Another Day Another crime–that’s the title of this week’s Mystery Question. I hope you like these little vignettes of crimes. 🙂
But first the photo and verse. Psalm 118:24 is one of the first verses I learned as a child right after John 3:16. And I thought the photo taken in Poriya, Israel fit it very well.
Now for last week’s Crazy Crimes Take 3–Mystery Question: Here are four true crimes, well really three true crimes. I made up the fourth one. It’s up to you to figure out which three are true and which one isn’t.
- Police in Britain received a “suspicious call” related to a burglary. It seems one of the burglars accidentally butt-called 999, the emergency number in the UK, and the police listened in on all of their antics up until the time they arrested them.
- With an outstanding warrant against him and a pulled driver’s license, a man thought it’d be a good idea to “borrow” his cousin’s driver’s license, especially since he looked enough like the photo to pass as the cousin. Unfortunately when he was pulled over for speeding, he was arrested. Turns out the cousin was wanted for armed robbery.
- Two apparent would-be thieves thought they had the perfect plan—one would grab a bunch of merchandise from the mall, and run back out to the parking lot, where the second guy would be waiting with the getaway car. It went off as planned until the car died with a dead battery. When police arrived the two were trying to get a jump start. The police obliged before they took them off to jail.
- A man in Florida purchased a Porsche 911 Turbo from a dealership in Destin on Monday for nearly $140,000. He drove off with the car just as the check bounced. The check he created on his home computer. He was later arrested for Grand Theft Auto.
And the answer is…#2! Congrats on all who guess correctly.
Now for this week’s Another Day Another Crime Mystery Question: Here are four crimes committed by neighbors against other neighbors. While these may not be crimes that you’d call the police about, they are crimes against whatever is decent. Three are true and I made up the fourth one. It’s up to you to figure out which one I made up.
- A man had a six-foot wooden privacy fence that ran the length of his property and was in desperate need of painting. His neighbor, Bob, kept bugging him to paint it. This is what the man painted along the side of the fence: Look, Bob, I’ve painted my fence. 🙂
- Kids love to play kickball or soccer, but sometimes the ball goes in a neighbor’s yard. In one neighborhood a guy confiscated every ball that landed in his yard and put it high in a tree. The tree looks like a Christmas tree of nightmares with at least 40 balls in its branches.
- Unfortunately, having a dog comes with the risk that they’ll get into a fight with another dog, and sometimes, other dog owners are big jerks. When one neighbor’s dog was attacked by another neighbor’s Great Dane, said neighbor paid for his $288.66 vet bill in all pennies left in the victim’s driveway in a wheelbarrow.
- When a woman complained about the antique, clawfooted bathtub her next-door neighbor used as a planter in his front yard, the neighbor replaced the tub with two white commodes planted with daisies.
Okay, Super Sleuths, which story did I make up? Leave your answers in the comments and I’ll enter you in a June drawing for a $10 gift card.
It's Mystery Question time. Four stories, three true. Which one did I make up? Leave your answers in the comments on my blog and I'll enter you in a drawing for a $10 gift card! #amwriting #mysteryquestion Share on XBy the time you read this, I’ll have Crosshairs turned in!!! And on Thursday, I’ll turn in Deception!
Investigative Services Branch (ISB) ranger Ainsley Beaumont arrives in her hometown of Natchez, Mississippi, to investigate the murder of a three-month-pregnant teenager. While she wishes the visit was under better circumstances, she never imagined that she would become the killer’s next target. Nor that she’d have to work alongside an old flame.
After he almost killed a child, former FBI sniper Lincoln Steele couldn’t bring himself to fire a gun. This was a deadly and unforeseen consequence for his best friend. Crushed beneath a load of guilt, Linc is working at Melrose Estate as an interpretive ranger. But as danger closes in on Ainsley during her murder investigation, Linc will have to find the courage to protect her. The only question is, will it be too little, too late?
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Comments 45
Lovely photo. These are all infuriating, but I think you made up number three. I’m glad I’m not neighbors to these characters. I live in a much more sane neighborhood.
Author
I’m glad you do, too, Delores! We’ll see next week if it’s #3. Blessings!
#3
Author
We’ll see, Mary. Thanks for stopping by.
I think you made up number 2 because when we were kids, we were smart enough to figure out how to knock a ball out of a tree, and if we couldn’t knock it out, we could always talk Craig or Cindy into climbing up to get it. Love the Crosshairs cover!
Author
Thanks, Priscilla! I love it, too. And I just turned the manuscript in yesterday!! We’ll see next week if the kids in the scenario were as smart as y’all were. 🙂
I think #3. I watch fear thy neighbor sometimes and think….really…what are people thinking. I like my cemetery neighbors as they never complain. Blessings
Author
Yes, Lucy, a cemetery makes for nice, quiet neighbors. 😉 We’ll see next week if it’s #3. Thanks for stopping by.
I’ll pick three this time. That picture is awesome!
Author
Thanks, Paula. It was awesome in person, too. We’ll see next week if it’s #3. Glad you stopped by.
The photo underscores the verse, one my dad used to quote often. I have a friend who declares it every morning.
That’s a great cover for your new book. Hopefully, B&N will make it available for Nook preorder soon.
I’m glad I live in a mostly sane neighborhood. I can relate to the kids whose soccer balls often ended up in a neighbor’s yard. Fortunately, they were never confiscated, but we did get a lecture about respecting other’s property. I’m thinking you made up #2 this week. Hard to imagine a person wanting a tree full of soccer balls, and 40 at that! it’d be hard to put that many balls in a tree.
Author
I love my cover, Tim. 😉 Speaking of a tree full of odd things, have you ever seen a shoe tree? Like one on the side of the road with shoes hanging from the limb? Glad you stopped by!
Bottle trees are a thing here (north Idaho). The “tree” is either fabricated or a dead shrub with the branches trimmed up.
Pat, I have not see a shoe tree.
Elizabeth, I’ve not seen bottle trees either. However, here in Tucson we do have a bush called the bottle brush. The blossoms look like a brush you would use to clean bottles. See https://www.trees.com/bottlebrush
Author
Tim, I did a blog post back in 2014 on the shoe tree near me… https://ptbradley.com/inspirational-fiction/sole-tree-update-unusual-things-youll-find-south/
And my neighbor has a bottle tree…I’ll get a photo of that for you.
We have bottle brush here too, love it.
Bottle trees apparently came over from Africa to the southern states initially. Not sure how it got to be so popular here, lol! I was unaware of its history, found it interesting: https://glassbottletrees.com/store/origins.html
Pat, thanks for the info on the shoe tree. The only thing I’ve had thrown into one of my trees was TP which our church youth group thought would make a good wedding gift. Hmm.
Elizabeth, thanks for the link to the bottle tree. That is really neat. I don’t think one would last long in my front yard, but the back is walled in…and I wouldn’t have to worry about dropped seeds like the mesquite tree I used to have.
However, I did find I could get a living bottle tree right here in Tucson: https://www.pipeen.com/bottle-tree-tucson/
Love the picture and the verse! Crosshairs sounds fabulous – looking forward to reading:).
We live in such a sane neighborhood that it’s hard to imagine any of these scenarios. I think I’ll go with #1 because I wouldn’t want to waste my time painting that….
Author
Thanks, Betti. Glad you loved the picture. And I’m glad you live in a sane neighborhood. 😉 Thanks for dropping by.
Another fave scripture! These are all hilarious, and I think all could be true, but I will choose 2.
Author
We’ll see, Jackie. And it’s one of my favorite scripture verses too! Thanks for stopping in.
#1
Author
We’ll see, Patricia! Thanks for commenting.
I hope #2 is false…I think kids would find a way to get up in the tree when the owner wasn’t home… OR, where I live in NE OH, we’ve had some pretty bad windstorms that have blown over trees!
Author
I like the idea of a windstorm blowing the tree down, MS Barb! We’ll see if it’s false next week. So glad you stopped by.
2. Thanks for the chance.
Author
We’ll see, Lynn! Thanks for stopping by.
Wow! Gorgeous picture. Looks like the world is on fire on the other side of the hill. Love the Scripture verse.
I have a problem picturing a tree with 40 soccer balls in it. Maybe badminton birdies, but soccer balls? So much about #2 rings false. The neighbor would have to be wacko to go to the trouble to get all those balls high up in the tree. He either had a powerful throwing arm with a deadly aim, or he loved climbing trees to place them where they wouldn’t fall out. And what kid would not see it as a challenge to go up the tree after the balls? SMH!
Author
We’ll see, Edward. Love your logic as always. So glad you enjoyed the photo. I almost missed getting it and think I took it out the car window. lol Thanks for stopping by!
Beautiful photo and verse. I say #3 is the fake one.
Author
We’ll see, Megan. Glad you enjoyed the photo and verse! Thanks for dropping in.
I think it’s #2 . Yay, you got a new book coming out! I love your book cover, it looks very intriguing . Have a Great week and stay safe.
Author
Thanks, Alicia! It was a relief to get the final edits in Sunday night! And we’ll see if it’s #2 next week.
love the picture and verse! I choose #2 this time!
Author
Thanks, Shelia! And we’ll see next week if it’s #2.
Oh my goodness I would not want ANY of these neighbors living near me! What awful examples of people being nasty & mean.
For some reason #3 sounds like the fake one…..because at least the neighbor DID pay the vet bill, even if it was in pennies. I would think a mean & vengeful neighbor would not pay or do anything & the case would wind up in a small claims court or something. But that’s just my logic anyway, lol!
Beautiful picture and verse to go with it. What a great one to memorize as a kid, and it stuck with you all your life. 🙂 Congrats on turning in another book! I bet that feels really good
Author
It feels really, really good, Trixi! And then my wonderful editor gave me another week to turn in Deception since she wasn’t going to read it over the holiday weekend. I can’t believe that wasn’t on her agenda!
Congrats on the books! I finished Standoff the other day and am now in Obsession. Enjoying the series. 🙂
I’m going with #3 this time!
Author
It always warms my heart when someone enjoys my stories, Elizabeth!!!!
Looking forward to reading Crosshairs. I am going with #2.
Author
Thanks, Gloria! And we’ll see next week if it’s #2.
#3 I don’t think he would want to lose his wheelbarrow!
Author
Hi Joan. Love your logic! We’ll see next week if it works. 😉 Thanks for stopping by.
#1
Author
We’ll see, Caryl! Thanks for stopping by.