Poor M.C. was in shock! Muffin was lying on the floor covered with blood, Jennifer was gone and a man was about to shoot me! But, M.C.’s scream startled the man and he turned which gave M.C. time to get in position and “Thwock!”, the man fell to the floor with a limp thud. Another man was down the hall now and fired two shots at M.C. who was partly in the hall now, but the man’s shots hit the floor. Rock was inside and pulled out his gun and fired about 10 rounds at the man who fell to the floor and then down the stairs, but Rock went after him anyway.

Kat and Annelie came running into the room and saw Muffin on the floor with M.C. beside her. Kat checked her out but fortunately she had just been grazed and Muffin thought it best to play dead since she was too far away from anything to hide behind. Annelie started mixing the liquids together to give me the antidote so they could give me my medicine. “Um, Annelie, Muffin could use some help,” said Kat. “I need to do this for Steve first,” she answered, “Muffin isn’t hurt that bad is she?” “I don’t think so,” said Kat, “but Steve would want you to check Muffin first anyway.” “Fine!”, said Annelie rather annoyed.

Kat was a bit taken back by this but didn’t say anything, she figured it was just the stress they all had right now. Rock came back just then dragging a man with him. “I caught this one alive,” he said, “maybe we can get some info out of him.” “Good”, said Kat, “Steve wasn’t hurt, M.C. got here in time.” “Good cat M.C.”, he said, “you can really fly when you want to!” M.C. jumped on the bed with me while Annelie went to look at Muffin. Muffin growled loudly when Annelie knelt down beside her. M.C. was back by her side right away. “What’s with Muffin?”, asked Annelie, “doesn’t she want help? That’s fine, I’ll go back to mixing the antidote then.”

Mew,mew,mew!, said Muffin to M.C. His ears went straight up! He then jumped on the bed again as Annelie came over. He growled loudly at her! “What’s with these cats?”, she asked very agitated now, “I can’t do anything with them around, get them away!” M.C. growled loudly again. “Hey, what’s up little buddy?”, he asked. Kat had put a towel on a chair and carried Muffin over and laid her down and had started to clean up her wound. Muffin flicked her tail in a way that Kat knew she wanted her to move in close.

Muffin could barely whisper to her. “Rock!”, Kat yelled, “stop her fast!” Rock was beside Annelie and grabbed her arm just as she was going to jab that needle into my arm. “Just a minute doll,” he said. “Wh, what are you doing?”, she asked nervously, “he, he needs this.” “You’re not Annelie girl!”, he said loudly, “where is she?” “Yes,” said Kat, “we all want to know what you did to Annelie.” “Have you gone crazy?”, she said, “I need to give this to Steve right away. Oww, you’re hurting my arm!” “I’ll hurt more than your arm unless you let go of that needle!,” he yelled again.

She let him take it then and he put it beside M.C. who sniffed it right away. His ears went straight up again! Meow!=That poison! Rock then picked up Annelie and tossed her in a chair next to the man he brought back who was sitting on the floor with a terrified look on his face. Kat came over. “Okay girl,” she began, “I want answers and I want them fast. I’m going back to look after Muffin’s wound, but you just keep talking nice and loud so we can all hear. Or I will let Rock here make you feel some pain.”

Her eyes went real wide. “L, look,” she said, “I don’t know what’s going on, I, I was just hired to play a part, it was supposed to be for a movie tryout. I don’t know anything more!” She started crying. Kat came over, “look at me!” The girl did so. “I said answers,” repeated Kat, “not tears and excuses.” “Well, that’s all I know!”, the girl yelled back. Kat gave her a good whack with the back of her hand. “I want answers, now!,” said Kat raising her voice.

The girl rubbed her cheek. “They took that Annelie when she went after the other lady to the bathroom,” she began, “I was told to take her place and which two medicines to mix together for the sick guy. I, I didn’t know it was poison, honest.” Meow?=Then how she know it poison, I only one said that and she not understand me. That really got Kat and she whacked the girl twice more and was about to do it again, but stopped. “None of us said it was poison,” said Kat quite calmly, “so why did you mention poison?”

To Be Continued.

Previous chapters of this story, and other stories, can be found on my home page under, “The Investigators, Inc.”

©2021 Steve McLeod.