Okay, we all agree to stay and fight this out, so now we need to figure out our next move. Meow?=Why you want to move? This room nice. Meow, meow?.=Yeah, first you say we stay, now you say we move, make up mind. No, no, you too. I meant we need to figure out what to do next. Meow.=Oh, that better. Now, I’m going back into the attic to look around and you two stay in this room until I get back. You have your slingshots ready, use them if anyone comes into the room. Meow, meow.=Okay, we be ready this time, but not like you going out there by yourself, we should go too. Meow.=Yes, remember you say before we should stay together. I know, but I want you two safe. If they capture one of you they can use you to get at me. Here you can stay safe. Meow?=How we stay safe if ghost come in? Don’t worry about ghosts, they can’t touch you, but people can, so be careful.

Meow, meow.=Okay, but don’t stay away too long. I won’t Muffin. And don’t both of you sleep at the same time, take turns if you must sleep. Meow?=Who can sleep with ghosts walking around? Meow, meow.=Yeah, not be able to sleep. I locked the door as I left and went back up to the attic. I know the secret is in the attic somewhere, unless it has been found already. I think the new Kathy is working with someone and they are holding the original Kathy, that is Karin, hostage somewhere. Who knows, she may even be dead by now. But what about the others? What happened to the 3 guys? This is the spot where I found Muffin on the chair, I look around and spot a small old mirror on the wall. I look at it, hmm, it doesn’t move. Wait, it’s on hinges. I open it and there is a projector behind the mirror, and with this special glass it can project a nice hologram type image. Very smart, but why do this at all? It’s as if the person was expecting me to be here.

This is a nice spot in the attic, a couple of chairs, small table with a kerosene lamp on it, a rocking chair which had no dust on it, unlike everything else that was covered with dust, makes a nice little room setting and…it’s like I have seen this room before. ***(There were shelves of books from floor to ceiling, lining every wall.  A nice old rocking chair was located by a large bay window.  Thick dust covered everything here too, except the floor and the rocking chair.  There were two big armchairs as well, but they were covered with dust.  Too bad, they looked comfortable.  There was also a kerosene lamp on a table in the middle of the room so I lit that.)*** That’s it! I knew I had seen this room layout before. Now I know who the mystery person is that has been watching us and why. But this is obviously different than what the other people are doing. Or is it?

Could all of this have just been an elaborate trap to catch Muffin and I? Even having Kathy’s, that is Karin’s, picture on the front of the brochure to make sure I would come here? It’s making more sense now. But how did he get out of prison? Wait, Lydia’s death in the fire at her gallery, that was no accident either. I heard about that on the news before coming here. That was John, from our very first case. He’s a dangerous man, I better get back to the cats! I run back down to our room as fast as I can. The door is still locked, so I open it and Wham! A nice silver ball just missed me and hit the door frame instead. Mr. Cat! I’m on your side, remember? Meow!=Oops, me sorry, it slip! And you did come in kinda fast! That’s true, but it’s me now so no more please! I tell the cats what I discovered, Muffin’s eyes got real big.

Then the cat’s ears went straight up! Not again. There was John’s image on the wall, he started talking. I won’t let you leave this hotel until you find that treasure for me. I need to go up to the castle to look for it, I said. That’s okay, he boomed back, just don’t leave the path if you want to stay alive. You have 72 hours. I hope you have better luck than the other 3 did. Then he disappeared. He must have been referring to the 3 young men, guess that means they are no longer alive. He probably killed Karin also. We have no choice at the moment but to play along with this treasure hunt. Meow, meow.=That it, we going to be ghosts this time. Meow.=Not want to be ghost. We’re hunting treasure, not ghosts, I said, but tonight it’s back to the attic to search for a clue! And stop sighing like that. Meow, meow.=No other way to sigh. Meow.=Yep.

To Be Continued.

©2020 Steve McLeod.