For a smile as wide as a country sunrise
We were having our morning planning session with everyone when we heard one of the maids calling for help downstairs. We all ran down to the living room. Darren and the butler had arrived just before us. It seems the maid went into the kitchen to see if she could help Beth, the cook, with making breakfast. Beth had obviously began making breakfast, but was nowhere to be found. I asked what she looked like and Darren said she was 40, 5 foot 8 inches tall and weighed about 200 pounds.
Plus she was very strong, she could easily lift 300 pounds. So we all went outside looking for her since the kitchen door had been left open, so she must have gone outside. After about an hour Candace found her, face down in the lily pond. Interestingly, the police arrived just as we were pulling her body out of the pond. Since there were no signs of foul play, the officer said it must have been accidental. “She was looking at something and fell into the pond,” he said, “simple as that.” On the plus side to this, it meant we could stay on our case, which no one mentioned to the police.
After the officer left we all met in the living room. “I do not believe it was an accident,” I told Darren and Jane. “But how could anyone do that to Beth?”, asked Jane, “she was too strong and would put up quite a fight, plus she would yell to warn us.” “Not if she had been drugged ahead of time,” I said, “then a couple men could easily carry her to the pond and drop her in.” “What a gruesome thought,” said Stewart, the butler. “Terrible,” said Elizabeth, one of the daytime maids. There are 2 daytime maids that arrive about 7am and leave at 6pm, the other is Victoria. They work from Monday to Thursday.
Then there is a live in maid named Elsa, who is from Norway. Then there are two other daytime maids that work Friday to Sunday, their names are Patricia and Bess. They are not here today since this is Tuesday. “Where is Kristina?”, I asked Kat. “She must still be outside,” said Kat. Out we went again, guns ready this time and started looking around for Kristina. But she was nowhere to be found. Everyone kept looking while I went back inside to the bathroom. MC came along with me.
We are all equipped with a quick alarm signal now, it just takes a quick press to activate it, which Kristina has not done, or is not able to do, something I do not want to think about. MC and I went to the far end of the hall and out to the side to look around there. Kat was getting ready to come looking for me when MC came running as fast as he could and let out a loud yowl! Meow!=Come with me, human Steve and me look over there! Everyone ran over to where we had been looking.
“I don’t see Steve MC, where is he?”, asked Kat. Meow!=That what I try to say, human Steve gone, he disappear, he sit here, I see him, I turn and look again and he not here! Harris sat down on the stone I had sat on, but nothing happened. Everyone looked around the area, calling for me, but I was indeed gone. “MC, you were supposed to guard Steve,” said Kat sternly. Meow.=Me do, but he disappear…me fail. He puts his head down. Muffin goes to him rubbing his head with hers.
Meow,meow.=You not fail, we all fail, lost Kristina first, now lose my human, we all lose, not you. Angel picked up MC. “Yes kitten, you did not fail,” she said softly, “sometimes things happen no matter how hard we try. Now we need to work together to find Steve and Kristina.” Then she gave MC a kiss. “Okay everyone,” said Kat, “no more going anywhere alone.” “This is my castle,” said Darren, “I will go where I want, when I want.” “That goes for me too,” said Jane. “Well, it is your choice,” said Kat, “but we cannot protect you that way.”
After eating something for a late breakfast, the team met in our bedroom to talk things over. “We should be alerting Baldwin,” said Candace, “that is the rule.” “Yes, I guess that is true,” said Kat, “when the team leader is out, we contact Baldwin.” She turned to Muffin to contact Baldwin. Muffin sent the message. Baldwin had just taken a sip of his coffee while Shirley was setting some cookies on the table. As always happens, Baldwin spit out his coffee on Shirley. “My hair!”, she exclaimed.
Apparently Muffin sent the message a bit wrong and instead of saying that I was missing, she said I had been taken out, which means being killed. He immediately called Jennifer to get the others ready to go and meet him at the airport. He also managed to get a message to Rock and Annelie and they were soon on a plane headed for Scotland.
To Be Continued.
Β©2022 Steve McLeod.
How did you manage to just up a disappear?? Where could you possibly be??π€π€ Are you nowhere again??π¬π¬ππ
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Don’t forget, Kristina also disappeared! Is someone kidnapping us? But how could anyone do it so fast that MC didn’t see it happen. He only took his eyes off me for no more than a minute! Two of us gone so fast makes no sense and what about Beth the cook? π³π±ββοΈπΎπΎπ©π©π±ββοΈπ΅οΈββοΈ
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A secret trap door beneath the rock you sat on!!π²π³
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But why didn’t it open when Harris sat on it then? And what about Kristina, she was nowhere near that spot? The cats found no sign of a door either. Maybe there are ghosts kidnapping us!!π³π³πππ»π»
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Ooooo….. π» π½ π± πππ
I think it’s someone wanting to get the secret treasure hidden somewhere on the grounds or in the house π π€
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Perhaps so. I was a little surprised that everyone did not seem too upset over the cook’s death, except the 3 maids and the police officer was amazingly fast with his report. I mean, she was cooking breakfast, the lily pond is a good way from the house, why was she even out there? Makes no sense.π€π
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Maybe the police are in on it??π³π€―
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Apparently there are only 2 officers out on this stretch of rural loneliness and they are a husband/wife team. They prefer to spend their time in the small village.π€π¬π€―
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See?? They could be being paid to look the other way
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That’s very true but who is doing the paying? I also don’t think the McMaster’s are being totally honest with us. I don’t think they are behind the kidnappings, but I think they know what these “ghosts” are looking for and that’s why they are determined to stay.π€π³π€―
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That’s an interesting point of view π€ but why call you in to help them then?π€π€
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Possibly for protection and helping them locate whatever it is they are looking for.π€π΅οΈββοΈ
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But why would they not tell you everything??ππ€
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That is a good question, but maybe what they are looking for is stolen goods and they don’t want to give it up when they find it. Or maybe a relative has been kidnapped too and they want to keep things quiet. Or maybe…π€π³
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It seems like we need more info from the next chapter!!π€
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Providing we get some info, never know what the author has planned, remember, it’s a Friday chapter again!π€ππ€―
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Oh no….!!!!!πππ Not again!! That means Monday again!! That’s forever almost!!π€¨π€¨
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Yep, it’s almost like he does it on purpose even though he claims it’s just the way things work out.ππ€―
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I know!! And when you ask him about it?? He can’t remember anything!!ππ
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Yep, he does it on purpose, I’m sure of it!π
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Maybe he’s a really good planner when writes??
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That’s hard to imagine!πππ€―π€―
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Yeah, I know… I just thought it sounded funny!!ππππππ
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Good point, I hope he’s not listening?π€ππ
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Me too!!π€π€π€ππ
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I don’t think we have anything to worry about.
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Maybe he’s napping..ππ€π€
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His brain is anyway!πππ
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That was a long chapter today…πππ€ just plain wore him out!!ππ
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HA! I had today done yesterday! Got ya there!πππ
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LOL ππ Good then there should be any cliff hangers tomorrow!!π€π€π€
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Why is that?π€
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Cuz you have all da u today to write tomorrow’s chapter!ππ
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I was too busy today to write tomorrow, so tomorrow will be tomorrow not today which would be yesterday when tomorrow is today.ππ΅
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π³ huh?π€― If you say so…π€ͺ
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Yep, it was me that said it alrighty!
And now it’s time to call it a day. It’s a day.π€£
Good night Dusty!
More chatter tomorrow!πππ΄π΄
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Good Night Silly!πππ
Rest Well Pleasant Dreams π΄ π₯±π€
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This is too strange ! Too many questions ! Someone is not telling the truth…people cannot just disappear…the cats are not failures only some people who are being evasive…which ones ? Be careful ! π΅οΈββοΈπ©π©π©πππΏπ€
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Yes, too many questions for sure! How could I disappear so quickly when MC was watching me and he only took his eyes off me briefly? No one was watching Kristina, but still, she disappeared in a totally different area. And that was sure quick for the cook. I don’t think the McMasters are telling us everything about what is going on around here. π³π±ββοΈπΎπΎπ©π©π±ββοΈπ΅οΈββοΈ
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Muffin That human of yours is just darn silly
;;
;;
Keep Laughing
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Well, that one way to put it. Or maybe he just plain crazy.ππ
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Im betting on Crazy ππΉπ
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Pingback: The Investigators, Inc. The Castle Mystery. Chapter 2. – Nelsapy
Thank you so very much!
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