The Investigators, Inc. The Case of Steve’s Daughter. Chapter 1. Disappear.

Posted on April 7, 2026 by

638 Comments

Here we are waiting for another case to come our way. Everyone wants another case so we can get out and be active again. Sometimes, though, we need to be more careful what we wish for, not all cases are good for us. Friskie told Jennifer and I about her secret that she had told Steffie, and she was right, she should have told us first. Jennifer looked at me. “You will have to make an announcement about this Steve,” she said, “otherwise everyone is going to spend all their free time trying to figure out what this secret is, so do that today.”

“But, everyone will know,” said Friskie with a worried look. “Better to find out now from Steve,” said Jennifer, “than to find out from Steffie later.” “Maybe we should wait a day or two though,” I said, “until everyone is out of the clinic.” “Right, I agree with Steve!” said Friskie emphatically. “Just a minute,” said Jennifer quietly, “keep talking though.” I was still in the clinic at this time. Jennifer went invisible, obviously someone was listening outside the door again. Steffie was here visiting again too.

Suddenly, outside the door… “AAAAAAA!!!!!, and then… “YAAAAA!!!!”, and there was a thud. I thought Jennifer would know by now, but guess not. Jennifer and Misty came inside the room. “It’s okay Steffie,” I said, “it’s just Auntie Misty again.” Steffie comes out from under the blanket again. “You always scare me with yelling!” she said, as she sat with arms folded and frowning at the two of them. Some time later, after Kat had checked me out thoroughly and made some changes to me, I was feeling much better.

“You should be okay now,” said Kat smiling. “I sure hope so sis,” said Jennifer, “it would be nice not having to worry about Steve all the time.” “Well, you can stop your worrying now,” said Kat, “he’s back to normal again, even better actually.” “Good thing you added the word ‘better’,” said Jennifer, “or I would have to start worrying again.” Soon all of us were out of the clinic, though some of the girls were still not cleared for going on cases yet. But, we don’t have a case right now anyway.

But maybe I shouldn’t speak too soon. One morning several of the girls had the younger children outside for some play time so I decided to go outside and join them for a while. All of the cats were outside with us as well and we were having a great time. That is, until something happened. Suddenly several armed men showed up and one of them quickly grabbed Steffie and put a gun to her head. I wish I had the ability to make guns red hot like our ghosts, but I don’t. The next thing that happened was we were all shot with some type of sleeping dart, even some of the cats.

Oddly, no one in the chateau noticed anything wrong outside, and our electronic surveillance hasn’t been working for the last couple of days. We always seem to have trouble with that. Suddenly the alarm went off when the cats pressed their alarm buttons! Code Red, Attack! This kept repeating while the team came rushing out to look for us, ghosts leading the way. The cats met everyone and began telling what happened.

The ghosts went to the spot and picked up the children that had been left behind, only Steffie had been taken, along with me, Dawn, Milena, Macy, Jackie, Valeria, Brandy, Celestine, Ivy and Catalina. Also four of the cats, Storm, Jewel, Ginger and Sir Night. I’m not sure why they took so many of us, but I guess they have their reason and will let us know eventually. Perhaps they want us to do something for them, that would explain taking Steffie, they can use her to pressure us into working for them. My idea was almost correct, but not quite, as we shall see.

Somewhat later at the chateau a car drove up with a lone occupant. The man got out of the car and was told to give his name and nature of his business. He said his name was Jeremy Copeland and he needed help rescuing some friends of his. He was allowed to come in after being thoroughly checked for weapons. He seemed like a very nice and polite gentleman in his early 40s, an American and his friends had gone missing while on vacation in Mexico. They are now being held against their will.

“We would like to help you Mr. Copeland,” said Kat, “but we already have a case that we are presently working on and that leaves us no time to help you.” “I think you will want to change your mind,” he said, “here, take a look at this bracelet.” He handed it to Kat and she recognized it right away. “So, you’re the kidnapper of our team and the little girl who was wearing this bracelet,” said Kat calmly. “Kidnapping is such a bad word,” he said, “we are just giving them a change of scenery for a while. They are being well cared for, I promise you.”

“And what makes you think I will let you go?” asked Kat. “Because if you kept me,” he said, “then your friends would be killed, one each day, until I am allowed to leave. If you work for us, then we look after your friends and they will be returned to you when the job is done.” “What, exactly, is the job?” asked Kat. “I have some friends in a Mexican prison, Anthony, Stanley and Herbert Rowland, three brothers. Plus Eugene Rainer,” he said, “and I want them out within the next 8 days. I know you have done this sort of thing before, so you shouldn’t have any difficulty.”

“I can’t make the decision myself,” said Kat, “we need to have a meeting of our team leaders first. I can let you know later today.” “Very well,” he said, “this is the hotel where I’m staying, you can reach me there.” He then got up and Kat said to let him leave, which he did…

To Be Continued. ©2026 Steve McLeod

Category: Adventure, Danger, Fiction, Mystery, Story, Strange Happenings, Suspense, UncategorizedTags: , , , , , , , , , ,

638 Comments on “The Investigators, Inc. The Case of Steve’s Daughter. Chapter 1. Disappear.”

    • Well, it made it up to 68 today and mostly cloudy with a thunderstorm that dumped a bunch more rain on us. Not that we need anymore right now, the ground is saturated and it all just runs off now. There was a river flowing down the street during that storm.
      I wasn’t sure how far a drive it was so didn’t know if you would have to leave soon or not.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  2. It’ll be about 6 1/2 to 7 hours depending on rest stops. But this storm system down here has everything up in the air ( pun intended) 🤭😉 so I’m watching the weather closely to see if it’s going to keep raining or be to windy. It’s a long way to go and just get rained on or to watch the wind blow.
    There’s been a bunch of flooding in this state also. I watched a weather cast from Waco and they had one street where the water run off actually peeled the asphalt off the street! Unbelievable 😲

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • That would be a long drive for nothing, you definitely want nice weather for such an event. 🤔✈️ Great pun!😃 We had a street here that lost its asphalt twice in one summer! That one is a rather big hill too.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  3. Yeah, I’m hoping it’s still a go but I wont know for sure until tomorrow I suppose.
    So, how are things there besides rainy 🌧 🤔. Anything exciting happening in the complex? No murder mysteries ?😁

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Yesterday evening we didn’t have any PSW working our building. Apparently no one from their list of 40 or so wanted to come in. Even the girl that was “on call” didn’t come which made no sense. I mean, that’s why you have a person “on call”, they fill in when no one else can, but she didn’t feel like working last night. Amazing.🙄

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    • Yeah, some people really rely on these PSW’s, guess they had to call a friend or family member to help them. If they called the PSW number they would have found out that no one is coming, but that makes it late to find an alternative. She has top seniority so is protected by the union. Still, another PSW lost her job for the same thing, but she was at the bottom of the list.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    • I was hoping to get out for a trip down the east highway this week, but tomorrow morning is the only time without rain in the forecast. And tomorrow is the one day my friend isn’t available to take me. Sigh. And next week is looking to be the same, rain every day. So I’m going to miss some wildflowers I was really hoping to get this year. I miss them each year but this year I finally found out a place where I could find them for sure, but they are finished blooming by around mid June. So this would be my last chance for finding them. Oh well. That’s the way the hobby camera clicks.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  6. I’m sorry I missed your response. I just saw it now.
    Well, you have a good night sleep 😴 💤 I’ll talk to you again tomorrow evening.
    Pleasant Dreams 😴

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  8. Hi! It went well yesterday and today! Finally got back to my room at a decent hour. Being out in the heat all day sure wears a person out! But it is soooo much fun to fly with and see all of the different planes!!😯

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Hi Dusty, glad to hear you are having a good time! I have to sign off already, I’m in a lot of pain today and need to lie down. When are you back home? Have a good night, rest up, fly well, no crashing!😃✈️🌛😴

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      • That’s okay, I figured you would be busy last week. Did you get much flying time? Any crashes? Well, had my big day yesterday🎂 so I wanted to get out for pictures. Slipped on some wet grass and fell with a thump. Sigh. Kinda ruined the day a bit.🙄

        Liked by 1 person

  9. A fall on your B-day? That’s just not right! Are you feeling better today?
    There were a few crashes, luckily not mine though. If you want to check it I ut on YouTube just search HOTMAC 2026 on YouTube and you’ll see my plane and me and the guy I went there with.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Oh cool, I will have to check it out!
      Not feeling any better unfortunately, basically doing nothing today to try and rest my back so it will get better quickly.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  10. That woukd be a good thing! I spent Monday and Tuesday doing absolutely nothing but resting. The heat and humidity there was bad.
    Did you get your massage tonight?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  14. I’m not I t sure if that’s good news or not after how hot your place got a few weeks ago. Be sure you are prepared and have your fan ready.😁😉

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Yeah, I bought an air conditioner now, just a small one but at least it will keep the bedroom cooler. So if I need a break from the heat I can go lie down in there and cool down for a while.😊

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    • That’s Parlor Palm, and it’s doing quite well after being beat and battered while being repotted. Amazing it survived. Biggest plant I have ever repotted.😃🌴

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    • I just tossed the plant, I had already sprayed it twice before and I didn’t want to take a chance and allow those bugs to spread. Hopefully they didn’t lay eggs on any nearby plants, I will have to keep checking them just in case.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  18. Sounds like the right thing to do. Did they follow your plants home? You don’t know who those plants have associated or cross pollenated with. They coukd bring that home.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Yeah, I know, they may have come in a plant I bought last year or they may have come inside when I brought some outdoor plants in for the winter. I think they came from the store though. I try to keep new plants in a different room for 3 weeks now, if they have bugs or eggs then they will show up in that time.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  19. I did I ever tell you that you’re pretty smart?🤔😉
    So… what’s going on tomorrow and this weekend? Anything exciting? Taking more pictures maybe?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • I won’t be doing much, I want to rest up well so that hopefully I can get out next week for a longer picture taking trip. It’s actually supposed to be sunny on Tuesday. That is a long ways ahead though and things could change, but I’m hoping. 😃📷

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  20. It’s good to make plans ahead of time. You can always adjust if needed? What kind of pictures? Nature? Bridges, rivers, maybe so.e birds or…. Butterflies??

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • I’m hoping for birds, butterflies, dragonflies, wildflowers, and whatever else is out there.
      Well, my pain is painful so it’s time for bed to take the pressure off for the night. Have a good night Dusty, will chatter more tomorrow with some exciting news! 😃🌛😴

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    • Ooooo, good! It was nice today so I was out wandering around the area and found a new mushroom and got a picture of it. Also got some flower pictures, not many, but a few anyway. Other than that, just buildings and trees. Saw a chipmunk but he wouldn’t come close enough for a good picture so i decided to try anyway, but he then turned and ran off. Sigh. 🙄📷🐿️

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  23. Did you try your peanuts 🥜 with the chipmunk🐿
    I’m glad to hear you had a good time. Was it nice there today? Good picture taking weather i mean?
    Oh, what’s the exciting news you mentioned yesterday?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • It was nice and sunny, very light wind, a few clouds around, nothing serious though. Yep, I tried peanuts, but he was too far away I guess. I discovered that some people on the main floor have been feeding him, so I’ll go out and try again on nice days. Not hot today though, about 73 degrees. Oh, exciting news, I like to hear exciting news, what is it?😃🤔

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    • Oh right, it was my exciting news, haha, almost forgot.🙄 Um, actually, I guess I told you already. It was about the little chipmunk that lives out back of here somewhere. 😊🐿️

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  25. Ah… the chipmunks. I can see where that’s exciting. You haven’t had a chipmunk friend. Are you going to try again with it? I think you should. But it’s up to you and how you feel, if you can get it used to seeing you enough.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Yep, I’m going to try and make friends with it, the problem is being there when he is there. Since it’s out back I can’t see him scampering around unless I go out. So it might be tough. Even if I get him once, there’s no guarantee that I will see him again the next day, or for the next week for that matter. Not quite like before. But maybe I can get a picture of him anyway.😃📷🐿️

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  26. Good! I think that’s a great idea.
    I found a new place. It’s larger and has a larger shop area for me to work on my planes. I’m hoping to move in next week. So that’s new with me. How’s your posts doing? Are getting good responses and followers?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Hey, that sounds great Dusty! Yep, a bigger hangar is always a good thing when you have planes!
      I’m not getting a lot of attention on my new posts, but my older ones are sure doing great! I have had over 15,000 people check out my blog this month! From all over the world! It’s actually been like that all year so far. It started when people began sharing my blog on places like X (over 40,000 times this year!), plus Facebook (over 10,000 times) and others too. But mostly people are checking out my older blog posts, but that’s okay, getting lots of attention anyway!
      Well, time for the old bedtime again. I hurt my back again today bending over to take pics of a flower. I can’t win sometimes! Anyway, have a good night Dusty, sleep well and I shall return tomorrow!😊🌛😴

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  30. I’m really kinda out of sorts today. I don’t like this down time between now and moving day. It feels like wasted time. I can’t work on anything cause it’s all gotta get moved.
    Do watch TV much?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Yep, I know that feeling, nothing really to do. No, I don’t have cable so no TV for me. I get news and weather on my laptop and I watch movies from my collection of DVDs.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  31. That’s probably a good thing. I can’t watch it anymore, too many commercials and too much opinions on everything. Do you buy new movies to watch or do you re-watch the ones you already have?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • I do buy new ones now and then, but I have about 500 movies right now and since I don’t watch them every day I don’t mind watching them over and over. Plus I watch some on Tubi now and then too though there is a few commercials to groan through.😂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  32. Yeah, I do a lot of streaming and I still can’t get away from commercials! You pay for the service! Why do I need to pay to watch commercials?ugh 😕

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Yep, that’s where Tubi is okay since it’s free and not too many commercials. Seems like the money they get from commercials would be enough so they wouldn’t have to charge for the service.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    • Some of it is older stuff, plus TV shows and newer movies too. Probably not new released movies though, not sure, I haven’t checked all the categories.
      Well, time for bed again, very tired tonight for some reason, maybe it’s the weather. Have a good night Dusty and I will be around again tomorrow!😃🌛😴

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    • Good morning Dusty! 😃 Have you started with packing yet? How far away is the new place from where you live now? Are you excited? Sorry I wasn’t around yesterday, just wasn’t feeling very well, much too much pain.😬

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  35. Won’t need to pack much. Mostly just put things on the truck go and drop it off, come back get more. Since I own both places, and where I’m going is empty but has all the furniture, I can take my time to move things. So tomorrow I will begin making trips with stuff. I sign the paperwork on Wednesday. I just need to change the utilities which will be tomorrow if all goes well.
    I wondered about you last night but I figured you weren’t feeling well. No worries. Are you better today?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Oooo, that’s a nice way to move, none of that pack, pack, pack, then unpack, unpack, unpack kind of thing. It’s always nice when you can take your time with moving, that happened to me once. The other 32 times were a bit more hectic. The worst was moving out the same day someone was moving in, that was total chaos! I’m feeling somewhat better, although shopping this morning didn’t help.🙄

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  36. Yep! I hope it goes smoothly.
    I’m glad your somewhat better today and were able to get out to do your shopping. Any good deals you just couldn’t pass up?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Nothing real exciting for sales today, I did get a couple things on sale, but nothing super exciting. The shelves at Walmart were quite empty today, not sure why though, guess it’s just summer time shopping.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  37. Yeah, it’s cookout time and summer vacation season.
    When does the heat return? I noticed a high heat warning for MN is the heat building up your way?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Yep, it hit 85 today and is supposed to keep getting warmer each day this week. We have a tornado warning out for us until 1am, plus a severe thunderstorm warning with high winds, heavy rain and potential hail up to tennis ball size. At the moment it doesn’t look too bad though.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    • Wednesday is supposed to be sunny, so I’m hoping to get out in the morning that day, might be nice tomorrow morning too, but less likely. The rest of the week is supposed to be rainy.🙄📷⛈️⛈️

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  39. I hope you get some great pics before the rain starts again.
    I’m trying to figure out what items I should start moving first. I think I’m going to start with the non-essential items and get those out of the way and make some space here first, stuff like my planes and saws and Sanders. Then go the the next level of non- essential items and hopefully by the weekend I’ll be staying there.🤔

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  40. I might rent it out for a short time. Then probably sell it as soon as I can.
    The person I bought the new place from has a granddaughter that’s got a verbal job offer from SpaceX which is just down the road from here might be looking for someplace to rent before she buys, so we’ll see how that works out.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Well, that sounds promising for a tenant, providing she gets the job. Hopefully it will work out for you. Nice to have things falling into place like that.
      Well, time for bed again. Have a good night Dusty, don’t forget to sleep! 😊🌛😴

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  42. Done for today, now. It was pretty warm around here today. 99 degrees 🥵
    Plus… the new place doesn’t have internet service yet, and… the thermostat can only be controlled via the internet via a phone app! So…. no a/c in there today and it was sweltering trying to clean the floors and cupboards and appliances. But I managed to make two trips to move a few things. How about? Did you go out and snap some pictures 📸?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Sounds like you had a fun day! No, I didn’t get out, it was supposed to rain all day so I changed plans and decided to go out tomorrow instead. Turned out to be sunny all day but with a very strong wind and a high of 77. Now it’s supposed to rain tomorrow. Sigh. We had a tornado warning out again last night until 1am. We did get some thunderstorms overnight but fortunately no tornadoes or large hail. Lots of rain though. All that hot weather they forecast is gone too, only supposed to be low to mid 70s the rest of the week now instead of 85 to 90. I guess this strong wind blew that heat away from us!😂🤣

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  43. See? Don’t put off until tomorrow that would coukd be done today as you don’t know what tomorrow may bring!😉
    It must be all those windmill generators lowering the carbon and cooling the plant??🤪😂
    Yes, it was a fun day, even though it was uncomfortable. I’m hoping to get the internet setup tomorrow or Thursday. That should help a lot with the rest.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • It was much too windy for pictures today anyway. Strong wind like that keeps birds further back in the trees and insects like butterflies and dragonflies stay hidden more too. Even wildflowers blow around too much for good pics. Oh well, next sunny day is Tuesday, a whole week away!
      Yep, you need to get that internet going soon or you’ll roast.🌞🌞🌞

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  44. Yeah… a roasted Dusty me 🤠😂
    I didn’t get to sleep last night until after 2 am… my feet and legs were very uncomfortable. I even took some pain meds but it took a long time for it to work enough so I coukd get to sleep. How did you sleep?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • I slept kind of off and on and was up at 4:15, that’s three nights in a row and it’s getting me tired. My back is just not settling down fast enough lately. Today I overdid it again trying to get things ready to rearrange some furniture. I’m getting help for that part but want to move some breakable stuff out of the way first, then I decided to wash it all too since it was so dusty. So I ended up doing too much bending and twisting today so I imagine it will be a rough night again.🤔🙄

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  45. Yeah, I think that’s what got me yesterday. I had to move a concrete birdbath at the new house yesterday, so the lawn service could mow and trim, and it was very heavy, I think the nerves didn’t appreciate the workout.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Yep, that can definitely do it! You need to be more careful, take it slow and easy, slooooow and eeeeeeasy, ssssszzzzzzz… I’m awake! I think. But not too often, it’s too hard to do these days, I keep falling asleep when I think. Except when I’m in bed, then I think and I stay awake. Strange how that works.
      Anyway, must head off to bed, I think I’m getting tired. There I go with that thinking again. Rats, did it again. Sigh. Have a good night Dusty and I will be back tomorrow with more, um, rats, I forgot. Oh yeah, holiday tomorrow, but I’ll still be here. 😃🌛😴

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    • It’s Canada Day,😃 our national holiday and our country is 159 years old today! Too bad we don’t really celebrate it much anymore in our town.😒

      Like

      Reply

  49. I’m finally back to the old place for the night.🥵 I’m getting worn out… how are you doing? Sorry about last night. Things got wayyyyyyyyy………. longer there than they shoukd have. I was trying to install a new thermostat, but I couldn’t do it. I finally had to give in and call a technician to come out tomorrow and do it for me. It has to do with how the thermostat is powered. The old one was battery powered and the new one is not so there is another connection I need that needs to be made on the ac unit itself, thus the technician.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Yep, they like to make things harder these days for people to do things themselves. It was simpler years ago. I got an update on my printer last week and now I can’t get it to print properly. It’s always off to one side. I tried talking to their help line but it’s just AI, not a real person, and I couldn’t get it to understand what my problem was. Before it was a simple matter of changing the settings, not anymore. Sigh. I was told that because my printer is old it probably didn’t handle the update correctly. It’s only 3 years old!😒

      I can understand, moving does wear a person out. And it’s extra bad when it’s hot, or freezing cold. 🥵🥶

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  50. Yeah… that’s for sure. It was 94 degrees in there today! In the house!! Anyway, The cleaners are also coming in the morning to do a good thorough cleaning before I start staying there. Most of the bigh stuff has been moved along with my shop benches and machines. So after the cleaners and ac are done the food and clothes and get moved along with my tv and I should be able to stay there and come get any stragglers thar were missed.
    What were you up to today on Canadia day? 🍾

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Actually yesterday was Canada Day. I didn’t do anything, couldn’t even see the fireworks this year. There wasn’t much anyway, not like years ago. But our town doesn’t celebrate like before due to our large indigenous population here. Today I kinda sorta rearranged some furniture sorta. Now I’m sore, in pain, stiff, barely moving, tired and all that, kinda sorta stuff.😒🙄😬

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

Leave a comment

Steve’s Country Archives
Translate Steve’s Country

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Follow Steve`s Country on WordPress.com