Your Questions Part 4 and Reverse Q&A!

/ C. R. Hedgcock

Hello everyone! 🙂

It’s been a while since I did a Q&A post here (sorry about that). Many of you were intrigued by the idea of a reverse Q&A, where I ask you things I’m curious about. So after tackling a few of your questions, I’ll ask you some of my own!

 

1) Will the Predzels be in any future books?

I’m not sure yet. I haven’t planned to include them, but they may appear in a future story if they could help the main characters.

 

2) Did Sigurd get Gleym back?

Yes, definitely. 🙂 I love the fact that you remembered to ask about her!

 

3) Do we know what happened to Jigson’s parents?

Oh, I can’t wait for you to read Hunting in the Highlands! The answer is yes!

 

4) How much of the Hrein Orka in Iceland Intrigue is based on real science, and how much is fiction?

It’s mainly fiction … but who knows? Maybe there are principles of it that someone has yet to discover 😉

 

5) What is the significance of ‘Twelve Lemons’?

It’s a phrase with quite a personal meaning for Jigson and Detective Mortimer – otherwise it wouldn’t have guaranteed Jigson’s identity in Iceland Intrigue.

Is it part of a big mystery? Or is it something more innocuous? Will they spill the beans in Book 8? … Maybe!

 

6) When you wrote Hunting the Highlands did you plan out the whole book before you started writing?

Yes. I did make a careful plan so that the book would progress with logical structure and so I would know where the story was going – it had the potential to be quite confusing with characters splitting up and traipsing all over Scotland.

But the need to be flexible arose when I reached the end and realized that the climax was not right for the story … so a whole new ending had to be written!

Do you have burning questions for a future post? Send them via the contact page!

Now … here are my questions for you! 🙂

1. Who are your top 2 favourite male characters?

2. Who are your top 2 female characters?

3. Who is your favourite villain? (Miss Verton, Lewis Nickel, Bud Larone, Rolf/escaped convicts, Dainn, Herr Klaus, or someone else?)

4. Which is your favourite title in the series, and why?

5. Should one of the characters be in a relationship/courtship? Who and why? (I’m not promising anything by asking this 😉 I’m genuinely curious! 🙂 )

I look forward to finding out what you think! 🙂

4,869 thoughts on “Your Questions Part 4 and Reverse Q&A!”

  1. Garth – without a question.
    Jigson (well, yeah 😛 ) and Twelve Lemons
    Rolf.
    Guomundur.
    Alastair.
    Maybe Cassidy.
    Maybe Manel.
    Detective Mortimer is pretty much a given now, I think.
    (I’ve said this before but I’d love to see an agent/detective team-up)
    (I also know how hard it is to write numerous characters into a story, keep their personalities correct, and not bog down the plot line with trying to interweave everyone)

    Reply

  2. I just got the first two books for my birthday, and my ten-year-old sister started reading them!
    I think she’s getting hooked!!!!!!

    Reply

  3. Hey, sorry it’s been so long since I last wrote! My grandparents came in town on Saturday, so I’ve been a little busy.

    Jigson arrived at Detective Mortimer’s house and got out of his car. He walked up to the door and knocked. The Detective had apparently been watching for him, for the door was instantly opened. “Hello Detective Mortimer,” he said.

    “Hello Jigson, come on in,” Detective Mortimer replied.

    The two walked into the living room and sat down to talk about what was going on. “Any more news on Tom?” Jigson asked.

    “Yes, he and Rolf have escaped. Rolf said that they will try to find a safe place to hide until we can find them. Right now, we need to figure out when and how we are going to do that.”

    “Alright. Do you still have a signal from Rolf’s tracker?”

    “Yes,” Detective Mortimer answered. “Tom’s device is showing up too, look.” He showed Jigson his phone. On the screen, two bright yellow dots shone in the middle of a map.

    “Good,” Jigson said. “Have you heard from Garth recently?”

    “He said he is ready to join us whenever we need him.”

    “Now that they’ve escaped and we know where they are, we need a plan,” Jigson said.

    “I know, and I think I have one,” Detective Mortimer said. “You and Garth can go find Rolf and Tom, and I can stay here to give you directions if you need them, and send help if necessary.”

    “That sounds good, except we probably should have one more person go with Garth and I, because who knows how many people will be searching for them. What if we ask Phil to join us?” Jigson suggested.

    “I was just thinking the same thing, but I didn’t know who could go. So, if Phil will come, you three can start off as soon as it’s morning,” the Detective said. ” Lets say, seven o’clock.”

    “Seven o’clock it is. We can all meet here and then head out.”

    ***************************************************************************************************

    Phil woke up, slightly confused. He was sure a noise had woken him up, but it was 5:30 and his alarm didn’t go off until 6:00 A.M. Then, the noise came again, three short beeps. “Oh, it’s my phone!” he thought. He picked up his phone from the nightstand and looked at it. It was a notification for an email from the Detective. Wondering if it had any news about Tom, he quickly opened it. It read:

    Hello Philip,
    J and a friend are going somewhere, and they want to know if you can join them. If you can, we’ll all meet at my house at 7:00 A.M.
    Have a good day, DM.

    “J and a friend are going somewhere, and they want to know if you can join them.” Phil muttered. “Ah ha! That must mean that Jigson and someone are going out to look for Tom and Rolf, and that they want my help.” Phil quickly got out of bed and got dressed. Then, he looked for Mr. Baker. He couldn’t find him, but then remembered that his father had said he was going to the workshop early the next morning. He walked out to the workshop, wondering what his father would say.

    Mr. Baker looked up as Phil walked in. “Oh, hello Phil. You’re up a little earlier than usual.”

    “I guess so,” Phil laughed. “I came here to show you an email I got from the Detective.” And he showed Mr. Baker his phone.

    Mr. Baker read the message, and then Phil said, “I think he means that Jigson and someone are going to look for Tom and Rolf and they need my help.”

    “That’s what I think too. You can go, but be careful! Although, I don’t really need to tell you that anymore,” Mr. Baker smiled.

    Phil laughed. “I will. I better go now, or I won’t be at the Detective’s house by seven. Bye Father.”

    “Bye son.”

    Reply

  4. Phil walked out to the car and started the engine. Scout followed him, whining and pawing at the car door as if asking if he could come. Phil stopped a minute, thinking. “He probably would be helpful, but will Detective Mortimer want him along?” Then, an email came through. It was from the Detective. Phil opened it, and read,

    ‘If you think that German Shepherd, Scout, you found will be any help, please bring him. You never know when we might need a dog.’

    “Alright then Scout, jump in!” Phil said as he opened the door to the backseat. With one leap, Scout was in the car, his tail wagging happily. Phil quickly went inside to get the leash they had bought for Scout, just in case it was needed. When he got back, Scout was laying on the floor, apparently enjoying just being in a car. Phil climbed in the car, snapped his seatbelt, and drove off.

    Reply

  5. “What time is it, Rolf?” Tom asked. It was a couple hours after their escape from Mr. Larone’s headquarters. Since then, the two had been walking almost the whole time, trying to get as far away as possible before someone discovered their disappearance.

    “About 6:00 A.M.” Rolf replied. Then, noticing that Tom looked tired, he added, “Lets stop for a bit so I can contact Detective Mortimer and ask him what we should do now.”

    Tom was glad for a chance to sit down and rest. He leaned against a tree, hoping that Rolf’s conversation with the Detective would take a while, for that would extend their break.

    Rolf sent Detective Mortimer a message to see if he was there. HELLO? DM?

    IM HERE, the Detective replied.

    WHAT SHOULD WE DO?

    FIND SOMEWHERE OUT OF SIGHT UNTIL JIGSON, GARTH, AND PHIL REACH YOU. ARE YOU BOTH ALRIGHT?

    YES.

    GOOD. HOPEFULLY WE WILL MEET UP A LITTLE AFTER NOON. TAKE CARE OF TOM.

    I WILL. SEE YOU THIS AFTERNOON THEN.

    SEE YOU THEN.

    Rolf turned to tell Tom they needed to keep going, but then saw that he had fallen asleep. “He’s really tired,” Rolf thought. “I’ll let him rest for a bit longer, but we have to go soon” Rolf looked in the direction of the place they had escaped from, watching for any sign of danger.

    **************************************************************************************************

    Phil had arrived at the Detective’s house a little early, so he waited in the car with Scout. During the drive, Scout had climbed up onto the passenger seat. Phil had been worried that Scout might start playing around and bump something, but he had just looked out the window. He had seemed to be watching for something. “I wonder…” Phil thought. “Could Scout have been a police dog? He apparently likes riding in the car, and he seemed to know that he needed to stay still in the front seat. Also, Andy said that he didn’t try to bite Vince, but only knocked him over and the gun out of his hand. Well, I’ll probably never know.” Just then, two other cars pulled into the driveway beside him. Phil looked at his watch, and saw that it was 7:00. “That must be Jigson and the ‘friend’. Come on Scout, lets go,” he said.

    Reply

  6. Phil got out of the car and opened the door for Scout. He then clipped on the leash and walked across the driveway. He watched as Jigson got out of the car closest to him, and Garth the other. Then, Detetive Mortimer walked out of the front door. Jigson, Garth, and Phil went to meet him, and after hellos were said, they briefly discussed the plan.

    “So, we are going out to find Rolf and Tom, and you’ll stay here to do anything else that is needed?” Phil asked.

    “That is correct,” the Detective answered. “Hopefully it won’t take too long to reach them.”

    “We should get going if we want to find them before it becomes too hot out here,” Garth said.

    “You’re right,” Jigson agreed. “Lets go.”

    “Are we taking separate cars?” Phil asked.

    “No, we’ll all go in mine,” Jigson replied. “Come on.”

    With that, the three and Scout got into Jigson’s car and set out.

    ***************************************************************************************

    Tom woke up and looked around. Confused, he tried to figure out where he was. Then he remembered the events of the previous night, and that he and Rolf were in a forest. As he thought about everything that had happened, the thought occurred to him that he hadn’t told Andy what was going on like he said he would. He quickly opened the panel and sent a message.

    ARE YOU THERE ANDY?

    YES. WHATS GOING ON?

    WAITING FOR DM I THINK.

    JIGSON, GARTH, PHIL, AND SCOUT ARE COMING.

    SCOUT IS COMING? I HOPE THEY GET HERE SOON.

    ME TOO. BE CAREFUL OUT THERE.

    OKAY.

    Tom looked around, and noticed that Rolf was not with him. He wondered where he could be, when he heard a crackling sound behind him. Tom jumped.

    “It’s alright Tom, it’s just me.”

    “Oh, Rolf! Where did you go?” Tom asked.

    “To that small hill, right over there,” Rolf pointed to a hill about thirty feet away. “I wanted to see if anyone was coming after us.”

    “Did you see anyone?”

    “No, but I can’t be sure no one is following us.”

    “I hope no one is.”

    “We should go now,” Rolf said.

    Tom stood up. “Where are we going?”

    “I’m not exactly sure, but Detective Mortimer said somewhere out of sight.” Rolf responded.

    “I guess we’ll keep going until we find a place like that, then,” Tom said.

    **********************************************************************************************

    Jigson stopped his car. They were about forty yards from Bud Larone’s headquarters. Everyone quietly got out of the car, for they did not want anyone in the house to know they were there.

    “Which way do we go?” Garth asked.

    “Rolf said they headed away from the back of the building, so that way,” Jigson said.

    “How will we find them? They could have gone a number of directions from here,” Garth said.

    “It will be hard,” Jigson said. “But we will have to pick a direction, and pray that it’s the right one.”

    Phil was thoughtful. “Detective Mortimer said Rolf picked the lock on the front door, right?”

    “Yes, why?” Jigson asked.

    “Scout is good at tracking, and he likes it, too. Andy and Tom made a sort of game out of it, telling Scout to go to different people, and then he would find them by following their scent. I bet he could do it now!”

    “Perfect,” Jigson said. “Now lets sneak up to the front door, and see how he does.”

    They carefully approached the front door. Scout started sniffing the ground as soon as they got there. Phil bent down and whispered, “Go to Tom, Scout!”

    Scout eagerly pulled at the leash, wanting to go. As soon as Phil started forward, he almost ripped the leash out of his hand. Everyone followed Scout as he led them in what they hoped was the right direction.

    Reply

  9. I know Morse Code! I send it everyday around the world (no fooling)! 35wpm contesting!
    Aubrey, when are you going to continue your fanfiction?

    Reply

  10. Rolf and Tom walked on, scanning their surroundings for a good place to hide, or any sign of danger. After several minutes, Tom, spotting a large opening in the side of a hill, exclaimed, “Look Rolf, is that a cave?”

    “It looks like one,” Rolf replied. “Let’s go see.” As they walked closer, they saw that is was a cave.

    “This seems like a good place,” Tom said. “Look at all the rocks someone could hide behind.” This was true, for there were sections of the cave wall that stuck out, making an ideal hiding location.

    “Well, I don’t think we’ll find any place better than this,” Rolf said.

    “So now, we should just wait for them to find us?” Tom asked.

    “That is what we’re going to do,” Rolf answered.

    *****************************************************

    Scout led everyone away from the building. As they went, they could see footprints here and there, broken twigs, and flattened grass. “Do you think anyone has come after Rolf and Tom yet?” Phil asked.

    “I can’t tell,” Jigson said. “It doesn’t look like many people have come this way, but there isn’t a way to tell whether it was two or four.”

    “Something I can tell,” Garth mentioned, “Is that there is a storm coming.”

    Phil and Jigson looked up. Dark clouds were slowly forming in the sky, and the storm would probably overtake them in a few hours.

    Sorry, but I wasn’t able to write yesterday. However, I was able to get this scene done today!

    Reply

  11. “That doesn’t look good,” Phil said. “I hope it’s not a thunderstorm.”

    “Me too,” Jigson agreed. “Especially when we’re in the middle of this forest.”

    *************************************************************

    “What was Mr. Larone up to while you were working for him?” Tom asked.

    “I only know that he wanted to get the artifacts and sell them to Miss Verton,” Rolf replied. “Other than that, I didn’t get the time to find out. I wonder what he was doing when you saw him last night.”

    “Nothing good, that’s all I know.”

    “Probably so.”

    Both were silent for a while, wondering how long they would have to wait. They had found a section of rock that was large enough for the two of them to sit behind, and were there.

    “How long do you think it will take for them to find us?” Tom asked.

    “Depending on when they started, anywhere from three minutes to three hours.” Rolf answered.

    Tom walked to the entrance of the cave and looked out. I wonder how far they are, he thought. As he glanced at the sky, he noticed dark clouds. “I think a storm is coming,” he said.

    Rolf came to look. “You’re right. I hope Jigson and the others get here before that hits.”

    “What if it starts raining just as they get here?”

    “We’ll probably all wait it out in this cave. That’s the safest thing to do.”

    ********************************************************************

    Andy and Abby were mucking out the stalls in the barn, and talking. “I hope Tom as alright,” Abby said.

    “I’m sure he’s fine,” Andy said. “It’s not like he’s all alone. Besides, Jigson, Garth, and Phil will probably find them soon.”

    “I guess you’re right,” Abby agreed. “If you had to re-live one of the adventures our family has been on, which one would it be?”

    “Let’s see…probably the one in Scotland. Or, maybe the one in Oakwood Reserve. Definitely not the one in Spain, or when we found that ruby ring.”

    “Those two were the worst for sure,” Abby said. “After Spain, we thought Jigson was dead, and when we found the ring, Father and Mr. Wilbur were kidnapped.”

    “Which one would you choose?” Andy asked.

    “Hmm. I think I would pick the first one. That one wasn’t so bad, and that’s when we first met Mr. Jigson and Detective Mortimer. I might pick Oakwood Reserve, but I got bitten by a wolf there.”

    “I forgot about that,” Andy said. “Then I actually would pick the one in Scotland.”

    Reply

    • Really good!! I like that you had Andy forget about Abby being bitten in Oakland Reserve. That’s such his personality.

      Reply

  12. “That doesn’t look good,” Phil said. “I hope it’s not a thunderstorm.”

    “Me too,” Jigson agreed. “Especially when we’re in the middle of this forest.”

    *************************************************************

    “What was Mr. Larone up to while you were working for him?” Tom asked.

    “I only know that he wanted to get the artifacts and sell them to Miss Verton,” Rolf replied. “Other than that, I didn’t get the time to find out. I wonder what he was doing when you saw him last night.”

    “Nothing good, that’s all I know.”

    “Probably so.”

    Both were silent for a while, wondering how long they would have to wait. They had found a section of rock that was large enough for the two of them to sit behind, and were there.

    “How long do you think it will take for them to find us?” Tom asked.

    “Depending on when they started, anywhere from three minutes to three hours.” Rolf answered.

    Tom walked to the entrance of the cave and looked out. I wonder how far they are, he thought. As he glanced at the sky, he noticed dark clouds. “I think a storm is coming,” he said.

    Rolf came to look. “You’re right. I hope Jigson and the others get here before that hits.”

    “What if it starts raining just as they get here?”

    “We’ll probably all wait it out in this cave. That’s the safest thing to do.”

    ********************************************************************

    Andy and Abby were mucking out the stalls in the barn, and talking. “I hope Tom as alright,” Abby said.

    “I’m sure he’s fine,” Andy said. “It’s not like he’s all alone. Besides, Jigson, Garth, and Phil will probably find them soon.”

    “I guess you’re right,” Abby agreed. “If you had to re-live one of the adventures our family has been on, which one would it be?”

    “Let’s see…probably the one in Scotland. Or, maybe the one in Oakwood Reserve. Definitely not the one in Spain, or when we found that ruby ring.”

    “Those two were the worst for sure,” Abby said. “After Spain, we thought Jigson was dead, and when we found the ring, Father and Mr. Wilbur were kidnapped.”

    “Which one would you choose?” Andy asked.

    “Hmm. I think I would pick the first one. That one wasn’t so bad, and that’s when we first met Mr. Jigson and Detective Mortimer. I might pick Oakwood Reserve, but I got bitten by a wolf there.”

    “I forgot about that,” Andy said. “Then I actually would pick the one in Scotland.”

    Reply

  13. Abby laughed and suggested that they get back to work so they would finish in time for lunch. After they were finished with the rest of the chores, they walked up to the house. In the kitchen, Mrs. Baker was busily preparing lunch.

    “What are we going to have for lunch, Mother?” Andy asked.

    “Pasta and garlic bread. It’s almost ready, would you two please set the table?”

    “Sure,” Abby replied. She and Andy quickly set the table, then they and Mr. and Mrs. Baker sat down to eat. After they prayed, Abby said, “It sure feels strange with only the four of us here.”

    “I know, it really does,” Andy added.

    “At least we will probably all be here tonight,” Mr. Baker said.

    “I hope so,” Mrs. Baker agreed.

    ****************************************************

    Phil pulled on the leash, telling Scout to stop. Phil, Garth and Jigson had been following Scout for about four hours. Even though Scout seemed to want to keep going all day non-stop, his three companions were getting tired.
    “Whew, we’ve been walking for a while!” Garth said. “It’s 11:45 now, and we’ve been out here since 7:30 this morning.”

    “I’m not sure how much longer it’ll take us to find Tom and Rolf, but I hope it’s soon,” Phil added. “Jigson, how much farther?”

    “Let me check with the Detective,” Jigson replied, and began sending a message to Detective Mortimer through his watch. After a couple minutes, he said, “Detective Mortimer said they’re about twenty minutes away, according to the tracking devices. They are waiting for us in a cave.”

    “We’re almost there, then!” Phil exclaimed. “ Come on, let’s go!”

    “We either need to find them and get out of here fast, or wait in the cave with them. That storm looks like it’s only ten minutes away,” Garth said. He was right, for the clouds were moving fast and steadily growing darker.

    “I think our best option is to stay in the cave until it passes,” Phil said. “I do not want to be around any trees when that thing hits.”
    Everyone started off at a fast walk, hoping to reach the cave before the storm broke. Scout was in the lead.

    *****************************************************

    Reply

    • Yeah! (One question: couldn’t they have just used the tracking device instead of following Scout or contacted them via that? Sorry, just something I noticed.) You’re doing a great job! Can’t wait to see more!

      Reply

      • Well, since they were in a forest, they couldn’t get a good signal from the tracker, but Detective Mortimer could since he was at his house. It would have been hard for him to direct them the WHOLE way, so that’s why they used Scout.

      • Good job noticing that, though! I should have put that into the story somehow so it wouldn’t be confusing.

  14. So, I may not be the only one who noticed this, but in HitH where her and Fergus escape the glen Abby recalls back to when she was twelve and jumped the fence bareback. The scene mentioned Millie using a strange horse, even though it was Abby with the strange horse and Millie riding Calvin. Have y’all noticed this?

    Reply

  16. Tom watched the storm clouds. “It will be here any minute”, he thought. “I wonder where the others are.” He walked back into the cave and decided to look around it and see if he could find anything interesting. However, the cave was very small, and Tom found nothing unusual. As he sat back down behind the large section of rock, he felt his wristband vibrate.

    WE WILL BE THERE IN ABOUT 15 MIN. SEE YOU SOON.

    Tom wondered who the message was from, and decided that it was probably Phil. As far as he knew, Garth and Jigson didn’t have Morse Code devices. He decided to ask.

    WHOS THIS?

    PHIL

    OK. SEE YOU SOON.

    Tom was about to tell Rolf that the others would be there soon, when the sound of footsteps came from the front of the cave. He peeked around the rock just in time to see a person appear at the entrance.

    Tom’s eyes widened and he quickly pulled back from the corner. Rolf noticed and was about to ask a question, but Tom motioned for him to be quiet. Rolf looked confused, and then surprised as the footsteps started again. As they both listened, the person came closer, then stopped.

    “Where are they?” a man’s voice grumbled. After a few seconds, he turned around and walked off.

    Rolf and Tom listened as the man’s footsteps faded away. After he was sure the man was gone, Rolf said, “I wonder who he was.”

    “Probably someone Mr. Larone sent after us,” Tom said. “He sounded upset.”

    “Did you see him?” Rolf asked.

    “A little bit, but I didn’t recognize him,” Tom replied.

    “I’m glad we were back here. He would’ve seen us.”

    “Me too.”

    ***********************************************

    Reply

  19. “There’s the cave!”

    Phil looked up to see Garth pointing to an opening in a hill about twenty yards away. Scout seemed to get excited also, for he darted forward, ripping the leash out of Phil’s hand. “Scout! Come!” he yelled, and ran after him.

    Scout stopped and turned around, whining eagerly. Phil picked up the leash and jogged the rest of the way. Jigson and Garth followed quickly. As he neared the entrance, Phil called, “Tom? Rolf? Are you there?”

    *********************************************

    “Did you hear that?” Rolf asked.

    “Hear what?” Tom asked.

    “It sounded like a dog whining,” Rolf replied.

    “No, I didn’t,” Tom said.

    Just then, a voice called their names.

    “I heard that!” Tom exclaimed.

    Rolf quickly stood up and looked around the corner. “They’re here!” he said, and started heading out of the cave.

    Tom hastily followed him, and the first thing he saw was Phil and Scout as they came to the opening of the cave.

    “Phil!” he cried, running forward and giving him a hug.

    “Tom! We’ve all been really worried about you!” Phil exclaimed. “Are you alright?”

    “Yes. I’m so glad you’re here!”

    “Hello Rolf,” Phil said, stepping forward to shake hands. “It’s good to see you again.”

    “Hello Phil,” Rolf replied with a grin. Then looking at Scout, he asked, “And who’s this?”
    “This is Scout,” Phil answered. “Abby found him a few days ago, and we decided to keep him. For a while at least,” he added.

    “Hi Rolf and Tom!” Jigson said.

    “Hi Mr. Jigson!” Tom exclaimed.

    “Hello Jigson,” Rolf said.

    “I’m glad to see you’re both okay.” Garth said.

    “Garth?! You’re here?” Rolf exclaimed in shock.

    “Yes, actually I am,” Garth replied.

    “Where have you been?” Rolf asked, still a bit surprised.

    “I lived about half an hour from the Bakers’ farm.”

    “I thought you moved to a different country.”

    “I was going to, but plans changed,” Garth said.

    “Oh,” Rolf said. Before he could ask another question, Jigson directed everyone’s attention to the weather.

    “Looks like we’ll be here for a while, if that’s a thunderstorm” he remarked. Outside, rain was pouring down, forming puddles and miniature rivers everywhere.

    Reply

  20. Hey I was just wondering, what are y’alls favorite verses?
    Mine is Esther 4:14 “Perhaps this is the moment for which you have been created.”

    Reply

      • My favorite verse is Psalm 4:1
        Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!

        P.S. I’ve been watching all of your comments but not commenting myself (obviously!) and was wondering if you are ever going to stop? All of your fanfiction is cool!

    • I have a lot! 1 Corinthians 1:25 is near the top of the list though. “For the foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”

      Reply

    • Mine is Joshua 1:9; Have I not commanded you? Be strong, and of good courage! Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

      Reply

  21. Thankful for all the brave men and women who lost their lives seventeen years ago, on 9/11.
    And praying for anyone still affected by it.

    Reply

  22. Tom looked confused. “Why would we not have to stay here if it isn’t a thunderstorm, Mr. Jigson?”

    “If it’s a thunderstorm, we might get struck by lightning if we go out there,” Jigson explained. “But, if there is no lightning, we could start heading back now in the rain and not have to wait.”

    “How will we know if there is lightning or not?” Tom asked.

    “If we wait about ten minutes and there is no lightning during that time, it’s probably safe,” Jigson replied.

    Ten minutes later, Phil said, “I haven’t heard or seen any lightning.”

    “Me neither,” Rolf agreed.

    “Who would rather go than stay here?” Garth asked.

    Everyone wanted to get out of the forest, so they set out. The hike back to the car seemed to go faster, since everyone was talking about the events of the last few days. Phil told the others how they had found Scout, and Rolf and Tom told everyone else about their adventure. With so much to discuss, time flew.

    **********

    “We’re almost there,” Jigson announced.

    “Good, I’m tired!” Tom said.

    “I’m glad the rain stopped,” Rolf said. “Now we aren’t soaked for the drive back.” After they had left the cave, the rain had continued for another hour, and then the storm blew over.

    They soon came in sight of Jigson’s car and got in. After driving for forty-five minutes or so, they reached the Bakers’ house. Mr. and Mrs. Baker, Abby, and Andy rushed out to meet them.

    “I’m so glad you’re back!” Abby exclaimed.

    “I am too!” Andy added.

    After everyone had said hello, Mr. Baker asked, “Why don’t you all stay for dinner? We’d love to hear what you all did today.”

    Jigson, Garth, and Rolf accepted the offer and went inside with everyone. There was a lot of talking at the table, as everyone answered and asked questions.

    Once everything had calmed down a little, Rolf turned to Garth. “When we were all in the cave, I asked you why you weren’t living in a different country, and you said that the plan changed. What was the other plan?”

    Garth smiled. “You’d be surprised to know what it was,” he said.

    Now everyone, except Jigson, was waiting for the rest of Garth’s answer.

    “I was originally going to Iceland.”

    “Really?” Abby asked.

    “Yes. But when Jigson found out that the RDC’s headquarters were there, he thought it would be safer to go somewhere else,” Garth replied.

    Reply

      • No, it can’t be almost over! You’ve done a great job, Aubrey! It’s so much fun seeing what other people’s conspiracy theories are!

        …any other volunteers for writing more fanfic until Miss Hedgcock announces book 8? 🙂

      • My thoughts exactly, though also for the reason that I’d have to reread all the books first to get the feel for writer style, character personalities, and such. My brain is out of theories at the present time too:)

      • I read Miss Hedgcock’s books all the time. I’m reading one of them at all times. It just helps me as a writer to read a good book before I sit down to write. I’m sure everyone has books they read before writing.

  24. Here’s my Twelve Lemons. I hope you like it!

    Haelix skipped into the supermarket, then stopped to wait for his uncle.
    He loved going shopping with Uncle Dunn!

    “Hil.” His uncle was speaking to him. Haelix turned and looked at his uncle’s face.

    “Yes sir?”

    “We have a few things on our list today, but only one thing here. I’ll wait by the registers if you can go to the produce section and get,” his uncle seemed to be counting inside his head, “Twelve Lemons.”

    Haelix’s face lit up, Uncle Dunn was letting him go through the store by himself! “Yes sir!” He said, then, with a grin, he turned to head for the produce section.

    When he reached the produce section, he started looking for the bright yellow citrus fruit. He frowned, he couldn’t see them anywhere. Then he noticed the ‘Produce’ sign that was hanging over a counter. His heart sank as he realized that he would have to speak to the lady behind the counter. He slowly walked over to wait in line, in front of him was a boy with reddish-brown hair who looked a couple years older than him. Suddenly, it was his turn.

    The lady looked at him and smiled. “Hello lad,” she said, “what can I get for you?”

    It felt like his heart was in his throat, he tried to say something, but couldn’t. The other boy must have still been around, because he came up to Haelix, put his hand on his shoulder, and smiled at him.

    “Hi,” He said, “My name’s Mort, what are you getting today?”

    “T-Twelve Lemons.” Haelix managed to stammer.
    The boy turned to the lady behind the counter and smiled, then said, “He would like Twelve Lemons, please.”

    “Certainly!” She said, with warm smile towards Haelix. She stepped over to the lemon bin and began counting Lemons into a bag. “Here
    you are.” she said, handing the bag to the boy.

    “Mortimer!” It was a lady standing a couple of aisles away.

    The boy looked up at her, and said, “Coming Mother.” He handed the bag of Lemons to Haelix, and turned to walk away.

    “Wait!” Haelix cried, as he walked after the boy. He caught up to the boy just as he reached his mother. “Thank you for helping me! He said gratefully.

    “You’re welcome!” The boy said, then he turned and walked away with his mother.

    Haelix watched them walk away, glad that there was still good and kindness in the world, even though ones parents and sister were gone.

    ***********************************************
    Several years later…….

    Jigson, Detective Mortimer, and his parents walked into the police station and found seats, so they could sit and wait for the meeting to begin. After making sure that his parents were comfortable and didn’t want a drink of water , Mortimer sat down beside Jigson and glanced over at him, “You’re very quiet right now, Jigson.”

    “I was thinking about something that’s been bothering me for a little while.”

    “What is that?”

    “Well, it’s just, your mother seems familiar somehow, as if I had met her somewhere before.”

    “Hmm, that’s strange.” They were silent for the next few minutes, each absorbed in his own thoughts.

    Suddenly, Jigson looked up, a smile creasing his brow. “I think I’ve got it,” he exclaimed, “Twelve Lemons, a British boy helping a shy young boy get his groceries!”

    “Was that you?” Mortimer asked, an amazed look on his face.

    “Yes,” Jigson said, “I will always remember the boy who saved me from embarrassment that day.”

    “I came to the rescue because you looked fit to faint!” Mortimer said with a chuckle. Their attention was arrested as the Chief of Police began to speak.

    Reply

  25. “I never thought you would’ve gone there!” Andy exclaimed. Then, he added, “What did RDC stand for anyway?”
    “I’m not sure,” Jigson said. “The Detective and I have been trying to figure that out for a while. But, there seems to be no information about it.”

    Just then, Mr. Baker’s phone rang. “Speaking of Detective Mortimer, he’s calling me now.” He answered the phone and put it on loudspeaker.

    “Hello, are you there, Charles?” The Detective’s voice came over the phone.

    “Yes, Detective Mortimer,” Mr. Baker answered. “Actually, we’re all here, including Jigson, Garth, and Rolf.”

    “Perfect. Well, I’m calling to tell you that we caught Bud Larone a few hours ago.”

    “That’s great!” Phil exclaimed.

    “Yes, it is!” Tom added.

    “At least he won’t be popping up on our farm anymore,” Andy said with a grin.

    Abby laughed at Andy’s remark. Then she asked, “Where did Mr. Larone think we got the artifacts from?”

    “You won’t believe this,” Detective Mortimer began, “but he knew all along you didn’t have them.”

    Everyone was shocked.

    “Then, why did he write the note and it at the tree?” Phil burst out.

    The Detective replied, “It was all fake. A while ago, Miss Verton had wanted to steal the artifacts from the museum without getting caught. So, she hired Bud to make it seem like you had stolen the artifacts. That is why he left the note on your farm, for someone else who was in on the plan to find as ‘proof’. Unfortunately for him, you found it first.”

    “Who was supposed to find the note, if not us?” Abby asked.

    “And what was Mr. Larone doing here last night?” Tom added.

    “Vince was supposed to find the note,” Detective Mortimer answered. “When you saw Bud last night, Tom, he was burying a few of the artifacts on your farm, also for Vince to find.”

    “What about the blueprint?” Andy asked. “And the bombs? Where did he get them from, and what were they for?”

    “Bud had accidentally lost it there when he left the note. When Vince came and found Andy at the tree, he was there to ‘find’ the note and get the blueprint back. The bombs were also planted for Vince to find, mostly just to make their story more believable.”

    “Well,” Mrs. Baker said, “This is quite the discovery!”

    “It is,” Rolf agreed. “Even the people who were working for Mr. Larone didn’t know that he already had the artifacts. Except Vince, I suppose.”

    “How did you…oh, right. I forgot you ‘worked’ for him for a while,” Garth said.

    “You got all that information quickly, Detective,” Jigson said. “Since Bud was only caught a few hours ago.”

    “In fact,” Detective Mortimer responded, “most of it was written down in a special file at his headquarters. As soon as you all were out of the forest, police surrounded the building and captured everyone inside, including Bud. When the police searched the place, they found it in a locked cabinet. Pretty much everything I just told you was in that file.”

    Reply

  26. So, I’m working on a “Which Baker character am I most like” quiz and I need y’alls evaluations of the Baker characters’ personalities.

    As many characters as you can think of, I need! Even villains are needed!!

    Reply

  28. “Wow,” Mr. Baker said. “I’m glad everything is taken care of now.”

    “I am too,” Mrs. Baker agreed.

    “Well, I must go now,” the Detective announced. “Goodbye everyone.”

    “Bye, Detective,” everyone said.

    **********
    Five days later, the Bakers were all outside, enjoying the cool evening breeze. Andy and Tom were playing with Scout, which had been their favorite thing to do since he had showed up. Abby was reading, and Mr. Baker, Mrs. Baker, and Phil were sitting on the back porch.

    Eventually, Tom came up to Mr. Baker and asked, “Father, will we be able to keep Scout? It’s been a week since we found him.”

    “I was just thinking about that,” Mr. Baker replied.

    Abby and Andy became interested in the conversation and came over to hear.

    Phil added, “He would be great to have around if we go on another adventure.”

    “He sure would,” Mrs. Baker agreed.

    “Well then, I say let’s keep him!” Mr. Baker exclaimed.

    “Yahoo!” Tom yelled, unable to control his excitement.

    And Scout, as though he had understood every word of their conversation, raced in circles around the family as if he was the happiest dog in the world.

    Reply

    • And now, happily and sadly, I need to say:

      THE END!

      This has been a lot of fun, I can’t believe how long this story is! Thank you everyone for your encouragement and suggestions along the way!

      Reply

      • THIS IS SO SAD!!!!!!!! *cries* Oh why does it have to end?!!!?!?!? But I know it did!!

        Wow!!! You did so well!!! And your writing improved from when you first started!! I’m like so amazed!! You did so well!! ANd I think you’re the first to completely finish a story!!!!

      • Great job, Aubrey! Yes, congrats on actually finishing! (Out of curiosity, when compiled, how many pages is it?)
        *glances at partially finished BFA fanfic story* Yeah, probably not going to happen any time soon.

      • Aubrey do you know if you are going to the Big Sandy Conference in April? Cause my family is! It would be awesome if we could meet up.

  31. My brain is still fried from previous conspiracy-theorying (that and I haven’t reread the series in a while 😉 ). Um…

    I mean, we could write a conspiracy theory together (e.g. one person writes a paragraph, then someone else continues it, and so forth).

    Reply

  32. (Have you all thought about how hard it will be when book eight comes out? We’ll all be thinking, “Wait, didn’t *insert conspiracy theory* happen?” because we’ve written and had so many on here. We’ll have to refresh on the canon stories before reading the next book to avoid confusion. :D)

    Reply

  34. Okay, here’s a crazy question brain dump 😉

    1 Summer of Suspence:
    (1) Who are Jigson’s grandparents?
    (2) Are they still alive?
    (3) How did Jigson’s parents die?
    (4) Who was the ginger-haired man that helped Phil and Andy?

    3 Riddle of the Ruby Ring:

    (2) Why does D. Gray ask about Phil’s education?

    4 The Treacherous Trail:

    (2) What country was Garth relocated to, and what is he doing?

    5 Prisoner of the Pyrenees:

    (1) Is Briosa related to the Sloans?

    6 Iceland Intrigue:

    (1) What is the significance of “Twelve lemons”?
    (2) What was Jigson’s name before it was changed to Haelix?
    (3) How in the world did a young American medical student end up working for an Icelandic hermit that lives in a volcano?
    (4) Why is there a feud between Dr. Roth and Guðmundor?
    (5) Gleymmérei seems very important to Sigurd, why would he let a stranger (Haelix) ride her?
    (6) What does RCD stand for?
    (7)Is there more Berglind’s story?

    7 Hunting in the Highlands:

    (1) Why is D. Gray stalking D. Mortimer?
    (2) What will happen to Alistair, Cassidy, Fergus, and Wylie?
    (3) Why is the Greek alphabet a recurring theme?
    (4) How did Alistair know that Monsieur Venue was actually Jigson if everyone thought he was dead?
    (5) Has the Glen always operated in Scotland?
    (6) Was Dr. Gray working for the Glen?

    *deep breath* And there you go! Have fun!

    Reply

  35. (Jubilee, your musings sparked something! I’ll let someone else come up with the agent’s name because I deal more with fantasy names than… Yeah, anyway 🙂 )

    A frown creased the agent’s lips as he passed a newspaper vending machine. “Government Reopens Missing Agent Case After Scotland Events.” Fishing three quarters from his pocket, he pushed them into the slot and withdrew the newspaper. Then he moved to a nearby bench.

    A gasp drew his attention back to the newspaper machine. A sandy-haired youth had bent to read the headline and the partial article in sight. Now he was frantically searching his pockets, probably for coins. The youth produced two quarters and let out a groan.

    The agent bit the inside of his lip, then turned back to the paper, scanning its contents. Jigson – foolishness to use that name – and Klaus. Mortimer. His shoulders slumped. He hadn’t shown. He squeezed the edge of the paper, crinkling it. Where was he?

    “Excuse me?”

    He lowered the paper and stared into the youth’s blue eyes. “Yes?”

    “Would you…” The youth’s voice drifted off, and a thoughtful look crossed his face. “Do I know you?”

    The agent ran a hand through his ginger-colored hair. He’d seen this kid before, he just couldn’t-

    “Garth?”

    He flinched, clenching his teeth to keep from choking. “Who?”

    The youth frowned. “Sorry, I just-”

    “Phil!” A brown haired kid raced up the sidewalk waving a newspaper. “Can you believe they busted- Hello, who’s this?”

    He knew who these kids were now. If they revealed what they knew- He couldn’t think about that. They knew nothing about him. He’d made sure of that.

    The agent tucked his paper beneath his arm and rose from the bench. “Excuse me; I should be going.” He maneuvered around the two boys, only to have the voice of the younger halt him.

    “Don’t we know you?”

    The agent shook his head without turning. “Sorry.” He barely took another step before the the voice halted him again.

    “You were at the auction that day. You tried to help me find my sister.”

    The agent bowed his head. Why did the Baker’s have to show up and blow every agents’ cover? Make them disappear, perhaps forever? But he owed them for what they’d done for his brother. He swallowed, then faced them. “Yeah, I was, but I’ve got to be going.”

    “Thank you.”

    The sincerity of the words startled him, but he should have expected it from them.

    “Garth?”

    His fist clenched around the paper as a girl walked up behind the boys.

    Her voice rose in excitement. “Where have you been?”

    His eyes flickered, then he shook his head.

    “You have the same face as him.”

    It was too much. He turned away, blinking tears as a knot formed in his throat. Then he hurried down the sidewalk before they could ask anything else.

    It hurt too bad. All these years spent wondering. All these years spent searching.

    The agent slumped against an alley wall and pulled a newspaper clipping dated two years back from his pocket. “Agent Testifies Against Cousin, then Disappears.” He stared at the picture he knew all too well – the picture of his brother. He refolded the article and returned it to his pocket. “Garth, where are you?”

    (All right, someone write! I want to know what happens 😛 )

    Reply

      • I hope you’re going to chip in, Jubilee, because I haven’t thought of anything else from here:)

        (Another question: Where has the ginger-haired man been the last six BFA books?)

    • right, I’ll help but I want to make sure I Have the facts down. this agent is Garth’s brother? And the guy at the auction from SOS? Also when is this taking place, is this happening after HITH? awesome btw

      Reply

      • I’m guessing back in the States, but you could pretty much put them anywhere you want since the Bakers travel a lot:)

      • Here we go. It’s not super long…

        The red-headed agent closed the door to the black Toyota. He stared absently at the steering wheel, the phone in his pocket buzzed, he pulled it out and glanced at the number, oh great, he sighed and swiped the green answer button.

        “Hello? Cameron?” Came the voice from the other end.

        “Yeah, it’s Cameron.”

        “look, we need to meet and talk, I have news…it’s about Garth.”

        Cameron’s heart missed a beat, “I’ve told you not to mention that name!” He hissed glancing around fervently.”

        The voice from the other end sounded frustrated. “Tonight. Seven? Just like we used too.”

        Cameron silently wrestled with the decision. “fine.” He breathed.
        He heard a click from the other end. He groaned what had he just promised!

        Cameron stood waiting nervously, he glanced down at his watch. Seven. Exactly. Where was he? He was never late.

        “I got delayed,” came a breathless british voice from behind him.
        Cameron spun round.

        “Hey, Cam,”

        “Hi, Mortimer.”

        “So how are…”

        Cameron cut him off, “just get to the point, what do you want?”

        Mortimer sighed, “look, Cam”

        “Cameron to you.” Cameron said coldly.

        The detective swallowed, “Cameron, then. I know I messed up. Big time. But I’m sorry.”

        “Okay,” Cameron replied levelly.

        “Will you…forgive me?” Mortimer asked cautiously.

        Cameron sighed in frustration, “I’ve told you, I don’t do forgiveness. It just give people the chance to walk all over you again.”

        Mortimer opened his mouth to speak,

        Cameron cut him off, “don’t bother. Look, I’m done here. I should never have come in the first place.”

        “Cameron, I made a mistake.” Mortimer called after him “and…I’m sorry. but I have news about Garth and…”

        “I dont want to hear it.” Cameron yelled back.

        “I’m so, so sorry Cam.”

  36. The nerve Mortimer had after losing contact with Garth – and not telling him where he’d relocated him in the first place.

    Cameron slid into his car and floored the pedal. This was how people got in accidents. Turning around the block, he pulled to the curb.

    He leaned against the headrest and hissed through his teeth. Why couldn’t they have told him about Garth after all he did on the Verton case? He’d proven himself by discovering the headquarters and pulling double duty to protect the Bakers. So maybe his plan to get inside failed, but Jigson had patched it up. He’d had other cases to prove himself.

    Cameron sighed and ran both hands through his hair. What a mess, he thought. As mad as he was though, he knew deep down he couldn’t keep blaming Mortimer. The whole case in Spain had thrown all of them in a loophole – so had Jigson dying. And it was Jigson who kept contact with Garth. No, he couldn’t blame Jigson either.

    A buzzing broke his thoughts. Cameron glanced at his phone and swallowed. Mortimer again. He sighed. Maybe he should-

    No. He had to separate their conversations more. If Mortimer thought he was about to jump into a mission like the last one- Cameron disconnected the call and dropped the phone into the cup holder. Sometimes he wished they could go back to the mentor and mentee relationship they used to have – if only he would be treated like a kid.

    He needed to find Garth for his parents’ sake, for his sake. Cameron tapped the steering wheel. Mortimer was his only answer.

    He gingerly picked up his phone, then hesitated. He had to do it. Cameron swiped the screen and dialed Mortimer’s number.

    The phone line rung.

    “This recipient is unavailable. Please leave a message after the tone.”

    Cameron swallowed. Strange. He’d never had to leave a message before. “Uh, Mortimer. It’s Cameron.” What was he supposed to say? I was wrong? I forgive you? Maybe after he found Garth – alive and safe – he’d be able to forgive the detective for everything. “Tomorrow. Would tomorrow work? Same time, like usual.” He bit his lip to keep from adding, “On time.” Then he hung up.

    Reply

  38. Here we go, I hope it’s okay that I have done the next one.

    The bed seemed strangely uncomfortable to Cameron. He felt lonely, forsaken. Forsaken by the agency, Mortimer, even God. He believed in God, he always had, he just, didn’t believe he was good. Mortimer was the only friend he had ever really had, and Garth…they had always been close cousins, almost like brothers. Then there was one more but Cameron hadn’t thought about her in years he tried to keep from thinking about it but couldn’t. “Mom,” he said in a whisper, she had died, three years ago. He remembered it clearly. She had been sick. Badly. Everyone had prayed, yet she had died. Tears sprang to his eyes, it hurt to think about it. Dad didn’t care about him. He was to wrapped up in grief for his wife. The phone buzzed, Cameron glanced at the clock, 1:30, pm. He picked up the phone,
    “message from Mortimer,” it read. His hand trembled as he read the message; “I can’t wait till tomorrow, I’m outside your apartment building.”

    Cameron sprang out of bed, part of him wanted nothing to do with Mortimer, then, on the other hand, he wanted it more than anything in the world. Then like Mortimer always had said, forgiveness sets you free, was this what he wanted? To forgive him? No. Not yet anyway, he couldn’t, not after what he did. Cameron shoved his feet into a pair of boots and pulled a coat on, he opened the door and took the stairs to at a time. He stepped out into the night air, there was Mortimer. They both looked at each other neither one knowing what to say.

    “I’m sorry,” Mortimer whispered.

    Cameron’s mouth trembled, “I…I can’t, not yet.”

    The hurt in Mortimer’s eyes tore at Cameron’s heart. He could see the effort Mortimer was making.

    “Okay, I understand.” Mortimer’s voice was shaky, “Cam…Cameron, I know your hurting, from your mother, and…Garth.”

    Cameron clenched his teeth,

    Mortimer continued, “God cares, Cameron, and its times like this that you need to hold on to him, he hasn’t forsaken.”

    Instead of retorting, Cameron let out a long breath and sank down into the bench standing next to him, “yeah,” he whispered, “forsaken, utterly, rejected and abandoned.”

    “Trust you to know that.” Mortimer laughed softly and sank down next to him. “You’ve always had a thing for words.”
    “Can we…pray together? Like we used to?” Mortimer asked hesitantly.

    Cameron’s head shot up, “I don’t pray.” He said quietly,

    Mortimer looked taken aback, “why not? God hears us and…”

    “No, no he doesn’t.” Cameron cut in, “he didn’t answer my prayers, for my mom” he added in a whisper.

    “But Cameron God doesn’t always..”

    “Stop!” Cameron said his voice cracking, “Don’t try to make everything better. My mom died. Even though, I prayed, my dad prayed our church prayed, you and your church prayed but, God still let her die.”

    Mortimer bowed his head, “I’m sorry you feel that way.”

    Reply

  39. Did anyone notice we’ll have to dig for this post once Miss Hedgcock posts twice more? *looks at original post date* Wow, we’ve been here a LONG time:)

    Reply

      • Sure! We’re in the process of writing a group conspiracy theory (see Jubilee’s list of questions if you needs some brain sparkers). How it goes is one person writes a paragraph and then others build off it (I think we’re four paragraphs in and Heather is taking the next one).

        For anyone joining…
        Cameron is the ginger-haired man from SoS. He’s an agent, Detective Mortimer’s mentee, and Garth’s brother (he’s searching for Garth who’s vanished [Cameron didn’t know where Garth was relocated after Treacherous Trail]). Cameron and Mortimer have a touchy relationship right now due to Cameron feeling the detective is responsible for losing contact with Garth. Cameron also struggles with forgiveness issues and thinks prayer is useless (his mother died in the recent past).
        Also, the government is investigating whether or not Jigson is really dead (after suspicious Scotland events in HitH), Detective Mortimer has some information about Garth, and Phil, Andy, and Abby ran into Cameron (they don’t know his name) earlier (they only know he looks like Garth and that he’s the guy who helped Andy in SoS).
        …did I miss anything?

      • Wow cool! Sounds fun! Well I have been sort of keeping up with this post since day one, and I am glad to see it’s still going!!! I hope Miss Hedgecock will make a chat page!

      • That pretty much sums it up Kenleaf. I kind of thought it would make Cameron an interesting character to have doubt about God being good. You know like he doesn’t doubt there is a God just that God really cares. What do you think? Also with Mortimer, I kinda feel like it is interesting to see his other side as you said. If you think something should be changed though I have no problem with that.

  40. Here we are!
    Phil sighed and ruffled his hair with his left hand. It had been over two days since they had seen the man from the auction! He couldn’t focus on anything because his mind kept wandering back to that man. He pushed back from his desk and stood up. It was probably because the man looked so much like Garth. Phil decided to go up to the house and see what dinner was going to be. As he walked into the kitchen, Abby was putting something in the oven.

    “Hey Abs,” he said, then he looked in the oven, “Mm meatloaf, wait, there’s one extra! I wonder why.”

    “Mother invited the Detective to dinner,” Abby explained, “she thought you might want to tell him about seeing the man from the auction. He should be here soon.”

    Later that evening, after the dishes were done, Phil asked the Detective if he could speak to him, so they went into the living room and sat down to talk.

    “Detective,” Phil began, “a couple days ago the twins and I ran into a man who Andy recognized as the ginger-haired man from the auction. We asked him about it and he confirmed it.

    Detective Mortimer’s eyebrows lifted a little. “Really?”

    “Well, Abby and I thought he was someone else.”

    “Really? Who did you think he was?”

    Phil hesitated for a moment, then said “Garth.”

    The Detective stopped tapping the table for a second, a clear indication that he was surprised. “That’s interesting. I’ll look into it.” He stayed for another half hour then left.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Mortimer entered his office and sat down on a chair. He was in a spot. If he told the Bakers about Cameron, Cameron would not want to speak to him, and should he tell them about losing contact with Garth? He sighed and put his head in his hands, it had been a long day.

    Reply

      • It’s only short…

        The bed seemed no softer as Cameron returned to it. He shouldn’t have spoken so harshly to Mortimer. He sighed; it seemed too late to try again. He wanted to forgive him, well, in his heart he did, it was just that his head told him something different. Things were so messed up. It wasn’t really Mortimer’s fault, though he still blamed him. He was the one that had lost contact with Garth. It hurt to think about Garth, he had been a good older brother the age difference hadn’t seemed to matter; not with Garth. Without thinking Cameron began to speak, he didn’t know why he just needed to talk. “Garth always listened to me, always heard me out. I could be as mad as I wanted, I could rant and rave and Garth would just…be there, he would lay his hand on my shoulder. I was sometimes so angry that I couldn’t even feel his hand. But it was always there. He was always there.” Somehow talking made the grief seem real. Then Cameron did something he hadn’t done in years. He wept.

      • Wow!!!!! That was awesome!!!!

        And, you don’t mess up the Bakers’ PoV. They were really good when you wrote them. If anyone messed them up, it was me.

      • I’m going to stick to writing this from Cameron’s pov. I kind of struggle with writing from any of Baker’s pov’s. I feel like I mess them up!

      • Thanks, Parker, but trust me, your scenes were awesome! I just meant I struggle to write someone else’s character since “Cameron” is a character we have sort of expanded on its different.

  41. Wow guys, I’m impressed! I leave for a three-day road trip and you guys write another fanfic! I’ve been a little busy lately, but I’ll see when I can pitch in 😉

    Reply

  42. *bounces with anticipation* Dying to know what information Detective Mortimer has about Garth! Heather, are you taking the next one?

    Reply

  44. Cameron slid into the restaurant booth. He had to keep from blowing up. Better yet, rid himself of emotions entirely.

    For the third time in two days, he faced Mortimer – and he still didn’t have the information that had lead them to meet in the first place.

    Cameron stirred his lemon water, then took a slip. A cough rattled his throat, but he managed to swallow. This whole ordeal was messing with his health. If only he could sleep again. Cameron gripped his glass, then slowly brought his eyes to meet the darting ones across from him. “Forget everything else, okay? What news do you have about my brother?”

    Mortimer sighed. “Not much, only a vague message from him.”

    Cameron jerked upright and slammed his fist on the table. “So why aren’t you tracking his mobile?”

    Mortimer shook his head. “Cam, you need to under- Cameron,” Mortimer corrected himself as Cameron shot a withering glare. “We think the phone was destroyed after Garth sent the message. We can’t track it.”

    Cameron hissed through his teeth. “Great. Fine then. What was the message?”

    The bell over the door rang as Mortimer fished for his phone.

    Cameron glanced over then slid from the booth. “Just my luck,” he muttered. “Send it to me, okay? I-”

    Mortimer glanced passed him to the family who’d just entered. “I see. Wait a moment. I’ll direct them the other way.”

    Cameron glanced over his shoulder. The girl was looking at him and was now tugging on the older kid’s sleeve. “Yeah, not going to work. Why don’t I just-”

    They were walking toward him now. What happened to waiting to be seated?

    “Excuse me, but aren’t you- Detective!” The older kid shook hands with Mortimer. “I didn’t expect to see you here, much less looking into what we’d talked about last night, but…” He stuck out his hand to Cameron. “Sorry. I’m Phil.”

    Cameron stared at it, then hesitantly shook it. “Pleasure to meet you.” Not, he thought. He turned to Mortimer with clenched teeth. “I wasn’t the topic of discussion, by any chance, was I?”

    Mortimer’s eyes darted. “Phil, if you’ll excuse us a moment, please,” he whispered.

    As soon as the kid moved away, Mortimer grabbed Cameron’s arm. “I played naive last night, Cam. I didn’t… You have to believe me.”

    “You don’t realize what happens when the Bakers add another agent to their ‘know’ list. Jigson almost died.” Cameron’s voice cracked. “My brother is gone.” So much for ridding himself of emotions.

    “There’s no correlation between the two. Other agents disappear without knowing the Bakers. Cam, Phil and his father are geniuses. They would help if-”

    “I don’t want their help,” Cameron hissed. “Give me Garth’s message. I’ll find him on my own.”

    Mortimer inhaled then stared Cameron straight in the eye. “No.”

    Cameron shook off Mortimer’s hand from his arm. “No? You’re kidding, right?”

    “If you’re planning to go solo, then no, I’m not kidding.”

    Cameron ran a hand through his hair. “I’ll contact Jigson then. He has means I need, maybe even more than I’ll get from you.”

    Mortimer frowned. “Jigson’s involvement in this case will endanger him.”

    “And Garth could be in danger right now because of your negligence. Give me the message.”

    Mortimer’s eyes darted toward the Baker family. They were staring at them.

    “Let’s move this outside, shall we?”

    “Fine.”

    Mortimer swiped his phone as they stepped into the chilly air. “Cam, I’ll give you the message on one condition.”

    Cameron crossed his arms. If it involved the Bakers, his answer would be ‘no’. “And that is?”

    “You let me work this case with you.”

    Cameron’s eyes narrowed, then he nodded. “Fine. It’s a deal. Now what’s the message?”

    “There are actually two. Mortimer extended his phone to Cameron.

    “Near holland Living Out Side. In Side
    Will Benefit Luther Jack/Luke Incredibly. Opinion?”

    “Dear Caitlin R,
    Realizing everyone’s very opinionated couldn’t really expect despite national upbringing.”

    Cameron frowned while nodding his head. Pulling out his phone, he selected Google.

    “Do you see something in it?”

    Cameron broke his attention from his phone to smile at Mortimer. “Maybe. It’s definitely from Garth. We used to write letters to each other like this. He was rushed though in writing these messages.”

    “What do they say then?”

    “London, England.” Cameron flipped to his phone to show Mortimer. “51.5074° N, 0.1278°W.”

    “Latitude and longitude, but how did you get these coordinates?”

    “The ‘N’ in near means north while the ‘W’ in ‘Will’ means west. Ever used a calculator to spell something? ‘h’ in holland, ‘L’ in ‘Living,’ and so forth. The coordinates are listed backwards so, when you flip them upside-down, they are in the correct order. The periods are part of the coordinates too.”

    “Interesting. But what does the second message mean?”

    “First letter of each word, then flip it backwards. ‘Undercover, RCD.'” Cameron glanced at his watch. “I’ll schedule a plane. You get the Bakers off my trail.”

    Mortimer shook his head. “Cam, the Bakers can-”

    “Don’t want to hear it.” Cameron searched flights from the nearest airport.

    “The question now is,” Mortimer said, breaking into Cameron’s thoughts, “where in London is Garth?”

    Reply

      • Oh, wow! Oh, wow! Kenleaf you are an amazing seriously that scene was so well written. I can take the next one but I don’t want to if someone else does. But wow, that was an amazingly written scene!

      • Cameron glanced sideways; Mortimer was seated next to him, on a plane to England. Cameron wasn’t sure how Mortimer had ended up coming with him. It didn’t matter; he was going to find Garth.

        Cameron turned to look out the window.

        The flight attendant stopped by them with her tray of food and drinks.

        “Anything for you Sir?”

        Cameron heard her ask Mortimer, Mortimer tapped Cameron’s shoulder,
        “You want anything Cam?”

        Cameron winced; he’d given up insisting Mortimer called him by his full name. You couldn’t brake years of habit in three days. He shook his head.

        “Nothing thanks” he heard Mortimer tell the flight attendant, she moved on.

        Cameron could feel Mortimer’s gaze on him.

        “Cam,” Mortimer said quietly,

        Cameron stiffened and turned to Mortimer, “what?” he said through clenched teeth.

        Mortimer took a deep breath, “I know you blame me for what happened. But please can we try to be civil during this trip.”

        Cameron swallowed, “if you’re looking for things to be as they were before than…no. I’m not your mentee and you’re not my mentor.”

        Mortimer looked hurt, he gave a reluctant nod “if that’s what you want.”

        Both sat in silence. Cameron felt his eyelids droop, he had hardly slept for three days, all Mortimer’s fault, he paused then took that back, he did give me Garth’s message. Maybe, just maybe they could once again have a friendship like they used to. Cameron wanted it more than anything, he knew Mortimer did too. All that was standing in the way…was forgiveness.

    • Wow!!! That was absolutely awesome and amazing, Kenleaf!!!!!!

      Sandrina, awesome!!!!! Y’all are even putting in a theme!!!!!!! So good!!!

      Reply

  46. This is the idea I had. Most of you probably won’t like it.:-)

    Jigson reached for his phone to text Phil, he had been having dreams about Phil’s funeral again. He just had to see Phil to make sure that he was all right. He typed, “Are you available for lunch at 12:30 at Chick-Fil-A?”

    It was only a couple of minutes before Phil replied, “Sure, but I’m going to get fat with all this fast-food!;-)” They had had lunch a few days ago, but Jigson hadn’t told Phil the reason why.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    A couple of hours later Jigson turned onto the street where Chick-Fil-A was only to find it blocked off by police cars. He quickly found a place to park, and then walked over to the nearest police officer, showed him his identification, then asked “What’s going on?”

    “There was a shooter, thankfully there’s only one casualty. A young man that carried risked his life by getting in the line of fire to get a clear shot, he got the gunman but he was shot twice. They’re waiting for the ambulance.” The officer let him through, then turned to curious bystanders.

    Jigson hurried past him to where there was a small group of people leaning over something. There was a hand sticking out from the group. Jigson suddenly felt cold, the back had been taken off of the gold watch, and he could see a tiny mechanism inside.
    “Phil!!!”

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    “Phil!!!” Jigson sat up a little too quickly and bumped his head. He had dreamed about it again, he wished he could erase that day from his memory. There was going to be no more sleep tonight so he got dressed and decided to go for a drive, then a ride. It was only a fifteen minute drive to the Baker’s farm, but it felt like forever. He got out of the car and walked to the stable stopping in front of Honey’s stall. He couldn’t figure out why the Baker’s had given him Phil’s favorite horse. He quickly tacked her up, mounted and headed for a rise that now had two crosses where before had only been one. He sat on Honey gazing at Phil’s cross, he silently whispered “I’m sorry Phil, it’s my fault.” Then broke down in tears.

    Reply

  47. 1. Who are your top 2 favourite male characters?
    Phil and Jigson
    2. Who are your top 2 female characters?
    Abby and Briosa
    3. Who is your favourite villain? (Miss Verton, Lewis Nickel, Bud Larone, Rolf/escaped convicts, Dainn, Herr Klaus, or someone else?)
    Herr Klaus
    4. Which is your favourite title in the series, and why?
    I like them all!
    5. Should one of the characters be in a relationship/courtship? Who and why? (I’m not promising anything by asking this 😉 I’m genuinely curious! 🙂 )
    Jigson and Abby!

    P.S I am Heather younger sister

    Reply

  48. Is anyone taking the next one ’cause I’d kind of like to write the portion after they pinpoint Garth’s location and don’t want to bump someone else off now. *rubs hands in anticipation* I have a great plot twist already written and waiting for later.

    Reply

  49. The plane cruised to a halt on the runway. Cameron tapped the arm of his seat. The six plus hours it had taken were long enough already. Minutes crawled by, presenting themselves as hours. Finally, the lights flicked on and the people in front of him began opening the overhead compartments.

    “Any ideas?” Mortimer asked once they had claimed their check-in luggage.

    Cameron frowned. “When I had a certain super agent working with me, I didn’t need many. His were always better – and usually they always worked.”

    “You know why we can’t involve him.”

    “I know!” Cameron snapped, then instantly regretted his tone. He heaved a sigh, allowing his nerves to calm. “What ideas do you have? Hang on. My phone’s buzzing.”

    Cameron swiped at the screen. “Wonder if Garth’s tracking us somehow. Look.” He flipped his phone to show Mortimer the message. “Note: England expects that every man will do his duty.” Cameron frowned. “You have a tracker on you?”

    Mortimer handed him a thin strip, which Cameron then secured on the back of his phone. Cameron stared at the hand-held box Mortimer produced next.

    “Well?”

    Mortimer shook his head. “He must be blocking communication visibility from whoever he’s working with. The unfortunate part is that it’s also blocking our ability to track him.”

    Cameron tore the strip off his phone and clenched it in a fist. “Why?” he hissed. His throat burned. “Is that a quote or something?”

    “Is what?”

    “The message. Don’t look at me,” Cameron said as Mortimer stared at him. “History-lover was never on my top ten identification adjectives.”

    Mortimer sank onto a bench and looked away.

    “Your face says I’m not going to like what you’re about to propose.”

    Mortimer tapped his fingers. “Would you consider it if it meant finding Garth?”

    “I don’t need anyone else’s help.”

    “Then what is your plan?”

    Cameron crossed his arms. “I never said I was the brainstorming expert.”

    “Would you just consider asking-”

    “No!”

    “The Bakers,” Mortimer finished. “I guarantee they’ll give you a location within the hour.”

    Cameron squeezed his eyes shut, then ran a hand through his hair. “You better be right, or I break my agreement to work with you on this case.”

    Mortimer’s face sagged, but he forced a smile. “A break in the agreement won’t be necessary.”

    ———-

    “Lord Horatio Nelson.” The girl’s voice floated through the phone.

    What was her name again? Yeah, Abby. And her twin was Andy.

    “Nelson sent the message ‘England expects that every man will do his duty’ by flags to his fleet better the Battle of Trafalgar commenced.”

    The boy’s voice broke in. “I crossed the Battle of Trafalgar with London, and came up with Trafalgar Square. It was built to commemorate England’s victory over the Spanish at Trafalgar.”

    “Very interesting,” Mortimer said. A smile touched his lips.

    Cameron folded his arms.

    “Thank you, Abby and Andy.” Then Mortimer hung up.

    “Trafalgar Square. I heard,” Cameron said when Mortimer opened his mouth to speak.

    Mortimer nodded. “Looks like Garth wants to meet.”

    “Doubtful.” Cameron reopened the message. “He began it with the word ‘note.'”

    “He’ll leave a note in the square?” Mortimer frowned. “Where exactly?”

    Cameron cracked a smile. “Garth and I may or may not have carved a crevasse in the square during one of our vacations. Hey,” Cameron said as Mortimer flashed him a shocked look. “We were only kids.”

    Reply

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