Karin and Muffin came running back. Muffin just sat staring toward where the bomb exploded. I pick her up, she had little tears running down her cheeks. Meow, meow=He my Mr. Cat. Yes, I know that Muffin. She lays her head against my chest. Meow, meow?=We go home now? We will if you really want to, but I thought you would want to help find these people that did this. Meow, meow!=Yes, we find them for sure, they not get away with this! That’s my kitten. Hmm, must be a rabbit out in the field, it was probably scared by the explosion, I can keep seeing it’s head as it jumps. Muffin, call for Mr. Cat. She calls out as loud as she could. Once more Muffin. She looks at me, but does it again. Suddenly Mr. Cat comes running out of the long grass. Meow, meow!=Mr. Cat, you okay! Meow!=Yes, I here, I okay. Meow.=I run with bomb and drop and keep running, I good at running real fast!

But grass so long I can’t see, so run in wrong direction. I try jumping up to see, but not work good, grass too long. Then I hear my Muffin call me, so I come fast as I can! Karin picks up Mr. Cat and says, you’re our hero today! Meow!=Not just me, Muffin too, she guard you to keep you safe. Meow!=And human Steve! He took bomb off to keep us all safe! Karin gives me a huge hug too and says, yes Mr. McLeod, you’re also our hero! Okay, enough congratulations, we need to leave here, they may come to check and see if the bomb worked. Who do you think it was?, asked Karin as we drive away. I’m not sure, but there are three different groups of people involved with this and one of them wants us dead. The other wants us to lead them to Katharina. Then there is Katharina herself. This is getting a bit complicated.

We keep on driving for quite some time. The cats are snuggled together sleeping, says Karin. Good, I answered, then they should be fresh and awake when we arrive at this stone house. There’s the road we want. Wasn’t a very good road so we had to drive slowly. The road kept getting narrower as we went along, then suddenly we were in an overgrown yard with this large, old stone house in front of us. Meow, meow.=Look like good place for ghosts. Meow.=Yep, I agree, time to leave. I think Mr. Cat is right, let’s leave, said Karin. But this is our next clue, I said, we need to find out where to go next. I’ll go see if this key will open that door.

Off I went, but the key wouldn’t fit the lock, so this wasn’t our final destination. Hmm, that must mean…I look back and Karin is standing by the car and a man with a gun to her head. Then Sofia opens the door, she is also holding a gun, as is Willie standing next to her. Come in Steve, we have been waiting, you took longer than I thought finding this place. That bomb of yours slowed us down a bit, I said. I have no idea what you are talking about, said Sofia. Your name isn’t Sofia, is it? You have figured out who I am? I think so, probably the sister of Sophia from our case at the palace. Yes, she said, my name is Anna and Sophia was my sister and I vowed I would get you for that. So you came up with this scheme, I added. No, actually that is part of Katharina’s plan, I’m just borrowing part of it, she only told me about it up to this point.

She said you would be able to figure out the rest. Except, you won’t be around to finish her little game, or whatever it is. They bring Karin and I over to a trap door in the floor. Willie opens it and they push both Karin and I into this pit. There’s no way out of this, I made sure of that, said Sofia. There should be enough air to last you about 12 hours, she said. Then the trap door was closed and locked. Silence. I don’t have my backpack or phone, but I do have some matches and oddly enough there is a candle, however I don’t light it since it would use up our oxygen faster. We have to sit here in the darkness?, asked Karin. It will give us some time, I said. What happened to the cats? I don’t know, when that guy showed up at the car they were already gone. That means they are around somewhere, perhaps they can find a way to open that trap door.

To be continued.

©2020 Steve McLeod.

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