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Are You A Sleuth is this week’s Mystery Question. I hope you like the switch from guessing the one correct answer from the ones I made up!
But first the photo. One morning I had to be at physical therapy by 7:15 (where there’s a Sheepdoodle who almost scared the stew out of me when he thought it was too early for anyone to be there. lol)) Anyhooo, the sun was just coming over the horizon when I parked and grabbed my phone. Next time I go that early, I’ll have the ‘good’ camera with me. But I still got a great shot of the sunrise.
Then Sunday, our interim pastor preached on Isaiah 55:6-7 and for some reason, I thought of this photo. It’s actually a paraphrase Barbara Diggs sent me. 🙂 and I loved it. I hope you enjoy the photo although it’s not a beautiful mountain or anything like that–just an ordinary setting for an ordinary day.
Now for the answer to last week’s Mystery Question: A thief decided to help himself to some items in the trunk of someone else’s car. Unfortunately, he was caught. Which scenario do you believe happened? Again one is true and I made up the other three.
- He tried to sell the goods on the street and the owner of the car was his second customer who called the police.
- While he was rummaging around in the trunk, it slammed down, locking him in. When he was heard yelling and banging, the police were called and he was arrested.
- He broke into an unmarked police car, setting off the alarm, and the detective rushed out of the house and arrested him.
- Once again, one of those stupid Facebook deals–he posted photos of his new acquisitions to a one-upmanship contest. Unfortunately, the police ran the contest, and they recognized the items as reported stolen.
And the answer is…#2~congrats to all who guess correctly!
Now for this week’s Mystery Question–Are You A Sleuth?
Around eleven o’clock, a fire starts in a house. A mother tries desperately to get her three children out of the house. But smoke and flames keep the mother from rescuing the 10-day old baby on the second floor. The official cause of the fire was listed as an overheated extension cord attached to a space heater. Investigators have determined that the baby died in the fire.
Six years later there is a neighborhood birthday party. Which of the following is true:
1. A woman attending the birthday party thought that a girl at the party bore a resemblance to the missing baby’s sisters. It was partly because of the dimple in her cheek. She contacted the mother. DNA tests confirm the girl was the missing baby. The so-called mother of the girl at the party had kidnapped the baby and set the fire as a cover.
2. The mother of the missing baby attended the party with her older daughter. Mostly because the birthday girl was the same age as the mother’s missing baby. They left early, and when the mom went to the closet to get their coats, she dropped hers and accidentally pulled the top off a box. Inside the box, she discovered her baby’s stuffed bear and newspaper clippings of the fire. An investigation followed and DNA proved the birthday girl was her missing baby.
Two good ones…or is it possibly 3 or 4?
3. The arsonist is uncovered when the mother is looking at a photo album with pictures of the baby on the anniversary of the fire. She noticed a neighbor in the photo who had moved into another part of the neighborhood after the fire. The woman was lurking near the front door holding a bag . At the party, the mother saw the woman in the photo. She’d never accepted that her daughter died and contacted the police to investigate the ex-neighbor who just happened to have a little girl the same age the baby would have been. DNA tests revealed her daughter was indeed the baby everyone thought had died.
4. At the party, the mother’s eight-year-old (who would’ve been two at the time of the fire) told her mother she had a new friend and she was going to be her sister. When the mother saw the new friend, she knew in her heart this was her child. she felt it so strongly, she called the police to investigate. When the woman couldn’t produce a birth certificate, a DNA test was ordered and the new friend did indeed turn out to be the eight-year-old girl’s sister.
Okay, Super Sleuths, your work is cut out for you. Which one is the true story? Leave your answer in the comments and I’ll enter you in a February drawing for a book from my library. And since it is February, the choices might have a little romance in them…
January’s winner is… Lynn Brown!
Are you a Sleuth? This week's Mystery Question is a tough one. Can you solve it? Leave your answer in the comments and I'll enter you in a February Drawing for a book from my library! Share on X
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Comments 41
#4
Author
We’ll see, Mary. Thanks for stopping by.
First, I had to make myself ok with the fact that the story didn’t say the baby was missing from the fire. It said baby died in fire. I had to accept that they must not have found a body. why else would the mom ever look for or consider the baby could be alive somewhere. Once I worked that out, I decided #3.
Author
Andrea, that part of the story I lifted from the article…and I love your logic. We’ll see next week!
For last week, I believe you but the answer is still incredible 🙂 For this week, I’d go with #1 except I can’t picture the “mother” cooperating. It’s hard to choose but I’ll go with #3 and the “mother” who’d lingered in the neighborhood, had a child the same age, etc.
Author
Love your logic as well, Delores! We’ll see. It is hard to believe some of the stories about criminals, isn’t it!
Author
And since you weren’t sure what a Sheepdoodle was, here’s a photo.
Oh good! I wondered what that was as well?
Author
I don’t think you were the only one. 🙂
“…just an ordinary setting for an ordinary day.” And most of our days are just that. So appropriate, and the perfect verse to match.
Tough one to puzzle out. I am going with #1. The resemblance to the mother’s other daughters seemed a good reason to suspect the birthday girl was hers, and that she was the same age as the baby she thought she lost in the fire plus the dimple in her cheek. Wow. What a story no matter which one is true.
Author
It is an incredible story, Tim. I’ll put a link to the article next week. Yes, most of our days are ordinary. 🙂 Thanks for dropping in.
Mercy, these were challenging! After my seventh read through, I decided to go with #4.
For #1 Would “a woman” be thinking about the fire eight years later.
#2 Would “the woman” who took the baby leave that evidence so readily available in the closet?
#3 If the mother was looking at pictures of her baby on the anniversary of the fire, why would the woman with the bag be in the baby photos? Now if the mother was looking at crime scene photos, then the woman with the bag might be in the pictures?
#4 The fact that her daughter said this new friend was going to be her sister was a red flag to me. The mother having the strong feeling inside that this was her daughter made me want to investigate further.
You sure challenged my brain this morning. It will be hard waiting a full week to get the answers!
When I saw the sunrise photo, my heart leapt into singing, “Morning Has Broken….”
Author
I love that song, Barbara! Now I have to go find it on Youtube and listen to it. I love the way you puzzle out the answer…we’ll see if you’re correct next week…
Here’s a link to Morning has Broken: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JI5ezln1nE
And thanks Barbara for the photo of the Sheepdoodle. 🙂
Oh, I love that song! Thanks for the mention Barbara, and for the link, Pat. I didn’t recognize Órla Fallon’s name until I saw her. I remember her well from the Celtic Woman group. Love their singing.
What a lovely version of Morning Has Broken! Of course, we all,probably sang along from our houses.
I’m so glad it was okay to puzzle out, the soon to know, answer. I wondered if it was okay to do that, but I couldn’t help myself. The challenge called my name. Have to wait until next week to know the answer. Sigh!
I think I want a Sheepdoodle now! That is some dog!
Great picture! Wish we could see those sunrises more often. But, on the other hand, it would mean I have to get up earlier. LOL! Good verse.
I have chosen #4. Stands to reason that a young girl would somehow know her own sister even though it had been six years and the sister was only ten-days-old at the time. Children are sharp.
Author
Love your logic, Edward. And you don’t know what you’re missing each morning. 🙂 We’ll see next week if it’s #4!
Oh goodness, how does one choose the correct answer? These all are a great possibility as to what happened! I’ll go with the popular #4 this week because I think siblings have a strong connection to each other as well as parents to their children . Think “Parent Trap”, which I just watched this last week with my granddaughter or the Biblical story of the two women claiming the same baby 🙂
Author
Great answer, Trixi. We’ll see if the popular #4 is the answer next week along with a link to the article about the missing baby. Glad you stopped by.
My guess is for numero uno! I also loved the photo with the verse. I don’t think sunrises are ordinary – God paints them every morning!
Author
You’re right, Joy. I love sunrise and sunsets! And rainbows.
I’m going with #1
Author
We’ll see, Gail. Glad you stopped by.
Isn’t finding beauty in the ordinary what makes the “ordinary” become “extraordinary”? Love the photo and verse!
Boy, these scenarios are tough! I’m going to choose #1.
Author
Yes to your comment about ordinary becoming extraordinary, Leigh! I’m glad you found them tough…we’ll see what the correct answer is next week.
Beautiful photo. I guess I’ll go with #1.
Author
Hi Diana! Thank you. We’ll see next week if it’s #1.
I saw i was a January winner. Thanks so much. I pick 1 this time.
Author
I just remembered I was supposed to email you, Lynn! I’ll get right on it with a selection of books. 🙂 We’ll see if it’s #1 next week.
Tough one. I go between 1, 3, and 4. I am going with #1.
Author
I’m so glad you thought they were tough, Gloria. We’ll see next week!
This is a tough one! I’m going to go with #1.
Author
Megan, I’m always glad when I either make everyone laugh or study over the questions. 😉
#3
4
#1
Author
We’ll see, Caryl. Thanks for stopping by!
I’ll go with the ever popular #4.
Author
We’ll see, Paula! Thanks for dropping by on this cold, snowy day!
I’ll go with #3 this time
Author
We’ll see, Shelia! 😉