Stories You Won’t Believe is the Mystery Question for this week. I even had a hard time believing them myself. 🙂 And it’s late. First, it publishes too soon…looks like it’s going to be Monday all day. lol
But first the photo and verse. This is one of my favorite photos of my visit to the Seattle Japanese Garden in Seattle, Washington. It was such a restful and peaceful place that I could have stayed there all day. I was in Seattle to attend a writers’ conference at Seattle Pacific University and stayed in a B&B about two miles from the university. I thought about walking to the conference each day…until I saw the hills between the B&B and the university. Finding this photo brought back sweet memories of my visit to the Pacific Northwest.
Now for last week’s Mystery Question–Really Dumb Criminals. These are true stories…except for one that I made up. Did you guess which one?
- Police arrested an armed robber after he boasted on Facebook about his plans to raid a supermarket in a post that included a selfie, a picture of a knife, and the words: “Doing. Tesco. Over.” (Tesco was the name of the store)
- After robbing a bank in Arkansas, the suspect fled the state, and the police there had written the crime off as unsolvable until an FBI agent called them. Seems the bank robber supplied his fingerprints when he applied for a job with the LA police department in California.
- Two men stopped off at an Internet café and sat down to use the computers. After surfing the web, the two pulled guns and robbed the place, and then sped off on a motorcycle. Would’ve been the perfect crime except one of them failed to log out of his FB account that listed his name and address.
- An alleged bank robber was arrested after she posted a video on YouTube claiming to have stolen more than $6,000 at gunpoint. In the video, the nineteen-year-old fanned herself with part of the loot. Did she not know police routinely scan social media for crooks dumb enough to brag about their illegal activities?
And the answer is…#2. Congrats to Tim and Edward and a couple of others who guessed correctly. I honestly have trouble believing some of these stories, but when I check them out, there they are in several different articles!
Now for this week’s Mystery Question–Really Dumb Criminals. These are true stories…except for one that I made up. Can you guess which one?
- A young woman with a 7th grade education stole identities from hospital patients where she worked and collected millions. She probably would have gotten away with it if she hadn’t boasted on social media that the FBI couldn’t catch her.
- There was a group of tax evaders who kept a notebook with “SECRET” written on it. The book contained the names and amounts of clients who paid cash under the table for services. The FBI raided their offices and low and behold, what did they find? The book that should have been kept under lock and key was in plain view.
- Then there was the tale of a woman who was missing for over a year but no one was concerned. When it’s discovered who the murderer is…the town rallied around the culprit, with one person saying, “I don’t care if Mrs. XX was the richest lady in town. She was so mean that even if he did kill her, you won’t be able to find anyone in town who’s going to convict him for murder.”
- Or how about the accountant who absconded with a million dollars of his company’s money? He made it all the way to Argentina before posting a selfie of himself on social media. Yep. He forgot to turn off location services.
Okay, Super Sleuths, which one did I make up? Leave your answers in the comments and I’ll enter you in an August drawing for a book from my library!
After being forced to kill an FBI agent gone rogue in self-defense while working in the violent crimes unit for the Investigative Services Branch, ranger Madison Thorn is comfortable with her move to the fraud and cyber division. At least numbers don’t lie. So she’s less than thrilled when a white-collar crime investigation in Natchez, Mississippi, turns violent. She could also do without being forced to work with former-childhood-enemy-turned-infuriatingly-handsome park ranger Clayton Bradshaw.
USA Today bestselling and award-winning author Patricia Bradley closes out her popular Natchez Trace Park Rangers series with this complex story of family secrets, mixed motives, and learning to trust.
Comments 41
These were hysterical, especially #3 ! So, that’s my choice, I guess you could call this “town support.” Sorry but no photo or verse showed up. It also didn’t come to my email. I resubscribed, but still nothing. Boo Hoo!
Author
The photo should be up now, Barbara. 🙂 As for it not showing up in your email, try adding me to your address book. That might help. And I’m so glad you thought they were hysterical. We’ll see next week if it’s #3.
I’ll guess #4 is made up.
Author
We’ll see, Megan. 🙂
Okay, I put in the newest contact. I’m so glad I got to see the photo! Totally worth waiting for and it took my breath along with a big WOW! Scripture fits perfectly as well. Thanks 🙂
Author
I don’t think the notification went out, Barbara. We’ll see Friday. 😉 And I love that photo. It looks so peaceful.
The Pacific NW is beautiful and your photo shows its peaceful, too. We enjoy the peace of the Lord.
Your tales today are tough ones to figure out which you made up. I’m thinking #1 because it’s hard for me to think a person today might only have a 7th grade education, and then to get a job at a hospital where she would have access to patient identity information she could exploit.
I also did not get an e-mail notification that your blog post for today was published. I have a filter that automatically moves your mail into my “New Books” folder where I collect e-mails from my favorite authors. Nothing showed up there or anywhere else today. (Though I did get the early Monday note that was sent in error.)
Author
The early notice is probably what messed everything up, Tim. I have no idea why it published rather than scheduled. Hope it doesn’t happen again! And I love that park in Seattle. And we’ll see if it’s #1 next week!
Hey, I’ve been to Seward Gardens. It’s a beautiful place. I think you made up number 2 because people don’t write in notebooks much anymore. Everything is typed into something. (Haha, I say that, and I have a notebook about 5 inches away from this keyboard!)
Author
Vera, love your contradiction! lol. We’ll see next week if it’s #2. And yes, Seward Gardens is amazing.
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Beautiful photo and scripture, Pat!
#4
Author
Thank you, Caryl. We’ll see if it’s #4 next week!
I am going to guess number 3
Author
Hi Janet. We’ll see next week if it’s #3.
#1
Author
Hi Patricia! We’ll see if it’s #1 next week.
I am going with #2 again this week. All funny and hard to believe.
Author
Thanks, Gloria! We’ll see next week.
That is a very peaceful looking setting. The verse fits it so well. I’d love to have a place like that nearby so I could just go whenever I needed to get away from all the hustle and bustle.
I’m glad Tim and I agreed last week on the right choice. However, this week I don’t agree with him. I chose #3. I am either misinterpreting, reading incorrectly, or just blind. I don’t see a dumb criminal in that one. I see a group of unconcerned townspeople, and one in particular that apparently thinks meanness is grounds for murder. Something is wrong with that picture. You could almost say the murderer in this case was smart enough to murder someone that no one liked, which apparently would give him a pass in that town. Maybe the dumb part is that he didn’t realize the court could move the trial to another city where there would be people who did not know the victim and would therefore see the situation for what it was: murder.
Author
Love your logic as always, Edward! We’ll see next week whether you or Tim are correct or are both wrong…lol And I loved Seward Park. It was so peacefull and pretty.
I’ll go with #3 this time. We look forward to these. I wonder what pranks they try to pull in jail?
Author
Hi Delores. We’ll see next week if it’s #3. Jail Pranks? That’s an interesting thought…I’ll have to research that. 😉
4
Author
We’ll see, BN!
I’m guessing #1 this time. Lovely picture and verse as always.
Author
Thanks, Paula! We’ll see next week if it’s #1.
I’m guessing #1 this time. I would think you would have to have more than a 7th grade education in order to work at a hospital… Love all the scenarios you find, plus the ones you make it!
Author
Good thinking, L. Murphy! We’ll see if that’s the case next week…
Hm…maybe #1?
Author
Love your decisiveness, Natalya. 🙂 We’ll see next week.
3
Author
We’ll see, Judy!
#2 for sure
Author
Love that you are certain, Mary…time will tell…Good to see you!
I love the picture!! My answer for this week is #4. The convoluted reasoning is that it’s the most believable! 😉
Author
Love your logic, Diane. 🙂 We’ll see next week. And I’m glad you liked the photo!
I agree with Tim. I used to work in a hospital and can’t imagine a hospital hiring someone with only a 7th grade education.
Author
Hi Gail! Great logic…we’ll see next week if it’s #1.
I’ll stick with #1 for this week again. They all sound believable though 🙂
I still need to put Seward Garden on my must-see wish list for a trip with my husband. It looks amazing!
Author
Seward Garden is beautiful, Trixi. You’ll be glad you did! And we’ll see next week if it’s #1.