After kicking me Jennifer ran out of the room. Kat was going to go after her, but Annelie said she would go, and for Kat to stay with me. “How do you feel Jennifer?”, asked Annelie. Jennifer was crying. “Sorry,” she said, “I shouldn’t have left the room.” “Have you said anything to them?”, Annelie asked. “No, I can’t do that,” she said, “but I’ll be okay now, I just didn’t like having to kick Steve. It just didn’t feel right, but I knew I had to stop him quickly.” “Yes,” said Annelie, “it’s never easy with friends.” Jennifer went down to the washroom and Annelie came back in the room.

“Go with her Annelie,” said Kat, “none of us should be alone at any time right now.” “Good thought,” said Annelie and off she went. I opened my eyes again and started talking nonsense. “Portrait over fireplace, fireplace hook, walk in fireplace, coffin, Muffin and I, gold hidden in plain view, rocking chair, ghost woman, car burning, fireplace, Muffin dead with ghost, not ghost, woman in picture, John, gun.” Then I stopped and looked around. I saw Kat and stared, but there was nothing, it’s like I wasn’t there, I didn’t understand anything. Muffin came close. I stared again.

“Muffin?”, I asked. Meow,meow.=Yep, it me, I Muffin, you think hard, we all friends, but there are bad people here somewhere in house, they do bad things to you. I thought for a few minutes. “Big room, bright, underground, door outside,” was all that I said then closed my eyes again. “Well, we’re getting somewhere at least,” said Rock, “maybe I should go look for that door.” “No,” said Kat, “for now we stay together.” Jennifer and Annelie come back. Kat told them what I had said.

“Maybe Rock, M.C. and I could look around and see if we can find that door, but we won’t go inside just yet,” said Annelie, “Jennifer and Muffin could stay with you and Steve.” Right then Danny woke up. “What happened?”, he asked. Rock went over and picked him up and said angrily, “we found you kneeling by Steve with this knife in your hand! Now tell us what is going on here or I will break every bone you have!” “Now wait, wait,” I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Danny said nervously.

“Stop with that,” said Kat, “skip with the fake excuses and tell us now or I will let Rock break you apart. What did you do with Steve? He’s been drugged, what drug was used and who did it? We know you have a secret room. Now, talk!” Rock threw him back onto the chair! “I, I, can’t say anything,” said Danny who was both nervous and scared, “they’ll kill me.” “Maybe we should let them know what you have told us already,” said Annelie, “about your secret room, the doc, the drug shipment.”

Danny nearly dropped dead right there when Annelie said all that. “No, no, don’t do that!”, he exclaimed. Then he mentioned which drugs they used on me. Annelie turned to Kat and shook her head. Kat looked at me, but I was still lying there on the bed with my eyes closed. “Okay Danny,” said Rock, picking him up with one hand, “keep talking, you’re safe in here, we found the listening device on you, but once we go out that door your friends will hear everything.”

“We just wanted to make sure who Steve was, everyone was a bit afraid when they saw his police badge and ID. But we were relieved when Doc showed us it wasn’t real. So Doc gave Steve his own mix of drugs to make him tell the truth about why you’re here. Doc was satisfied with Steve’s answers so we let him go. I woke up beside Steve with that knife when that cat screamed. I wasn’t trying to kill Steve, honest.” “Okay,” said Rock, “so far so good, now we go look for that door, and you will take us to it right now! You don’t have to worry about your friends, you have to worry about me!”

Off they went and Jennifer then came over to Kat and sat down. “We need to talk,” she said. “Not really,” said Kat, “I already know, we’re twins remember, we can’t keep secrets from each other.” Jennifer smiled, “you’re amazing Kat.” “So are you, ‘Kat’, she said. They both laughed. Then Muffin came over. Meow,meow=Me happy with you two and gave each of them a hug. Meow,meow.=My human not just say words, he telling us something, he telling us clues. “But none of it makes sense Muffin,” said Kat, there is no woman in a white dress or ghosts or dust and no dust, not even a fireplace. Plus we’re not after gold or John. And Steve tried to kill Annelie for no reason.” Meow,meow.=There is reason…

To Be Continued.

©2021 Steve McLeod.