Steve`s Country
For a smile as wide as a country sunrise
The Investigators, Inc. Nowhere. Chapter 2.
While all this was going on, we now turn the clock back to see what was happening back home at the time…”Hmm, this is strange,” said Linnea, “this is the third time I have tried calling Steve and he doesn’t answer his phone. I hope he’s okay.” Baldwin was there and immediately told 3 of his associates to go check on me, and fast. So they did. They got to the chateau in record time and began to look around. After checking the area thoroughly they called Baldwin. “There’s no one here sir,” said one man, “but we found an underground room out back, looks like they had gone in there, but no sign of them now. We did find an envelope addressed to Linnea on the kitchen table.” “Come back and bring that envelope with you,” said Baldwin, “and leave a note for Steve to call immediately just in case he comes back.”
So they did and brought the envelope and handed it to Linnea. She was shaking as she opened the envelope. “Hey, you better sit down Linnea,” said Lena, “you’re shaking too much.” She did right away and then read the note and started crying. She handed the note to Lena who read it and gave it to Baldwin. The note read: “I have taken Steve and the cats and hidden them. You have 24 hours to find them, if you do, they are yours. But, if you do not find them, then they are mine, and I’m sure you know what I will do with them. The timing starts at 5pm.” But there was no signature, no name at all. It was now 7pm, 2 hours are gone already, there are only 22 hours to find Steve and the cats. “It’s impossible,” said Linnea in tears, “we have no idea where to start looking.”
“Well, we won’t find Steve by just sitting here,” said Baldwin and he was on the phone and had some of his people at the chateau within 2 hours looking over the place closely, checking for any clues they might be able to find. Unfortunately the only thing they found were traces of some gas used in the underground room, likely used to knock us out. But how did someone get in that room? Questions are found, but answers are needed, and quickly. They were able to analyze the samples and find out exactly what gas was used, something very uncommon and not easy to get hold of. It means whoever did this has access to some confidential information. So not your ordinary kidnapper. Poor Linnea, she had to be given some tranquilizers to calm her down and allow her to sleep that night.
Baldwin’s men were up all night at the chateau, but found no other clues and no other way into that underground room except the way we went in. Morning came and Calanthe made some coffee and breakfast for everyone, but they found it hard to eat. “Hey you girls, eat,” said Baldwin, “making yourself sick won’t help us find Steve and the cats, we need our strength and our brains right now.” Everyone agreed so the girls ate better and got a bit more determined to get this done and not admit defeat already. Noon came very fast and they still had nothing to go on. How would they ever find Steve and the cats in less than 5 hours?
Meanwhile, now we head back to Steve and the cats as they finish eating. “Hmm, this oak tree seems to be the tallest tree around here,” I said, “I’m going to climb up and maybe I can see a road, or river, or something.” Meow,meow!=Oh, not like idea, you might fall, get hurt, maybe hit head! “Well,” I said, “if I hit my head then maybe my memory will come back, that can happen, I think so anyway.” The cats look at each other. Meow?=You think what I think? Meow,meow.=Yep, but how we hit his head? Meow.=Hmm, that good question. I come down. “I couldn’t see anything but trees and very low rolling hills. No high hills, no mountains, no river or lakes, no roads, “I said, “we really are nowhere.”
Meow,meow.=Let me see back of head, you keep rubbing all time. “I know, it’s sore back there,” I said and laid down on the ground so they could see well. Meow.=Oh, there is cut which is sewed up. Meow,meow.=That mean maybe someone put something in head to make you forget. “Wow,” I said, “this is all so strange to me. It’s almost 1pm.” Meow,meow!=You have watch, let me see! I showed it to Muffin. She pressed on it and it glowed a bright red. Linnea saw her watch glow too. “It’s Steve!,” she exclaimed.
To Be Continued.
Pictures of Mr. Cat are kindly supplied by his human, Nina.
Previous chapters of this story and previous stories can be found on my home page under “The Investigators, Inc.” and “20/20 Investigations, Inc.”
©2021 Steve McLeod.
Something Different.
Good morning everyone! It’s a beautiful spring morning, the sun is shining, the birds are chirping, it feels so nice and fresh out there. But something is missing. Spring birds. There is 2 juncos that have been here for days now, and of course the gulls and crows. The only other spring birds I have seen so far are the Canada geese. I mean, there should be a lot of different spring birds around now. Ducks, robins, grackles, flickers, herons, loons and several different sparrows are some of the birds that should be out here. Plus a lot more juncos. Although it’s possible the juncos moved through quickly this spring since the snow was basically gone when they showed up last weekend. There was a lot that first day. That only explains the lack of juncos, not the other birds.
Yesterday was supposed to be sunny, but it was cloudy instead, and not as warm either as what the forecast had shown. Oh well. I went for a walk to the river anyway. It was very windy so it was hard to hear anything. I did hear a chickadee once and at the river there were crows, gulls and geese. But walking through the pines was fabulous. If you have never heard the wind through the pines then you are missing something beautiful. It’s a different sound entirely than wind through other varieties of trees. Even spruce and balsam, though evergreens like pines, don’t make the same sound.
Only pines have this distinctive sound to them. Like a thousand stringed instruments playing a beautiful symphony. Each size of pine, each variety, playing their own slightly different version but all blending in to produce such an amazing melody. A wonderfully arranged orchestra, each musician perfectly positioned knowing just when to jump in and play rising to a dramatic high, then falling so that they are barely heard as another section begins their part. Nice to just stand there and listen to all of this. Down at the river I sat on the bench looking out over the water. Something was missing, actually a couple of things were missing. One was the birds, or lack of birds would be more appropriate to say. And the lack of sunshine.
Cloudy days can have their own beauty, but on this day it made everything look dark and dull at the river. No leaves on the trees, the water was dark and dull looking. It was missing the sunshine which makes everything look so vibrant. Right then it looked rather barren. Just as I was about to leave the crows showed up making a lot of noise. Then gulls came by briefly. Then two Canada geese showed up, so I got some pictures of them. Otherwise I didn’t take any pics. On these dark cloudy days I find that pictures lose their color, everything takes on a rather gray tone, which can look nice too, but I have enough cloudy day pics. I prefer sunny days for pics, looks so much nicer, brighter and more cheerful. But it depends on the subject too, clouds can be good for certain pictures. But not for what I wanted.
That’s okay though, I enjoyed that symphony so much that not getting many pictures didn’t matter. But…I did find out that bears are awake and roaming around down along that path. Right now it’s easy to see a long distance through the trees, which is especially good on a windy day. It’s not easy hearing things on a windy day. And with bears around I like to hear things too, it can be very helpful. But it was a very enjoyable walk, though it was colder than I was expecting as well. Another good reason for sunshine this time of year. And dressing warmer. This is longer than normal, but it is something different for today. It’s a beautiful sunny spring morning. And right now there is not a bird that I can see anywhere. Maybe tomorrow? I hope you all have a wonderful day and God bless!
Steve and Muffin.
©2021 Steve McLeod.
