The lights had gone out briefly, then the shot took place, actually it turned out to be two shots, but both happened at exactly the same time so it sounded like one shot. When the lights came back on, Lorenda was on the floor, dead. Mandar admitted to shooting her once. ”I just could not stand to hear her say one more vile word,” he said, “she is a totally wicked person, so full of hate.” 

No one else claimed the other shot, though I could have found out by checking guns, but I chose not to do that. But will we be able to find out who was working with Lorenda? She works at the modeling agency, if that is the only other person, though somehow I doubt it. Sky went out with some of the girls and arrested the other girls from Team 7 and locked them in our detention building. 

Then they came back in and joined us in the library. During Lorenda’s tirade she had said that none of the girls in The Investigators would ever trust me again and would never want to be alone with me, and that would finish our team for good. She might be right, I am not sure what will happen now. 

I focused on something else for the moment and told Baldwin what we now knew about his security training center #3, and maybe it was the same in the others as well. I said it was likely planned by someone after it was claimed he had died. Someone wanted to destroy his Corporation and destroy us too, someone with a lot of patience and money who could do this slowly so as not to be caught. 

And if Baldwin’s Security was infiltrated, then his whole organization could be sabotaged and destroyed. With all his government and military contracts, that would cause quite a serious problem worldwide. Mandar’s Team 4 was now here and looking after security for us. Mandar’s Teams 1 through 5 are his elite security teams, the best of the best. 

Baldwin had his head in his hands now, worrying about all of this. ”My good man,” said Mandar, “I am willing to help you with your security needs until you can get things sorted out. It will not be a simple matter to do, but you must get at it right away before more harm is done.” Baldwin agreed and called the head of Training Center #3 and told him it was now closed and to round up all of the leaders and put them in detention until this is sorted out. 

All trainees will be under base detention. He then called the other training centers and did the same thing. According to Candace and the other girls all of this began about 6 months ago. So Baldwin fired any trainees that had been given jobs since that time. I then mentioned to Baldwin that he seemed to have changed a lot in the last few weeks, more irritable and just plain grouchy. 

Mandar told him the same thing, thankfully, it was nice to have him back me up on that one. I suggested he should let Li Jing look at his medication to make sure he has the right medicine, perhaps someone has changed it along the way. He agreed that would be a good idea. I believe there is also a traitor on our team again, but I did not mention that right then, I need some proof, not just an idea. 

Since Matt and Bouncer are our security specialists for any of the electrical alarms and cameras, I asked them to check the camera footage to see if they can find anything suspicious. But I asked them privately later when others were not around. But, after speaking to Baldwin, I began to shake and Sky grabbed me quickly to make sure I did not fall. 

Aasta saw this too and ran over to help hold me on the other side. ”Please take me to our bedroom,” I said to them. They did so right away. I am not sure what the problem is, but I think it is just all the stress of this case that caused me to collapse like that. They laid me on the bed. ”Would you please stay with Steve Aasta?” asked Sky, “I would like to talk with Candace and the other two girls some more.” 

“Providing you are okay with that,” I added. ”Of course it is okay Steve,” she said immediately, “nothing that woman said could possibly change the way I feel about you.” Then she bent over me, but looked over to Sky first. Sky just smiled at her and winked. ”I love you Steve,” said Aasta, “and that will not change. Maybe all of us girls should be saying that more often to you, not just Candace.” 

“Maybe I should be saying it to you girls instead,” I said to her. ”Not a bad idea,” said Sky, “I will remind you about that, just in case you forget. Aasta, look after him, he is not to get up before I get back.” ”Okay,” she said, “he will stay put, I will make sure of it.” 

Aasta sat on the bed while we talked, then suddenly I began to shiver uncontrollably. Aasta flipped the blanket over me right away to make me warmer. ”You are not going into shock on my watch,” she said to me smiling. 

To Be Continued.

©2023 Steve McLeod.