Investigation
I am celebrating! I just hit 20,000 words in my new book I am tentatively naming Nachez Standoff. That is almost a quarter done. 🙂 It usually takes me this many words to figure out my characters, and this morning I sat down and wrote out their goals, motivation, and conflict. I.AM.EXCITED because writing the first draft is like pulling teeth for me. 😉
Here’s a little of what I’ve learned about my characters: Luke is an undercover narcotics agent who is on medical leave, but trouble seems to find him anyway, and Brooke is part of that trouble. She’s trying to find out who murdered her father…and Luke knows, but he’s not telling because he has no proof. And that’s where I am right now.
Now for last week’s Mystery Question: The year is 1922. A man is shot to death and his wife is found screaming in a closet deadbolted from the outside. Did the wife kill him or was it something else? This week is a little different in that I made up 3 of the answers. Only one is correct. Which one?
- She hired the pool boy to kill her husband and lock her in the closet, promising him they would marry and live off the late husband’s wealth.
- The husband was killed in a burglary gone wrong and the burglars locked the woman in the closet
- Her lover, who had been living in the couple’s attic undetected by the husband for the past ten years, killed him and locked the wife in the closet.
- The wife shot the husband, but he didn’t die and got the upper hand, locking her in the closet until the police arrived. Unfortunately, he succumbed to his wounds before the police arrived, and the wife got away with his murder until she confessed to a friend years later.
You are not going to believe this one! The answer is…#3! Can you believe the husband didn’t know a man was living in their attic! You can read the rest of the story here.
Congrats to all those who guess correctly!
Now for this week’s Mystery Question: A man was a suspect in a string of burglaries. A policeman pulled him over and he fled the scene. They arrested him a few hours later. How did they catch him?
- He accidentally locked himself in an old vacant church’s boiler room and had to call 911 to be rescued.
- He climbed up the fire escape of a nearby building, had a panic attack when he couldn’t get inside and the fire department had to rescue him.
- He stole another car and was pulled over after he ran a stop sign. He was stupid enough to give the officer permission to search his car… where the officer found several items that had been reported stolen. About that time the officer received an alert about the stolen car…
- He turned himself in, hoping for a reduced sentence.
Okay, Mystery Sleuths, what is the correct answer? Leave your answer in the comments and I’ll enter you in a drawing for a book from my library!
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Can you guess the correct answer to my Mystery Question? Leave a comment and I’ll enter you in a drawing for a book from my library! #bookgiveaway
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When I wrote this post, I didn’t realize it would post on 9-11, so I’ve returned to add a postscript. September 11, 2001, forever changed America and it is only right that we remember those who died that day.
Each year I stop long enough to watch a roll call of those men and women. This Sunday, the world’s largest wind chimes will ring out at the site of the Flight 93 crash in western Pennsylvania. The chimes are the first sound-making monuments I’ve ever seen, and one day I hope to visit the site to hear the chimes. Here’s a link to an article about the site.
Let’s take a minute to remember all who lost their lives that day, and those responders who were never the same after they ran into those burning buildings.
Comments 43
Crazy about the lover in the attic!
Today I choose number 4 because that’d be kinda nice of the crook, in a way.
Remembering all the 9/11 responders.
Author
I know, Priscilla! I couldn’t believe it when I read it. Thanks for stopping by and we’ll see next week if he turned himself in.
Another tricky mystery. I choose #1 for no particular reason.
Author
Hi Christine! So glad you think it’s tricky. 😉 And we’ll see next week if he went to church. Thanks for stopping by.
I choose #3, because it is so crazy that it’s probably true! 😉
Author
Yeah, it is crazy, isn’t it, Jennie! We’ll see if he was that dumb next week. Thanks for dropping by.
I’ll choose #1. It just sounds right.
Author
Hi Paula! That’s two votes for #1! We’ll see if you got it right next week. Thanks for stopping by.
#3 sounds like a good answer to me.
Author
We’ll see, Donna, we’ll see. Thanks for stopping by.
I choose #2 – just a guess!
I always remember and pray for those who lost their lives on 9/11. I also pray for those who responded to the tragedy both that day and afterwards. It changed both my son and my entire family’s lives. He, as a NJ National Guard member, became part of the rescue and cleanup effort at Ground Zero at 19 years old. When he returned from that, he spent three days in his room without coming out. He then went on to serve in Iraq several years later, and returned with even more severe PTSD. He has struggled with it his entire life since then, and has been in and out of treatment. 9/11 changed the lives of many more people than those who died on that day. There are thousands of men and women with both physical and emotional wounds that resulted from that fateful day. We need to pray for them all.
Author
Oh, Linda. I am so sorry about your son’s PTSD. It is certainly understandable with all he’s been through. Keeping him and others in my prayers.
Congrats on your progress with your new book! Can’t wait to read it! Think I will go with #1…..I worked in Church Admin. and know that is possible! LOL
Author
Lol Jackie…are you speaking from experience? Thanks for stopping by.
Good grief, I can hardly believe last week’s true answer. Truth IS stranger than fiction–and remarkably, they all got away with it. As for this week’s, my brain says you wouldn’t choose #3 two weeks running, but that’s the premise that seems most probable to me, so… Yes, I realize “probable” has very little to do with real life cases. Congrats on passing 20,000 great words!
Author
Thank you, Delores! Would you believe I’m rewriting them today???? lol *sigh* Thanks for stopping by and we’ll see next week if the correct answer is #3.
3
Author
Thanks for stopping by, Suzanne…we’ll see if you are correct next week. 😉
Number 1 just seems about right…lol.
Author
It does, doesn’t it Betti. We’ll see next week. Thanks for stopping by.
My choice is #1. We live next-door to an early learning center and typically notice their flag when we go out. We were heading to the library this morning and the flag was at half mast. I commented about it to my wife and noticed the flags at the cemetery on the next hill over were all the way up. Arriving at the library, I noticed theirs was at the top. The date had not crossed my mind. I looked on the internet and immediately found that the one next door was following the president’s order in memory of 9/11. I commented about the flag to a librarian and noticed when we left that the flag had been lowered to half mast.
Author
Edward, I’m so glad we continue to remember the fallen on that day. And so many suffered even later. I think cancer has been big in the group of people first responders…thanks for stopping by!
I am going with #1. I can’t believe last week’s answer. So strange! Congrats on your hard work and am looking forward to your new series.
Author
Neither could I, Gloria! Can you believe the husband could be so blind?? Thanks for stopping by.
#2
Author
We’ll see, Mindy…I think you’re the first to choose #2. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by.
#3 because thieves aren’t the best at understanding cause and effect.
Author
Ain’t that the truth, Joni! Thanks for stopping by.
I choose #3. No particular reason.
Author
That’s as good a reason as any, Mary Anna! Thanks for stopping by.
#1–because I used to attend church in an older building w/ a boiler–it was expensive to maintain, and not my then pastor’s 1st choice of how to heat the building! (Maybe there was a sign in the boiler room that said, “Be sure your sins will find you out!”
Author
Love it, MS Barb! That is too funny. We’ll see next week if it’s true as well! Thanks for stopping by.
Congratulations on your milestone! Your characters sound intriguing.
I am so glad the lover in the attic was a true story…I really wanted to know that story! LOL
I am going to guess #1 this week simply because old and boiler room just sounds like a recipe for disaster!
Author
Glad to oblige, Diane! Number 1 seems to be popular this week. I’m glad you think my characters are intriguing…now if they’ll just keep talking to me. lol Thanks for stopping by.
#4 just because it sounds dumb but they all do!.
I want to say #4 just because it’s the craziest answer, what thief would turn himself in…lol! But his deduction was he’d get a reduced sentence so I can see where that may be logical to him 🙂
I can’t believe the lover in the attic story either! My goodness…lol!I guess my curiousity would be why did he lock the wife in the closet? Maybe to make it look like robbery? Guess that would be the logical answer 😉
Thanks Patricia, these are always fun. I’m glad you’re having fun with your manuscript…keep on keeping on!
Author
Love your logic, Trixi! I think to make it look like a robbery was their thoughts. lol. Now back to work for me! Thanks for stopping by!
Congrats on reaching 20,000 words! I’m guessing #1.
Author
Thanks, Caryl! And we’ll see if it’s #1 next week. Thanks for stopping by!
#4
Author
We’ll see, Jeanna! Thanks for stopping by!
I choose #1 because hopefully he repented while at church.
Author
I love it, Lucy! Maybe he did. Thanks for dropping by and commenting!