We all had breakfast and sat down in the library to make some plans. My headache was still bad so Sigurbjorn was massaging my back and neck again. Then I got a phone call. “Stop Sigurbjorn,” I said suddenly. Baldwin was just coming into the library with a fresh cup of coffee. I then yelled, “NOOOOOOO,” very loudly and threw my phone, knocking the cup out of Baldwin’s hand.

Sigurbjorn put her arm around me as I groaned and held my head. Then I grabbed her arm and flipped her onto her back on the floor. I stood up to run but Crystal stood in front of me and I punched her hard on her cheek, then grabbed her and flipped her as well. Kristina then kicked me in the stomach and on the side of the head, knocking me down.

But I got up quickly and attacked her too, kicking her, then hitting her on the back, knocking her to her knees. Baldwin called out for Mac who was still in the kitchen. He came running in and Baldwin told him to stop me. He came over, but I caught him by surprise and kicked him in the stomach. But he recovered quickly and hit me in the stomach, twice, but I managed to push him aside and ran out the door.

Crystal was right behind me, but she called out for one of the guards to stop me. One of the girls ran after me, amazingly fast, caught up to me and tripped me. I landed sliding on the gravel driveway. Crystal got there as this girl was putting handcuffs on me. She helped me to my knees.

“Steve, what happened?” asked Crystal as she knelt in front of me. “That phone call, was from Li Jing,” I began, tears mixed with blood running down my cheeks, “MC, he died. He, he has been with Muffin and I almost from the beginning. I remember the first day we met him, poor MC, trying to explain his name to Muffin.

We used his full name at that time, Mr. Cat, and Muffin did not understand at first and thought he was making fun of her.” Crystal was crying now. “Steve, you remember that?” she asked, “can you remember more, back to when you started The Investigators?” “Yes, of course I can, why?” I asked.

“Steve, you had lost your memory, for a long time now,” she said, “do you not remember that?” “No,” I said, then looking at her, “did I do that to you?” She had a big bruise on her face where I hit her. We stood up. “Yes, I should hit you back,” she said, trying to smile. “Go ahead,” I said. “Your face is covered with blood already,” she said.

Then she took the handcuffs off me and gave me a big hug. “Now they will feel the wrath of the Kat,” she said sternly. If I did not know better, I would say that Kat had just said that. The present began coming back to me also at this point. We walked slowly back to the house and everyone gathered in the library.

“MC is dead everyone,” I said. Poor Mac, he had gotten close to little MC. “Let me go after these guys Steve,” he said, “they killed my little buddy, I will find them.” “No Mac,” I said, “we have things to do first, then we all go after them. Muffin was able to talk and said that Vince betrayed us and set up the kidnapping. He started hitting Muffin and MC tried to help, so he beat him worse.”

“Vince is so dead,” said Mac firmly. “We bury MC first, then we go after them,” I said, “hopefully Major’s boys will have found out something to help us by then.” I asked Kristina to call Mandar and tell him what has been going on. He had been on a business trip and just got home late last night, but he wanted to be here for the funeral.

I spoke a bit at the graveside, but kept it short. Muffin was too weak to stay there very long. Crystal was standing next to Muffin and I. “Now they will feel the wrath of the Kat!” “You are so right Kat,” I said. Crystal looked at me, then put her head on my shoulder. I read MC’s will to everyone.

MC had left instructions to Mac that he would look after his Muffin, since he no longer could. Mac, for all his rough exterior, started to cry at that point. “I promise to do that little buddy,” he said. Rock was also crying as he remembered meeting Muffin and Mr. Cat as they were falling off the cliff and they were hanging on to him.

“I will not forget you little one,” he said. When we got back to the chateau, another casket was waiting for us, dropped off by a delivery company. The guards had not looked inside. Rock opened it… (EXPLANATION= MC, also known as Mr. Cat, was a real cat like Muffin, the other cats are fictional. Mr. Cat died this month at the age of 17).

To Be Continued.

©2023 Steve McLeod.