Geron Kees

Very nice to see these guys back, CG! I will say I had a little trouble remembering about Bill and Kevin, but Gary's refresh brought that back (more or less!). I'm simply amazed at the way this seems to extend seamlessly from the previous chapter, despite the interval between them. No one can have a story's flow in mind like the author can. I've always felt your dialog was very friendly to the ear. It's fun to listen to these people talk to each other. Anytime I can 'see' the movie in my head as I read, I'm happy! Looking forward to the next chapter, and hoping it's sooner than later. All things considered, a quite marvelous return!

Whodunnit? With a plot right out of today's headlines, and a fine cast of interesting characters, this is a great little mystery packaged in easy to handle bites. It's also artfully written and expertly told, and makes for a superb afternoon's read. Don't say I didn't tell you!

I don't mind saying I wish this story had been longer. The plot was excellent and the ending very gratifying. I think we all need more happy endings. But don't stop now! You're good at this. So, for your next little mystery... But that would be telling. Hope to see more from you here soon!

Final chapter!? Already? Aw!

My biggest gripe with 'spankings' and other sorts of physical punishment is that if it doesn't hurt and embarrass the kid, and make them fear the next dose, it really is an ineffective form of discipline. I've seen parents slap their kids on the butt not particularly hard, and the kid frowns it off, or even laughs. The parent seems satisfied, though. So was that blow to administer discipline, or to make the parent feel better? Too much like venting frustrations or getting even for my tastes. You really need to hurt a kid for physical discipline to mean something. They have to come to fear you, even just a little. That's not what I want my kid to feel about me.

I never said the results were positive. Just that I didn't think I'd turned out badly.

Woof! The plot thickens, is the obvious comment. One comment earlier by another reader does ring a bell here. There is a very fine line between 'punishment' and 'abusive' conduct. I grew up in a household where no one ever laid a hand on me. We were talked to and reasoned with, never beaten. I don't think I turned out badly at all for the experience. I used the same methods of discipline with my own son, and I think he turned out well, too. Corporal punishment is the oldest method of disciplining kids there is, and I will freely admit that a hell of a lot of kids got their butts beat growing up and turned out to be decent and responsible adults. But for some, the experience creates monsters, and perpetuates a line of abusive conduct we do not need in our society. Coupled with a religious fervor and a certainty that one is right to apply force, it can be an absolute horror story, as kids like Dylan have found out. Anyway, enough soap box. Murder mysteries have a tendency to expose a lot of the things that are wrong with both humans and their societies, and this one is holding its own there so far. A nicely tied knot you are creating for us!

Well, aren't you the able one with mysteries? The clues are popping here, certainly. Robby, though, may need to be tied to a chair at some point, to keep him from further damaging his own case! Going online and pretending to be Dylan has revealed a possibly very important clue in Mark_Cain (and the biblical connotation does suggest a few things!); but at the same time, Sam is right: the police checking out Robby's online presence and uncovering him masquerading as Dylan could lead to trouble. Does this guy ever think before acting? Mark_Cain's one comment about his father in the chat is potentially revealing: "He’s not a good man. He ruins people’s lives." I'll leave that for the moment, though, in case it's a herring of the rubicund variety. It is good to learn that Det. Hicks is a decent sort not willing to just arrest and worry about facts later. Enlisting his son as a sort of spy is definitely on the edge of propriety, but this is a small town, and I don't find the idea preposterous. Taking Dylan in is also a good move if he's worried about his safety (and it seems he has a right to be). All building very nicely. Boldly admitting early that Dylan's mom was also murdered and that the killer is plotting even more mayhem (A Man of Flexible Planning and Morality) has increased the size of the character list, while also giving the antagonist a gender and thus (probably) narrowing down the list of who we are now looking for. All very great fun! Free entertainment should all be this good!

No question, these guys need a lawyer immediately. The police have no real motive NOT to try to prosecute Robby on circumstantial evidence. People go to prison every day in this country on trash evidence. Having a media blitz attending a crime always prods the police to want to get someone quickly. I'm sorry to say the fact that Robby is innocent will not protect him. The murder so far has some interesting clues. Keys would have let anyone inside the bakery he thought he trusted. Or, anyone that he thought would further his cause. Not hard to imagine a number of suspects. The son is also hiding something, though I don't know what just yet. Robby is a loose cannon. People like him can be their own worst enemies. Sam needs to keep him on a leash just now, for his own protection. The world deals harshly with bad tempers let loose at the wrong time. So far, so good. Now on to the next chapter!

Definitely, too early to more than suppose what might have happened to Keys. Murder is a pretty harsh judgment on anyone. Someone had a reason. What that might have been only the author knows for sure! I'll just stay tuned to find out!

A very timely story line. I have to agree that Robby handled this incident badly. The ubiquitous phone camera was sure to catch him in the act. The moment any sort of disturbance starts in this country today, someone will be pointing a phone at it. So we can expect a follow up to this incident, certainly, that is likely to have painful consequences for this couple. We are living an an era where certain groups are trying damn hard to turn the calendars back to an age they are much happier with. What goes with that is the loss of rights and respect for certain groups that have worked long and hard simply to become 'equals'. Standing on the necks of your fellow humans just to get your way is a pretty damn poor ad for your beliefs. These groups all seem to need an enemy, someone to HATE. That tells me as much about them as I care to know. Looking forward to seeing how you handle this one.

I pronounce the name as 'Yack-ohs'. We want to stay away from anything that even remotely sounds like 'jackass.' I guess I really do need to re-read the entire series and make even more notes than I have now.

Physical locations have to be considered as different from locations in time and dimension, as far as personal teleporting go. Being in a place even one time will normally allow any elf to get back there again. But traveling in time and between realities is an additional step, and would require the ability to master the techniques of such travel, because a place like the guys visited in this story does not exist in the reality which is the base of their adventures. So an elf that has been in an alternate reality cannot get back there through teleportation without the talent to master travel between realities as well. I have no idea yet where the future will take the guys or their talents. Part of the fun is the surprise.

I think Amy is too professional to discuss anything about her employers on the phone, even with their moms! But...I'll make sure she is! Agree on the insurance. And the cheddar!

I'm afraid people in an emotional state are not always so rational, my friend. I don't think Robin Hood was looking at it from your own perspective.

Ah! Spoken like a true businessman! But read on...

A little mystery is good for the soul!

A lot of the gang was not directly introduced to Amy during that segment of the last chapter. Mike nor Bobby, either. But that would be taken care of in the course of the day. Having every single character step up for an introduction would have added several thousand words to the chapter! The Caped-Crusader Caper is a challenge story at Iomfats, and I haven't posted a number of those here. They don't relate as well without the pictures. But...maybe.

Thanks for the gift of the kind word!

I've stopped doing the Valentine's Day stories. Halloween-Christmas-Valentine's Day was just too much to contend with. Too close together. But I guess Nick and Ronja should get hitched at some point! 🙂

Oh, Pacha will get his turn! No, Nicholaas was not introduced to Amy as Santa. I didn't want to press her credulity TOO far right off the bat! July will be here before we know it! Thanks!

Oops!

There are a lot of churches in that part of the world named after Saint George. Sites that offer to trace lineage can be tricky. Especially the ones that want a DNA sample to do it. The fine print in the contract basically states that you cede any rights to your DNA, and that they can use it as they please, including selling it. Ancestry.com is just one company that has done this. So you should at least be careful what you do in pursuit of your ancestors.

Thank you! Merry Christmas!

Leprechauns?? Hmm. Thanks!