For a smile as wide as a country sunrise
The “something wrong” was the front door being wide open. I offered to go in first and check the place. I put Muffin’s slingshot on her and off we went in the big front door. Jessica didn’t want to stay outside alone so she came along behind me. This room is large running the full width of the hotel and there was a large stone fireplace on each end of the room. The entire room is full of rustic style furniture mostly made from smaller logs. There are several large comfortable looking chairs, smaller game tables, a lot of kerosene lamps around. There is no electricity out here, everything is propane, but lighting is all with kerosene lamps and candles. It is a high ceiling going up to the second floor. There is a wide staircase in the middle of the room going up to the balcony like hallway on the second floor.
There are two smaller stairways on each end of that balcony leading up to the third floor. Apparently there are rooms on each side of the hallway up there. This will take some time to search. If someone came in there are a lot of places to hide. There is also a narrow stairway in the kitchen, Jessica said, leading down to a large cellar. Muffin is looking wide eyed around the room. Can Muffin go looking around? Certainly, said Jessica, she has the run of the whole hotel. That’s all Muffin needed to hear and she was off. There’s no point looking for anyone, said Jessica, there won’t be anyone here, that’s just the way it always works. There’s never a trace of anyone. She went into the kitchen to start making dinner.
Muffin and I go looking around a bit on the second floor. The place does need a lot of work, but could be a wonderful hotel once it’s restored to it’s original beauty again. But way out here? Who would come, except maybe a few hunters? Meow, meow.=I don’t think she tell everything. I agree with you Muffin. Well, we couldn’t find anyone, just like Jessica said and dinner was now ready. Jessica is definitely a good cook and she even let Muffin sit on top of the table with her own plate of food. Do you get people coming out here?, I asked. No, said Jessica, just my handyman, Gordon and he only comes out Thursday and Saturday. Hmm, this is Monday, so he shouldn’t be out here. And he doesn’t have a key, added Jessica.
Have you changed the locks on all the doors? I tried to get Bill to do that, but he always had other things he wanted to do first, she said. I think we better do that tomorrow, I suggested. Sounds great, said Jessica, we can get locks at the store in town. I would have done that but I just don’t know how to do that kind of thing and Gordon has been away for awhile. I guess I should tell you everything, said Jessica. That would be nice. Okay, ever since we bought this place strange things have been happening. We would lock the doors when we went to town and they would be open when we came back. Sometimes even at night they would be open. A couple times a fire had been started in the fireplaces, or tools would go missing one day and would reappear the next day. One time flour was tossed all over the kitchen.
Meow, meow!=Ghosts! Time to leave, I’ll go pack. No Muffin, we’re not leaving, there are no ghosts, remember? Then how do you explain all of this?, asked Jessica. You and Bill never heard anything? I’m a heavy sleeper, but Bill was a very light sleeper, even little things would wake him up and yet he never heard anything either, which is very odd. Hmm, yes, it is odd for sure. Meow, meow.=Good, you agree, I’ll go pack. No Muffin, we’re staying. And stop sighing like that. Meow, meow.=Only way to sigh that I know. Jessica got that puzzled look, how do you know what Muffin is saying? Practice, I said.
To be continued.
Steve and Muffin.
© 2020 Steve McLeod.
Oh my god!!! The suspense is killing me by the word ghosts!!!
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Glad to hear you’re enjoying it Eshal!😃😺🕵️♂️🕵️♀️
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I always do and i think i always will!
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Sounds great Eshal, enjoy your day!
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Thanks steve you too!!!
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It’s getting interesting!! Come on Friday!! 🕵️♀️🐱👤
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Hi Dusty, had to do something to set the scene a bit before…
Is Jessica making this up?
Is she just trying to collect on her husbands life insurance?
Is the handyman trying to scare her away?
Is she telling me everything?
Do I have to make my own coffee?
Chapter 3 is coming! Soon. Sort of.😃😺🕵️♂️🕵️♀️🔎🔦🕯
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Oh no!! Not the coffee!! Say it ain’t so!! I think she’s after the insurance!!😁
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Interesting thought, but I never mentioned insurance in the story.🤔🙄I think there’s something brewing with that coffee maker. After all, there’s no electricity so why have an electric coffee maker?
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Would stove?😉
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I don’t think an electric coffee maker wood work on a wood stove, but I can try. I wonder how long a wood stove wood burn?🤔🙄
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As long as it has would!😂😂😂
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There was a guy back in the 1930s who sold wood stoves. They were guaranteed to burn for 5 hours. He went out of business, apparently his profits went up in smoke, along with his wood stoves.😂😹🤣😳🙄
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They were just too hot to handle!!😂😂😂😂
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Don’t think they had handles.🤔
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There’s the problem! If they only burned for 5 hours it wood be costly to replsce every 5 hours!😉😂
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That was the stoves made from soft wood, the hardwood stoves got an extra 2 hours of burning.
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Wow! That is impressive! It took 7 hours to burn the stove! Imagine if it had handles??
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So true.
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Sew berry true!
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Exciting!
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Thank you Lydia, just setting the scene for…
😃😺🕵️♂️🕵️♀️🔎🔦🕯
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Love it ! I sure hope there is another chapter on Friday…I look forward to them ! ☕️☕️🕵️♂️☕️☕️😯😺
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It will be on Friday for sure. I hope. Glad you like it!😃😺🕵️♂️🕵️♀️🔎🔦🕯
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Hahaha! ‘Practice’…Priceless. I love that Muffin has her own slingshot. Keep going! 👍
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Yep, Muffin needed protection so I gave her a slingshot to use. Watching her toss her toys around like that did it for me!😃😺☕🕵️♂️🕵️♀️
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So clever, Steve.😸
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Thanks!😃😺🕵️♂️🕵️♀️
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Jessica should change the locks first, good suggestion, now the suspect is from outside or from the inside? Why someone wanted to sell an abandoned place and kill them later 🤔 Wonder should we focus on Jessica or the detective itself 😳🙄 Is there a link between the detective, Muffin and Jessica, is it all a drama they both trying to perform,🤔 Let’s find out 😉✨✍️ Happy Writing Steve🤗
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Yep, everyone is a suspect at the start, even the detective, except Muffin of course. Yes, with the locks changed then we can find out if it’s someone outside or inside. Or is it really a ghost?☠👻 What happens if we run out of coffee?😳☕ If it is Jessica, I could get killed in my sleep!😲 I need to stay awake, can’t sleep!😬☕☕☕☕ Chapter 3 today!😁😸🕵️♂️🕵️♀️
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Let’s find out the suspect ✨😉 and forget the coffee, got busy stuff to do more than coffee 😄. Hope Muffin would help 😉
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What?😳 No coffee?😲🙀Muffin and I need our coffee or we can’t think. I like regular coffee, but Muffin prefers maple coffee.😂😹☕☕Now to find out what’s going on! Even I don’t know that part yet!😂😹🙄🕵️♂️🕵️♀️🔎🕯🔦
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You don’t even know 😳🤔 then it’s going to be super exciting 😍
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I have ideas right now of how things will go, just not sure which idea to follow. Hmm…..😁😸🤔
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Take your time and surprise us Steve 🥰
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Yes indeed, we will all be surprised. Maybe I should let Muffin write the next chapter?🤔😸
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Sounds good, she’ll do even better 😉
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What?😲 Better?😳 Hey now!🤪 Actually, she just might be better.😂😹
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Ha ha ha 😂😜 you are a best better and she is indeed might just better 😜😜😜
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I gave her a pen and paper to try her paw at writing. She ripped up the paper and played with the pen. That idea didn’t work, she wants to use my laptop!😂😹🙄💻
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Uh oh🙄 laptop 🤔 u need to find a better keyboard 😜
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Yes, she has tried several times to type on the keyboard and then looks at what happened. Scary.😳😹😂
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You must have captured the look on her face 😳😂😂 Priceless reaction isn’t it😉
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Yes indeed, sure is!😂😹
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Better go packing Muffin 😻 but that privilege to sit on top of the table with your own plate of food, maybe is worth staying 😉😻
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Yes indeed, that pampering has her wanting to stick around for a bit.😻 But for how long?🤔 We’re getting more questions and less answers right now.😳 Have a nice evening Ribana!😃😺🕵️♂️🕵️♀️
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My heart feels so warm right now. I’m definitely binge reading this mystery series now. It’s a must add to my much needed escape.
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I sure hope you like it. But watch out for that girl named Jessica, I’m not sure if she can be trusted!😁😸🕵️♂️🕵️♀️
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See see! This is what I meant when I commented you got your eyes on her in the next chapter 😂
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Yep, I sure do! She could be guilty, but, she’s so nice.🤔😻
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