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For a smile as wide as a country sunrise
Well, we were up nice and early, it was barely getting daylight. Having to be together at all times does have some problems to it since she’s a woman and I’m a guy. So, when it comes to bathroom breaks and showers we have to do it differently. I stand in the hall while Celestine is in the bathroom, the door is open partially and Sir Night is inside guarding. He can then warn me of any problems. It’s a little harder when I’m showering since I can’t hear very well in the shower, but hopefully nothing will happen at that time.
Normally we have some of the girls along, so they can handle these situations. And it bed, she is under the sheet, I am on top, an effective barrier for accidental moving around. And, Sir Night sleeps between us. These precautions were set in place back when I was married to Kat, and they just stayed in place. When we sat down to eat breakfast, Celestine was sad again and she looked at me.
“I’m sorry Steve,” she said, “I should not have slapped you. Sir Night told me what you tried to do and I moved at the last second, so your kiss on the nose ended as a kiss on my lips. It was just a natural reaction to slap you, not because I was mad at you, honest.” “Apology accepted,” I said, “and I will try to be more careful next time. This must be a long hike you have planned if we have to leave so early.” “Well, it takes a while to drive to the hiking trail,” she said, “and, I have to pack a picnic lunch for us too.” “Hey, I can help with that,” I said.
“Good, start by cutting some slices of bread,” she said. “Do you bake your own bread too?” I asked. “Yep, I’m a decent cook and a great baker,” she said, smiling. “I think you’re a great cook too,” I said, “I’m surprised you’re not married yet.” “I’m too young to get married,” she said, “besides, I have not met a man I would like to marry.” “How old are you?” I asked. “You should never ask a woman about her age, it’s bad manners,” she said giggling, “how old are you?” “I’m 32, I was 27 when I started my investigator business,” I told her.
“Hmm, okay, I’m 21,” she said, “and I will gladly show my drivers license to prove it if necessary.” “No proof needed,” I said. “Am I too young to join your investigators?” she asked. “No, we have some women younger than you on our team,” I said. That seemed to make her feel better and soon we were off, driving to this hiking trail. “I hope you’re in good shape for hiking,” she said after we parked. “Good time to ask me,” I said, “it might have been better to ask before we got here.”
It was not a mountain, exactly, just a high hill, and we didn’t go to the top. About half way there is a nice lookout spot with tables and a grassy area. We chose to eat on the grassy area, which is why Celestine brought a blanket for us to use. It was truly beautiful up there. Celestine and I talked the entire way up to the picnic spot, nothing serious, just talking. It was nice to be in a place where we didn’t need to have 4 or 5 bodyguards along and we could just talk about normal things.
This is something I miss, and need. Jennifer and I need to start doing this on a regular basis, after all, we are both ghosts, why do we need bodyguards? This would be a big help to me for relaxing. I mentioned this to Celestine. “How much time do you get alone with your wife Steve?” she asked. “Well, most nights we are alone,” I said. She sat there blinking again, just like Misty and Cristy. “You’re going to make me dizzy blinking like that,” I said, chuckling. “Hey, this is no laughing matter,” she said, “and what about family time?”
“Um, well, um, the girls spend a lot of time with the women on our team,” I said. “That is not what I asked,” she said firmly, “family time is you, Jennifer and your 2 daughters.” “Yes, well, not much time,” I said, with my head down. “Look at me,” she said, still firmly, so I did, “you will change that when you get home. And I don’t mean to think about it, I mean do it!” She was right, very right and things are going to change. Finally it was time to leave and down we went, but, near the bottom of the hill there were 4 young men standing around and I sensed trouble.
“Hold my hand,” I said, “those guys are trouble, I know it.” Celestine grabbed my hand and held on tightly. “I thought they looked like trouble too,” she said. “Sir Night, you get ready to jump off me and run ahead of those men a little ways,” I said. He had come along with us too, I didn’t like the idea of leaving him home alone right now. As we got closer the men stood across the path. “You and the cat can go, lady,” they said, “but your boyfriend stays here, we want to talk with him.” I told Celestine to walk ahead and wait for me. The men let her pass and she kept walking.
Then I went up to the men and they took out knives and attacked me. I touched the chests of the first two and they went flying back several feet and laid on the ground unconscious. I then gave another one a backhanded slap, knocking him out cold. I then kicked the last one in the stomach, then touched his back and he fell to the ground, unconscious. I could have killed them, but that would have involved the police, this likely won’t, at least not as much. Celestine had already called the police, so we waited until they arrived and told our story which the police believed.
Then they arrested the men who were just waking up at that time. “You are a fantastic fighter, Steve,” said Celestine, “I was worried sick that they would kill you, I mean, it was 4 against one.” “They didn’t know much about fighting,” I said, “guys like that work on fear mostly, but they seldom can fight well.”
Back at home we got the next clue out and Celestine read it, “Now ’tis time to push aside straight and tall, then you will find a hollow wall, a board of six, strong and true, to keep the spikes from pushing through, next a turn, but left or right, one is dark, the other is light, here the queen will need her king, or you’ll not find a thing.” “Well, that’s a really helpful clue,” Celestine said sarcastically. That got me laughing, and laughing, and laughing.
I think it might have been too much for Celestine and she decided to jump onto my lap. Then she pushed my mouth closed and kissed me. Meower!= “Oooooo, that one super long!” Then she sat down beside me again. “There, that will teach you for laughing at me,” she said, “and if I get a chance to meet your wife, I will tell her exactly what I did, and why.” I looked at her. Then I quickly grabbed her, put her across my lap and spanked her, and she screamed the whole time. Then she sat beside me again.
“Didn’t hurt,” she said, pouting. I put my arm around her. “I love you little sis,” I said, smiling. She looked at me, then we both began laughing. Meower.= “Human people very strange sometimes.” Meanwhile, back at the chateau, Jennifer was talking with Sky and Angel. “How close does Angel have to be to you,” asked Jennifer, “so that she could go with you if Steve should call you?”
“I can fix it so that if we are in the same room, she will come along,” said Sky. “Do that please,” said Jennifer, “then always stay in the same room together. Steve really is in danger, I can feel it, but mostly someone else that is with him. Please protect them both…”
To Be Continued. ©2025 Steve McLeod.
We decided to eat before checking out this next clue we just found, well, Celestine found it actually. “I want to wear my new dress,” she said, “but it’s a shame to wear it for the first time at home.” I think she was probably hinting at something, so I suggested we should go out for dinner. “I’ll change right away!” she said and ran off to her bedroom, with me running behind her. “Hey, you can’t come in here while I change,” she said, with her hands on her hips.
“If I don’t come in, then you won’t change,” I said firmly, “remember I said that we stay together at all times. I will turn around while you change, but I must be in the room with you, for safety reasons, that’s all.” “Oh, right, I forgot,” she said, “but you don’t have to turn around, I have one of those changing screens to use.” It didn’t take long and we were sitting in the restaurant.
“Hey, that’s the real estate agent,” said Celestine, “and he’s with 2 men, one is quite chubby, just like one of the ghosts that came into my room.” I had sensed trouble when we came in, but thought it must be from outside. Obviously not. I looked over to their table. That chubby man was actually quite a big man and likely quite strong. Glad I’m a ghost, or I might be worried. He’s the kind of man that would be good for Rock, but, Rock is not here, I am. I’m certainly not leaving Celestine alone until this has been taken care of, totally. I looked at her.
“You look positively beautiful in that dress, my little sister,” I said, smiling. “You be careful with those compliments Mr. Steve,” she said, “or I might have to throw you out of my house.” “Would you really do that?” I asked, looking at her rather worriedly. She giggled. “No, of course not,” she said, “I enjoy having my new older brother around.” Then she looked out the window and I could see tears sliding down her cheeks.
“No you don’t,” I said, “we are here to enjoy ourselves, this is no time for tears. So, what are they for?” “Oh, I was just thinking about when you go back home,” she said, “and I will be alone again.” She looked at me. “Would it be possible to take me with you?” she asked, her voice quivering a bit, “Or would your wife not want me around?” “I already decided to bring you home with me,” I said, “there is no way I would leave you here all alone again. I could never live with myself if I did that.”
Then Rosie, our waitress, returned with our food. “Rosie, you know everyone around,” said Celestine, “who is that big man with the long beard?” Without even looking at the man, she told us to stay away from him, he is trouble. “He owns a big nightclub and has lots of big, tough men working for him,” she said, “he scares me every time I see him. The other two are new, I have never seen them before, neither has our boss, and he knows more people than I do.”
“He told us he is a real estate agent and knew some people that wanted to buy Celestine’s house,” I said. “No, he isn’t, he’s just trouble,” she said again, then she returned to the kitchen. I then asked some questions about Celestine’s family. “How did you get your brother’s phone so quickly?” I asked. “Hmm, don’t trust me now,” she said smiling, “it’s quite simple really, he was here visiting me for a week when he was shot by some thieves one evening when he went out for a walk.
I had to go identify the body and they gave me his belongings that he had on him, which wasn’t much. I was going to send them to his wife, but she told me to keep them. She has 3 young kids to raise and has no job, so her parents are helping her and she lives with them for now. He had a good job with an insurance company and had life insurance through them as part of his contract. But when she tried to collect, they said there was no insurance and he never even worked at their company.
That was a lie! She met him at work many times because there was a restaurant on the main floor and they would go there for lunch. Why would they lie like that Steve?” “Because someone put some pressure on them,” I said, “I know this might hurt, but he may have had some illegal dealings with someone else and those people had great influence.” “I believe that Steve,” she said, “he told me, when he was here, that he was working on some other type of employment, but he wouldn’t say what it was.
My two oldest brothers are involved with a criminal group of some kind too. I think my parents were also involved in the same one.” She then looked straight at me. “You are probably saying that you don’t want me around with you now, right?” she asked. “No, I wasn’t saying that at all,” I said, “more than half of the people that are on my team came from criminal organizations or are women who had been involved, involuntarily, in sex trafficking. I don’t think you’re involved in anything criminal, and what your family does has no reflection on you.”
We finished our desert and left. We then drove down to the beach and walked around for a while, talking the whole time. That night I checked Celestine’s bedroom again and discovered the cameras and projectors were back in place, so I removed them again. I then made another phone call to Jennifer after I communicated with her what to do. She then made the call public this time and I didn’t say much, but Celestine said something that would have been barely audible. I’m being really bad now.
Meanwhile, back home. “It sounded like someone said something at the end,” said Aari. “It was a woman,” said Carine, “and she said, “time’s up”.” “That proves that Steve is in trouble!” exclaimed Misty. “Yes, I agree,” said Dawn. “It still could be a test,” said Tracy, “though perhaps that option is less likely now.” Just then Storm came in the library pulling his little wagon full of vacation brochures. “Storm, not now!” exclaimed Cristy, “We have more important things to do.”
So, he turned around and hauled it back to the cat’s playroom. Meow, meow?= “What they say?” Meowr.= “They say go away, not want to look.” Meow, meow.= “Okay, then we look for missing brochure, we show humans we good detective cats.” All the cats jumped with excitement and Rascal dumped over the wagon and they divided the brochures around to all the cats. After a while Misty came looking for the cats.
Meowr!= “Hey, no human people allowed, we do own detective work!” “Wait, I didn’t chase you away, that was Cristy,” said Misty, “I want to help too.” She smiled. Meowr.= “Okay, we look for missing brochure, all have numbers and here is checklist. We find brochure and take it off list, last one on list is where human Steve is.” Misty looked at them, blinking her eyes. Meow, meow!= “AAAAAA, she trying to hippo two eyes us, run!”
“Come back here!” she called, “I’m ready to help, this is a great idea!” Now, back to Celestine and I. “Can we wait until tomorrow to tackle that next clue?” asked Celestine, “I’m really tired tonight.” “Sounds good to me,” I said. I convinced her we need to stay together at all times, so that means sleeping too. Sir Night slept between us, stretched out long. “Tomorrow morning we work on that last clue,” I said. “Oh no, right after an early breakfast we go on a hike, remember?” she asked, “Afternoons are for clues.”
“Okay, but you must promise to wake me up before you get up in the morning,” I said, “it’s important.” “Okay, I promise,” she said, and both of us were soon asleep. I was awake first this time and shook Celestine, but it didn’t work. Meower.= “Need to lick nose.” I couldn’t see me doing that, so I decided to kiss her nose instead. However, she moved, I missed her nose and she slapped me. But she did wake up…
To Be Continued. ©2025 Steve McLeod.
Steve`s Country 