I’m finally out of the hospital and resting for awhile at Lena’s before the cats and I head home to consider what we should do. We’re not making any plans right now, just taking it easy for awhile and enjoying kind of a short vacation. We certainly need it after that last case. Karin had managed to shoot me twice before Muffin got her. One bullet hit the side of my spine which has left me with a limp, which the doctors have said will be permanent. But at least I can still get around. The other bullet hit my left arm which means it’s not working perfectly right now either. But with time my arm should be back to normal again. But can I continue with the PI business since I can’t walk very well anymore? That’s something the cats and I need to talk about later.

The cats are keeping active, the neighbors little dog was lost and they managed to find him. Mr. Cat had to lay on the dog so Muffin could attach the leash and then they both pulled him back home. I’m trying to move around as much as possible, keep up with different stretches and exercises, go for short walks each day, just so I don’t stiffen up too much. One day I got a call from Rossana, our undercover police friend from Italy. It seems a friend of hers recently inherited a chateau here in France but something has made her afraid. So Rossana asked me if I would go and take a look, to see what is going on. Her friend is willing to pay me anything I want to help her out. It seems she has no financial problems. That’s likely the problem right there, someone could be after her money.

Anyway, her friend is actually Finnish and her name is Linnea. In the privacy of our bedroom I tell the cats about our new case. Meow,meow?=What is chateau? “Well, it’s kind of like a very big house,” I explained, “and this one dates back to the 1400s and is almost like a castle!” Meow!=Oh, yay, yay, a castle to explore! Meow,meow!=No, no, old castle mean ghosts! No ghosts! “It’s not really a castle,” I said, “but it almost looks like one, made with stones, and there is a separate guest cottage for us to stay in as well. Plus there is 5 hectares of land with it, lots of running around room with beautiful large trees for climbing. It’s supposed to be a very beautiful place.”

Meow!=Oh, sound perfect, we take case! Meow,meow.=Okay, we take case, but if ghosts show up we leave! “Great,” I said, “I’ll call her right away and let her know we’ll take the case. Before mentioning my fee, I told Linnea that I needed half up front. She asked for my banking details and sent me 10,000 euros and said the rest would be paid after we are done. Plus she would pay any expenses. I nearly fainted. I told her my fee isn’t quite that high and she said that didn’t matter, it’s what she is willing to pay. I think there is more to this case than I have been told, but we’ll take it anyway. During dinner I told Lena that we would be leaving the next day heading off to a new case in the Poitou-Charentes area helping someone with some problems that have come up with their inheritance.

“I think someone is after the lady’s money,” I said, “so it should be an easy case to take on right now.” “Good idea,” said Lena, “I’ll pack tonight and we can leave early in the morning.” “Wait a minute,” I said, “I don’t want you coming, it could be dangerous.” Meow,meow?=Um, you just say it easy case, where danger come from? “Yes,” said Lena, “where did the danger come from?” “It just seems there is always danger in our cases,” I said, “and I don’t want you getting hurt.” “Well, if I’m going to be a PI, then I need to be ready for danger too,” she said smiling. “Guess you have a good point,” I said, smiling back. In our bedroom once again we begin thinking about what this new case might be like and soon we are asleep….

To Be Continued.

Pictures of Mr. Cat are kindly supplied by his human Nina.

Previous stories in this series can be found on my home page under “The Investigators, Inc.” and under “20/20 Investigations, Inc.

©2021 Steve McLeod.