“I’m telling you Little One. You have nothing to worry about.” “Yeah but he knows if we’ve been naughty or nice.” “Still worried about chewing that light on the Christmas tree?” “Mom put a gate around the whole thing.” “Still it’s not an offense that Santa will hold against you. I’ve been tempted to snap one of those puppies myself. Besides, the gate will protect you.” “Thanks, Lucy.”
It is Wednesday Story Day again, and last week, we found out Andre was trying to start a new life. So much for that since he was found dead in the Mercedes when the train got to France. We don’t know much more than that. I see Pricilla is just getting off her cell phone. Maybe she has more information.
“My contact tells me the French Police searched every car on the train. Whoever took Carolyn has disappeared.”
“What about the sleeping teen in the backseat?”
“Good question, Larry. Looks like he is gone too.”
“You think there is a connection?”
“It’s almost a certainty. So far, there are no signs of a struggle.”
“Yet Andre is dead. Any word on what killed him.”
“Um yeah. His throat was cut. Bled out in seconds.”
“So, the back seat comes into play.”
“I haven’t had a chance for a full briefing, but If I were a gambling person, I would say the kid in the back did the foul deed.”
“Where does this leave us—”
“Excuse me, detective, but I can tell you where it leaves me. My daughter has been taken, and she needs to be found.”
“Mr. Popović. We are doing everything we can.”
“Well, Ms. Thomas, this whole thing was botched from the beginning. You people have no idea what you’re dealing with. Cortez is behind this, and you are powerless.”
“I wouldn’t say that so soon, Mr. Popović?”
“Tell you what. If I could talk to Cortez, maybe this whole thing would go away.”
“Sad thing is, sir. We may think that might happen. The truth is Cortez is a cold-blooded killer and has your daughter. Mr. Stannis, could you ask your client to stand down, please. We are doing all we can.”
“I think that is good advice, Lazar. In fact, It’s time for me to go. I’m going to leave you in the care of these people. Do not say or do anything. Am I clear?”
“Yes, you are clear. Sorry for the outburst, but I’m really concerned.”
“Let me just say to both you, Mr. Stennis, and your client. If Mr. Popović would agree to testify right now, we could go and get Cortez.”
“I would, Ms. Thomas, but I know Cortez. If he has Carolyn, he’ll want to make a deal with me. If he is in jail, any deal would be off the table, and one of his cronies would harm my daughter. The only thing I have that will keep her safe is my word to Cortez that I’ll not say anything. Until Carolyn is safe, I have to be quiet.”
“Yeah, I can see that. Let’s hope the French authorities can track her down. Now that gives me an idea. I wonder if she still has her cell phone.”
“Why?”
“All she has to do is turn it on, and there is a possibility that she can be located. I need to make another call.”
“Finally Friday, Lucy.” “Yup Little One. How about a ruckus?” “Sounds good. I’ll give you a head start.” “Last one to the fence is a goat.” “No a cat.”
The last Friday before Christmas is here. I hope everyone has their shopping done. If not, I know special handling (To be read “Big Money”) can get those gifts delivered on time. You have to hurry, though. Time is running out.
It has been a quiet week. I did have one hiccup on Word Press. For some reason, many of the post notifications were not delivered by e-mail. In the course of investigating the problem, I closed my WP site. I thought maybe a reboot was in order. I then got a weird message when I tried to log back into WP. Here is the message
“Whoops!
There was a small systems error. Please try refreshing the page and if the error is still there, drop us a note and let us know.”
Well, I refreshed the page. Nothing happened. I tried clicking on the link, and again, nothing. I hit the internet and found out it was a 502 error with enough steps to fix it that would drive a rocket scientist crazy. I went for a bike ride instead. When I got back, it was working.
I just hate it when WordPress acts up, and there is almost nothing we as users can do about it. It is an out of control feeling for sure. I apologize if I’ve missed any posts on Wednesday or Thursday. I will be checking the reader and hopefully won’t miss much.
It is now working fine, so I guess I’ll just move on. Today’s JohnKu talks about systems errors. I hope you all have a relaxing weekend.
This week marks the 109th anniversary of explorer Roald Amundsen’s successful mission to be the first to reach the South Pole. Although it might be a might chilly, we should go there and experience what it is like. Let’s be sure to take a list of the things not to do to prevent a tear in the time continuum. We will be toasty in James’s Oldsmobile on the way there. I would dress warmly since it is fifteen below zero F (-26.1 C) right now.
James Wainwright’s 1956 Oldsmobile from Eternal Road – The final stop. You should read this one on Amazon. Just click the car to go there. Hurry back.
Top Ten Things Not to Do Reaching the South Pole for the First Time with Roald Amundsen in 1911
10 If you go, do not mention Robert Peary’s expedition to the North Pole in 1909. If you do, at best, no one cared. At worst, you mentioned it to Roald Amundsen himself. (I guess no one filled you in, Marcel. Roald was all set to take off for the North Pole when Peary beat him to it. That’s why he went to the South Pole. I don’t know if it means anything, but he’s asking you to get out of the dog sled and walk.)
9 If you go, do not try to move into Tiny the WWF champ’s tent. If you do, at best, Tiny won’t be there. At worst, Tiny, who has skipped his last few court-mandated group sessions on anger management, thinks you are taking his property. (Don’t worry about the landing this time, Matthias. The snow is fresh and quite soft this time of year.)
8 If you go, do not suggest to Roald that you think power sledges would be better than sled dog arrangements. If you do, at best, he will be busy and not hear you. At worst, he will think your suggestion is meant to sabotage the expedition. (He heard that Robert F. Scott, his competitor, was using Siberian motor sledges, Siberian ponies, and dogs. Of course, he would have no way of knowing that Scott failed. He now thinks you are a spy, Myles.)
7 If you go, Do not make jokes about yellow snow. If you do, at best, your fellow explorers have already heard them. At worse, Roald will overhear you. (now you’ve done it, Montgomery. Roald now thinks you are an idiot. I hope he doesn’t ask where you came from.)
6 If you go, do not ask how much the expedition cost. If you do, at best, no one will know. At worse, you’ll ask Roald Amundsen. ( the problem is, Murray Roald had to mortgage his house to make up the expense shortfall. He is totally in debt and is not happy with the question. Quick, ask him about his birthday.)
5 If you go, do not question what you are eating. If you do, at best, everyone will avoid the question. At worse, the cook will explain exactly what you are eating. (Due to the scarcity of protein, Marcelo. You are eating meat from the weakest dog. Yes, it had to be done, and don’t make a fuss about your Keto diet doesn’t include dog meat.)
4 If you go, do not ask about the earlier expedition in September. If you do, at best, everyone will walk away. At worst, you’ll ask Amundsen. ( Well, Marlon, this is a sore spot with Amundsen. It seems against the advice of his fellow explorers, he started out for the Pole too early. The September temperatures almost did the party in. They were lucky to get back to their base camp. Being a proud man, Amundsen doesn’t like to be reminded of his failures. He now wonders what to do with you.)
3 If you go, do not ask anyone to repeat the dark mirage story. If you do, at best, you’ll get no takers. At worst, Amundsen catches wind of your inquiry. (Around December 12th, 1911, Mickey the group spied what appeared to be a dark object on the horizon. They were all concerned until it was discovered to be their own dog droppings magnified by a mirage. Amundsen is warning you to forget the story. He’s the boss.)
2 If you go, do nor ask if the men are certain of the location of the South Pole. If you do, at best, you’ll get a yes. At worst, you will also face the ire of Amundsen. (You see, Marten, Amundsen spent three days calculation the location of the pole. He is most certain. He now wants you to step outside with ut your coat. You don’t want to do that.)
1 If you go, do not ask the fate of second-place finisher, Robert F. Scott. At best, no one will know. At worst, you might be tempted to spill the beans. (Of course, you know, Makoto that Scott reached the South Pole on January 17th, more than a month after Amundsen. You also know Scott, and his party died on the way back to their base camp after reaching the Pole. If you don’t ask, you won’t be tempted to cause a tear in the time continuum.)
It is Stream of Consciousness Saturday time again, and here comes Linda Hill carrying a big and little box. I’ll bet she has a surprise for us as far as a prompt goes.
“Hi, Linda. What’s in the boxes?”
“It’s the Holiday, John. It needs to be a surprise. Put these under the tree and open them Christmas Day.”
“What about the prompt?”
“Man, you are type A, aren’t you. Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “mini/maxi.” Use “mini” (the smallest of something) or “maxi” (the largest) or both in your post. Have fun!”
Today is Stream of Consciousness Saturday. Linda hill used the e-mail system to transmit our prompt today. Here it is, “Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “list.” Make or talk about a list. Enjoy!”
“Well, it’s Saturday, so you must be working on your prompt.”
“Yes, I’m making a list now.”
“List? You are supposed to be working the prompt.”
“list is the prompt/.”
“Ugh, I should have known. What list are you working on?”
“Naughty and nice.”
“You being Santa this year.”
“No, but I got to thinking of some of the people in this world.”
“So now you are judging whether they are naughty or nice?”
“Judging is a harsh term.”
“So give me an example?”
“Judge Judy.”
“Huh. Pretty obscure, I’d say. Naughty or nice?”
“Both.”
“Aw, come on. This is a waste of time.”
“Go ahead, name someone.”
“Okay Me.”
“Low blow.”
“Why?”
“This is not an interdiction session.”
“That bad?”
“Well?”
“What do you mean well?”
“You have a tendency to be naughty.”
“Define naughty.”
“Always teasing me about my prompts.”
“Oh, please. You are wide-open for that. No one takes these prompts as seriously as you. In fact, I would say have the time you are not living up to the terms of the prompt.”
“Oh yeah? Like what?”
“Supposed to be a stream of consciousness, not a well-thought-out plan. So what else?”
“Okay. What else? Erm. You spend too much time at the pub.”
“Only because you are my friend.”
“What does that mean?”
“You don’t drink a lot, but you are a carrier.”
“How about now?”
“I could use a gallon.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“That would serve as a stimulus.”
“Speaking of that, I have McConnell, Pelosi, and Schumer on the naughty list.”
“We need to get moving.” “Why?” “To get ready for Friday.” “I’ll set the alarm.”
It is Wednesday Story Day again, and last week, we were given new worries about Andre Terrian’s behavior towards Carolyn. The question is, will he sell out to Cortez or protect Carolyn? We still have no information about the kid in the back seat. We will have to wait until the car reaches France to find out what is going on with him. The blue Mercedes with Carolyn, Andre, and the mysterious kid in the back has entered the train loading platform at Folkestone England. I think we should get back to the trooper headquarters. I see Lazar’s lawyer, Robert Stennis, has asked to talk to Pricilla.
“You wanted to talk to me, Mr. Stennis.”
“Yes. I’m wondering how long my client is going to be here?”
“Why do you ask?”
“I have other business that needs attention, but I don’t want to leave him in a vulnerable condition.”
“So tell him not to say anything, and you can be on your way.”
“There is this little matter about holding someone without charges.”
“If it bothers you, I can get a formal indictment.”
“Would be much cleaner.”
“Then Lazar here would be eligible for bail.”
“Yes, I believe that would be true.”
“You know if he walks out of here, he is a dead man.”
“Thanks for reminding me.”
“So, what’s it going to be. An unindicted co-conspirator who is the guest of the government or a visit to the funeral home?”
“Yeah, I see what you mean. Okay. Let’s do it your way. Well, keep it on the unofficial.”
“He’s booked in here on suspicion of violating federal drug laws. If you are okay with that, we can leave it here.”
“Yes. I’m okay.”
“We have a few days to get more formal, and if Carolyn is safe much longer.”
“We are on the same page, Ms. Thomas. I’ll just stay until we find out Carolyn’s status.”
“Good. We are about to order some food, so we will count you in.”
“I hope you don’t misunderstand my motives.”
“I think you care about your client. Did I misunderstand that?”
“No. You are right on point.”
“Excuse me, I need to give my FBI contact a call.”
