The simple puzzle of the exotic phantom

victim:   Edward Lundstrom, blunt force trauma

Suspects:  Niles Lundstrom
                 Amelia Martinez
                 Olaf   Do
                 Esther Benedict
                 Nevile Akers

Killer:        When times get tough the tough go killing.....



It was an easy case, but down to two.  It gets hard when no one will talk to you. Took a guess and ............

As Albert Einstein said: "Know the rules and learn how to play better."

CONCLUSION- Judas Kiss

         It's 5:30 in the morning. I have been sleeping in my son's room for the last three weeks, watching and waiting for it. He awoke suddenly and starting to cry ;
        "Mommy! Mommy! Where are you? Don't leave mommy!" Owen crying out in the darkness pleaded.
I awoke suddenly, and feared the worst.
       "Owen, Owen, honey; mommy's right here, I'm here honey. I am not going anywhere. I am right beside you!" I comfortingly reassured my five year old child.
       I grabbed him and wrapped my arms around him and took him in my lap and started to rock him. His oceanic blue eyes now clouded and sparse, as if no one was there, like Owen was not there. I rocked him for hours, he fell asleep on and off. The sun began to rise and peek through his bedroom window. He woke up and looked into my eyes.
        "Mommy, what is heaven like? Are Auntie Jo-Jo and Gram and Pop-pop and Melanie and Daddy there? Are they waiting for me?" He looked at me with all seriousness and hope in his eyes.
       "Owen my love, they are all there." I looked down at my son, with tears streaming like waterfalls down my hot cheeks. "I know that heaven will be the most beautiful place that you have ever seen. Do you remember went we went to Hawai'i last year for your fourth birthday? Heaven is like that. Melanie will be there wagging her tail and licking your face to pieces!" I said trying to be brave for my son.
         He and I sat there for hours crying and talking and laughing. I made him his favorite sandwich, grilled cheese, for lunch. I could see him wasting away from the cancer and the chemotherapy that he was diagnosed with last year. He has suffered much in his little life. We were in the middle of watching Disney's Brave, when he asked me to lower the volume and rock him while he took a nap. I did as he asked because I knew his strength was leaving him fast. After the movie finished, he looked up and me, and almost in a whisper spoke to me.
         "Mommy, Daddy is here. So is Auntie Jo-Jo, Gram and Pop-pop." Owen said as he struggled to point to the corner of the room where there was nothing except a big teddy bear. Tears were now pouring out of my eyes.
         "What are they saying to you Owen? How are they doing? Can you tell Daddy I love him and to make sure he takes care of you until Mommy comes to heaven too? I tried to sniffle my tears and be brave for Owen.
         "Daddy says he loves you mommy and misses you everyday. Pop-pop says he watches you while you sleep and takes care of you. Daddy told me that I can visit you everyday if I want, but he wants me to tell you that he has come to take me now. " He turned away from the corner and looked at me with tears in his eyes. "Mommy, Daddy says I have to give you one last kiss. He wants me to kiss you and let you know not to cry for me, that I won't be in anymore pain and I won't be sick anymore, like he was before he left. So mommy, I feel brave now. Can I kiss you?" Owen asked as he tried to wipe away his tears.
         I looked at him. No words would come from my lips. They had fallen silent. My brain was screaming not to kiss him and let him go, my heart ached to let him free of his pain. I was torn, I want to keep my son always and forever, but in my heart as a mother, I knew . I knew there was no way he could stay. I made a choice that I would regret until the day I die. I felt like I betrayed myself, and my son. But I had to be brave too.
          "Owen honey, mommy loves you very much. No matter what happens. Let me give you one last kiss and hug." My heart stopped beating and sank to my toes. Owen turned around slowly towards me. He kissed me one last time on the lips and cheek. Then gave me the biggest bear hug he could afford to give. Slowly and slowly, I could feel his grip loosening. Until he fell limp into my arms. He was gone. I hugged the lifeless body in my arms and looked out the window to the setting sun. A white dove flew onto the window and sat there until the sunset. I knew the dove was Owen sitting with me. Another whit dove flew up sat a few seconds and left. I knew that was my Danny taking his son home. I placed my baby on his bed under the covers, walked over to the window where the sun was setting and watched the doves fly off until they were specks in the sky.
              In a low whisper, I said, "Happy fifth birthday Owen!" And then I closed the curtains.




                                                                    THE   END.
     

EVIDENCE

        She reached up through the mud, as the rain came pouring down on her, soaking her to the bone. I can just about reach it, almost there. I can just touch it with my fingertips. This will never do I have to get it before it's ruined! She was only inches away from being rescued, but first she had to make contact with the rope.
       "Detective? Can you reach the rope? Do we need to lower it more? Are you still down there?" Firefighter Chief Bronson asked.
       That's a stupid question, I'm stuck at the bottom of a thirty foot deep well; where does he expect me to go?
       "Yeah, I'm still down here Dick! Get me out!" the Detective replied almost shivering from the cold damp rain. "Don't forget to send forensics when I get up, I found what I came down here for!"
        "All right then, we will have you up in a jiffy!"Chief Bronson replied, rather preoccupied.
         She patted her vest pocket to make sure the item that she jumped in the mud to get was still there. It was, it hadn't moved since she put it there.
 After what seemed like hours went by, the fire chief dropped the rope more and she was able to use it and walk up the side of the well. She reached the top and there was a crowd of firefighters, police, detectives, and forensics had started to gather.
          The rain still pouring down, now in droves, the Detective pulled out the mud filled gun with a silencer attached, that was stationed in her pocket, and handed it to the forensic unit.
          "It's still viable Detective! You might have just saved evidence and brought the killer to justice!" the forensic analysist  said encouragingly.
           "Even though the evidence is viable, and will bring justice; there is no justice for our victim."




Protecting the evidence is key to any investigation. This was inspired by the CSI Miami clip that we watched earlier in the pod. If you lose the evidence, your case may go cold. No police officer likes cold cases they ruin statistics. Protect the evidence, whatever the weather.

The Simple riddle of the Ancient Phantom

Victim: Omar Do (age 21) stab wounds

Suspects: Ursula Smith (bookie)
               Wendy Do  (aunt)
                Russell Vroorman (neighbor)
                Barren Do (brother)

Killer: All bloods lead to home




 This one is different because it had two people it could be, the most important thing to remember is the evidence. People will lie, but evidence does not lie. The murder weapon was found in someone else's house, but if you check the evidence one in a while, it gets narrowed down. Everybody shares pieces, but the most important piece is details.

tension

          The tension in the courtroom was unbearable. My palms are sweaty and clammy, hundreds and hundreds of thoughts are running through my head, like a flowing stream of water. Will he be convicted? Will he be let go? Will he get any punishment? What will happen after this is over?  These and many other thoughts were just some of the questions that made my palms sweat more. We all stood up silently and quietly as the judge came into the room, and sat in his chair.
       " Bring in the prisoner for the verdict." The judge instructed.
        Mark McClinton was brought into the courtroom. He was in his thirties if I had to guess, but just seeing his scraggly unshaven face made my stomach turn, and me feel nauseated. He sat down in his chair still shackled and chained with his new outfit of fluorescent orange, with the words Property of Sing Sing branded on his back. The door to let the jury in creaked open a tiny bit, everyone's attention was changed from him to the jury door.
      "Bring in the jury, so this court can be officially in session." The judge again instructed.
      The jury was brought in and no one looked at each other or us. My heart pounded and felt like it was going to be racing  in the marathon. Please God, I started praying, please let them come back with a guilty verdict for Jannah. Please God, what he did to her he deserves it. Tears were welling up in my eyes with almost a burning sensation filled with anger and hate.
        "Madam Foreperson, has the jury reached their verdict?" The judge's words seemed to stay on his lips forever. The jury foreman stood up and faced the judge handing a piece of paper to the bailiff. My heart stopped, her words were fruitless to my ears. My gaze was bonded to a small insignificant scrap of paper that was traveling at the pace of a snail toward the judge. He opened it and looked into the eyes of the man sitting before him, folded it back up and returned it to the bailiff. He in turn returned it to the foreman of the jury.
         "On the account of Rape in the first degree, and Murder in the first degree, how do you find the defendant?"
         "We the jury find the defendant-"



In this one, I tried to aim the tension, to the mother of the victim. It is a very tense and nerve wracking when you just have to sit there and wait for the jury or judge to come back with a verdict and you have to sit there and watch the defendant with his life and future hanging in the balance. Will he be let go or will they convict him? It all depends on twelve people with the fate of someone else's life in their hands. I do not know what I would do if I happened upon the situation where I realized that I have to power to kill someone, let then live out what life they have left in a 8x8 cell, or let them go to kill again possibly. That would be tense for me. When I was writing this I could feel my palms start to sweat and my heart began racing. I try to make them as real as I can for myself and the reader. I hope you were as tense as I was!

Favor the beat cop- do him a favor

Victim: Filipia Ringold (beat cop's friend) death by gunshot wounds

Suspects: Caesar Ringold-servant
                Horace Perigen- brother
               Narayen Nuyen-associate
               Warrick Newsom- Servant
               Tabitha

Killer: Even the closest of allies, can be the worst of enemies.

I have learned the 'power' of the great Sherlock Holmes! this case needs the use of deduction, no one talks you have to go with what you have, you have to guess and deduct from what you have to work with, which sometimes is not much at all.....

The Everyday search for the dark figure

Victim: Quinn Dorsey, Stab wounds (relation to Tommy Dorsey: UNKNOWN)

Suspects: Scott Addison- Executor of Estate
               Colin Anderson- Lawyer
               Gwendoline Babcock- Neighbor
                Xavier Dorsey- Son
             
Killer: ......TBA


Everyone has a different motive for killing: passion, money, revenge, theft, divorce, and others. But when it gets, well not so but sometimes it is, to be someone close then it is a shocker. This murder was committed out of revenge, and almost spite. But, you know the saying blood is thicker than water, not always the case, sometimes water is thicker than blood.

PLOT

My name is Peter Lionel Oliver Tchovsky, I am fifteen years old. I go to Westpoint High, in Westpoint, Deleware. I was in the mall the other Saturday with my friend Jilian Moralez and Nick Panas. We are known
as 'the delinquents'. But yet we have never done anything wrong, we have never been to jail, never been
expelled or suspended. We are referred to that name because Jil is Goth, has some visible tattoos  her
favorite color is black and her past has been pretty dark if you know what I mean. Nick is gay, he has a lim
green mo-hawk. His dad left him and his mom for another man and his mom married another woman. And
me, well I just never see my parents. They are always working my dad is a big shot lawyer and just go
asked to go for his judgeship, Judge Mark Tchovsky, as he will be called. My mom ,Mary Lu Tchovsky
MD, works in  Psychopharmacotherapy  and  Nuclear Pharmacy. She travels all around the world for her
job. So no one is ever home at my house. But anyway, back to the other Saturday at the mall. The three of
us were just walking along by the computer store. This lady dropped her wallet. We all saw her, and I
walked over to it and picked it up and tried to catch her before she left the mall. Jil thought she saw her
heading down to the food court. So we headed that way. On our way there, we hear someone yell : "STOP!
THIEVES!" We looked at each other and turned around. The lady who had dropped her wallet, came
running up to us with a security guard. She came up to me and slapped my face and called me a thief in front
of the whole mall. I looked nervously at Jil and Nick. Neither one knew what was happening either. The
security guard called us delinquents, as if he knew our 'nicknames'. We tried to explain what was happening
and that we were actually looking for her and not stealing her wallet. She was not going to hear any of it, she
made me give her the wallet and checked to make sure everything was in it. And she went on her way
ranting and raving. The security guard looked back at us and said that he knew we were stealing her wallet.
We were all banished from the mall for doing nothing except trying to find the owner of a wallet. And doing
something nice.


There are two plots in this story. Did you find them? No?


One plot is "Don't judge a book, or a person, by the cover", the second is "no good deed goes unpunished". Unlike the RED WIND story from our text,  you can have two plots and have a flowing story. But that story was all over the place. This has clear plots once you know what they are.

unusual riddle of an untamed treasure

Victim: Ruby Wickland, 18, Blunt force trauma

Suspects: Kabir Rittenhouse
               Srinath Wickland
               Maureen Lundstrom
               Norma Dorsey

Killer: UNKNOWN......

Some people make me wonder. I have seen this before, the people who report the crime, sometimes are the ones who do the crime. Do they want to get caught? Do they feel like they need to make amends for their actions? But some people who report the crimes are the real killers. I guess that is the beauty of a mystery, some answers will never be solved and others tend to be right under your nose, and according to my grandmother, if they got any closer would bite you.

The motive

This will be a more in depth piece that goes hand in hand with my mystery story.

Your daughter will be safe as long as you do what we say. Our intentions are not to hurt her. We just want what is rightfully due to us. Expect a call within the hour. And we will watch your every move.

      Upon being finished with the note, she could feel the blood boil red hot as it caroused through her veins. The adrenaline in her body was firing on all cylinders. Her heart was beating so fast, it could very well have beat right out of her chest. Kidnapping and Blackmail? she thought to herself. Who would stoop that low? Just the thought of that angered her beyond belief. She could feel every fiber of her being being set on fire, she was just about a raging inferno. She was almost at the point of no return. She turned around and sat on her daughter's bed.  Trying to cool her rage down. Rage and anger were the only emotions she could muster.
     This seemed like a cruel joke, an unreal dream. Despair finally came in to take its part. Will I ever see my daughter again? Why didn't I tell her I loved her? questions like this kept swimming around the emptiness of her mind. After many minutes had passed, she looked out the window with the green curtains flowing from the cool breeze that just came and went. She spoke, almost in a whisper, "No matter what the consequences, my daughter's safety comes first. I will do whatever it takes to get her back."



            In this paragraph that I elaborated upon, in bold, different aspects that would make someone have motive. Rage, Anger, Despair, feeling like they would do anything it takes to get whatever or whoever it is back in their possession. People act upon their emotions more often than not and sometimes that is what gets them into trouble, shall we say. Because adrenaline starts pumping and their heart starts beating and then every fiber of their being in on a super high, and they become like an impenetrable freight train that is a force to be reckoned with. 

sleuth

Victim: Gertrude Wickland

Suspects: Amelia Wickland
               Leoni Alcantar
              Eunice Wickland
             Seraphine


There is not much to learn with these cases. Except this one, family can be your best friend but also your own worst enemy. Trust no one, nothing as it seems. Everyone can do you wrong, but you must keep a sharp eye and ear at all times. And sometimes the ones that know you the best are the ones you grow up with. They can be your best friend and change to an enemy just like that!
             
               

the setting

     Cradled high beneath the mountain's watchful eyes, is a sapphire blue lake, a highly valued prize.Two little islands call it home, with trees very much overgrown.   An ancient lake that holds secrets, has seen the struggles of settler's past. In the Adirondack Mountains it has found it's home, and forever it will call them home!  Hugged by rustic trees and leaves, fall is the best time to see. It is shaped like a horseshoe, but alas, it is not horseshoe pond. It is my favorite spot to to gaze upon.

      They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, there is one at the bottom,  I have been starting to write this over at least six times. I cannot find the right words to describe this place that will fill a whole page worth of writing, except for the six sentences that I have already written above. No words can describe the beauty of this place. I will try one last time.


      Clouds roll back off the mountains as the sun tries to wake up the lake, on a crisp fall morning. Nestled under the watchful eyes of the majestic mountains called the Adirondack Mountains. Gazing from the top of the mountain looking down at almost painted scenery, from Bob Ross or Jean LeGassick's Plein Air,  there lies a placid lake, so beautiful and tranquil. On the right day it looks like blue sapphire glass.  Encompassed inside of these waters, wherein lie two overgrown islands that look like buttons. But they have names. The smaller of the two is called Buck Island, the larger of the two is called Moose Island.  This is a very serene and isolated spot, so if quiet time to oneself is ever needed, her would be the place to visit. The fall is the most beautiful time to visit here. The colors of the changing leaves engulf the outer edges of the lake, making looking at it more and more unreal, like you are in a dream. About an hour away from the Canadian border, you can stumble upon this lake and all the hopes and dreams that people have left behind. Just writing about this is making my heart yearn to go back and stay. I wish I could please my heart, writing this is a real tease. But winter does not last forever, and soon the splendor of spring will be around the corner and I will be able to go to this place of magic and enchantment that brings one back to childhood memories of those 'lazy days' of summer!  To each their favorite spot, that encompasses their dreams and loves, my favorite spot is encompassed here, in these almost purple mountains, where I feel like I am home!

 

the comfortable riddle of the haunted spook

Victim: Colin Bales

Suspects: Wionna Bowlin
                Spencer Bales
               Nathan Albertson
         

Colin died from Gun shot wound and the suspects were his cousin, loan shark, and his business partner.  Two of the alibi's checked out, and one didn't, also the murder weapon, and fingerprints and torn fabric matched this person. They were lying the whole way. All the people were pointing at each other. But when it comes to a homicide and murder, it is all for one and one for all.

One thing I learned is the world is full of sharks, be careful who you trust, because they will turn and bite you!

creative writing process

• Write one page, using format requirements in the syllabus, about your creative process.  
• Share with your audience Share with your audience the techniques used to create and develop the core elements of your short mystery story: Characters/Archetypes, plot, setting

ell-written story.

I am not sure this is what asked for but here goes.

           When I write something, the ideas just pop into my head and just keep coming until I find an idea that seems plausible and sticks with me. Then if I am looking for characters, I actually look through images of men and women either online or in books and just go from there on character description. And whether they are good or bad and their personality is developed from the picture.

          For settings, I use places that I am familiar with and sit outside in them for awhile and describe what I see and try to paint the picture of what I see into the mind of a reader and/or my audience.

The core settings and people are derived from the original idea for example, 

if my idea/title is the mystery of the inevitable, everything comes from the title. The people, places and whatnot come into play from that, or I will even start writing and it will just spin off from there. 

           It is kind of funny, I actually don't have a set way of doing things! It is basically what comes into my head at the time when I read the assignment or whatever and it just keeps on coming and it turns out really intriguing sometimes! 

the elementary exercise of the lost moor

Login to www.playsleuth.com and solve a new case of your choosing.   

Post on your blog:

• The name of the case
• A Brief summary (without naming the killer)
• Any tricks of the trade you have learned along the way 

Victim: Stephen Leatherman

Age: 24

COD: Gunshot wounds

Gender: Male

Suspects: Virgil Leatherman (father)

                Claude Leatherman (brother)

                Srinth Andrews (neighbor)

                Placeda Allen( doctor)

Stephen was killed due to the fact of money. 

I learned that you have to pay attention to the fine details. I believe this game will help me 'fine tune' myself and help me notice things that other people may not notice! I hope so that would be great! LOL! Plus you might miss something the first time that you catch the second time...

 Oh yeah, by the way, I forgot to tell you who the killer is......it is......

Mystery Genre Appeal

• Write one page, using format requirements in the syllabus, about why the Mystery Genre appeals to you. 
• Share with your audience specific books/films/stories/plays you have seen and why they remain in your memory. 
• What made each of these examples special to you?

              The mystery genre appeals to me because I am one for intrigue, and ad Sherlock 

once or twice was quoted as the "element of surprise". I guess it appeals to me because I 

like to figure out just as much as the next person who did it and try to fit all the clues 

together. In my mind, it is like trying to solve a 3-D puzzle. You have the base (the victim), 

all the pieces (the evidence) and the shapes (the suspects) and the colors (which is the 

facts that are given to you). They must all be intertwined into whatever this 3-D image is, 

but the catch is they only fit a particular way and the colors and shapes must match! But if 

one piece fits but the colors are wrong, you have to take it apart and start over again! Also,  

the mystery genre is an art form one that encompasses great soliloquy and captures ones 

imagination. For example, Harry Potter; I never read the books so it was a mystery for me 

as to what was going to happen next or what was going to come about on the next section 

after the great thunderous noise that arose from the....wait what am I saying? See a great 

mystery is like an art form because it captivates me and holds my interest and keeps one on 

the edge of the seat with your heart racing and sweaty palms as to what is going to happen 

next and if the person who has some form of involvement is the next to die or if it is really 

that person who you thought it was, or even a mind blower, someone who you never 

thought it would be like in the movie we watched, The Mystery of Mr. Wong. I remember I 

had gone to one of my friend's sister's play when she was in middle school. It was about a 

cruise ship and murder was committed when someone shot this person in a struggle and 

threw him over the ship. (it turned out that it was my friend's 'husband' in the play!) But it 

was a dinner and a movie play, so it made it a little more intriguing! It remained in my 

memory because it was one of the first plays that I ever saw like that and because I enjoyed 

trying to figure out who did it! Another example was the first time I saw the Chronicles of 

Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader in the theater. I can not tell you how many times I 

have read this book from cover to cover. And the mystery and suspense of feeling like I was 

actually apart of this and that it was still a mystery to me, intrigued me! The reason these 

have stayed with me are because of the intrigue of who did it, or what is going to jump out 

from around the next corner or who will be the next victim? I like a good mystery...Do you?

       

sleuth: Shades of Mystery

Ariela Hayes

Disgraced Doctor

Although not born into riches, it didn't take you long to achieve them for yourself as a successful doctor. It took you even less time to lose it all, when you refused to declare that a murder victim had died of natural causes. You made some powerful enemies and lost your wealth and your career.

Never one to be easily beaten, you've started a new career as a private detective.

Some key information I learned on this case, is you have to pay close attention to what is said, things are not as they seem, you have to keep trying, and there is always something you missed, oh yea and watch the tutorial first (if there is one!)

I found this first game to be very frustrating...it would not let you process the evidence all at once, you had to keep going back to all the crime scenes and keep getting a piece here and there, and then proceed to the other people's house and collect one here and there. I only had two pieces of evidence on the suspect before I accused someone of the crime. Luckily, from reading many a Sherlock Holmes in my day, I was able to deduce the suspects in half and then realize one kept ping ponging off another and the other was the client.

Interesting game, not really my cup of tea though.