“Since it is Wednesday can we take a nap?” “Of course Little One. Why would you ask?” “I just wouldn’t want to sleep through Friday.”
It is Wednesday Story Day again, and last week, Pricilla got a call from Cortez’s men advising her that they will want to trade Carolyn for Lazar. We also know she has her techie working on Stennis’s phone to see if any of the numbers he called could lead them to Cortez’s men. Andrew, Larry, and Pricilla are in a small room at the Highway Patrol headquarters. I think we ought to go there now and see if there has been another phone call from Cortez’s team.
“I think we ought to get out of here and go to my office.”
“You not comfortable that the place is full of bugs?”
“Let’s just say If I want to be overheard, I’ll talk in a crowd.”
“Andrew and I are at your service, Pricilla.”
“Yeah, I appreciate that too. You guys want to ride with me?”
“That would be swell since we got here in Lieutenant Mayfield’s car.”
“I’ve wanted to ask you. You have any gut feelings about Mayfield.”
“Gut feelings?”
“Yeah. You’re a detective. You know what I mean by gut feelings.”
“Should we be talking about that here?”
“Maybe you’re right. I keep forgetting this is Mayfield’s domain. Let’s say our goodbyes to the Lieutenant and go downtown.”
“Do you think Cortez’s men will have a problem with you being separated from Lazar?”
“They shouldn’t. Besides, how are they going to know.”
“Let’s hope they don’t know. If they find out then, that will tell you something.”
“I get that for sure. Let’s go.”
“After you, Pricilla.”
“You two wait here. I’ll go say goodbye to Mayfield.”
“We’ll be here.”
“Larry.”
“Hold on, Andrew. Wait till Pricilla is out of earshot. Okay, what is it?”
“Talk about gut feelings. I’ve got alarm bells going off all over the place.”
“Yeah, me too. What the hell is wrong with everyone anyway. I’m not sure, but I don’t think there is a straight shooter on this side of the keyboard.”
“Keyboard?”
“Never mind. I’m as nervous about Pricilla as I am about Stennis and the Lieutenant. I get this feeling we are in a big game of Clue. I’m waiting for Colonel Mustard to step out.”
“That’s pretty funny, but I know what you mean. I just don’t have a handle on who’s who.”
“We need to get to the bottom of the reason we came here. We got the Sandusky cold case and the supposed murder of Alexis Rafferty. Now we could just cut out losses and go back to Boston and forget we ever got caught in this mess.”
“I don’t recommend that, Larry. For heaven’s sake, Janis Rafferty and Ned Dixon would get away with murder. We don’t want that. Here comes Pricilla.”
“Okay, guys, we are ready to go.”
“We are with you.”
“Yeah, I’m counting on that. The lieutenant says good-by and hope you have success with your case.”
Harvey Wilcox – Registered Hollywood in 1887. Wikipedia image
Today marks the 134th anniversary of Hollywood’s official registration with the Los Angles County recorders office in 1887. I know I would like to go there and see what the beginning looks like. We need to take out the top ten list to avoid any tear in the time continuum. James’s Oldsmobile is ready so let’s get going.
James’s Oldsmobile from Eternal Road – The final stop
10 If you go, do not say anything bad about Kansas. If you do, at best, no one will hear you. At worst, Harvey Wilcox will be standing right behind you. (For your information, Mahpee, Harvy, the guy who registered Hollywood, came to Southern California from Kansas. I think I would say “go Jayhawkers,” and walk away.)
9 If you go, do not ask Tiny, the WWF champ, for directions to the Walk of Fame. If you do, at best, Tiny will be on his lunch break and not hear you for the chewing. At worst, Tiny will realize he has no idea where the Walk of Fame is located since it is not in place yet since it was built in 1953. (you must know what happens when Tiny gets confused, Maichail. I would just lay back and enjoy the pinwheel drop. We have plenty of Ben-Gay.)
8 If you go, do not use any curse words. If you do, at best, Wilcox won’t hear you. At worst, you will look up after hitting your thumb with a hammer, and he’ll be there. (Harvey Wilcox came from Topeka to establish a utopian vice free community. Your blue language has his ears burning, Maitland. Speaking of burning, I wonder how Harvey’s eyes feel boring into yours?)
7 If you go, do not mention alcohol. If you do, at best, Daeida Wilcox will be otherwise distracted. At worst, she and Harvey will think you need saving. (The two of them are prohibitionists, Makaio. You can now look forward to an interdiction and 24 hours’ worth of instruction on the evils of alcohol.)
6 If you go, do not scoff at the name Hollywood. If you do, at best, the Wilcocks will be in the city. At worst, they will overhear you. (Since Daeida came up with the name, Makin, Harvey wants satisfaction. His second just hit you with a glove made of armor. When you wake up the whole thing may have blown over. doubt it.)
5 If you go, do not ask about where the Hollywood sign went. If you do, at best, no one will care. At worst, Wilcox will think it a great idea. (Now you have altered time, Maks. The Hollywood sign was erected in the hills in 1923 and originally advertised a new community called Hollywoodland. The sign originally said Hollywoodland but was shortened in 1943. What are we going to do with this sign in the middle of town?)
4 If you go, do not mention film making. If you do, at best, only the workers will hear you. At worst, Wilcox will want to know what you are talking about. (You better not detail that in 1900 filmmakers fled the State of New Jersey to get away from Thomas Edison’s attempts to monopolize the industry. If you do, Malek old Wilcox will have a heart attack. Works of the devil in his mind.)
3 If you go, do not talk about the Oscars. If you do, at best, people will think you are talking about your uncle. At worst, Wilcox will get wind of your conversation. (Sure enough, Mallory, Wilcox wants you in jail. The idea of promoting film making he believes to be a sin. Since the first Oscars were awarded in 1929, you could have skipped the discussion. I guess it is too late. Here comes two of Hollywood’s finest.)
2 If you go, do not comment on the streets of Hollywood. If you do, at best, you won’t be heard. At worst, Wilcox will be right there when you make your statement. (Wilcox was the guy who laid out the dirt streets lined with pepper trees, Maloney. Although not appealing to everyone, they had a certain sparseness he favored. He is giving you a chance to run. I would take it.)
1 If you go, do not recommend planting English holly to back up the name Hollywood. If you do, at best, the guy planting pepper trees will ignore you. At worst, Wilcox will like the idea. (Unfortunately, Malyn English Holly needs more water than that available in Los Angles’ desert climate. Now that Wilcox planted all that holly, he is looking to you to find a way to irrigate it. Put down that watering can. You are going to need more than that.)
Today we are going to see several things that are more or less random. We will need to get on the bus and make sure we have enough to eat and drink for this little excursion.
We will be having a choice of crispy chicken parm egg rolls or baked brie and sourdough crostini for the appetizer course. The main course today is either Rosemary Braised Lamb Shanks or Coquilles Saint-Jacques. The lamb is served on a bed of garlic mashed Yukon gold potatoes and the Coquilles Saint-Jacques with jasmine rice. Both have a side of fresh steamed asparagus. There is brown betty with freshly churned ice cream or New York Style cheesecake drizzled with homemade dark chocolate sauce for dessert. In addition to top-shelf drinks, we have a 1981 Reata Chardonnay Sonoma Coast for the white wine and for red a 2017 Mount Veeder Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley.
Today’s entertainment is The Eagles.
Jump on the bus.
Our first stop in the park, and we have a shot of the shuffleboard. I know, I know pretty tame stuff.
Next is a view of a wren house ready for the next lodgers.
Check this out. A birdhouse that looks like a bunch of lights at the football stadium.
Another group of birdhouses imitating light fixtures.
I couldn’t help putting this one on the route. I hope he is happy to have that in his front yard for the weekend.
Another park and a giant chessboard. Anyone want to play?
Here is an outside photo of a bird blind.
An interior photo of the blind
This is the view from the blind. Notice all the feeders around. I’ll bet there are some good pictures taken from here.
Another birdhouse on a pole with Lake Travis as a backdrop.
A rough birdhouse in the woods.
Well, that’s it for this tour. I hope you have a great week and will stay and have some more food and listen to the Eagles.
The end of the week signals Stream of Consciousness Saturday, and I see Linda Hill has decided to leave a big package at the curb. I don’t blame her since it looks heavy. The sign on the side says Prompt so, I guess this is it. Man, this is heavy.
Your prompt for #JusJoJan and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “the beginning, the end.” Write about the beginning of something and the end of something. Bonus points if your first sentence contains “the end” and your last sentence contains “the beginning.” <– Read that again. Have fun!
“What are you doing out there, Lucy.” “Since it’s Friday I’m walking the line to make sure it’s secure.” “Now at least I know where I get my paranoia.”
We have a Friday! Yes, indeed, it is here.
This week has been a good one. Lots of news from Washington regarding executive orders from the president. Looks like most of the problems of society are ordered to be solved. It will be interesting to see the longer-range effects on some of them. I think most people feel good that something is being done about what are perceived to be inequities.
I have gotten into a rhythm regarding my latest WIP. I’m able to get down something each day, which is an important thing to do. I wrote the last three lines, which I always do, but I am not sure they will stick. Here they are, so you can keep me honest.
Sam feels the light slowly spread around her as the source comes closer from above. Her tears do not obey her will and run unchecked from her eyes. She hesitates but finally looks up into the blinding storm and whispers, “Thank you, my Lord.”
Yes, my WIP is another book with Sam and James. This time they have been called upon to find a soul and guide who are missing on the Eternal Road. The soul is Ryan Sanders, who stayed with his crippled plane in Afghanistan to prevent it from crashing into a settlement. The guide is Eddie Rickenbacker. Yes, that Eddie Rickenbacker. Sanders always admired the WWI pilot.
There you have it. Just enough to keep me on the hook. Oh, one last thing. The first stop on the Eternal Road is Super Bowl I. The book has a working title of On the Road Again, but that probably won’t stick.
Today’s JohnKu is about a story. I hope you all have a great weekend. On Sunday, we are doing a potpourri kind of tour. A little bit of a mixture of things.
“Hey, Lucy. When’s Friday?” “Day after tomorrow.” “Gee a lifetime.”
It is Wednesday Story Day again, and last week, we finished up the testing of all the folks working this case, and it seems Stennis is still the odd person out as far as being the suspected mole. A big thank you to Larry for getting Pricilla vetted. Speaking of her, Pricilla went to check with her team to see if the kid in the car had a cell phone and, if so, were there any calls on it that would be useful. I see she is coming back so let’s go there and get the report.
So, Ms. Thomas, any news?”
“Yes, Mr. Dunfee, there is news. Unfortunately, it is not good news.”
“Well, that figures. Did the kid have a cell phone?”
“There was no cell phone on the body or anywhere near the scene.”
“So, Stennis is still in the hot seat.”
“Yes, but you have raised an interesting point. Let’s go into the other room. Lieutenant, we have no further need to have Mr. Popović. Here. He can go back to his cell.”
“Yes, Ms. Thomas. Come on, Lazar, you are with me.”
“Thank you for everything you are doing to find my daughter, Ms. Thomas.”
“Let’s hope we can do that quickly, Mr. Popović. Come on, Larry. Andrew, you can join us too.”
“Right behind you, Ms. Thomas.”
“Okay, here we are at a smaller room. Close the door, please.”
“Okay, Ms. Thomas.”
“You can call me Pricilla when we are not with lazar.”
“Sure thing Pricilla. Why the different room?”
“One thing that always is present in an interrogation room is a microphone for creating a record of confessions and such. I just don’t know if it is on or not, so I would rather be in here.”
“Room could be bugged.”
“Yeah, but at least there’s a chance it’s not. Also, I don’t have anything earth-shattering to talk about.”
“What do you have?”
“The Lieutenant raised a point about getting into Stennis’ cell to determine if he has placed any calls to the Cortez team. I’ve asked my techie to do that very thing. Also, we are monitoring Stennis’s calls now.”
“I’m a little troubled as to how you are going to determine if the numbers called from Stennis’s phone are Cortez operatives.”
“I asked my techie to figure out away. It is going to take time, though. The safest thing to do is assume Stennis is the mole and keep him out of the loop. There’s my phone. Hold on. This is Thomas. Uh-huh. Sure, I get that. I will want to speak to her to make sure she is okay. Yes, you are in control. Fine.”
“Cortez’s guy.”
“Yes, and he had a warning for us.”
“What was that.”
“No funny business, and they want a straight trade Carolyn for Lazar. They are going to call back with more details.”
“How is this going to be done. Carolyn is in France.”
“I’m not sure. Maybe through intermediaries.”
“When are they going to call?”
“They didn’t say. I don’t think it’s going to be too far off. I need to get back to my office. Do you two want to come?
“You bet. We’ll follow you anywhere.”
“I believe the phrase is ‘blow in my ear, and I’ll follow you anywhere.”‘
“Using this photo (below) as inspiration, write a short story, flash fiction, scene, poem; anything, really; even just a caption for the photograph. Either put it (or a link to it) in a comment or email it to me at keithchanning@gmail.com before 6pm next Sunday (if you aren’t sure what the time is where I live, this link will tell you). If you post it on your own blog or site, a link to this page would be appreciated, but please do also mention it in a comment here.
Go on. You know you want to. Let your creativity and imagination soar. I shall display the entries next Monday.”
In 1905 the world’s largest diamond was found on this day, January 25th. It was found in the Premier Mine in Pretoria, South Africa. We all need to go and take a look at this giant rock. Of course, we need to take our list of things not to do so that we don’t cause a tear in the time continuum. So, let’s get in James’s Oldsmobile and head for South Africa. We can wave hello to Robbie Cheadle on the way by.
James’s Oldsmobile from Eternal Road – The final stop
10 If you go, do not pick up anything in the mine. If you do, at best, it will be a pebble. At worst, you’ll have your fingers around an uncut diamond. (Right now, the boss of the mine is thinking about turning you upside down, Meblevi. He is wondering how many more you have picked up. By upside down, he means hanging in the elevator shaft by your ankles till everything in your pockets falls out.)
9 If you go, do not ignore Tiny, the WWF champ, when he warns you to stay back behind the line. If you do, at best, Tiny will be looking the other way. At worst, Tiny, who has missed five days of his Prosac medication, will think you are challenging his authority. (Now you’ve done it, Macbeth. You have hurt Tiny’s feelings, and he thinks it is a good idea to hurt yours. He won’t use words, though. That body slam just might fill the bill as far as he is concerned.)
8 If you go, do not brag about giving your financé a one-carat diamond ring. If you do, at best, everyone will stifle their laughs. At worse, you will cause the entire mining company to have fits of laughter until they choke. (The diamond found is 3,106 carats and weighs 1.33 pounds, MacGregor. It’s no wonder you have become the laughing stock of the place. Oh, by the way, the foreman wants to talk to you about the massive work interruption. He doesn’t look pleased either.)
7 If you go, do not mention out loud that you think the name of the diamond, The Cullinan, is silly. If you do, at best, no one is listening to you. At worst, Sir Thomas Cullinan, for whom the diamond is named, will be standing right behind you. (Sir Thomas also owns the mine, MacKenzie. When Fredrick Welles, the mine’s superintendent, discovered the diamond, it was immediately given to Sir Thomas and then named The Cullinan. Looks like Fredrick would like to see you outside. Wonder what he is going to do with that pick?)
6 If you go, do not ask Sir Cullinan what he intends to do with the diamond. If you do, at best, he will ignore you. At worst, you’ll ask in a room full of people. (It seems, X that Sir Cullinan intends to sell the diamond to the Transvaal provincial government of South Africa for £150,000, which is North of £15 million today. (Not everyone will like that idea, Macklin. Now Sir Cullinan will have to figure out what to do with you. Hmmm, they are pouring concrete in shaft number two. I would stay away from there if I were you.)
5 If you go, do not mention your knowledge that the Transvaal government plans to give the diamond to Edward VII of England as a token of esteem. If you do, at best everyone will think it a good idea. At worst, people will get suspicious about where you came up with the information. (Well, MacNab, it looks like your time travel ability might be uncovered. If I were you, I’d just tell everyone you are drunk and laugh it off. Of course, Louis Bofa, the prime minister, is sending some thugs to pick you up.)
4 If you go, do not talk about how the stone was transported to England from South Africa. If you do, at best, most everyone is avoiding you by now. At worst, there is an interested party who is taking notes. (The stone was placed in the captain’s safe and then guarded around the clock on its trip to England. This is the story you told, MacPherson. In actuality, the stone was shipped by regular post. The ship with all the guards was a ruse. It arrived at Buckingham Palace without incident. Lucky for you.)
3 If you go, do not tell the story of King Edward’s reluctance to accept the stone. If you do, at best, you will be locked in a dungeon. At worst, the government will want to know what you know. (Edward wondered if it would be a good idea to accept the stone, Madison. None other than Winston Churchill then the Colonial Undersecretary advised him to take it. As a token, the King gave Winston a replica he displayed proudly on a silver platter.)
2 If you go, do not regale the crowd with tales of how the stone was cut. If you do, at best, no one will believe you. At worst, Abraham Asscher will overhear what you have to say. (It is Abraham was selected by the King to cut the huge stone into several smaller brilliant polished diamonds. ( The task was daunting, Madu. When Abraham went to make the first cut, which would divide the stone in two, his tool broke. The second try was successful, but after the cut, Abraham fainted. He was revived and went on to successfully cut the diamond into smaller pieces over time.)
1 If you go, do not talk about the further cutting of the stone. If you do, at best, folks will think you are bragging. At worst, the mine doctor will take you into a quiet room with padded walls. (The large stone was cut into nine major stones and 96 brilliants, Magni. The two major stones are part of the crown jewels and are kept in the Tower of London. The remainder of six is in possession of Elizabeth II. The major stone is called the Great Star of Africa and is set at the top of the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross. The second major stone is called the Second Star of Africa and is set in the Imperial crown. )
Here is a photo of the finished stones.
The nine major stones. Top: Cullinans II, I, and III. Bottom: Cullinans VIII, VI, IV, V, VII, and IX. Wikipedia Image
