We just sat around talking about things for a bit, then Lena spoke up. “Don’t you think we should try and get away from here?”, she asked. “John made it clear there is some kind of guard system around the top of this hill, so we can’t escape, and I think we better trust him on that,” I replied. “But it’s dangerous here too,” she added. Meow!=We not leave without getting bad people who hurt my Muffin, and you too! We ready for big fight now no matter what! Muffin comes over to me and gives me a hug. Meow,meow.=Not want you and Mr. Cat getting hurt just because they hurt me. Then she whispers something to me. Well, that clears up that problem. “The cats are meowing a lot this evening,” said Lena, “what are they saying?” Mr. Cat’s ears went straight up and he looked over at Muffin and I.

“Lena, I want to take a picture of you if you don’t mind,” I said casually. “Sure, I don’t mind that,” she said quite happily. I moved a nice old chair in front of the door. “Sit right there in front of that nice ornate door,” I said, “beauty in front of beauty.” “Thanks Steve,” and she gave me a little kiss as she walked by to sit in the chair. I took her picture and then told her to stay sitting. I turned so she couldn’t see me pull out my gun. I turned back and said, “now Lena, or whoever you are, we are going to do some talking.” Her eyes got real big at seeing my gun.

“I have 6 bullets in here and I’m going to ask you some questions,” I told her, “and each time you give a wrong answer I will shoot. The last shot means you won’t be talking anymore.” “Have you gone crazy?!”, she exclaimed. “Now, who are you?”, I asked. “Did they drug you too?”, she asked. I shot once close to her. She froze. “Also, if you get up it will be the last thing you do,” I said calmly. Both cats went close to her and started growling. “Now, who are you?”, I asked again. After a pause she said her name was Carole and she was an actress. “They told me it was just an acting part, not something real, just a play,” she said nervously. “Now we are off to a good start,” I said, “who are ‘they’?”

“David and Diane hired me to do this as a rehearsal for a play they would be doing later,” she explained, “I didn’t know this was real and people would get killed for real, but now I can’t leave or they will kill me!” “David is dead now, that only leaves Diane, but there are more involved, who are they?,” I asked again. She paused and I shot again, closer to her this time. “I’m serious Carole, don’t make me keep shooting,” I said to her. “I don’t believe you would do it!”, she exclaimed. I shot again, very close this time. “Th, that almost hit me!,” she cried. Tears were running down her cheeks now. “Okay, okay, I’ll keep talking,” she said quietly, “the head person here is a woman named Gisela. She had two sisters which you killed and she wants revenge.”

“Now were are really starting to get somewhere, her sisters were Anna and Sophia,” I said, “Sophia was killed by Muffin in one case (The Palace), Anna tried to get revenge on us in another case (Kidnapped), and now Gisela is trying. Quite the family.” “Yes, and now I will be killed by her too, all because of you,” said Carole. “Who else is out here?”, I asked. “There is Gisela, Diane and Jakob, and Jakob is a big man, a friend of Gisela,” said Carole, “oh, and Lena is dead.” That was almost too much for Muffin, but she managed to control herself. “Okay, move away from the door, it’s time to try something,” I said. Carole moved and I opened the door and went out while the cats disappeared. “Okay Gisela, I have the jewels, but if you want them you have to come out in the open and get them, otherwise you will never see them!”, I called out. All 3 of them came out, with guns pointed in my direction, but right then…

To Be Continued.

©2020 Steve McLeod.