Mark Ponyboy Peters

-- Chapter Twenty-six -- ‘Are you okay?’ I heard Adam ask, attempting to drag me back from wherever it was I seemed to have drifted off to. Looking around me, it soon dawned on me just where I was – standing outside Doc Shortis’ surgery – and that I was holding my phone in my hand, with a menacing face looking directly at me on the small display screen. It wasn’t quite the well groomed stalker I had seen earlier in the week . . . this guy now had a few days growth o

@Ivor Slipper perhaps play may be delayed due to a sticky wicket?

@Ivor Slipper for the moment. Players have taken a tea break.

Christmas in Australia, in yet another new town. It's hot and dry and there's not really much to look forward to, or so sixteen-year-old Cameron Lewis thinks. But then he stumbles upon a neighborhood game of cricket in a dusty, vacant lot. This might be just what he needs?

The week before Christmas didn’t feel like Christmas at all. It felt dry. It felt like heat. And it felt like yet another new start in another new town, as sixteen-year-old Cameron Lewis watched the removal van back into the driveway of his family’s new home, being guided into the yard by his bank-manager father. This seemed to be the pattern of the last ten years or so, and he couldn’t help but wonder if it would ever actually end. He was tired of making friends, and losing friends.

-- Chapter Twenty-five -- ‘I’ll see what I can do,’ Helen replied when I mentioned the idea of scouring through the CCTV footage from Bondi railway station. ‘And if you think it was him who you also spotted at the Opera House, maybe their external security cameras might have picked him up there also.’ ‘Yeah. All we need is a hard copy from one of those cameras and not only can we compare it to the photos I’ve found here, but we can also circulate it around the city. Maybe

-- Chapter Twenty-four -- When morning came, slowly seeping into my consciousness, I felt, rather than saw, that it was grey and damp, just as it often is here on the coast, thanks to the mists and clouds rolling in from the sea. As the mornings would wear on, however, these would usually lift, leaving a day that was clear and bright, and filled with hope and promise. I don’t know what it was that woke me, but in that state of semi-consciousness that comes with the transit

-- Chapter Twenty-three -- If you believe what they say – about what happens to our souls after we die – then I suspect that Adam and I weren’t alone as we walked past the gardens and along the gravel paths, before finally standing at the foot of Martin’s grave. It was a still summer afternoon and, in the fading light, looking down upon the grey granite headstone, it appeared to almost be glowing. Some say that we either go to heaven or hell, based on our deeds while walki

@Summerabbacat my sentiments exactly! 100% MP

@Summerabbacat oh yes, Cunningham and the school SHOULD have reported it, but of course aren't most religious organisations rules unto themselves? And yes, they were "only" poofters who were affected, so they don't count, do they? Grrrrr!!!!!!! I probably didn't go into the outcome for Cunningham and the school in enough detail I don't think ... which is probably because it was only an aside as far as the story goes ... it's the real culprit we want. We'll just assume that Cunningham and the school get their just desserts, shall we? There are a few "red mullets" to come yet, so keep watching! Good news is, from some of the readers comments, I have a thread forming for a new Rick Cooper Mystery (even though I already have two that I've started planning out! haha), MP

@Paladin Fr Dave's reputation was known far and wide, it seems. When I was in primary school I went to the nearby public school, so didn't really have anything much to do with him. He was a regular visitor at my neighbours house though ... their boys were one the same age as me and one 12 months older. He was the football coach that was looked up to by many. I remember he also used to play rugby league against my father. Funny the memories that stick!

@weinerdog wow! Some thought has gone into that one! 🙂 Lovings everybody's ideas and thoughts about all possible scenarios. Nothing like a few 'red mullets' (as @Summerabbacat says) to make life interesting! Thank you!

@Gary L and we should be surprised? Nah, not at all! Here they just quietly dispatch them to some far flung rural parish ... "out of sight, out of mind" There was a notorious priest in our parts who it had long been rumoured (back when I was a lad) to be a kiddie-fiddler, who recently got his just desserts! When the truth about Father Dave finally came out nobody was surprised. I am convinced that he was one of the reasons why one of my classmates committed suicide not long after we had finished high school! 😥

-- Chapter Twenty-two -- ‘Do I need to remind you, Cooper, of just where you are, and who you’re talking to?’ Mr Cunningham quickly responded, trying his best to assert his authority. ‘That type of language is simply not acceptable here, as I am sure you are fully aware!’ ‘Forgive me, sir. Perhaps I did forget myself there for a moment . . .’ I replied in as steady a voice as I could possibly muster, which in itself was something I was finding extremely difficult to control

@Paladin if she has any brains at all! lol

Anything the boys may have done that might be used to potentially "discredit" them, will be useless. Their co-operation with the prosecution will surely trump any potential misdeeds and give them immunity, if it's needed! Uncle Phil, Horse and everyone else involved are toast! As for Madison . . . she's only gonna end up with a whole lot of nothing but trouble! haha @Paladin this is progressing nicely! Thank you!

@Summerabbacat I'm torn! Do I ❤️ or do I 😅 ?????

-- Chapter Twenty-one -- ‘Where did they find him?’ I asked Helen. ‘Remember that pub where we all went the other day for lunch? There’s a park not far from there, which backs onto a bushland reserve. Some bushwalkers found him this morning.’ ‘Oh, god! I’m so sorry,’ I repeated. ‘I guess this surely blows right out of the water any suggestion of it being a coincidence.’ ‘Yeah,’ she replied. ‘But we’re still no closer to finding out who . . . or more

-- Chapter Twenty -- ‘Are you sure you’re okay, Rick?’ Beth asked. ‘You look like you’ve seen a . . .’ She didn’t finish the sentence. And I was glad. ‘I’m fine, Beth. Thank you. I’ve been having pretty much the same nightmare on and off for years now, only tonight it was just a little bit worse than usual.’ ‘Martin?’ she gently asked, to which I nodded in reply. ‘I guess being here, in this room, hasn’t helped . . . but I had to come back

Perfect song @Summerabbacat thank you! And so many ideas and questions! And you will have answers for them all. Trust me! MP

-- Chapter Nineteen -- Apart from the bugs and the mosquitoes, the evening proved to be an enjoyable one, with some great steak, accompanied by some of Beth’s fine salads, then followed by a cheesecake. How she always managed to just whip up these meals, almost out of thin air, never ceased to amaze me. Even Jimmy and Shane both pitched in and helped with everything from the cooking to the cleaning up. It was almost as if they had been craving a normal life, but hadn’t had

OK @Summerabbacat all fixed. 'Catholic' changed to 'Christian' all the way through (only three places!). Gotta love 'Find and replace' LOL Thanks again!

Thanks @Summerabbacat nice pick up about the school. Not sure what happened there ... I've obviously f@cked up! LOL Must have happened during one of my edits/reviews ... another edit required now! 😁 I don't mind having the errors of my ways pointed out! 😉

Haha ... so that's the name of the 'spanner in the works' I mentioned last week! Bring it on! 😃

-- Chapter Eighteen -- We retreated back inside the house and then made our way back out onto the back deck, where glasses were refilled and the conversation was restarted. Thankfully, Jimmy and Shane sensed that I needed to talk privately with Beth and Tom, so they excused themselves and escaped to their room. ‘How about we call you when we’re about to light the barbeque,’ Tom said to them. ‘You can help us out with the cooking.’ ‘Okay,’ Shane replie