Mark fails again.  But then it was probably not his idea to take Rusty on full time with actual legal custody.  Had to be Cherry.  Mark’s casual approach to ensuring that no harm comes to Rusty is a time-honored trope in the Trailverse…  Rusty has spent more time bound and gagged than any youth in comics history.

Or for your sake, Joe!  Really… Mark leaves the kids in your care and custody and this is what happens!  Raul, yes, one of the best… at what?  Crashing through windows for no reason??

Well Mark,  what did you expect?  You can’t trust anyone these days… everyone is out for a score…

We can only hope that there will be punching before the year is out…  but judging by the look on Mark’s face, he might just plant a hook on Joe’s chin right now!

Well, I am sure that one of us was on top of this development…  Which means that Raul is also undercover and Juanito and Becky are BAD…

Some observations:  Joe looks like Doc (remember him??) from the side… and the look on Professor Carter’s face suggests that he’s been had, and the look on Mark’s face (of utter bemusement) suggests that he’s been here before…  Never mind that his adopted son and disposable character Mara are both walking right into the lair…

Ok, I admit, I am still trying to figure out who is on which side of the ball here…

Raul’s expressions today, bordering on concern for Rusty and Mara’s welfare, have me confused… since he has been, of late, brandishing throwing knives and six-shooters…  So he calls Jose… what, tomorrow?  Next year?  Will that help answer my questions?  Not likely.

As we blow past the Christmas Holiday and into Boxing Day, Kwanza and whatever else get celebrated this time of year, we find ourselves (still…)  wandering through the miasma that qualifies for a Mark Trail plot line…

I guess O’l Rusty doesn’t know how or when to lock his Smart Phone!  10 demerits!

…and I’m not sure what the hell Juanito is afraid of- two pesky kids, a cell phone that has but one contact in it (‘MOM’) or the shadowy boss man who will no doubt be anxious (at least) that his liar is about to be penetrated…

Sneak in and do what, Rusty?  Exactly what is your plan?  This isn’t The House at Pooh Corner, you know… You can’t just leap out from your hiding place and shout, “A-ha!”  And is that Raul in the background, looking to gain positional advantage?

Why am I channeling Scooby Doo at this moment?  Oh, I don’t know… maybe because there hasn’t been an original thought in the Trailverse is quite a while!

So it’s Cherry that is going to put the children’s lives in mortal danger?  Are these “Poachers of Antiquity” really going to add kidnapping and murder to their rap sheets?  Maybe!  We still don’t know who the Boss-Man is…

Mark is calling Rusty’s cell phone which is currently being used to Trail (ha!) Juanito and the stolen artifacts…  using the Snap-n-Rap app… or something like that…

I think we refer to this as a plot twist… although it now takes months to get to one in the Trailverse.  One of my favorite twists from the old days was when the old man with the indian artifacts spilled maple syrup on the wicker “pack-baskets” used to hide the (apparently) highly valuable and prized arrowheads and stuff… which led a bear, and Mark Trail to the cache where they were buried… and justice prevailed!

OK, well, here we go.  It’s NOT Dirty Dyer (witness… no eye-patch) It’s some other random baddie…

…and this is not the first time that we have been confused about who we are calling Jefe…  Spanish for Boss… unless it’s being used ironically and with derision in this case… Recall the Cave adventure and the Coyotes (human traffickers…) There was all kinds of confusion over who was in charge there…

I thought for sure that by skipping yesterday and reading both today we’d have some closure here… some reveal.  Nope.

From what I can tell, there are three people in the room?

Maybe more??  Are you asking Jose a question or asking if it’s Jose?  Who knows…

Why reveal a plot twist quickly when you can leave the audience twisting indefinitely?

So, let’s take stock:

In:  Becky, Juanito, Jose, Raul

Question mark:  Professor Carter

Suspicious by Nature (ha!):  Mark Trail

Lost Lambs:  Rusty and Mara