...
..
Return to newsletter landing page
The Writer Solves a Mystery Series
Link One to Murder
by Paul R. Lloyd
The brass hinges on my office door were squealing louder than a Longshot Louie who had blown his last deuce on a slow-footed filly at Hialeah when Lieutenant Lawson strutted in, gave Bertie a wink, turned my way and chirped. “Whaddya know, my friend?”
I gave him the what’s up look. “I know if you’re in here, there’s a murder out there that ain’t getting solved.”
“You know I only come here for the entertainment. Ain’t that right, Bertie?” Lawson picked up Bertie’s stapler and began waving it around like an airplane headed for a one-way trip into the Rockies.
“Don’t ask me. I just work here. And my day’s done.” Bertie grabbed the stapler and placed it on her desktop. She turned my way. “See you tomorrow, Boss.” Bertie squealed the hinges on the way out.
“Needs oil.” Lawson picked up the stapler and began making like an airplane again.
“You didn’t come to talk about squeaky hinges, Lawson.”
“Thought you’d be interested in a case I’m working on. Kind of thing a crime writer can sink his teeth into.”
“I’m not a crime writer, Lawson. Companies hire me to write websites, brochures, articles, multimedia scripts – the kind of things that bring in business for them.”
“Whaddya call what you’re writing now?”
“Sure I write fiction, but you can’t make a sawbuck off novels these days and speaking of finances, tell the commissioner I charge for my services – writer and private detective.”
“You solve this one, and I’ll pay your fee.”
“Okay, Lawson, what’ve you got?”
Lawson put the stapler back on Bertie’s desk and started rooting around in his suit pockets. “There’s this murder out at the Grand Lakes Country Club. Somebody clubbed the caddy master and he didn’t replace his divot if you get my meaning.”
“Scalped him?”
“Yeah.”
“Let me see your notes.” I unfolded several scraps of crumbled paper that Lawson handed to me. His notes were cryptic but I could read them.
Suspect 1 – guy in red shirt – plays golf with Max.
Bob was playing golf with the guy in the green shirt (Suspect 2) at the time of the murder.
Frank said he doesn’t trust the guy in the blue shirt (Suspect 3).
The suspect in the green shirt said he saw Frank in the clubhouse earlier today.
I handed the notes back to the Lieutenant. “The three suspects are Frank, Bob and Max, right?”
“Right.”
Your notes don’t tell me which color shirt each guy was wearing.
“I forgot to note that. Was it important?”
“It’s the link that ties everything together, Lawson, but don’t worry. You see, you owe me dinner at the Black Dingus. The murderer is…”
Who done it?
| Hint | Bob | Frank | Max |
Paul is available as a motivational speaker covering marketing communications and general business topics. He also is a workshop leader and speaker on creative writing. Call Paul for your business writing and marketing communications needs.
...
©2006-2009 Zuk-Lloyd
Associates, Inc. All rights reserved.
All copy, art, photographs, jpegs, gifs, logos, design and animation
are property of Zuk-Lloyd Associates, Inc.
Web site designed by Lynn Zuk-Lloyd.