Well, it’s nice to have our last case behind us now, that last part with the big explosion was really too much. It was a good thing that Angel had the foresight to take hold of my hand just before the explosion, or I would never have survived. I did end up with a nasty cut and bruise on my forehead, but that wasn’t because of the explosion. After it happened Angel and I were buried under a lot of rocks and Angel moved one away from my head but another one fell and hit me.

I then called Sky, she arrived and took me out of there. Then she went back for Angel and Kitty. Kat was able to heal my head wound quickly so I didn’t need to stay in our clinic, I just had a checkup with Samantha to make sure there was no other damage. Our wounded girls are out of the clinic now, it wasn’t too serious for either of them which was good. However, they will stay on recovery for a while anyway.

We have a lot of new girls with us right now, though most of them will be heading back to their families. Some don’t have families and some have families that don’t want them back. So strange, at a time when these women and teens need their families, their families don’t want them. So, we try to be a family to them and all of our girls are great at making them feel welcome. Apparently I made an impression on Jazzy during this last case, that’s what she said anyway.

She couldn’t believe that I would lay my life on the line to save her. Now she has had a real change of heart and is going to give up her criminal ways and has asked if I would consider letting her join the Investigators. She was talking with Kat, Jennifer and myself at the time. Tears were trickling down her cheeks when she asked us. She told us we could easily hand her over to the police and she would be in prison the rest of her life. I could easily tell she really did want to change and we all said she was very welcome to join the Investigators.

Really, we would love to have her, I am so glad she wants to change and she would be a great help to us as well. At 38 she will be the oldest woman on our team. For now, at least, she will be part of the home team. Her amazing knowledge of criminals and their ways will certainly be the most help on that team. We will give her a new identity so no one will be able to find her easily, just like we have done for others that have come from criminal backgrounds. When I told everyone the news, they were overjoyed!

Friskie also asked to join us, so that gives us two new Investigators, and Friskie being another ghost will be a big help, even though she doesn’t have the abilities of our other ghosts. Kat said she might have more but doesn’t know how to use them yet, so she will check on that.

The next day while we were sitting in the library our alarm went off, “Code Orange, Drone Approach”. Dawn was at her post by the door right away, getting out machine gun out and ready to shoot down the drone. I told her to wait and see what it does. “If it comes toward the chateau,” I told her, “then shoot it down.” It circled around in the driveway then dropped something. It then turned and came toward us and Dawn shot it down quickly. I was watching out the library window when suddenly I screamed and fell backward onto the floor, holding my head!

Jennifer was also looking out that window, though nothing happened to her. But our alarm went off again, “Code Red, Leader Down!” That got everyone moving quickly to get guns thinking we must be under attack. “There’s a van on the road!” yelled Jennifer, “Get it!” Dawn shot at it and Sky went outside and shot two lightning balls at the van with direct hits from both. She then grabbed Kristina and Kitty who had joined her and they were immediately at the van, or, what was left of it anyway.

There were three people in the van, all were dead. Plus, there was some kind of machine, obviously a weapon, which they brought back with them. Meanwhile, Angel had picked up the small package that the drone had dropped, which was addressed to me. Jennifer went outside and opened it, for safety reasons. It was just a short note which read, “Stay away from Carmeline. Go near Carmeline and you will die. This is your only warning.”

By this time the other girls had returned with the weapon which they brought inside for us to study. Jazzy recognized it right away as something that Toledo had invented. “It sends out some kind of high frequency shock wave,” she said, “which can go through objects without damaging them, to hit a target inside, like it did to Steve. It can be set to a mild stun, or knock a person unconscious, or kill someone.

Or it can destroy targets of any kind. It has been set high enough that it should have rendered Steve unconscious, yet it didn’t.” Kat was able to get me on my feet quickly and I told Jazzy she needs to start believing in our ghosts. “I guess you’re right,” she admitted, smiling. “Is this Carmeline another old girlfriend?” asked Jennifer. “I don’t know anyone by that name,” I said, “we will have to ask around our team and see if anyone else knows who this is.”

I then asked Cristy to put me on the chateau speaker and I asked if anyone knew of someone named Carmeline, and to let me know right away. I waited, and waited, but no one came forward with information about Carmeline. “This is rather strange,” I said, “obviously someone thinks we know who this person is, and yet, we don’t.” “Maybe the name will come up in a case soon,” suggested Misty. She might be right about that, so I guess we will need to wait.

A couple hours later Celestine came into the library and literally fell onto one of the big chairs. She looked rather tired for some reason. When I asked she just looked at me and said she had been spending time with the kids, actually her Tracy and Aurora, the latter two having gone to their bedroom for some rest. Then she asked if she could talk with me, so we went to my office, however I could see she needed something more comfortable to sit on, so we moved to the bedroom where we have a couple of nicer chairs.

She just sat for a while not saying anything, so I just waited, figuring it must be something important. She sat staring at the floor, then when she looked up, she was crying. Since she was sitting on the loveseat I decided to join her and I put my arm around her. Right then Jennifer came into the bedroom. “Oops, am I interrupting?” she asked. Celestine waved for her to come in. Then she began to tell us about Carmeline…

To Be Continued. ©2026 Steve McLeod.