The Investigators, Inc. Desert Mystery. Chapter 1. Jessica Returns.

We have all had a good rest and everyone is finally healed up too from our last case. Baldwin and Shirley are married and on their honeymoon at a secret location, which only I know about. Annelie and Rock have gone also to finish their honeymoon, which they had just begun before being called back to help us at the castle. We are all sitting in the library talking about where to go on our vacation when MC and Muffin come into the library with MC pulling both their little wagons, stacked high with brochures for vacation spots.

“What is all this?”, asked Angel. “You have never been through one of our ‘vacation planning’ sessions,” I said to her, “this is how it all happens.” So we all start going through these brochures. “By the way MC, why did you pull both wagons?”, I asked. Meow.=Not want Muffin to pull heavy things yet, she still need to be careful. “Well, you could have asked one of us to help,” said Carine. We were having fun, ripping and tearing up one brochure after another, until…

“Hey, a message coming in for you Steve,” said Candace. I turn on my laptop. “It’s in code too, but I don’t understand it,” she added. “That is a special code,” I answered, “only one other person knows that code, Jessica”. The cats ears go straight up when I said that name. “Who is Jessica?”, asked Kristina. “An old girlfriend that supposedly had died, but she turned up alive a year later,” said Kat. After copying the message I just sat and stared.

“Muffin, MC, come here and read this,” I said to them, “what do you think?” They read the message and their ears went straight up again. Meow,meow.=We go help Jessica, she need us now, it not right to not help. Meow.=Yep, me agree with Muffin, must help, we go on vacation later, this more important. “Thank you, I knew I could count on you,” I said smiling at them. “What is this all about?”, asked Kat.

“Well, this is not really a team case, it is a personal case,” I said to everyone, “Jessica is someone I knew years ago, and she is in trouble. She is an archaeologist now and has found something important, but some other people followed her and found this place too. Now they have captured her and are forcing her to help them. So she is asking me to help free her.

She is somewhere in the Sahara desert, she has given me the approximate coordinates for the place. I am not going to tell anyone to go along on this, there is nowhere to hide going in, so it will be dangerous, and since none of you know Jessica I do not want to risk the lives of anyone here.” Fortunately I knew how to fly Baldwin’s jets now so I did not even need a pilot. “Which would be the best of the jets to use Ken?”, I asked him, he knew all about each different jet and we would be landing on sand.

“Actually, one of the helicopters would be best, but you cannot fly those,” he said, “so I can fly you in, then come back to pick you up when you are ready. Or I can just stay there.” “Staying would be too dangerous, if something happened to you we would not be able to fly out of there,” I said. “Hmm, that is true, then I would have to leave and come back for you,” he answered.

“Um, Steve, I am your wife, that means we go together, no matter where it is or what it is,” said Kat looking at me. I smiled, “yes, guess you have a point.” “And as your second wife, I am going too,” said Jennifer smiling. “Okay, but remember, this is strictly a volunteer operation, no one has to go,” I told everyone. “I always thought when we joined this team it was all for one, no matter what,” said Angel, looking sternly at me, “so I am going too.” They all said the same thing.

“I need you to stay behind to check on things for us Candace,” I said, “since Annelie is not here then you are our contact person. And Annelie has been teaching you things that she knows too, which can really help us.” “Yes, and she has put me in touch with many of her contacts too,” she added, “so I can find things quickly if needed.” “Good,” I said, “and someone needs to stay with you as well, for protection.” I look over at Carine. “Okay, I can take a hint,” she said, “I will stay with Candace.”

“And Kara needs to stay with Chung,” I said, “now Kira…” “I am going with you too,” she said, “this will be my first time and I want to help.” So that makes 7 of us, plus the cats. I definitely want to help Jessica, but getting in there without being noticed is not going to be easy. Ken decided against the helicopter and thought the new jet Baldwin had developed would be better. It can land like a helicopter and take off the same way, plus it can carry all of us and Jessica too. Soon we were packed and in the air, headed to…danger.

To Be Continued.

©2022 Steve McLeod.