For a smile as wide as a country sunrise
Something totally unexpected happened this time and even though Jennifer had warned me of danger, I still didn’t think something like this could happen. A plan like this had to be done well in advance and Koffman just didn’t seem like he could think like this, however, it might have been Schultz that came up with the idea and Koffman carried it out. Whatever, or whoever, thought of it, the plan was well executed and could have killed our whole team on this case, which would have been devastating.
Jazzy and all the girls just stood outside looking at the pile of rubble that was once a huge stone house. Koffman’s men had their van parked on the next street and ran over there after contacting Koffman. Kristina stood there looking, hoping to see some movement, or see Sky come out with me, but there was…nothing. She then communicated with Kat and Jennifer at the same time so that Kat could help Jennifer. In retrospect she wished that she had only contacted Kat and let her tell Jennifer.
Jennifer was in the library with 10 of the girls when she got the message. “NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!” she screamed. It was so loud that it was heard throughout the chateau and even in the pool area. When the girls at the pool heard it they grabbed guns thinking the chateau was being attacked and headed back into the chateau but stopped when arriving at the library. Jennifer was on her knees with her head on the floor, her long blond hair scattered about her head, and she was sobbing uncontrollably.
“What happened?” Misty whispered to Cristy. “No idea,” she whispered back, “but it must concern Steve.” “Then it must be super bad news,” whispered Misty again. Then she went over and helped Kat get Jennifer back on the couch again. Then Kat called Dawn. “Yes Kat, we are ready,” said Dawn. “I want Koffman, alive,” said Kat firmly, “do whatever you need to do, start to put some real pressure on him. You know the ‘customers’ that are with him, do whatever you want with them. Take any women that want to leave, take his money and whatever else he has on hand including gems, jewelry, drugs. In other words, you don’t need to be nice about this.”
Dawn knew that meant something went wrong with us at Jazzy’s so she asked about me. Kat told her it was most likely I was dead after a huge explosion destroying Jazzy’s house. Dawn broke down crying at the news but she told Kat they would do their part. Dawn had the remainder of her team, plus the Wildcats, with her. Also Rock, Bear, Oskar, Thomas, Cartier, John and Yves which were most of the big members of the Black Wolves, although right now they are wearing the name of Dawn’s team.
She finally has a name for her team, the Night Owls, silent, swift and deadly. They are all in position and ready to move in on Koffman and that’s exactly what they did. Dawn went in first, followed by Rock who kept everyone away from her, then the other men and lastly the girls came in. It was nice that Koffman was sitting at his usual table, that made him easy to find. The door guards tried to stop Dawn but she kept walking and Rock punched each of the guards once and they were knocked out.
The rest of the guys had their automatic weapons out and ready which kept Koffman’s men from doing anything. Koffman had some “customers” at the table with him but that didn’t stop Dawn from breaking up the party. They quickly disarmed the customers, then Dawn spoke firmly to Koffman. “If you want to live, as well as your friends,” she began, “then bring out all of the women who are here right now.” “Hey, I already kept my end of the deal with Steve,” he said defiantly, “he wanted 3 and I gave him the ones he wanted.” That’s when Rock put his big arm around the neck of one of the ‘customers’.
“Now, no more arguing, just do what I said,” she told him, “it certainly wouldn’t look good for you to have one of your ‘customers’ killed right in front of you.” “Kurt,” said Koffman, “bring out all the women.” He did so right away. “Oh, by the way Koffman,” said Dawn, “if any of your men called the police, you’re a dead man, and I do mean that.” “That would be murder young lady,” he said. “I’m willing to take that chance after what you did,” she said, “are you willing to take that chance?”
“No, I’m not,” he said, “but you can’t pin anything on me.” “You have great faith in your men Koffman,” she said, “but the ones you sent to kill Steve decided it was in their best interest to talk.” Kurt returned with 8 women. “Hey,” said one of Koffman’s ‘customers’, “I was going to buy 5 of those gals to take back home with me, so you only get 3.” Dawn just hit the man on the forehead with the back of her fist almost knocking him backwards off his chair, but Rock was in the way so it didn’t happen.
“You get none this time Mr. Rizzo,” said Dawn, “maybe you’ll do better next time.” Then she got a text saying that a certain shipment heading for Koffman’s had been intercepted by the Black Wolves. “Too bad Koffman,” said Dawn, “but it seems your next shipment of girls, drugs and guns has been intercepted. Guess you’ll have to wait a little longer Mr. Rizzo. By the way, where are your waitresses, I said all the women.” Koffman just looked at her.
Dawn nodded to Rock who went to the other side of the table and hit a man on the back of the head with his elbow causing him to bend over groaning and holding his head. “Well Mr. Moretti,” said Dawn, “you’ll have to wait for your drug shipment too. If I were you it would be wise to get a new supplier, Mr. Koffman here won’t likely be able to fulfill your orders for a long time.” Kurt then brought out the waitresses from the other room.
Then Dawn picked 3 of the guys and several of the girls to go into the next room and take up a collection for our orphan fund. They did the same in the main restaurant. Catalina and some others went downstairs to see what was in the safe. They came up after about 20 minutes with a lot of cash and some jewelry. “I have a feeling you will be visiting me more frequently from now on,” said Koffman. “Yes, we will be around from now on,” she said, “killing Steve didn’t solve your problems, it just made things a lot worse for you.
I always figured you for a much smarter man, but guess I was wrong.” “Who is in charge now?” he asked. “That would be Kat and Jennifer,” replied Dawn. “If I came to talk with them,” he said, “would my safety be guaranteed?” “That might depend on what you want to talk about,” she said, “but I will personally guarantee your safety.” “Are you in a position to do that?” he asked. “As one of the leaders of our organization, yes, I am,” she replied.
“Good enough for me,” he said. “But I would suggest waiting a day or two before calling,” she said, “and when you call, ask for Kat.” She then gave him our card which has our phone number on it. Meanwhile, back at Jazzy’s house, the team was still waiting for some movement. Emergency crews were still there as well, trying to figure out what to do. The police were keeping everyone away from where the house once stood in case there was a second explosion…
To Be Continued. ©2026 Steve McLeod.
The plan was well executed but evil and murder combined with avarice will result in Koffman and his organization’s destruction. He was not thinking right, when he put his murderous plan in action. The explosion he caused will cause an implosion on him. There is nothing like the Investigators who will come at Koffman and torment, along with dismantling all of his wealthy influence. Koffman will deal with the wrath of Kat multiplied.
The financial attack on Koffman and the humiliation of his “customers” should stop or completely destroy him. It is still to be discovered if Steve is alive or dead. It is my thought that he and Sky still are alive.
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Yes, Koffman certainly didn’t think when he made this plan. Killing me would not stop his problems, only increase them! Yes indeed, the wrath of Kat multiplied! He is finished, whether he goes to prison or the grave. It is quite likely his “customers” will consider him a high risk from now on and will look elsewhere. Perhaps even they will be the ones to kill him. Koffman failed to protect his “customers” and that is a big problem for him. I think he is completely finished.š¤š©š»š¼šµļøāāļø
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Hope Koffman’s customers find another source. Trust that Koffman is truly finished and will not reappear.
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If Koffman’s customers stick with him, then the Black Wolves will be tasked with putting lots of pressure on them and Koffman.
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Hopefully, things will be too uncomfortable for the customers to stay.
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We’ll make sure of that.
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Sounds like a good plan.
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Well….????? What happened to you??𤨠That fact that you’re telling the story says you survived. But did you really? Maybe Jennifer is really telling your story for you?š¤ She is very bright and smart! She could do it and no one would be able to tell. She knows you very well. But, that would kinda obvious. But still…. you have say what happened to you.
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Good morning Dusty! I had to leave a little suspense there, I do that once in a while. The next chapter reveals what happened and the first chapter of the next case will tell a bit more as well. Yes, Jennifer could certainly tell the story, she has been around longer than anyone, other than me. But we will soon find out what is going on, who did it, and what we are planning to do about it. If anything. š¤š©š»š¼šµļøāāļø
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By the way, that is a great plane!! No wonder you have so much fun flying it!šš©ļø
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It is a lot of fun to fly!
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Is that other plane in the background yours too?
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No, that picture was taken at other club members house where were breaking in the engine. That plane in the background was his. He crashed a while ago and is eventually going to rebuild/repair it. He has another 3 or 4 more planes in his garage, you just can’t see them from that angle.
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Wow, that’s a lot of planes, he must have a big garage. It’s nice to have a better idea of what these planes look like. I guess there’s probably quite a variety of different planes.
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Oh yes, they come in different sizes and types. He mostly does WWII era planes. He used to compete in national competitions. But not anymore. It’s a lot traveling and the judging is really subjective. I’m just doing it for fun and he’s teaching me the tips and tricks to actually build and paint my next one. The one in the picture is what is called an ARF (almost ready to fly) they cut and assemble the fuselage and wings and then I had to wire and install the electronics.
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oooo, WWII planes! That’s cool! Yeah, I think keeping it for fun would be more fun than messing around with competitions. Sometimes things like that can take the fun out of the fun about having fun.
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Yep, it turns into work and it’s already stressful enough just trying not to crash!š
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Yeah, it wouldn’t work for me. I would be flying into trees, buildings, other planes, giving people haircuts, people would be running in every direction! Yep, I better stay grounded.š¤š©ļøš The first chapter of the new case has just been posted.š¤šµļøāāļø
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I know! I have read it.
Yeah, the engines on these planes can run from 8 to 10 thousand rpm. So you’ve always got to be mindful of the spinning knives called props!š
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Yep, I would be going through a lot of those props as I dug up the grass everywhere!š
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Yep! That’s where getting the center of gravity right comes in. Too far back and it’s like flying a bucking horse. Ya don’t know where it’s headed, to far forward and your plowing furrows you could plant potatoes in!š
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Ohhh, I love potatoes!
Well, time to sign off again and get to bed, have a good night Dusty and I will be back tomorrow! šš“
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Nighty Oh Steve O
Pleasant Sleeping š“ š¤
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Good morning Dusty! How’s the day been?š
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Howdy š¤ Good, nice warm sunny š I didn’t do a whole bunch nut I kept busy enough I guess. How’s about you? Any walks picture taking?
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Nope, nothing around here worth taking pictures of, just houses and cars. Snowstorm going to start hitting us after midnight tonight with 6 inches of snow and winds of 40mph and stronger gusts.š„¶āļøāļøāļø
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Well, you said you wanted more winter… I wad good with it turning g into spring…š
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Who said I wanted more winter? Who??š¤ I just said it was still going to be with us, not that I wanted it!šš
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Never underestimate the power of positive thinking! š¤ Ya never know, it could’ve easily gotten warmer than colder…
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It’s winter, spring doesn’t arrive this early ever. We used to count on snow being gone by the end of March. Then global warming hit and now we count on the snow being gone by the end of April.šāļø
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So much for global warming!š¤
Anyway, it’s only 6 weeks until April!š
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That’s true, our groundhog said it was going to be an early spring.š
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š Then what? Walks down by the lake? Are you ever able to go back there?
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You mean the river. I doubt I will get back there, bears are a problem. I do have bear spray, but it would still be wise to have someone with me and I don’t know anyone who will come along. I’m going to try getting there next week though, while winter is still here. It was too warm for walking that snowy trail for the past week, it would have been too slippery. I know how it works on that path. But this new snow will actually make it better walking after a few days.
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A chaperone would be a good idea. Are you sure you can make it that far?
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No, but I can try. Getting there isn’t so hard, it’s nearly all downhill. Coming back is a different story.
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You should only go if you have someone to go with you.
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Then I wouldn’t be going. A winter walk is safe enough, as long as I don’t fall.
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Well, if you go… please be careful.
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I will definitely be careful. I just hope my knee gets better before next week.
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A week’s rest will hopefully help it a bit.
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It’s been 6 days so far and it’s still causing trouble. Oh well. Time to sign off again and get to bed. Have a good night and I will talk to you tomorrow! šš“š“āļøāļø
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Alrighty, nighty nighty. š“ š¤ š
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Good morning Dusty!š How was the day? Did ya read the next chapter? Or was your day a busy one?š¤
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Morning?? Did I forget to go to bed and sleep?šµāš«
I hate when I do that!!
I kept busy enough… It was warm and muggy here today. Maybe 87 or 88 degrees with a south wind coming off of the gulf. Very nice š
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oooooo, nice weather indeed. It was fairly nice here too, got up to 25. Got less than half an inch of snow, but it was cloudy and windy.šāļø
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That’s a good thing! It at least won’t be added to the top layer and get slippery. To answer your first question, I haven’t read the latest chapter yet. If you can give me a few minutes I can go read it?
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Okie and dokie. Actually, 6 inches of snow would have been good for the path to the river. Right now it will be slippery due to surface melting and freezing. I know from experience that’s how it works, so going to the river now will be more dangerous. Sigh.
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BRB
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I m back š
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Sorry I disappeared, lost my internet connection for some reason.
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I’m glad it’s back.
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Yeah, it’s been doing that all winter, going off for maybe 5 or 10 minutes, then coming back on. Others here have said the same thing.
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The internet down here is like that also. I’ve been looking into the Starlink internet system.
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Ooooo, top of the line stuff.
Well, I must sign off again for another night. Have a great night Dusty and I will return on the morrow for more chattering!šš“š“āļø
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Good Night, Good Night pleasant dreams with no fright!š«£š š¤ š„± š“ š¤ š
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Good morning Dusty!š Wow, what a day! Cloudy, 16 degrees, flurries. I seriously hurt my back yesterday, my leg today. Perhaps I’m doing something wrong. š¤š
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Well… doing one legged jumping Jack’s isn’t for everyone. It’s a good workout but really it’s for young people!š¤š
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Thanks for telling me now! Why doesn’t anyone tell me that before hand?
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The main thing is, you know now.
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That is a good point. Did I ever get a nice massage this evening! Oh my, so nice.
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From who? About what?
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From my nurse, who else?
This one sneaked in without me seeing it. The comment.
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What did the nurse say?
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All kinds of things, we talk about a lot of stuff.
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What was on the note?
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Note, what note, did I miss something? I wasn’t notified of this comment either, must be something wrong with my notifications thingy.
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Oh no, it was me. I’m getting confused with another string I was on. Sorry
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Oh good, thought I might be going foggy or something.
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Nope, just me… I do that alot these days. Old timers ya know…š¤
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We have some around here too I think.
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Well, off to bed with me. Early morning tomorrow. Off to the beach ā±ļø š
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You said that already. hehehe!ššDon’t forget the sunscreen.
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Oh… old timers again š
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Hi old timer Dusty! Old timer Bonehead here, how was your day at the beach? Did ya go swimming or spend your time on the beach?š
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Walked for several miles and then stopped to have a corn dog and cool drink before heading to the DQ for an ice cream treat!š
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Very nice, was the beach crowded?
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No, not at all. Very pleasant breeze sun shining. Waves were low but still at red flag for rip currents.
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I would think that people would like to get some tanning done even if they can’t swim. I sure would.
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There were some vacationers but I think most are locals and they already have tans. There were some fishermen also.
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Hmm, I never realized that fishermen would lie on the beach getting tanned. Good for them. It was cloudy here, flurries all day. I was out for a bit, it was slippery with that half inch of new snow on top of the ice. Treacherous walking out there.
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Oh yeah… they hust sit in their beach chairs and let the bait soak in the surf šāāļø.
You didn’t slip or fall or do any one legged jumping Jack’s did you?
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Nope, I was very careful and only slipped once, but didn’t fall. Fortunately when I slipped, the car was right there to stop me, “smang!”
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Why did the hit the horn? And what funny sounding horn…š¤
I glad you didn’t get hurt. I’ll bet it was nice to get out. Did you try to go to the river?
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You’re joking, too slippery for that river walk, especially with that little bit of snow on top. We need at least 4 inches of new snow, but it doesn’t look like we will be getting any in the near future. That’s both good and bad. Good for people who have to shovel snow, bad for walking. Plus, we hardly have any snow this winter and that’s bad for spring runoff. I really don’t like a rainy spring, that’s bad for walking too. Sigh. The way things are going I likely won’t make it to the river this winter. Sigh.š
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Well, spring isn’t to far away. Perhaps you can go then. What do you have planned for tomorrow?
Oh, BTW, O just got another text from some young woman asking if I wanted to go the the Japanese sushi place we went to ladt time. I wish I could remember going to these places or even seeing these ladies. Looking at her picture she sent she is physically attractive. But unfortunately that’s not alway a good indicator of what they are like. I like the kind that are kind and just like to chat and have good common sense. Oh, yeah I find that very attractive.
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You mean you don’t remember going on a date with an attractive woman? Yes, I agree, many times an attractive woman is not really so attractive after all.
Nothing special for tomorrow. Must have hurt my neck when I slipped today, sure is sore now anyway.
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I didn’t say that. I said I didn’t remember going on one with these that are sending me pictures.
Whip lash from the sudden movement when you slipped. You should have your nurse give you a nice massage tomorrow. š
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I get it, she went with someone else but thinks it was you because that person used your email. Better to forget those ladies, she might end up blackmailing you for something. Blind dates can be dangerous.
Yeah, could be something like that. The nurse coming tomorrow morning is one of the two best for massages.š
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Have her (I’m guessing it’s her) give you one for me. For some reason my shoulder hurts tonight.
We’re having a fun fly at the field tomorrow morning. Basically a picnic with sloppy Joe’s and pop or water. It should be a good time.
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Oh, that sounds like fun! Flying and a picnic too, nice! That tropical living is nice.
Yep, she’s a she, all of them are. Well, time to sign off and get to bed, see if I can get more sleep than last night. Have a good night, eat lots tomorrow and don’t crash! šš“š©ļø
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Oh, the latest chapter is ready for reading!
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Just finished it. Hopefully it won’t go like the last prison break. Ya know the one where the helicopter crashed and you had to walk for miles then got shot at and finally made it across the border.
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One good thing about this time is that Hungary is a much smaller country, so it won’t take as long to get out of it. This time also we will just be using vans to drive out, but, we need to get Carmeline out of prison without anyone thinking it was us. That part is going to be tricky. If they think we took her out, they won’t let us leave the country and her brother will come after us looking for her. This is going to take some careful planning.š¤š©š»š¼šµļøāāļø
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Yep, sleep well š“
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Howdy Dusty! How was the picnic and flying time?
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Hi there Dusty! How’s things going today? Out flying again?šš©ļø
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Hi, no, no flying g today. I’m just kinda laying back today. My neck and shoulder are causing some discomfort today. So I’m trying not to do anything to aggravate it.
The picnic and flying yesterday was good. Lots of people showed up. Lots of crashes to. 4 or 5 planes crashed yesterday. Thankfully none were mine.
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Wow a rough day for crashes! That’s smart to take it easy, why make things worse? I hurt my back again this morning at church getting out of the car. Lost my footing and fell against the door right on the edge of it. Did that ever hurt! Still paining bad.
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Ouch! That’s not good. You’ll be able to have someone treat tomorrow?
Yeah, I’m not certain if I did something to my shoulder or neck or if maybe a virus or something g has my immune system worked up. Anyway, I’ll survive just kinda of miserable dealing with it.
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Maybe all that straining upward yesterday watching all the planes flying, as well as your own, did something. Applying heat or cold can sometimes help. I had two massages today, this afternoon and this evening. I don’t normally get an afternoon visit, but I can ask for one if needed.
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Yes, that could certainly be one of the possibilities. One of those massages would feel amazing right now.
So, what’s happening tomorrow? Shopping again?
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Not quite sure about shopping, just depends on how my back is feeling in the morning. If it’s like this I won’t be going anywhere. But it will likely be better by morning.
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Hey, I was going tell you. I met Kat and AJ last week. Very nice couple from Kansas. I thought it was nice to finally meet someone with a name from your Investigators story.
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Hey, how about that! Kat really gets around!
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Yeah, she sure does! It’s fun being a part of this club. There is sure a variety of people in it from all over the US. There’s two couples from MN! Ones from Grand Rapids MN the other from St.Paul. pretty amazing I think.
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Wow, not bad! I thought it was just a local club, but this makes things even more interesting.
Well, got to sign off and get to bed, just in case I decide to go shopping. Besides, I need a break from sitting. Have a good night Dusty! The next chapter is out now.šš©ļø
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