For a smile as wide as a country sunrise
Well, we picked up our “ghost” and went back downstairs. She confessed to working for John to scare people away from the house when he was not there. She only did it because he had kidnapped her mother and is keeping her somewhere. That could be a problem since John is now dead, so, we cannot ask him where she has been hidden. The young woman’s name is Angelina Matthews. She is 28 and is an artist. Apparently she is making just enough money for her and her mother, at least for food, and they lived in this house.
Her mother, Shirley, had a successful housekeeping business, but she lost it and her house when her ex husband sued her for physical and mental abuse, He won, even though she claimed to be innocent and that really it was the other way around. He had a better lawyer it seems. I am now interested to see this woman that inflicted physical abuse on a man that was 6 feet tall and weighed 195 pounds. Annelie was looking up the details and showed me a picture of the man standing beside Shirley.
She is 5 foot 5 and weighs 115 pounds. He was built like Rock, just smaller. Oh well, anything is possible I guess. But now, we need to find this woman before too much time passes. I figure she is somewhere in this house still. First I send Kristina, Candace and Jenny down to the room we found behind the fireplace. There were gone quite a while and I was starting to get a bit worried, but they arrived back, and with Shirley.
She had been tied up and put in a secret room behind the room we found. They just had to move a dresser to reveal another door. Hmm, this is quite the house, a lot of hidden passages and rooms. But why is that? It must be much older than we think. “There is a book on the history of this place,” said Angelina, “I have it in my room, I just started to read it.” “That is the book I have been looking for,” I said, “where is your room?” “Please call me Angel,” she said, “all my friends do. It is down a secret passage on the top floor. I can show you.”
“No need to,” I said, “Muffin and I have been in there before. Take Candace, Kristina and Jennifer with you Muffin and show them where to go.” Meow,meow.=Okay, me do it, easy to find. Off they went with Angel having a rather quizzical look on her face. “She actually understood what you said?”, she asked me. “Yes, these cats are important members of our PI team and have been trained in many specialized areas,” I told her, “and we can communicate with them and they with us.”
Now she looked like maybe I was totally crazy. Meow.=Not look like she believe you. “I think maybe you are right MC,” I said, “but that is okay for now, until we check out her story.” Anyway, we all introduced ourselves to Shirley and Angel and let them know that we are a team called “The Investigators”. “Do you need someone to clean your office?”, asked Shirley. “Well, we do not actually have an office, we work out of our home,” I explained.
“But I could certainly use a housekeeper,” said Baldwin, “I am fair and pay well for good work. Plus I can offer you your own suite in the house which is large enough for you and your daughter.” “That is true,” added Kat, “that suite is huge and has 3 large bedrooms.” “How big is your house?”, she asked. “Oh, just a typical house, nothing extravagant,” said Baldwin, “certainly not like Steve and Kat’s chateau.” “Um, I don’t think there is much difference in the size Baldwin,” I said laughing. By then the others were back with that book.
Now I remember it from our first case, but at that time it did not fit with what we had been told about this house. Maybe now it will be different. I quickly went through the book until…there it is, the painting which was done long ago, but the house went back to the 1860’s, older than the painting. While I was reading aloud from the book about how the painting held the clue to a treasure of gold that was buried, Kristina was still looking around that fireplace for a way to open the hearth.
She looked at the painting again and the downward pointing arrow. Right in line with the arrow was a round knob, one of several all along the edge of the mantle of the fireplace. She tried to move it, without success. Then she asked Rock to turn it. He tried, but nothing. Then he pulled it upward and it came up and that caused the hearth to slide open. “Wow, look at that!” said Kristina excitedly, “there are stairs!” Jennifer, Annelie, Baldwin and Rock stayed upstairs with our prisoners for now.
The rest of us went down the stairs to a room at the bottom. There was a door which we opened. It was just a very small room, more like a large closet and it was…empty. How disappointing. We figured someone must have found the treasure long ago. Carine just shrugged, “well, I will not miss what I did not have.” And she laughed. It was rather disappointing though to have an empty ending. But we were all okay and we freed Shirley and Angel. Everyone is now talking about a vacation for all of us, someplace warm and relaxing. But can we find such a place? I doubt it.
The End.
Β©2022 Steve McLeod.
Great Ending!!ππ Too bad no gold to find, but John is gonna, so that’s a success!πππππ
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes indeed, it would have been nice to find some gold. But Carine was happy that Benji won’t be around to terrify her anymore. And John is gone too, so his killings have stopped. Now I wonder what our next case will be like?π€π±ββοΈπΊπΊπ±ββοΈπ©π©π©π©π±ββοΈππππ΅οΈββοΈ
LikeLike
Very exciting I’ve no doubt!ππ Maybe taking down world leader or an organized crime syndicate!!ππ
LikeLiked by 1 person
Maybe looking for a lost dog?π€π³π
LikeLike
Oh… even better! The cats π saving a canine! Sounds fun!! What could go wrong?ππ€π€
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s true, it would be something nice and easy for a change. I think we need easy.π
LikeLike
I’m good with that!π
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s good to hear. Well, I’m off to write my morning post, back later!
LikeLike
Alrighty I’ll watching reading!πππ
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m back now.π
LikeLike
Great! How are you today or should I say tonight?ππ€
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, I’m not, you know, but then I am, you know, so then that means I am, you know. But aside from that, not too bad.
LikeLike
Great! Better than yesterday!πππ
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, just a different problem today even though it’s not different but still it’s different in a different sort of way.π³ππ
LikeLike
It’s the same only different!! I get it! ππ€π€
I think anyway…π
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh good, then explain it to me.π€π
LikeLike
Ummm…. I don’t think so… that could be a problem…π¬π€
LikeLiked by 1 person
And here I thought I was having the problems.
LikeLike
I don’t think so… π€ π
LikeLiked by 1 person
Now that’s more like it.π
LikeLike
I getting a little better everyday π
LikeLiked by 1 person
I didn’t even know you were sick!π²π€―
LikeLike
Well.. not so much sick, as just needing a little renovation…πππ
LikeLiked by 1 person
I need to be totally rebuilt.π€£π€£π€£π€―π€―
LikeLike
Me too… but it’s hard finding good parts for this old of a chassis!πππ
LikeLiked by 1 person
I guess you have a point there.π€£π€£
LikeLike
Better than using body filler!!ππππ
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, a new name for food, I like it!π€ππ
LikeLike
Or Bondo…π€£π€£π€£
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oooh, another good one!
LikeLike
Thank You!π
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thatβs the end ? Didnβt expect it at all ! Hope to see the next investigation ! Your vacations seem to turn into something sinister ! Rest while you can ! π΅οΈββοΈπ©π©π©π©πΊπΊ
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yep, that’s the end, everything was taken care of so no reason to carry on with the story. Once things are done, that’s it. John is gone which is good news, Benji is gone so Carine doesn’t need to be terrified anymore. No gold, which was too bad, but can’t have everything. It was a long investigation this time with 2 stories so we are all tired and ready for a rest. But will we get one? We’ll see. Thanks for reading!π€π±ββοΈπΊπΊπ±ββοΈπ©π©π©π©π±ββοΈππππ΅οΈββοΈ
LikeLike