Summerabbacat

I assume the elders are all likely to be men, in which case they would likely sympathise with a husband who committed adultery (he was weak to the temptation of that "whore" temptress), but savage to any woman who dared look at a man other than her husband (and she probably should not even look at him in a lustful way as to do so would make her a slut). I think your homeland and mine are very similar in that there has been a significant decrease in the population who identify as "mainstream" Christian and participate in "mainstream" Christian activities e.g. church attendance, and conversely a significant increase in those who hold more extreme religious beliefs, including Christian fundamentalists.

A brilliant conclusion @Libby Drew. I am still perplexed as to why I feel an unhealthy degree of sympathy for Stuart. I have analysed this sympathy in fine detail and can only conclude it is because he was always something of an underdog, shunned by his classmates for any number of reasons, physically unattractive and seemingly disturbed even as a youngster. What he did to Cynthia was horrific and the reasons he did it preposterous. And yet, I think he truly believed he was releasing her from a terrible life over which she had no control, her "difficult" circumstances due solely to the evil of Angus McCoy. His twisted logic makes me wonder if he would have still killed her if he recognised she was not necessarily the victim he perceived her to be. I was a little disappointed (LOL) that Quent did not become the administrator of the hospital. Beneath all his bluff and bluster there beats a heart of a very caring man, but one who has little sympathy for fools and those who would abuse another's kindness and charity. His wit was second to none, with an irreverent attitude towards authority, traits I generally greatly admire.

These were my thoughts too @weinerdog. I wonder how many of the adults "pleasured" themselves as a result of viewing the punishment inflicted on the boys’ bare butts? I wonder if it is only the children who are punished for such sins? I wonder what the elders do to adults if they commit adultery, and if so, is it only the women who are punished? Gabriel was punished for having a wet dream. I wonder if girls are punished if they menstruate and accidentally soil their bed linen? @Ivor Slipper may have an answer to these questions in subsequent chapters I hope. A line from Alice Cooper's song 'Black Widow' from his 'Welcome To My Nightmare' album as spoken by Vincent Price (such an eloquently spoken man) whirled in my head during the "punishment frenzy" which the community attended "If I may put forward a slice of personal philosophy, I feel that Man has ruled this world as a stumbling, demented child-king long enough!". The elders of the community are self-righteous prigs and clearly mentally disturbed. Well written and very believable @Ivor Slipper. It still puzzles me how as a species we have remarkable achievements in medicine, science, music and various other fields, and yet much of humanity is still held captive by superstitious beliefs and make believe nonsense. We like to believe we are the smartest of all the species in the animal kingdom, however, when one observes this kind of behaviour this belief appears incredibly arrogant to me. BTW love your profile picture. Is that a new one?

I think the relationship between Masters and Drew may be something akin to the relationship between Quent and Cale.

Stuart was a psychopath, but for some reason I still felt some sympathy for him. I should not, but I cannot help but think there was some goodness in him, but madness overwhelmed him. Rob may be stupid, but he showed bravery and he is obviously a good shot, although not as good Drew.

Elizabeth is showing something I did not think she possessed, a spine and a sense of humour. She may save the day yet.

Insanity combined with strong religious convictions - a very dangerous cocktail. Stuart is very much like a high functioning alcoholic or drug addict, able to hide his illness and carry on with life without any demonstrated issues, although many have been suspicious regarding his mental stability. The tension is palpable @Libby Drew, although your quirky sense of humour still manages to make an appearance yet again. "The boxes sat unopened most of the day, mocking Sarah from the foyer hall. That evening before dinner, she carried them into the living room. They were brown, making them invisible against the décor". An electric orange VW bug, but a house with furnishings the colour of mud. Sarah is a contradiction in taste.

I am not usually sympathetic to criminals, but I have some sympathy for Stuart. He is completely deranged and may have ultimately been so even without the unhappiness of his childhood, but there was something so desperate about him and his desire to help Cynthia even at a younger age. I can sympathise with his hatred of Angus McCoy.

It appears Stuart is hell bent on destroying a number of people with no fear for his own death, almost like a suicide bomber on a crusade for the cause. This makes him very dangerous.

I would like to think Rob has set a trap to lure Stuart into revealing he killed Cynthia. Unfortunately, I don't think he is smart enough to have done so. I don't think he is necessarily stupid because he is in love with Elizabeth, after all the power of the "magic circle" has been known to make even intelligent men do stupid things. Quent has remarked on a number of occasions he is an idiot, and although harsh is likely a relatively reliable assessment of his intellectual capacity. I just hope he is handsome.

@Libby Drew. So many little "suggestions", red herrings if you will, have kept me vacillating since Jim's death as to who killed Cynthia. Was it Dr Cobb, was it Steve or was it Robb? I am back to thinking it was Dr Cobb again.

No. I think it's Rob. He may also have the knowledge to disembowel Cynthia.

Maybe Steve did kill his sister.

I think you may be right @Doha. Stuart has the skills to disembowel Cynthia and the knowledge of how long it would take Braden to die when tied up as he has been.

I am still not quite sure why he killed Cynthia. Was it just because she was a hooker?

Maybe Jim fancied Cale's mother and hated Angus for "taking" her away from him.

Maybe they are lovers, like Leopold and Loeb.

Why limit yourself to one @Doha. Why not form a quad, Quent, Drew, Cale and yourself. I am not sure which one I would choose, a toss up between Drew and Cale. For sex only both, but I am not sure if I could endure a throuple for any length of time. Interesting both Quent and Steve think Stuart Cobb is a psycho. It has just occurred to me that given his profession he is the most likely person to know how to have disembowelled Cynthia. Maybe our killer is he rather than Jim. The suspense is really building now @Libby Drew. I love Quent's continuing humour. He is still a grumpy asshole, but at least he has a quick wit and a black sense of humour which appeals to me greatly.

Elizabeth surprised me in this chapter more than any other character to date. She is not a complete bitch after all. Like @Timothy M. stated, she must be relieved knowing it was nothing she did to turn Cale off, she just did not have the right equipment to turn him on. The laughter she shared with Cale was probably the happiest time during their whole 10 year farcical marriage. I too think Jim deleted the message left by Cale for Drew. And I definitely think the damaged vehicle is in his garage.

More suspects than an Agatha Christie novel are emerging. I still think Jim is the killer though.

How could Cale be so naive as to think someone was not trying to run him off the road? He has led way to sheltered a life. Quent should have checked Jim's garage for a car or whatever it is that tried to run Cale off the road, the same vehicle which was present on Powder Mill Road when Marci was murdered.

What's good for the goose is good for the gander, Elizabeth. So suck it up sister. Oh that's right, you already have, so now it's Cale's turn and he won't have to defile himself by sleeping with you.

I think the person who deliberately side swiped Cale was in the same vehicle that was present on Powder Mill Road and drove off before Quent could identify the make of the vehicle and licence plate. I have no doubt it was the killer and I think it is Jim.

And the 'Golden Raspberry' for worst actress in a featured role goes to Elizabeth McCoy for her cliched performance as the long-suffering wife. Will somebody please smack her hard and repeatedly. And the 'Darwin Award' goes to Rob Skinner for not only believing the bullshit fed to him by Elizabeth McCoy, but for believing said bullshit from the mouth of someone who is not even at least stunning. It ain't like she is Raquel Welch.

I don't think it was fair of Quent to sack Rob. He may not be bright, but even Quent admitted he was good with completing the mundane tasks associated with police work. I am certain it was Rob who was telling the truth and not Elizabeth. Clearly she has Rob eating from the palm of her hands or should that be eating from the secret garden. Urgh! She is vile.