, no other people were occupying that area. But he couldn't be 100% sure because some people might have come after he took his leave. Alpha Callum returned to the suite and checked Clarice's stuff. Everything is intact, nothing is missing. Her phone was on the bedside table. She doesn't normally bring her phone with her at night because she wants to enjoy nature without distractions. He tried establishing a mind link with her several times, but she did not respond. What's going on? His head was throbbing painfully as extreme worry and confusion gripped his mind and body. Why did his wife suddenly go missing? Agonizing hours pass by. Alpha Callum and several dedicated staff of the cruise ship didn't sleep that night just to continue searching for the missing Clarice. Hours passed and twilight came, still no signs of Clarice anywhere on the ship. Some of the staff suggested that there is a possibility that she accidentally or willingly jumped into the sea. But he argued with them and repeatedly told them that his wife was not suicidal and not emotionally stressed. She is happy with their married life, enjoying their wedding anniversary on board the cruise ship. When the new day began, the staff alerted all the passengers that a woman was missing last night and urged everyone to come forward if they saw Clarice. Her photos were posted in every corner of the ship. Unfortunately, no one came forward to say that they saw her last night. The last person who saw Clarice was her husband and there was CCTV footage in the restaurant where he bought the hot coffee, solid evidence that he was telling the truth. Alpha Callum was distraught and refused to rest and sleep. He didn't have an appetite for eating. The sudden disappearance of his wife created a deep void in his heart. He went back to his suite and stared at the vast ocean, looking distraught, wondering where Clarice was right now and what happened to her the moment he left her side to buy coffee? He was extremely pissed. Why did the CCTV camera in that area malfunction on the very same day his wife disappeared in the darkness of the night while the ship was sailing? Why, oh why? He sat on the edge of the bed looking miserable, devastated by Clarice's disappearance. She stared at his wife's photo on his phone for a long time. Tears of grief and sadness fell from his eyes straight onto the screen. "Where are you now, wife? Where can I find you?" he asked, his voice breaking due to the severity of his grief. He cried in utter despair, not knowing where to search for his wife since she couldn't be found inside the ship. The ocean was unforgiving, home to many dangerous animals, not a safe place to be, especially for a fragile woman like Clarice. Those scary thoughts intensified his fear for her safety. Their wedding anniversary celebration ended in tragedy. If he only knew that this would happen, he would not have agreed to this trip. When Clarice suggested the one-week cruise ship voyage to celebrate their wedding anniversary, he agreed wholeheartedly because he wanted her to be happy. But it's too late now. Bad things happened beyond his control. And it made him sick in his stomach that he was clueless about what truly happened to his wife. How could she disappear in the middle of the night without a trace? How?