Well, it was now 24 hours after Kat’s revelation of who she really is, so Sky and myself were walking down the hall to visit with Kat in her room. We walk in, and Muffin quickly zooms in ahead of us. “Hey, do you not ever knock?” asked Kat. “Nope,” I said, “not this time of day anyway.” She was lying down on her bed with Rusty, and Muffin jumped onto the bed to join them.

“Okay you two,” said Sky, “it is cat exercise time, so out with you both!” I held the door open for them and they quickly disappeared down the hall. The girls laughed. “Do you think I was believable enough?” asked Kat, “I still think it is kind of terrible fooling everyone like that.” “I agree with Kat,” said Sky, “they will feel lied to.” “It is necessary to test everyone now and then,” I said, “and this is a very important test.

What if someone were to try and infiltrate our team at some point? We need to be ready for such a possibility. And hopefully this will help with that, so at least not all of us will be fooled.” “Yes, I can see that,” said Kat, “and we have had that happen before, at least in a way.” “Yes, we have,” said Sky, “so I guess this is important.”

So, Sky and myself used the afternoon to talk with each team member, one at a time, to see what they thought about the return of Kat. Everyone doubted it was really her, except for Penny, Aubrey and Nelson, they figured it must be the real Kat. But none of them knew Kat from before. However, a number of our team members never met the original Kat so I was quite please with the test results.

I then called for a team meeting that evening and explained to everyone that Kat was just helping me with a test for making sure no one can infiltrate our team again like before. At least, we will try to make it extremely hard for it to happen again. “This is not the real Kat,” I said, “and I do not want those 3 who thought she was to feel bad, just use this as a lesson to increase your skills at detecting an infiltrator.

We have all been fooled before, so no one here will give you a hard time. And we all failed when it was real, not a test. Well, I guess some of you were not here the times we were fooled, but most of us were. This is Katherina Jacobson, a cousin of Kat, whose name was also Katherina as you know. Katherina studied everything she could about Kat and quite literally became Kat over time so she could avenge Kat’s death and stop Toledo.

She is an amazing inventor and will be a wonderful addition to our team.” Everyone was very happy with the news and Annelie was quick to check up on her background now that she knew her real name. And everything checked out perfectly. The next few days were nice and quiet, just what we needed for a change.

Clarence was doing very well, though still in hospital, actually in our clinic again. His wife, Sophia, was with us for a few days so she could spend time with him. Sky and I were sitting outside enjoying the sunny morning and Muffin came running over with Storm, a letter in her mouth. “Hmm, it is addressed by hand,” I said, “do not see that too often anymore.”

Meow,meow.=That mean they have no money, we not take job. “We hardly need the money Muffin,” said Sky with a scolding look. Meow,meow.=Oh, right, me forget again. I then showed the letter to Muffin. Her ears went straight up! Meow,meow!=We take case, I go pack! Get plane ready! Muffin and Storm run back to the house. “Uh, do I get to see the letter too?” asked Sky.

“Oh, sorry, my thoughts were swirling for a moment,” I said and handed her the letter. She looked rather puzzled. “And what do all these squiggles mean?” she asked. “Well, this one says she needs help, this one is me and Muffin, so she wants only the two of us to come,” I began, “this one is Chloe in her house, and this one is, um, just a way to confirm it is her and not someone else.”

“Hmm, and how old is this Chloe?” Sky asked. Muffin and Storm had returned by this time. “How old is Chloe Muffin?” I asked. Meow,meow.= 14 toes. “Well, I meant now, not before,” I said. Meow,meow.=Oh, then she 24. “And she wants just you and Muffin to come alone?” asked Sky, “Not…a…chance! This is a trap and it is not going to happen!”

Meow,meow!=But letter say only us, we have to go and help! “Muffin is right,” I said, “but we will have a meeting before we go.” The next day Rock had the jet ready and off we went. There were a couple of other symbols in the letter which gave her current address. I will admit, when I saw the house, which looked more like a rundown haunted mansion, I was a bit apprehensive…

To Be Continued.

©2023 Steve McLeod.