I am HaPpY DaNcInG!! Just turned in the edits to Justice Delivered, the fourth book in the Memphis Cold Case series! Such a satisfying feeling!! 🙂
I can’t wait for you to read Justice Delivered! Unfortunately, it will be next year…BUT…June 5th, Justice Betrayed releases!!
Now for last week’s Mystery Question. It was very interesting.
A man went on a business trip. He and his wife usually spoke every morning, and when he didn’t call and didn’t answer his phone, the wife contacted his co-workers. Two of them drove to the hotel where the man was staying and knocked on his door.
There was no answer, so they got the hotel manager to open it where they found the man dead on the rug, prone and doubled over, a spent cigarette cupped delicately between two stiff fingers of his left hand. Room 348 was stuffy and exceptionally warm. When questioned, the wife said he always kept the air conditioning turned down low. At the autopsy, the coroner discovered a surprising amount of blood and extensive internal damage. Partly digested food had been torn from his intestines. He ruled his death was a homicide due to blunt force trauma and that the man had been kicked and beaten.
The detective in the case interviewed the wife, family, friends, and the electricians in the room next to him who had been drinking. When the detective discovered that before his death, the man had inadvertently blown a fuse, interrupting electrical service to the two rooms. The detective wondered if the burly construction workers had confronted the man and beaten him to death, but there were too many witnesses who stated there’d been no fight. There were many puzzles to the case–the man was right-handed, so why was the cigarette in his left hand? There was no trace evidence of anyone other than the employee who came to fix the electrical shortage. The employee was a registered sex offender.
Below are four clues, three of them true. Can you figure out the false one?
- Video cameras showed the electricians had made several trips back and forth to their vehicles.
- A small hole had been patched in the electricians’ room with toothpaste.
- The crew foreman had heard something about a gun going off in a boardinghouse.
- The detective focused on the maintenance man after he was arrested a few days later for carrying a gun, prohibited since he was a sex offender.
And the answer is…#4. This murder was highlighted on ABC’s 20-20 in 2013. You can read about it here. Be warned there is strong language. For a milder version check out here and for what happened to the man who shot him here.
The abbreviated version is one of the electricians was drunk and discharged his gun. The bullet went through the wall and hit the victim. All the damage was done by the bullet. The man tried to cover it up by putting toothpaste in the hole. He never came forward after he discovered the man had died. And lied about having a gun. If he’d come forward when it first happened, he would not have served jail time.
Now for this week’s Mystery Question. I’ve found blotter reports from a police department near me. Three of them are true, one I made up. Which report is the false one?
- A man reported he has been using his cousin’s 2008 Altima for the last six months. The cousin is now refusing to give the man the keys to the car.
- A woman reported her sister stole her TV and put it in the garbage. The two had an ongoing feud.
- A woman on CR 1310 said her female neighbor came into her yard around 3:30 p.m. yelling and cursing because she was mad at her husband. The woman said it happens a lot.
- An intoxicated man stood at a crosswalk and kept pushing the “walk” button for over an hour.
I made one of these up. Which one? Leave your comment and I’ll enter you in a drawing for Justice Betrayed at the end of the month.
[tweet_box design=”default” float=”none”]Blotter reports…one is false. Can you guess which one? Leave a comment to be entered in a drawing for Justice Betrayed by Patricia Bradley #bookgiveaway[/tweet_box]
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Comments 47
They should all be false! 🙂 I’m going to go with #2.
Author
I know, Rosalyn! And just think…these people live in my backyard. lol
I’m going on #3. Just a hunch. People….get a life!
Author
Agreed, Paula! And Happy Birthday!!
I’m going with #2 is false. But I second what Paula said, people need to get a life. 😀
Author
Victoria, I agree with you and Paula. You probably have a few of these people living around you, too. lol
The sad thing is I can believe all of these!! I am going to go with #2 in eternal optimism that sisters would not stoop to this level.
I imagine it is a great feeling to get the edits done. I am looking forward to reading Justice Betrayed!
Author
Thank you, Diane! And yes it is an incredible feeling! And today, I dive into the first Natchez Park Ranger mystery. I hope you enjoy Justice Betrayed.
Author
I know, Diane! We’ll see if your eternal optimism stays in place. 🙂
I will go with # 3, also. I can believe all of them though!
I’m going with # 3. All all believable, though.
Author
It’s scary how normal these seem nowadays. 😉 Thanks for stopping by.
#4
Author
We’ll see, Lisa. Thanks for dropping by and commenting.
I’ll go with three. Sad that people act this way.
Author
Lucy, it’s sad that three of these are true. :-/ Thanks for dropping by.
These are all crazy and believable, but I’ll go w/ #2, partly because I can’t picture the sister hefting the TV into the garbage and getting it to fit. I do love these.
Author
Could’ve been a flat screen, Delores. lol But I hate to think of sisters acting this way. Thanks for stopping by.
I’m going to guess #1 since that’s not something you report to the police. The other three represent situations that interfere with someone else’s rights. Having someone lend you a car is not a right. I just noticed that #4 is not interfering with someone’s rights, but it does represent a potential danger to the man himself or to others
Author
Great deductions, Suzanne! We’ll see if they are right next week. Thanks so much for stopping by.
Hmm..sadly all of these sound believable. I’m guessing #1. Have a wonderful day!
Author
It is sad, isn’t it Beth! Thanks for stopping by and I’m having a great day.
I am going to say that #4 is false.
Author
We’ll see, Gloria. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment!
#1 is false! if he had drove it for 6 months he didn’t need the key!
Author
That sounds reasonable, Shelia…but sometimes these crimes are reasonable. lol We’ll see next week! Thanks for stopping by.
#1–if the person had been driving the car for 6 months how did the cousin get the keys back in order to “refuse” to give the cousin back the keys?
Author
Good question, MS Barb! We’ll see next week if that the answer I made up.
Internet does not like this rain….quickly I’ll say 3!
Author
The internet has been terrible the last few days around here, Jackie. We’ll see next week if it’s #3. Thanks for stopping by!
I’ll go with #4 assuming the police wouldn’t let him do that for an hour.
Author
We’ll see, Nicki. Thanks for stopping by my blog!
I’m thinking number 1 is the made up blotter report. That said they all sound true especially in light of what my neighbors have done over the years.
Author
You have neighbors like me, Meagan? wow. Thanks for stopping by!
The one I think is false is #1. It’s not a crime like the others.
Author
We’ll see, Martha. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment!
I’m going with #1.
Author
Edward, you’re not going to give me a reason??? 🙂 Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment.
Pat, I just took a wild guess this time. I stayed up too late reading last night and was already behind when I opened your email. I didn’t spend a lot of time trying to sort them out today. It seems the more effort I put into figuring them out, the less likely I am to choose the correct one. 🙂
Author
I’d like to know what you were reading, Edward…Thanks for taking time to drop by and tell me you picked #1. We’ll see Tuesday.!
First -YAY for edits! 🙂 Can’t wait to read it! Second – I think (maybe) that #4 is made up. Maybe. But they all sound sadly legit to me lol!
Author
Hi Carrie and welcome to my blog! Yes it’s sad that any of them could be true. And we’ll se next week if you’re right.
Yay! Congrats on finishing the edits! I hope you’re having a nice big party for yourself. I’m guessing #2 is false, but it’s a hard call! 🙂
Yes, probably! There’s not a whole lot going down in my town but idk if you heard of the Shawn Grates serial killer before? Yep, that’s where I live lol.
Author
Oh, my goodness, Victoria! I had no idea when I commented. 😐 I googled Shawn Grates and shivers went down my back. Glad he was caught. Thanks for letting me know.
I’m going with #4 this week. I can see it happening but for an hour straight? I think the drunk might have passed out before that 🙂
Congrats on getting your edits in Patricia! Maybe you can have a little breathing room now 🙂
Author
We’ll see, Trixi! I’m enjoying the few minutes I have before jumping into the first Natchez Park Ranger book! Thanks for stopping by.