Well, here we are, the plane has landed and we are in the airport picking up our luggage. We look all over and find the spot where Charlie Dubois and his wife Chantelle were supposed to meet us. We sat on some chairs and waited. And waited. And waited. It’s been almost 2 hours. Did they forget what time we were supposed to arrive? Or did something happen to them? Meow, meow.=I not like this, something wrong, we go back home now. Meow.=I agree with Muffin, this just not feel good. “Yes,” I said, “I don’t like it either, but we would have to wait until tomorrow to head back home.” “Let’s see if we can get a taxi to take us out there”, I said. I talked to the first taxi driver. “The Dubois farm?, he asked, “I know where it is but you won’t get me out there for nothing!” And he drove away.

Hmm, that’s not good. Meow, meow!=That what I said, this not good place to be, we go home. “We’ll try the next taxi,” I said. Quit sighing like that you two. Meow?=Only way to sigh, how else we do it? The only thing the next taxi driver said was, “not me!” And he also drove away. Very strange behavior. Well, no taxis left now and the Dubois’ never gave me a phone number either. I’ll go check the phones. Well, there is phone books but the Dubois that I want is not listed, perhaps they don’t have a phone. “I’m starting to get a bad feeling about this,” I said. Meow, meow.=About time you get to our side, now we go home. “Well, we have to get a hotel room for the night and make sure we can get on that plane tomorrow,” I said. I turn around and there is a young woman standing behind me. “Are you Steve, the PI?”, she asked. “Yes, I am,” I replied. “My name is Chantelle Dubois, I’m so sorry for being this late picking you up,” she said blushing a bit.

The cats ears went straight up! Meow?=This woman in her 80’s? Meow, meow=Look more like kid to me, she look so young, maybe it country air. I had to agree with the cats, this young woman can’t be the same as the woman who wrote me that letter. I mean, she doesn’t look more than 20, if that. She looked at the cats, rather puzzled. “These two are my helpers,” I told her. “Oh,” she said, “I was expecting 3 people.” “These cats are the best helpers around,” I explained, “and they really know how to work as a PI.” “That’s perfectly fine,” she answered, “and I know what you must be thinking. Charlie and Chantelle Dubois are my grandparents, I live with them. I was named after my grandmother.” Off we went out to her car, it was already starting to get dark. Someone was standing off by a tree watching us.

“It’s too late to head back to the farm tonight,” she said, “so I have a couple of rooms for us at the hotel just down the street.” “That’s fine with us,” I said, “as long as they don’t mind cats.” “I’m sure there will be no problem,” she said. It was an older hotel, but very nice, and our room was actually quite large. Chantelle had the room across the hall from us. Meow, meow?=Hey, we hungry, when we get some food? “That’s a good idea, I’m hungry too, guess I will have to ask Chantelle if there is a restaurant close by,” I said to them. Right then there was a knock at the door. It was Chantelle. She apologized for not thinking about some food for us, so she asked us if hamburgers and fries would be okay. That was perfect for us, so she ordered it and it arrived very quickly.

Chantelle wanted to talk a bit about this case before we got back out to the farm. “Please call me Lena, it’s my middle name and was also my mother’s name, there will be less confusion that way.” “Sounds good,” I said. “Now, about the case, my grandmother was in the attic and found a letter in one of the many boxes up there. It was from her grandfather who had left something very valuable behind for anyone who could find it. Apparently family has been looking for it but no one found it, and finally the letter just got packed away, I guess, and everyone forgot about it.” I motioned to her to stop talking, someone was listening at the door.

Too Be Continued.

All previous chapters and stories can be found on my home page under 20/20 Investigations, Inc.

©2020 Steve McLeod.