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.

©2022 Steve McLeod.