C James

Well, yes. But that doesn't alter the fact that you seem to be making snide remarks about the characters because they don't suspect you yet. Any good cop should be open to multiple lines of thought, and given that he knows that Dirk previously sabotaged atlantis (taking Trevor's glow plug wires) and the phone in the bomb came from Dirk's store, plus he knows that Jim did find Atlantis, coupled with Dirk and Jim's evasiveness, I honestly believe he has grounds to suspect them, certainly enough to haul them in for questioning. Or he may have a reason, such as the current possible legal mess being a far lessor danger than what he's hiding. Umm, you're looking at this backwards, I think. From what Gonzalez knows: that Dirk runs a chandlery, and also does some work on boats, and sells phones and electronics, what grounds would Gonzalez have to be sure that Dirk doesn't have the very rudimentary skills required to make an exceedingly simple circuit? You're right about modern car stereos. And yes, even getting a dashboard off is tricky (for me, anyway) on some vehicles. (On my SUV it's easy, but I had to ask Rob for advice on my other car, because it makes much greater use of clips). I wouldn't want to muck around with the advanced car sound systems, but I'd feel just fine about totally replacing a system with a new one, provided it did not have integrated controls. (In college I sometimes installed car stereos for some extra $$$) And when I was a young billy goat, back on the stone age? Ohhh, you'll pay for that! :devil: The rock makes no sense where it turned up. I can't say more until after 46 has posted. This is very possible! After all, all he needs to do is dig up your school attendance records, and see if you were in class that day... Gonzalez may well be jumping to conclusions, but as you say, he's being advised by someone who knows exactly what procedural buttons to push. Good point! He's also had very little time to go through the new data. What's on the Ares that Bridget fears? The asset list is one, but as she's said, there is another, something so much worse that they dare not let even Sanchez know. Whatever it is, it's her primary motive for doing whatever it takes to keep the Ares from being found. I've been concerned that the Cartel in the story might seem a bit far-fetched. It isn't; its modeled on real ones. At that time, two of the three big cartels in Columbia had been pretty much dismanteled. The Medallin cartel (Run by Pablo Escobar) and the Cali Cartel are the two that had largely, but not totally, been taken down. They were vicious and far-flung, with incomes measured in the billions, and operations through north and south America, Europe, and connections beyond. They were heavily involved in assassination (numbering at least in the hundreds of victims for each cartel) kidnapping and torture, arms dealing, smuggling, and terrorism. The major one still operating in 2006 (and also today) is the Norte del Valle Cartel. Interestingly, it had a lot of top brass named (or aliased) Sanchez. Yes, and so we must ask: who is in Australia? The answer is that Graeme is in Australia! So... I think we should consider him a suspect!

Umm, I forgot to mention the coming chapter title. It's "Forces in Motion."

Very good point: we know what’s up in some ways, but the characters often don’t. That’s reversed in a few instances, such as what’s the big secret of the Ares the Bridget fears so much more than that asset list? Bridget knows, but we don’t. And yep; Trevor is in very grave danger of being tortilla chipless for his voyage down under! (and here we were worried about Sanchez??) Yep, there’s really no way for Lisa and Joel to figure it out, unless Bridget slips up, or something happens that had to have come from them. The unraveling has just begun. There’s been a literal sea change; Trevor is now aware that someone wants him dead, and tried to blow him up. He’s no longer the unwitting victim. Good call! Lisa is very much the headstrong, bulldog type. But Bulldogs have another aspect; they are fiercely loyal and protective. Betray that loyalty, and watch out... Yep, he does indeed have a long golden mane by now, even though he actually had it a bit on the longish side in Florida. And, um, he’s going to need a trim at some point! Trevor got laid once in the story, in Italy, so I’m sure he’ll be just fine for his months and months alone at sea... or will Joel be right, and Trevor explodes? You raise a very good, and in fact essential, point: Trevor ‘s phone rock was delivered to the south end of the canal. It might have been mailed to placate Joel’s father and Lisa, but Dirk could not know where it would be sent. In fact, no one, even Trevor, realized that yacht club was at the south end. So therefore, why would Dirk mail Trevor a rock? Why not simply send nothing if he was the bomber? Or a real phone? I’m shocked, shocked.. that you don’t trust Bridget! Yep! Bridget doesn’t get to hear all their calls. But, she does when they are on her landline, or on their cells in the guesthouse (in the latter case, she only hears the half of the conversation that’s in the guesthouse). Or, if they happen to mention things while talking in the guesthouse, which they have come to view as their safe haven – exactly as Bridget intended. Isn’t Bridget sweet and thoughtful? You’re right, and that brings up something I need to mention; We don’t get to see every conversation, or in some cases all of a conversation. I had to do it this way, otherwise we’d be forever reading repetition, as one character told another, and they told another, etc. I do try to cover everything important, though. But, it’s good that they used the landline for all of Trevor’s travel details; it would be horrible if they’d had to cope with static. Ah, but do remember, we know far more than they do in most cases. Also, what’s the number one real-life way criminals get caught? Ask any cop; it’s because they get overconfident, egotistical, and talk too much. Hey wait a minute.. that’s EXACTLY what you’re doing! You’re deriding the characters because they don’t suspect you yet!!!! Is this an admission of guilt!??!? Ummm, I’m right on the edge of what we can say here, but I can mention that we don’t know what Gonzalez thinks. Is the setup suspicious? Yep! Sure is... But Jim and Dirk have managed to make it look more damning by their own behavior. Dirk is obviously hiding something, which isn’t helping his case. The rock in the box... that’s a conundrum, and does not fit at all in a “Dirk did it” theory. Neither does the Egyptian cellular account. I’ll strongly disagree with you on only one particular; building the bomb being beyond Dirk. Dirk or Jim could have done that with total ease! It’s super simple, even if you don’t know much about electronics. Dirk runs a marine chandlery, so he’d need at least a smattering of knowledge on the rudiments of electronics. So, how to build the bomb if you don’t know what you’re doing? Here’s what makes it super easy: some models of Iridium (like many cellular phones) have a “privacy code” or similar feature, where only someone who knows the code can make the phone ring. Otherwise it stays in voicemail. So, all we have to do is use a multimeter to see what circuits are active when the phone rings. (the ringer would be an easy guess). Then, you hook that circuit up to the switch pole of a relay. The phone ringer signal closes the relay, sending current from a battery to the detonator cap. That, BTW, is one of the most common methods for making cellular IED’s. There are other ways, which vary, but mainly revolve around a similar setup; identifying a circuit that carries a charge when you want the bomb to go off, and adding a relay (though in some circuitry, you’ll need a diode too.) Now, the dynamite. How do you add a detonator cap to dynamite? No skill needed! You just stick a pocket knife blade in either end of the stick (the consistency is much akin to modeling clay, even on more modern formulations) and stick the detonator in the slit you just made. It’s a little disconcerting the first time you do it, but you get used to it quick. IMHO, the tech skill required (Assuming one has the explosives) is akin to that needed to install a car stereo. I’m sure you could do it easily... in fact, I KNOW you could, so why would you claim Dirk couldn’t? There’s only one reason... you built the bomb that sank Ares!

Okay, I'm back. Internet connection is behaving again.... Great points here, and Welcome, Flipper! Yep, the pirates gave up, and headed west, while the convoy was going east. That's a fairly typical encounter BTW: the pirates often scout like that. However they don't always choose their targets wisely. In at least two cases, they've cleverly attacked warships at night, and gotten a very "warm" reception! Hrmmm, the coke as part of a going-away present for Lisa and Joel! Well, they would be going away in that case... Bridget and George are indeed thoughtful... they did try to make Trevor's suez transit a once-in-a-lifetime experience be sending him a going-away present... And LoL, Bridget as Blowfield! I love it! The Egyptians would take a threat to the canal very seriously indeed. Investigations like that take time, but would be very thorough. And yep, Bridget thinks there's something far more deadly to her (and Geroge too) on Ares, something worse then the asset list. Now we know why she's willing to go to such lengths to keep Ares from being found. Sanchez? Nah, I'm sure he's forgotten about the whole thing by now.

I've been having severe internet problems, and haven't been able to get into GA in days. I'll reply to the posts in this thread soon, internet connections permitting. I miss you guys! BTW, Steve, great idea on the chapter title! HAd I seen that a few hours ago, I'd have probably used it; the current one is a bit more generic and geographical. I won't mention it though. Okay, I may not be able to post a chapter announcement (assuming my connection holds even long enough t post this) but I did manage to get chapter 45 uploaded a few minutes ago. HOWEVER, I haven't been able to get it to display (my ISP can't seem to see my site at the moment) so I haven't been able to check it for display glitches... apologies if there are display issues (I hope not, and it will be a map that's the issue if there is one, probably). I'll be back as soon as I can.

Thanks Connor! Yep, Jake's parents are not exactly stellar examples of parenting. His mother gave him that name, rubbing her husband's nose in the fact of the affair every time he hears it. Not a recipe for a happy home.. and Jake's bad home life is a huge part of what made him who he is. As for where the story is going, that will be crystal clear in the next chapter.

So how did you like second person? I've tried it all of once (also in an anthology, a short story called "Requiem".) I went for a formal, archaic style, and I had very mixed reviews; some loved it, some hated it. I liked your use of 2nd; very well done IMHO. BTW, the bridge was the closest to the description I could find in Kansas, but it is from Kansas.

Poetry does have a place on GA: we have a poetry forum, just like we have an efic forum. We also have a poetry announcements forum. It was designed this way so that, for people who like poetry, they have a place for it. It's also separate, so it shouldn't bother people who don't like poetry. It was the best means we could come up with to keep everyone, verse and prose alike, happy.

Ahhh, but now does not matter! We're talking 2006 here, and I do see that your profile says "Location:All over Jersey." You're also known to have been in the Bimini area when Ares was lost, too! Coincidence? I think not!

Great call, Benji! Yep, Fifteen to Twenty is the prison time. The explosive can be traced to type, but all that will get them is the knowledge it was dynamite. Rough seas for Trevor? But... It's all just smooth sailing! Yachters are usually a pretty friendly bunch. It's good that Trevor joined up with some. Bridget invests some of the money in businesses, as a silent partner, such as she was mentioned doing for the air conditioner company Lisa's father used to work for. In many cases, she hides her involvement. That's why the asset list was a concern. Sea Witch has several names, and registration numbers, and she's often kept elsewhere, but yes, it is a little sloppy to have her at their residences at all. Bridget has been running her operation for at least a decade (that we know of) and it could be a case of familiarity breeds contempt. The asset list could still cause Bridget grief; all they'd need to do was find evidence she'd once owned some of them. It would add motive for murder, and also probably spark further investigations. Her argument to Sanchez was basically that it was a danger to her (it is, to a degree) but the police investigation of the murder inquiry is a bigger risk (due to the drug trafficking) and murdering Trevor in a way that frames Dirk solves both issues. However... is the asset list Bridget's only reason? Here's a paragraph from 33 that touches that issue.

Hrrrrmmm!! That it does, that it does! Perhaps he was in cahoots with Bridget? We already know that Sanchez has a contact in New Jersey (!!!) we we think could be Rknapp, so... maybe he met him via Bridget? Hrmmm... I never thought of that, but maybe you're right!

Yipes!!!!!!! For Bridget to approach Miami by heading northeast, one of the little issues would be she'd have to take her boat overland... Ummm, oops!!! Chapter 43 has now been changed, and reads "northwest." Thanks, Rob, for bringing this up, which has allowed me to fix it. We already knew that goats cannot count... I guess we also need to include compass-reading (along with cliffhangers) in the things that goats cannot do...

Chapter 43, Fifteen to Twenty, is up. This chapter contains a few shots of undersa life in the Red Sea, courtesy of Yap. As I said in the chapter credits; That's no understatement; Yap's pictures (in the original form) are magnificent!

Indeed he does! Ah, but I am ineligible for the voting in 2010.

I never knew you were from Texas... but oh, wait, that's right, when you appeared on the charter in Greece a few chapters back, you did say you were originally from Texas... So this all fits! You're a cliff-dwelling frog! Hrmmm!!! And a cliff-dwelling frog is, surely, the King of Cliffhangers, because he spends most of his time hanging on cliffs! And I do note that MikeL *IS* eligible for King of Cliffhangers, because he is an author! A poet, to be exact... and some of those poems end in cliffhangers! MikeL for 2010 King of Cliffhangers! Vote Early and Vote Often! Hrmmm, then how come there's no such thing as a cliff goat, but there is a cliff frog? 1-800-dial-a-bomb? Rough translation: "Hello, the bomb is unable to come to the phone right now, but if you';; please leave your name, number, and detonation code, the bomb will return you explosion... :nuke:

Ahh! But I never run for that particular vertical office, and in any case, I am not eligible for the 2009 King of Cliffhangers awards, so I cannot be nominated or voted for. Hrmmm... I think what we have here, undeniably, is a frog in denial! His froggishness said, and I quote, "The very title of chapter 42 confirms that the previous chapter of Circumnavigation ended with a cliffhanger." (Emphasis mine) Now, to help the frog (who seems to be having difficulty with the word), I'll post the dictionary definition of "ended" 1. To bring to a conclusion. 2. To form the last or concluding part of: the song that ended the performance. So, can anyone say I am not therefor absolutely correct, per our frog's very own words, in citing the last paragraph of the chapter he refers to? Or, to be fair, the last few paragraphs... or even the last half of the chapter?

Jake is indeed in trouble... And yep, the surfer Mitch talked about was Brett, but that was before Corey and Brett became a couple. It's going to be ever so slightly... complicated. We find out the back story behind Jake and his father in the next chapter, "A Real Bastard". CJ

The Fall anthology, "No Going Back", is up! Please join me in thanking Graeme, Steph, and Joe, for their work on the fall anthology! Coordinating the anthology is a lot of work, and Graeme makes it look easy (it isn't, trust me on that!) I'd also like to extend thanks to the editors and beta readers, and to the participating authors. Thank you, one and all, for making this anthology possible.

UFO's? Now who would suggest UFO's as a plot element? (I'm hoping Shadowgod isn't reading this, after I did it to him...) The water at disappearance site (roughly 20 miles NE of Bimini) runs about 100 feet (some deeper, some shallower), and I've flown low over seas like that (clear, tropical) in small planes. my impression is that you're right, but only for an area directly below, and only on a calm day. The problem Trevor has is that all he has to go on is the radio call. "... Ares, taking on water... Mayday, Mayday, Mayday, twenty miles northeast of Bimini, Sailing Yacht Ares, taking on water

Happy Birthday, Conner! :2thumbs: :2thumbs: :2thumbs: Don't worry, 60 is young in goat years. Have yourself a great day!!

Benji, you pegged it in the last thread, when you said the bomb would be stolen. Bes (the Bringer of Joy) and Mufid were last seen on their way to the canal. And yep, the Egyptians will investigate thoroughly.

You see cliffs where MikeL does? Hrmmm! This is very perplexing! So, this means there is clearly something affecting your judgment, and the frog's, in the same way! Very perplexing... Could it be a virus!?!? And me? Lie? Would i ever do such a thing as that? And I take my glasses off sometimes and I see no cliffs!! And everyone knows I'm just not capable of writing a cliffhanger~! Ahha! Here we see froggish misdirection at play! He said that "the previous chapter ended in a cliffhanger" (emphasis mine). Yet, he complains that in response, I posted the last paragraph of the chapter! It was he himself who specified the END of the chapter. We don't have to limit ourselves to just the last paragraph though... we could include the final ten or even more, and no change. See? He's using that old Machiavellian trick: doing precisely what he's accusing me of doing! I see no such misspellings, but.. yes, I am noted for my misspellings! I am, and I freely admit it, the King of Typos! However, as for that page... I think the frog might be a bit paranoid? I mean.. that page is on the internet, so it must be true... I think the Tennessee Cliffhanger Chirping Frog describes MikeL perfectly! Right down to the fondness for barbecues.. I think the case is clear. Deny it though he might, the frog simply does not want to admit that he sees cliffhangers where there are none. And come now, would would ever thing that I'm devious?

Trevor has a long way to go... His intended route is down the Red Sea (just the red sea, not counting the Gulf of Aden, is 1300 miles) then once well out in the Arabian Sea past Socotra (to be well clear of Somalia) south, to the Sechelles, then south by southwest to Rodreguez, anf then straight across (nearly 4k miles!) of open ocean to Australia. Total? Planned route from Suez to Oz is about 8000 miles. You do remember correctly. The Suez is quite an experience... I've done it in a cruise ship (sparing me much of the Baksheesh, lol!) and it's worth it. However, I find the Panama canal (I've been through it a few times) far better, for scenery and interest (For one thing, Panama has locks, Suez does not). I haven't been through either one in years (Most recently was 2006, for Panama) but they're both good in their way. Who, sweet innocent me? An explosives expert? Ghassan might not be out of the woods yet... ;-) And don't forget, Bes (the Bringer of Joy) and Mufid are on their way to the canal, too. You're right. The legal term is "Death in Absentia" and it varies from state to state, but also by circumstance. If the person just goes missing, it's usually around seven years. However, if they are deemed to be in "imminent peril" when last seen, it's a lot faster. In the case of many 9-11 victims, it was just weeks. For the adventurer Steve Fosset, who disspeared in a small plane, it was just a few months. BTW, you're right on the timing of the loss of Ares, too. It was in May, just a couple of months before the Southern Hemisphere's winter. Unless one went by the tropical route (Suez, or Panama) going through the southern Indian Ocean in winter would be nuts: it's one of the roughest seas on earth, and the far south Pacific would be impossible (Almost as stormy, and the winds are eastbound). Thanksgiving only in North America? Funnily enough, I remember going into a restaurant that had a great big "Thanksgiving dinners!" sign (in English) on Thanksgiving day a few years ago. That was in Paris. Okay, it was in a tourist area so they were catering to tourists, but I still chuckled when I saw it. And cliffhangers?? What cliffhangers!?!! You're right, Cape Horn is a hazardous area. I've been to it twice. The "cape" itself is just a jagged rocky promontory of a small island, and I was within sight of them. Here's what it looked like the first time (not my pic, but the weather and view was the same) We didn't round it, exactly. It was a cruise from Santiago, Chile to Buenos Ares, and it transited the the cape via the Drake Passage after a stop in Punta Arenas. It stopped in Ushuia, then sailed back west to the cape, rounding it by about a mile, then turning around and proceeding east (next stop was the Falkland Islands). This was in December (summer) as like in the pic, the sea was pretty calm. The next time I saw the cape is was like a millpond! Of course, it's usually not like that. The fastest way to get from Florida to Australia would be via the Panama Canal, as you say. But, Cape horn would be a horrible alternative. The reason it's so notorious is the Roaring 40's, a band of eastbound winds that circle the globe. In sailing days, that meant a westbound ship had to tack into heavy winds and seas to get around the cape; very difficult. So, to get from the cape all the way West to Australia would mean heading into the wind for thousands of miles. It's much faster to round Africa and travel with the wind. Here's the bit where Dirk was talking to Jim, telling him about taking the boat. There's no "other one" mentioned at all, though that does not preclude your theory. You're right; the narration confirms (and so it has to be true) that Bridget wasn't lieing about Ares. Bridget was first on the scene (not surprising, given her very frequent runs in high speed boats in the area) Bridget got there long before the debris could have drifted out of sight of a floating wreck. Could Ares have been sunk? Sure; a bomb would do it, by rupturing her buoyancy champers. (It's mentioned very early on that one of Trevor's improvements to Atlantis was filling her buoyancy chambers with foam, so we can assume that Ares didn't have that.). So, we can deduce that, when Bridget arrived, Ares was either on the sea floor by some means, or elsewhere by some means. It's also confirmed in the narration that Bridget thinks Ares is on the bottom in that area off Bimini. I'll also (I hope I'm not giving a spoiler here) confirm that the rock will not get good cellular reception. However, I just noticed something very interesting: You said you've been swimming in those waters?!!?!? So, what about a bomb, planted on Ares' hull, by a swimmer? Hrmmm! Is this mention of being there an admission on your part?

Frogs are indeed perplexing. Let's have a look at this instance (one of many) Okay now, here's the actual ending for the chapter the frog is referring to. Trevor is having good feelings and smelling savory spices! What's the cliffhanger? That his stomach might growl? Come now... Even for a frog, that's a stretch! So, the purpose of this thread is to propose theories as to what makes MikeL, our resident frog, so prone to seeing cliffhangers everywhere? Hrmmm... One possibility: Frogs are short.. just a few inches tall. So, to a frog, maybe every little bump in the road is a cliff, and a pothole looks like the Grand Canyon? Another possibility (perhaps related). I've long suspected that MikeL is a Cliff Chirping Frog. So, could the call of a cliff chirping frog be "cliff, cliff, cliff!"? That would explain much... Personally, I'm thinking that he is more likely to be a close relative, the Tennessee Cliffhanger Chirping Frog, Eleutherodactylus_Preciptious. Other theories have been raised... Perhaps the frog, like most frogs, has an aversion to salt water, and thus sees danger whenever the sea is mentioned? Submit your theories here! At the end, we;ll have a poll.

Happy Birthday, Robert!!! I hope you have a great day!!! Happy 45th! :2thumbs: