Low Flyer

Well, I was speaking roughly but, my goodness, you're right. He's in 4th place! CJ, you've written the 4th longest novel ever! And you're not even finished yet. It's going to be a heck of a job editing it into a reasonable-length for the film version...

Which makes it longer than the Bible...! And half as long again as War and Peace.

No you don't. I promise...

Thereby demonstrating, in a single sentence, the limitations of purely text-based communication!

Any goats?

When did you become an expert on spelling... ?

Whilst the Yarra does, indeed, have such a reputation, the merest glance at a globe will confirm that everything in Australia is upside down... LF

Not to worry - I have absolute faith in the goat. He'll get it running again with an elastic band and a piece of chewing gum.

Presumably they were still hoping that Bridget would try to make the rendezvous with Basingstoke and would mistake Atlantis for Kookaburra until it was too late. That's how I read it, anyway.

Glad to hear the news - hope the improvement continues.

But why would he believe that Basingstoke only wanted the boat? Surely it's far more likely that he'd discount that as the same sort of bluff that Basingstoke was using when he said he'd be able to pick up Shane in the Zodiac? Yes, Basingstoke wanted the boat - but just to make good his escape and to help get Bridget and Billy out of the country without attracting the attention of officials. I just don't see that, with just what Trevor knows, the jump to searching Kookabura/Ares is all that obvious. I, too, think it's unlikely that Ned would have kept the old bows from Kookaburra - once fibreglass has been fractured like that, I doubt it's all that easy to remould it to the desired shape. Even Ned's not that cheap - whatever his shortcomings, it does seem as if he takes a justifiable pride in his work. I've looked (again) at the pictures of Atlantis and I don't see that the crushed bows would necessarily entail a new crew cabin. If the damage had gone that far back, I think Ares would probably never have made it to Australia. We already know there's a watertight bulkhead between the bow section and the rest of the hull (I'm sure it's mentioned somewhere in connection with the Indian Ocean tsunami debris) - this makes it unlikely, surely, that that was where Arnold hid whatever it is. I reckon that Ned only replaced the very front section which probably doesn't contain much in the way of hiding space that wouldn't be quite obvious once the bow was removed. Even if Ned did build a new crew cabin - he'd surely notice if a tape, or book, or whatever it is fell out of an unlikely place, if only to be able to give it back to Rachel whose property he'd assume it was. This seems to me the most likely scenario. Creating the original hiding place on Atlantis took a while and some tools (and Greg knows where it is, now) so I think it more reasonable that Trevor and Shane will find a whole new hiding place and make an interesting discovery in the process. Unfortunately, it's a near certainty that, once they've read/viewed the evidence they find, they'll be right back at the top of the cartel's most wanted list. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go and proof-read the next chapter. I may be some time ...

Yes, I noticed that he kept one of Basingstoke's guns too. But there's no direct reason why Trevor should decide to do the sort of search of Kookaburra that would be needed to find whatever may (or may not: this is the goat, after all) be hidden aboard. B'stoke told them he was after the boat, but he didn't know exactly why so he can't have told them that. Bridget didn't tell him that they'd be searching her thoroughly, only that they'd be sinking her in deep water. In fact, I still don't think there's any reason obvious to Trevor for the continued contract on his life, far less his boat. The need to incriminate his father is now moot after all.

I don't care. I've read it already....

Eh? I'm not taking the rap for this one! I try, gently, to point out when I think there may be elevated levels of tension at the end of a chapter but CJ always sidesteps the comments and insists that all will be well. As a humble comma-mover, I don't feel I have the authority to argue back (unless, of course, it's over a misplaced semi-colon - I'll fight to the end over that).

I find myself glancing at the scroll bar and trying to figure out whether there's any chance of the situation being resolved before it reaches the bottom...

I had a similar thought, RickMD, but there are problems with it. As you say, it doesn't have to be Trevor's head that reaches Sanchez (I think an actual head does, though - he wants his big dramatic gesture). I wondered whether any blond-haired head (perhaps stolen from a morgue or something like that - still not pleasant but better than beheading our hero) wouldn't do - after all, the act of removing it from the body and then the natural decomposition during its trip to the cartel would make it hard to be certain just whose head it is. The cartel members have never met Trevor anyway. BUT, with all the press interest, I think it will be impossible for Trevor to stay below the radar and it would only take a single article to reach the cartel and the whole thing would unravel. It's possible that if whatever's on Kookaburra is sufficiently incriminating, the other cartel members will turn on Sanchez, grant him early retirement, and cancel the contract since they'd have no further interest in Trevor. I think it's actually possible that Bridget will, if not switch sides, at least show that her primary loyalty is to herself. She still has plenty of cash and I can imagine her double-crossing the cartel and just going into hiding somewhere to live out her days under an alias. She can't be all that thrilled at her change of status vis-à-vis the cartel - from needed and respected equal to employee. So I wouldn't be too surprised if she ends up showing some leniency. She's already said that she has no personal interest in seeing Shane, Lisa or Joel dead, after all. As for the Bellevue land in WA - it's in the narration that it's pure coincidence. However, we also know that, coincidental it might be, but there will be ramifications.

Interesting. It did cross my mind to wonder about Grundig but we've stretched coincidence a long way already when Trevor happened to wash up in the place where his uncle's a customs agent. If it also happens to be a place where the cartel who're after Aries also "just happen" to have an agent, it might be a bit hard to swallow. So, having let it cross my mind, I have now banished the thought.

Yes... I'm pretty sure I can see your little goat tongue planted firmly in your little goat cheek. Trevor's been at it for way longer and he's in a super swanky catamaran....

Whilst I kinda know what you mean, I have a horrible feeling that once it all blows up with Bridget/Basingstoke/Sanchez, we'll quickly run out of story and then I'll need to find a way to get through Tuesdays without Circumnavigation. If this were a paper book, I guess I'd probably be ignoring everything else in my life by now so that I could keep turning pages. But, when I reached the end, I'd still be sad that it was over. I want to follow Trevor and Shane for a lot longer. They're such a lovely couple. Sorry to be slushy.

As an old-fashioned romantic, I, of course, want Trevor and Shane, and Joel and Lisa to end up with their charter business and each other and to live happily ever after. As a matter of justice, I want Bridget and Basingstoke to be caught and dealt with. It'd be nice if Sanchez got some unwelcome attention from his fellow Cartel leaders. That said, the narrative's got to make sense. I have no idea how CJ's going to get Sanchez's contract lifted but it'll need to work as a story or else the whole 119 chapters to date (and however many there are to come) will be devalued. Will that stop me storming the Goat's mountain home with pitchforks and torches? No, but he'll at least go down knowing that his artistic integrity was unscathed.

You know, those of an uncharitable bent might construe that post as a cliffhanger... It would seem that Cliffhangers aren't only the goat's forte!

You might be right, but I don't think it'll be the Cartel as a whole that orders the hit. Basingstoke's worked for them before and lived to tell the tale. Sanchez, though, seems to be especially worried about the security of this operation. I suspect the goons have orders to get rid of anyone who might have any idea what's on Kookaburra. You've got to wonder what kind of retirement plans the hitman business comes with...

Don't worry, folks. It's not a very exciting chapter... (anyone convinced? )