Steve`s Country
For a smile as wide as a country sunrise
The Investigators, Inc. Mystery of the Disappearing Family. Chapter 5. Home.
We were at Zara’s Club to convince Zara that she should return our girls to us in order to save her own life. It looked like she was going to cooperate but in the end she betrayed us and delivered Anita to our hotel, dead. That didn’t go well for her though as Kat and her Wildcats came in to help us. I decided to take Zara with us until she released our girls, alive, or she would die as well. However, she didn’t like that arrangement and called her men to attack us which was another mistake on her part. Kat and her Wildcats, plus Sky and Angel fought back, easily winning the fight.
So, as we were about to leave with Zara she asked me to wait so she could call her men to release our girls to us. We waited around to make sure it actually happened correctly this time. Sure enough, Misty called and said all 8 girls were delivered to the hotel safely. I told Misty that their clothes were to be tossed in the hotel’s garbage bin outside. Sherry met us at the door with our car but I told Sky to take Angel and go ahead to the hotel to help out there. “Um, Angel should stay here with you and Friskie,” said Sky, “I will go ahead.” And she promptly disappeared. “Disobedient ghost,” I mumbled. “I heard that!” said Sky’s voice. Friskie giggled.
We were soon on our way back to the hotel, but then… “Me Fluffy, green car follow us.” “Lose that car Fluffy,” I said. “Yay, Fluffy lose car fast!” Suddenly our car began speeding down the street, almost flying through the air at one point when we hit a bump. Then the screeching of tires as we turned down another street without slowing down at all, but that other car was keeping up with us. Then Fluffy took us on a series of turns and down a lane with a car coming our way on that same lane!
But Fluffy kept us to the right of that car, narrowly missing a telephone pole and snapping off a couple of fence posts. Other than that we kept going quite nicely. The green car, however, in trying to miss that other car, drove right through a fence and hit a building on the other side of it. So, we continued our journey back to the hotel and prepared to leave, packing quickly and heading to the airport. We didn’t even need to use the Black Wolves this time, which is okay, though I’m sure they would have enjoyed joining in that fight at Zara’s. We were soon in the air and heading back home again.
We did stop and pick up Nico to bring him back with us too in order to keep him safe. Anita’s body is with us too and we will bury her in our own cemetery. Nico thanked us for helping, even though it didn’t turn out the way he had hoped. He didn’t blame us for the death of Anita, which was good, however, I still feel like I’m to blame for her death. I stayed in my cabin for nearly the whole flight home, except for the first 20 minutes as I talked with Nico. Friskie came in to see me after about an hour to make sure I was okay, then she communicated with Jennifer that she was worried about me.
Jennifer didn’t like that, so she communicated with Sky to take Misty and go cheer me up. Sky grabbed Misty and took her into my cabin, then she kicked Friskie out and locked the door. “Why are you locking the door Miss Ghostie?” asked Misty. “How many times have I told you not to call me ghostie?” asked Sky, “I’m going to call you Musty.” “Musty?!” exclaimed Misty. Sky had her back turned to Misty and was giggling quite a lot. Misty then noticed a cup of water and poured it down the back of Sky’s shirt. “I’m soaked,” said Sky. “Go change,” said Misty. “My clothes are out there,” she said, “I mean, down there.”
“Angel has some in her carry on bag,” said Misty. Sky disappeared. “Finally, she’s gone,” said Misty with a sigh, “now, Steve, what’s the problem?” “You two are supposed to cheer me up,” I said, “not counsel me, that’s Celestine’s job.” Anyway, Sky and Misty kept it up for a while, insulting each other, Misty trying to throw water on Sky again, without success, and Sky shocking Misty regularly. “Steve, tell her to play fair,” said Misty, “she keeps shocking me and I can’t do anything back to her.”
“She is a rather shocking ghostie,” I said. I meant to say ghost, but since Misty keeps saying ghostie, well, it just came out. When I realized what I said I began to giggle uncontrollably, then chuckle loudly, then bursting out loud laughing! Misty joined in with laughing, though Sky just stood there looking at us and she finally shocked both of us. The rest of the trip was quiet with Celestine, Jewel and Sir Night lying on the bed beside me and just, well, talking. It made me feel a bit better though.
Then Celestine asked why I had been laughing so loudly earlier, so, I told her. She giggled and I began laughing loudly again. “He’s going to regret that,” said Sky frowning. Back home I stayed in the bedroom for 2 days and had the girls bring my meals to me. Finally Jennifer couldn’t take it anymore. “Steve, that’s enough,” she said, “you will eat with the rest of us from now on. You are not responsible for Anita’s death.” ”Zara called my bluff and killed Anita,” I said, “that makes it my fault.”
“There’s no way you could have known what she would do,” she replied, “and Nico doesn’t blame you, he knows it was Zara who ordered the killing. He said it’s the price of being in a criminal family, even though neither of them were involved in anything. Oh, he wants to join us too.” “Hey, that’s great,” I said, “we can always use more men on this team. I will talk with him tomorrow and send him over to Aari for training.” I then got up and immediately began to feel dizzy, falling to the floor unconscious…
To Be Continued. ©2026 Steve McLeod.
Steve`s Country 
Did Zara do something to Steve? Does she have technology to slip something into Steve or his clothing? Thought. that Steve was not to go on every case but it was every other one. Steve is vulnerable to being eliminated despite his best intentions. What happened to Zara after the girls arrived?
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