detective

MLMM Saturday Mix Lucky Dip — Like Oil and Water

Fandango2 Comments

With his trademark monocle and handlebar mustache, Detective Marcel Dupre walked into the lounge area we were asked to gather together. “I’m going to need you each to provide me with your passports. I will also require any cellphones, tablets, or laptops you have within reach. You will receive you’re devices back once our mystery has been solved and we can close the book on this case.”

I cautiously raised my hand. “Can you share with us what happened and how long we’ll be confined here?”

“I can tell you this much,” Detective Dupre said. “We have found some contraband right here inside this hotel and, and as guests, you are all under suspicion.”

“What sort of contraband are you referring to, Detective?” A woman sitting next to me asked.

Dupre twisted his mustache on the right side. “I have found items such as a chainsaw and sticks of dynamite, which my experience tells me go together like oil and water. They do not mix well.”

“I have a flight leaving the city tonight at seven o’clock and reserved a car to pick me up at five to take me to the airport,” I said. “Will I be able to make it?”

The detective took off his monocle, look looked at his watch, shook his head, and said, “Unlikely.”

Written for the Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie Saturday Mix Lucky Dip, where the story cubes are a passport, a chainsaw, a car, a book, dynamite, a laptop, drops of oil and water, and a monocle and mustache.

Detective Story

Fandango15 Comments

As the half-light began to fade, Detective Morrisey realized that his investigation, at least for the day, would have to end. Tomorrow will be another day, he thought, as his stomach began to rumble from hunger, having not eaten anything since breakfast.

He knew that there were nuances to this case yet to surface, but if he kept at it, he was sure he could lay bare the relevant facts by knitting together all of the evidence into a solid, prosecutable case to hand over to the DA. Morrisey didn’t want to put his hard-earned reputation at risk by leaving any stone unturned. The ultimate disposition of this investigation required diligence, and he was bound and determined to eschew even a hint of failure.

So he’d go home, have some dinner, a beer or two, get a good night’s sleep, and proceed tomorrow where he left off tonight. Just turning another page in his personal detective story.

Written for these daily prompts: Ragtag Daily Prompt (half-light/hunger), Word of the Day Challenge (fade/reputation), My Vivid Blog (investigation/nuances/knitting), The Daily Spur (stomach/bare), Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (determination/eschew/proceed), and The Twiglets (turning page).

Grand Theft

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“That sculpture is an heirloom, Detective,” Mildred Smythe said. “It’s irreplaceable. I trust you will conduct a proper investigation in the aftermath of this heinous crime.”

“I can assure you, Mrs. Smythe,” Detective Fred Morrisey said. “My investigation will be quite thorough. Can you please describe the stolen article?”

“It’s a chimera,” Mildred said. The detective got a blank expression on his face, so Mildred continued. “It’s a sculpture of a mythological, fire-breathing female monster with a lion’s head, a goat’s body, and a serpent’s tail. It’s priceless. Here’s a photo of it.” She handed the detective the photograph. “You must find it. You must!”

“I have already set up an ad hoc task force of some of the finest investigative minds in the state, Mrs Smythe. No stone will be left unturned,” Detective Morrisey said. “Can you tell me what the appraised value of the sculpture is?”

“It has great sentimental value,” Mildred said. “My husband, the late Mr. Wilhelm Smythe, acquired it for me on his last trip to the Far East. He paid one hundred and fifty thousand for it.”

“One hundred and fifty thousand dollars?” Morrisey said. “Wow.”

“Oh no, Detective, not dollars,” Mildred said. “One hundred and fifty thousand yen. He bought it from an artifacts dealer in Japan.

Morrisey took out his iPhone and Googled “yen to dollars.” Then he looked at Mildred and said, “There’s apparently been a miscommunication, Mrs. Smythe. My team gets involved with matters of grand theft, but ¥150,000 equates to less than $750. And in this state, that makes this a case of petty theft.”

“So what does that mean, Detective?”

“It means I’m outta here, Mrs. Smythe,” Morrisey said. “I’ll have Officer Hutchins from our minor crimes division contact you about your petty theft claim.”

Written for these daily prompts: My Vivid Blog (heirloom), The Daily Spur (proper), Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (replaceable), Word of the Day Challenge (aftermath), Your Daily Word Prompt (chimera), E.M.’s Random Word Prompt (ad hoc), and Ragtag Daily Prompt (apparent).

Web of Deceit

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“That conniving son of a bitch,” Detective Ron Hayden said. “But with this warrant and what we found, I think we’ve got this SOB securely ensconced by his own web of deceit.”

“Don’t go around tooting your horn quite yet, Ron,” his partner, Detective Fred Morrisey warned. “I think we’ve caught the right scent, but we need to make sure we have an airtight case against this bastard. He’s managed to escape our grip several times already and I don’t want to lose this opportunity to put this guy away for good. So let’s not pop that bottle of fizzy champagne quite yet, okay!”

“I think you’re being overly cautious, Fred,” Hayden said, “But you’re the boss.”

“Maybe I am, but I can’t let this scoundrel slip through my fingers yet again,” Morrisey said.

Written for these daily prompts: My Vivid Blog (conniving), The Daily Spur (warrant), E.M’s Random Word Prompt (ensconced), Ragtag Daily Prompt (horn), Fandango’s (scent), and Word of the Day Challenge (fizzy).

Sandman Wants to Know

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Sandman, over at The Jazzocracy, posed four interesting questions today and I thought it might be fun to take a moment or two to answer them.

Do you believe in Ghosts and/or a Spirit World?

Sandman prefaced his own answer to this question by writing, “Now some of you might expect that this will be a simple yes or no answer, but I don’t think it is.” Well, I disagree with Sandman. I think it is a simple yes or no question. And the answer is “no.”

I don’t believe that God exists except in the minds and imaginations of men and women. I don’t believe there is an afterlife, or in heaven or hell. I believe that when we die, we no longer exist in any way, shape, or form. So given that, I can’t possibly believe in ghosts or in a spirit world. You should all feel free to believe whatever floats your boat, but for me, the answer is an emphatic “no.”

Who is your favorite literary Detective?

My favorite literary detective is Fred Morrisey. What’s that? You never heard of him? Allow me to introduce you to the crack detective, Fred Morrisey. Go to the top of my blog and, in the Search bar, type in “Morrisey.”

Should a film or TV adaption of a book deviate from the source material? Why?

It would be nice if a film or TV adaptation could stay true to the source book. However, especially when it comes to movies, which often have to try to cram a 400+ page book into less than two hours on the big screen, compromises must be made. It might be easier for a multi-episode TV series, where the book’s material can be spread over four, eight, or more episodes, to not have to significantly pare down the original material.

The other issue I have with movie and TV adaptations is when they deviate in character or venue from what I saw in my mind’s eye when I read the book. That can be a bit off-putting.

Would you ‘video’ yourself and your partner?

I have to admit that back in the day, when we lived in New Jersey and our kids were very young, my wife and I would occasionally take long weekend trips to the Pocanos in Pennsylvania, home to a number of so-called “romantic getaway” resorts.

And I will also admit that I would pack up my clunky VHS camera and when we got to our room, I would mount the camera on a tripod, press record, and video tape our “romantic getaway.”

It was fun, but once our kids got old enough to figure out how to insert a VHS tape into our video tape deck, we destroyed those tapes. But the memories linger to this day.