And now that Alice is on to me stealing food, and possibly even more, I need to be careful. It’s another good reason for us to get out of here as soon as possible.

Leo has already said he’s open to me taking time off so I don’t foresee any issue with that. I can even tell him that before Stuart vanished, he prescribed me pills to help me cope.

I leave my trolley and head to the muster station.

70

Alice

8 February 2022, 10:00

The Caribbean

I don’t believe in premonitions or a sixth sense or anything like that, but I’m not surprised when Stuart doesn’t turn up for the muster call. I already knew something was badly wrong.

What’s happened to him? I’m 99 per cent sure that he wouldn’t have done something as stupid as going swimming, and that he wasn’t suicidal. Why would he have been?

I barely slept last night. In the early hours of the morning, I even started to wonder if the people going missing could be something to do with me. After all, they were all my friends. Lola, then Rick, then Stuart.

Could someone be hurting people to get at me? But who would do that, and why? I dismiss the thought. It’s ridiculous. I’m being paranoid.

Or is it something to do with Antonio? Why was he stealing food? Why was he so strange when I asked him about it? No. That makes no sense whatsoever. Antonio is behaving strangely because he’s grieving for Lola.

Then again, someone must have something to do with Stuart going missing, I’m sure of it. I don’t see why he’d leave of his own accord, without a word to me. Someone killed Rick. Maybe Lola too. Something is going on. I just don’t understand what or why.

As the person who reported Stuart missing, and who is euphemistically described as the ‘closest’ person to him on board, I’m summoned to Leo’s office, where it seems Nico has been flown in. Again.

My eyes are gritty and red from crying and from lack of sleep and I’m annoyed that Nico’s here. His presence has nothing to do with concern for what has happened to Stuart, but rather how his disappearance might reflect on Heracles.

‘Right.’ Nico is terse. ‘So no one has any idea where Stuart is? Or what happened? Or even when, by the sound of it?’

‘I, um, saw him four nights ago,’ I say, blushing. I don’t particularly want to talk about my sex life, but I want to do whatever I can to help Stuart. I have the worst feeling that it’s already too late. ‘He spent the night with me before I got up early to supervise breakfast.’