For a smile as wide as a country sunrise
“Is he dead?”, asked King. “No, he’s just sleeping,” I said, “he was shot with these.” I held out the two sleeping darts. “What are they?”, he asked. I took my dart gun out of my backpack and showed him. “They are sleeping darts, shot from a gun like this,” I explained. “Looks just like a real gun,” he said. “Yes, but it can only shoot these darts,” I said, “and they don’t shoot very far. But I don’t understand why anyone would shoot him with sleeping darts unless he spotted someone that shouldn’t be here.” “And we know there must be someone else out here,” he said, “but where are they hiding?”
“An old house like this could have secret rooms and passages in it,” I explained, “I’m sure your clients would love it if we could find some.” “That they would,” he admitted, “now to just convince Bradley and Susan to sell the place.” “How did you find out about their house?”, I asked. “We have been friends for a long time,” he said, “so when they told me about it I realized there was a good profit to be made for them.” “And for you too,” I added, smiling. He laughed, “you have me there, yes, I would get a good commission out of it too.” King is still a good suspect, he was the last one to see Bradley and he didn’t seem too surprised about my dart gun.
But if he is involved, he’s not alone, someone else is working with him. These ‘ghostly’ happenings might even be his idea to increase the price of the house. We go out to the living room and tell Susan that Bradley is sleeping on their bed, so she heads right down there, while I head back upstairs. Kat is sitting up and feeling quite a bit better. Meow,meow!=I know about carpet and room, it exactly the same! I decide to meow with her, just in case someone is listening to us. Kat just sits quietly and listens to our conversation. Meow,Meow?=Okay Muffin, what case is the room from? Meow,meow.=It our very first case, sitting room on top floor, everything same, books, lamps, carpet, furniture, ornaments, even size of room.
Meow,Meow!= Good girl, that’s exactly right, and that tells us that John is involved in this. Contact Baldwin to check and see if John is still in jail. So she did so right away. Meanwhile, elsewhere in the house… “Well, what are they saying?”, said a woman. “Nothing,” said a man, “the one cat is meowing and that PI is meowing too.” “All they’re doing is meowing?” she asked incredulously. “Yep, that’s all they’re doing,” he said again, “I think that PI is a nut.” “I doubt that,” she said, “he recognized the room and asked the cat to look at it too.”
“Are you saying they can talk to each other?”, he asked. “Of course not!”, she exclaimed, “I’m not crazy like he is!” And now back to us again. “Think you’re well enough to walk downstairs to our bedroom Kat?”, I asked her. “Yes,” she said, “I can do it now.” So we went slowly down the stairs to our bedroom and Kat sat in one of the big chairs, a table in between them. Then I added another scrambler to the room, plus another device plugged into my charger and turned it up. “What does that one do?”, asked Kat. “Well, anyone listening with an old fashioned device will get their eardrums blasted to pieces with this,” I told her.
Back to our listening friends…suddenly the man threw off his headphones, put his hands on his ears and fell off his chair. “What’s with you?”, asked the woman, and she picked up the headphones but tossed them aside real fast. “Guess they know we are listening now,” she said angrily. Baldwin answered our inquiry about John, but he is still in prison. So much for that idea, though he could have someone working for, or with, him. Suddenly there was a high pitched scream coming from downstairs! I told the cats to stay with Kat, made sure she had her gun, then I went running downstairs.
“It came from the Collins’ bedroom, we think,” said the one couple. Just then King and the other couple came up from the basement. I asked King to come with me and we ran down to Bradley and Susan’s bedroom. She met us at the door and ran right into King’s arms. I ran over to Bradley, he had been stabbed with that big knife of his. “Is he…?,” asked King, who genuinely looked scared. “Yes, he’s dead this time,” I said, “take Susan out to the living room.” He did so right away. That’s why someone used the sleeping darts on Bradley, it would be the only way to kill him easily, without shooting him. And shooting wouldn’t fit the ghost theory very well.
To Be Continued.
Β©2021 Steve McLeod.
Yikes!π³π³ Lost another one! Better check for finger prints this time!!ππ
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This is the first one in this case. Everyone has an alibi this time, except Susan, and that’s her husband. Plus she was stabbed herself, although, that was a rather suspicious stabbing which she lied about. But could she stab her husband? Shooting is one thing, but stabbing is rather personal, plus she would have to use one hand. Still…π¬π±ββοΈπππ΅οΈββοΈ
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Trust no one on this case!! Except Kat and the Cats! Well maybe Baldwin and the other two girls and their boyfriends.. wit do they have boyfriends?? Too many to keep track of!!π€ͺπ€ͺ
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I wish Jennifer and Annelie were here right now, I can’t watch everyone. No, they don’t have boyfriends. Not sure if I can trust those two odd couples, or King, though he seemed to be genuinely scared. I think he might have been part of something that he didn’t think would go so far as it has.
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Well.. if my remembered is workingπ Jennifer and Annelie were on their way after Muffin sent the SOS.π€π€
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Yep, that’s right, but how soon will they arrive? It’s a long trip. At least 25 hours.
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Soon I hope!π²
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Yep, then we can start searching this place, hopefully before anyone else gets killed.
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I agree!! But what are you looking for??π€π€ How will you know when you see it?πππ€π€
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We’re looking for other people, there has to be someone else involved, someone was living in that little room.π€π πΎπΎ
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How do you know it’s not one of the persons that are there already?π€ They could be trying g to scare off the others!
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At least one of the people here are involved, but who? But there is someone else here too, someone had to steal the batteries out of the cars and it was none of these people.π€
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Then it must be someone we haven’t met yet.π€π€
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Yep, that’s the way I figure it. I thought maybe it might be a trap for Kat and I. But perhaps they want someone else?
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Ahhhh…..π²π²π²π²Maybe!!
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I just hope I’m wrong!
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Maybe… you shod get everyone I ut of the house and have them watch each other while you search the house room by room??π€π€ππ
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Thanks, I appreciate that! Let the PI go by himself and get killed!π²π² Not a bad thought though,π€ except for me getting killed.ππ
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I’m just spit Ballin here! I don’t know if it would work or not! You’re the PI…π€π€π€π€
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Well, I would prefer to have some company, I could take one of the cats with me, can’t take both, I want one to keep Kat company while she watches the company and…hmm, now that’s an idea.ππ‘π‘
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Now you’re using your thinkerer!ππ
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You really think so?π€
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Yep I do!!ππ
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Good for you!
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That would be the only good thing for me today!π
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There you go, one is better than none!π
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Yes! You’re right!πππ
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ππΊπ
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I didn’t get a second interview. They emailed me this afternoon.
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Does that mean you got the job? Or not?
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Notπ
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Rats. Sorry to hear that.π
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Yep! Me too! I’ll keep trying..
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That’s it, never give up! There’s a job waiting!π
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Where?? Tell me!! I need to know!!π
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From in the house,
Walk down the street,
And soon that job,
I’m sure you’ll meet.π
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π€π€π€ Mowing lawns isn’t gonna pay the bills I’m afraid!πππ But what have I got to lose?π€π€π€ππ
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You’re not charging enough.ππ
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Not only that, everyone’s yards are small!ππ
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You need a slogan, like “satisfaction guaranteed or double your grass clippings back!”
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Hey!! Great idea!!
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Thank you! I thought it was nice and catchy!ππΉ
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You always have the hood ideas!ππ
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A hood idea?π€
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Okay a Good Idea then! Holds for another time and weather!
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Right. I think.π€
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Hood for another time and weather…
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There we go! I knew it was something.π
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Auto fill!!π€¨π€¨π€¨
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Got to watch them autos.ππ
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Especially them General Motors ones!!ππππ
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Who’s General Motors? Is he a famous General?
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AKA Government Motors!!πππ I think they make Cattleracks??πππ€π€
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How strange. I never knew cattle needed racks, is that for their winter coats?π€
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Yep!! H I w did you know??π²π²π²
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Now if only this case was so simple.π€π
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Exactly!!
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Exactly what?
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A simple case! Why do you always ask the hard questions?
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That’s what we need alright, a nice simple case. What do we get? Some weird case with odd people getting excited about murders and ghosts!π³πππ€―π€―
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Did you just call me odd??π€¨π€¨π€π€
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Are you in the case?π€ππ
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No thank goodness!! I’d probably be dead!!π€¨π€¨
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Would I do that?π€π€¨ (insert evil laughter)πππ
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I do I really need to answer that??π
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Yes, I want to know.π€π
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You had that evil laugh….π€¨π€¨ I’m inclined to say….
Nope!π€£π€£π€£
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Really? I think I would actually.π
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Oooohhhhh.. ouch!π¬
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I could do it quickly.π€π€ͺ
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I’d rather you didn’t!!πππ€¨π€¨
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Okay, slow it is.π
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Things are getting serious. Only sleeping darts, hanging, and stabbing. Someone is serious about quietly killing people.
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Yes, it is odd no guns have been used. That replica room upstairs is odd too, no one would know about that except John, but he’s in prison. He must be involved here though, but who is working with him? Is this just another trap for Kat and I? or is it something else?
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This is a strange bit of affairs ! Are you sure of those around you ? Someone is passing on information to the bad guys…interesting ! βοΈβοΈπ΅οΈββοΈπ©πΌπΌ
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Right now I can only trust Kat and the cats! I think King is involved somehow, but I was obviously wrong about Bradley, he was my key suspect. What is going on? I’m beginning to think this is a trap of some kind, but not for Kat and I, for someone else, but who?π€π±ββοΈπΎπΎπ΅οΈββοΈ
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