#17
“What’s wrong?” I asked Steve.
He nervously whined looking at me, then back at the restaurant.
“Look I know you liked playing with that paper, but we’ve got other places to check out,” I jeered.
He didn’t quit though. He kept looking back and forth, pacing, and crying to go back in.
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The Theory Of Steve
I knelt down and scratched his ears trying to calm him as I whispered, “What’s wrong pup?”
His breathing was quick, and his anxiety was visible.
“You don’t think… no never mind,” Beck attempted.
“What?” I asked.
“Well, I was just thinking. When you were running from my gang, and me for that matter, Steve wouldn’t let anyone else near him. He snapped at everyone except me. How did he know I wouldn’t hurt you like the others?”
“Are you saying, maybe Steve knows something we don’t?”
“Maybe. But that just sounds crazy.”
“No, it really doesn’t. Steve’s been doing things like that ever since I met him. He’s always gone to people who needed him or people I could trust. Maybe he does know something.”
Steve looked at me and whimpered again as I adjusted Cassy’s jacked around his neck.
“Ok Steve. We’re following your lead,” I said as I stood up. “Go find her.”
With that, he ran to the door of the restaurant. I helped him push it open, and he flew right back to the office.
Following Steve
As we went back in I started, “I’m sorry Mrs. Cheng we just-“
As I looked around though, she was gone. I looked through the eating area and Beck went back to the kitchen behind the cash register, but by the time we met up, neither one of us had found her.
Inside the office, Steve had gone back to the papers, only this time, he was carefully sniffing each one.
“Here Comet,” Beck called from behind some papers. “I think I know who that Manwell guy is.”
I followed his voice to another desk that had been buried, to find him reading a newspaper.
“Apparently Gregory Manwell was just sentenced to 10 years for embezzling money from the local nonprofits like the homeless shelter. Janet was the lawyer that put him away.”
“So, you think he hired these people?” I asked.
“That’s the most likely case but it doesn’t look like he got much from his embezzling stint so he couldn’t have hired anyone too professional. Probably just some thugs looking to make a buck.”
Before I had a chance to ask any more, Steve took off. Running into the kitchen past the cash register. Beck and I followed him to a door at the back and as quietly as possible, we opened it.
In front of us was a small staircase, with noises coming from above.
“Please John! You can’t do this! There has to be another way!” Mrs. Cheng begged.
Beck and I exchanged a shocked look before I started up the steps.
Once at the top, we found ourselves in a hallway with two doors on each side.
“John!” Mrs. Cheng cried out again.
With that, Steve went running to the farthest door down and pushed it open by hurling his body at it.
The Confrontation
I ran after him and saw standing in the room, Mrs. Cheng, the man who I assumed was John, and Cassy tied to a chair. This was the last time I ever doubted Steve.
“Cassy! Are you alright?” I called,
“Comet be careful!” She cried.
Mrs. Cheng covered her face and turned to the wall away from me as John came closer with a gun in hand.
“Who are you?” I asked.
“Why should I tell you?” He answered in a panicked voice.
I looked around to try and read the situation, then I realized this man looked a lot like the man in the family photo behind the cash register. He looked too young to be Mr. Cheng but maybe, Mr. Cheng’s son? I continued thinking about the room with the papers and when we were in there before, I ripped a bill statement out of Steve’s mouth. Maybe this was supposed to be a side hustle to help the restaurant? Then finally, I thought, where did Beck go? Wasn’t he right behind me?
“Hey!” John called annoyed with my silence.
I tried to look at him, but I couldn’t help but be distracted by Beck jumping through the window behind him.
John whipped around staring at the broken glass shattering across the floor.
Steve and I took our chance and tackled him from behind. The pup bit his arm while I wrestled with him to get the gun. He fired off a few rounds that made Beck jump back, but then I was finally able to grab the gun and I tossed it to Beck. I figured out of everyone in the room, it’d be safest with him.
That’s It!
Thank you for reading this installment of The Adventures Of Comet And Steve! I post every other Tuesday so be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss a thing. I also write lifestyle posts on this blog. Here’s one of my favorites!
P.s. What do you think Beck is going to do? Will they be able t o rescue Cassy? Where are the people that were working with John? Leave a comment below with your thoughts!
YIKES!!