Free Roadside Crosses by Jeffery Deaver Page B

sport there is. (See The Chilton Report of April 12 for my comments about sports injuries among children.) And by the way, make sure you call it “soccer,” not “football,” the way the foreigners do. When in America, do as Americans!)
    A P ATRIOT
    Yesterday the Younger Boy knocked the socks off the audience in his day camp recital by singing “America the Beautiful.” All by himself! Makes a dad swell up with pride.
    S UGGESTIONS , A NYONE ?
    We’re coming up on our nineteenth anniversary, Pat and I. And I need ideas for presents! (Out of self-interest I’ve decided against getting her a high-speed fiber optic upgrade for the computer!) You ladies out there, send me your ideas. And, no, Tiffany’s is not out of the question.
    W E’RE G OING G LOBAL !
    Am pleased to report that The Report has been getting raves from around the world. It’s been selected as one of the lead blogs in a new RSS feed (we’ll call it “Really Simple Syndication”) that will link thousands of other blogs, websites and bulletin boards throughout the world. Kudos to you, my readers, for making The Report as popular as it is.
    W ELCOME H OME
    Heard some news that made me smile. Those of you who’ve followed The Report may remember glowing comments over the years about this humble reporter’s dear friend Donald Hawken—we were pioneers in this crazy computer world so many years ago I don’t like to think about it. Donald escaped the Peninsula for greener pastures in San Diego. But I’m delighted to say that he’s come to his senses and is returning, along with his bride, Lily, and his two wonderful children. Welcome home, Donald!
    H EROES
    Hats off to the brave firefighters of Monterey County. . . . Pat and I happened to be downtown on Alvarado last Tuesday when calls for help rang out and smoke sprouted from a construction site. Flames blocked the exit . . . with two construction workers trapped on the upper floors. Within minutes two dozen firemen and -women were on the scene and a fire truck had stretched its ladder to the roof. The men were plucked from harm’s way, and the flames were extinguished. No injuries, minimal damage.
    In most of our lives bravery involves little more than arguing politics or, at the most physical, snorkeling at fancy resorts or mountain biking.
    How rarely are we called on to exhibit true courage—the way the men and women of Monterey County Fire and Rescue do every single day, without a moment’s hesitation or complaint.
    Bravo to you all!
    Accompanying this posting was a dramatic photo of a fire truck in downtown Monterey.
    “Typical of blogs,” Boling said. “Personal information, gossip. People like to read that.”
    Dance also clicked on a link called “Monterey.”
    She was taken to a page that extolled “Our Home: The Beautiful and Historic Monterey Peninsula,” featuring artistic photos of the shoreline and boats near Cannery Row and Fisherman’s Wharf. There were a number of links to local sights.
    Another link led them to maps of the area, including one that depicted her town: Pacific Grove.
    Boling said, “This is all gingerbread. Let’s look at the content of the blog . . . that’s where we’ll find the clues.” He frowned. “Do you call them ‘clues’? Or ‘evidence’?”
    “You can call ’em broccoli if it helps us find the perp.”
    “Let’s see what the veggies reveal.” He gave her another URL.
    Http://www.thechiltonreport.com/html/june26.html
    This was the crux of the blog: Chilton’s mini-essays.
    Boling explained, “Chilton’s the ‘OP,’ the original poster. Which, if you’re interested, is derived from ‘OG,’ Original Gangsta, for the leaders of gangs, like Bloods and Crips. Anyway, he uploads his commentary and then leaves it there for people to respond to. They agree or disagree. Sometimes they go off on tangents.”
    The original comment by Chilton, Dance noticed, remained at the top, and below were the replies. Mostly people replied