Appearing in issue #49 December 9, 2013

Title: Bad business

By Author:  Elizabeth Hawn

Tag line: It would take good, old-fashioned detective work to find out who’s stolen the antique set…

Police characters: Police Officers Jim Taylor and Kate Lawson

The gist:  Someone stole an antique tea set from out of Anna’s Antiques. It was on display in her shop. At 8:30 that morning as she came to work Anna spotted a broken window and called 911. She had let her security contract expire which meant no alarms were active. She had purchased the tea set yesterday at an estate sale and had put it in the storage room. Her two employees, Laura and Dennis, went in that room to look at the purchase. At 4:30 Anna asked Laura to polish the set. She also sent Dennis out at that moment to pick up some furniture she had also purchased that day. She told Dennis to just keep the furniture in his van and bring it in the next day because it was late. After Laura left work at 5:00,  Anna decided to put the silver set on display because it looked so nice. The next morning the employees arrived to find the police there. Laura had an older model car, and Dennis had a van. Both Laura and Dennis told police they had keys to the store and they both knew about the non-working burglar alarm.  Laura admitted that her hours had recently been cut and that she was looking for a new job. She said that Anna claimed to have money problems, but didn’t seem to mind spending lots of money at the estate sale. Dennis complained that Anna didn’t know how to run a business; she spent too much money, didn’t mark the merchandise up properly, didn’t advertise on-line, and that in his opinion a good alarm system is essential. He added that she should never have left the silver on display overnight. 

Crime scene: Anna’s Antique store.

Clues: Who was where at what time and what they said about their whereabouts and the burglary. 

Suspects: The two employees, Laura and Dennis.

Red herrings: Laura was unhappy with her hours and was looking for another job. 

Solution: Dennis indicated he left the shop at 4:30 to pick up furniture which he kept overnight. So how did he know the tea set was in display that night? He used his key to come into the shop then broke the window to divert suspicion.

My two cents: I thought the clues were subtle and spaced far enough apart so they weren’t in-your-face apparent. The author wrote that not only did Laura have her hours cut and was looking for a new job, but that she had an older car making you think there might be a money problem there. Nice red herring. The only thing missing is this story is a motive. Most of us at some time in our working lives have thought that we knew more than our boss and could do a better job. That makes us human, but it doesn’t make us crooks.

Title:  A silent theft
By Author Herschel Cozine

Appearing in issue #20, May 20, 2013

For sale date: May 9, 2013

Tag line:  The shoplifter got the computer out of the store without being noticed.  To amateur detective Gladys, that sounded all wrong!

Police/characters: An unnamed detective and Gladys, his mother-in-law

The gist:  A robbery occurred in an office supply store.  The clerk, who was alone on the sales floor, reported that a bold shoplifter grabbed a pricey laptop from the shelf and bolted from the store with the box under his arm.  The clerk had been talking to another customer and looked up just in time to see the thief jump into his car but he did not get the license plate.  He had no description of a car and not much of the shoplifter either. The customer corroborated his story.  It happened too fast to really get any details.  Gladys, the detective’s MIL, was eavesdropping on his conversation with his wife about the case.  She asked him if anyone heard anything to which he replied neither the sales clerk nor the customer had heard anything.  He said, “Why would that be significant?  It’s an office supply store not a dance hall.”  Gladys said that the clerk didn’t steal the laptop but that he (the clerk) knew who did.

Crime scene:  A modern office supply store in the middle of town.

Clues:  No one heard anything when the thief ran out the door.

Suspects:  Unknown shoplifter, the clerk.

Red herrings:  None.

Solution:  A store that sells expensive computers would have a security system with a magnetic tag on the merchandise and a detector at the door.  The tag is removed at checkout to allow the customer to exit the store without setting the alarm off.  Since no one heard any alarm it meant that the security tag had been removed, presumably by the clerk, before the thief ran out the door with it.  The clerk reported the theft to avoid suspicion.

My two cents:  Well, the author is asking us to suspend disbelief a few times in this story.  First, that a detective would come home and discuss a case with his family.  That almost never happens.  A family member could potentially know the thief (let’s say she recognizes that it’s her cousin), and once she hears all the details, she could go and warn him he’s about to be arrested and to get out of Dodge.  It’s happened.  So detectives don’t blab details about a case.  It could be believable that he pillow-talks with his wife, but giving case details out to his MIL?  Uh-uh.    

This author said that the MIL was eavesdropping, which implies she’s around and close but not in the conversation.  But she was at his home, presumably sitting at the kitchen table, listening to the chit-chat between husband and wife and taking part in it.   My gripe is about the word eavesdropping here.  Okay, it’s a little gripe.

 Next, we have a high-priced office supply store that leaves its high-buck merchandise out on the shelves?  The sample laptops are wired to the shelf frame.  If someone tried to remove one, an alarm would sound.  When was the last time you were in Staples or Office Max and saw a nice pile of boxes of laptops on a shelf?  You didn’t.  When you want to purchase one, the clerk goes in the back room, retrieves the item, and walks with you to the cashier.  You are not even allowed to hold it in the store.

High-end office supply stores have security video cameras in the store and out in the parking lot.  That would solve the not having any description of the perp and his car problem.

 Also…see how this goes on and on? … when was the last time you ever saw one clerk in a Staples?  Okay, granted, when you want help you can’t find anybody.  In this scenario there were three clerks; one on the floor, one in the back doing inventory, and one out on his break.  Why does it have to be the clerk on the store’s floor that is involved?  Why couldn’t it have been the guy in the back who disarmed the security tag?  Or the guy taking his break?

And lastly I don’t understand the detective's comment, “It’s an office supply store not a dance hall.”  Huh?

WW loves old ladies...lol.

Title: Going for the gold
By Author John M. Floyd

Appearing in issue #11, March 18, 2013

For sale date:  March 7, 2013

Tag line:  Angela Potts was scrutinizing the security tape when suddenly everything went black.  Was that a clue?

Police characters: Sheriff Jones, retired school teacher Angela Potts

The gist:  A robbery has occurred at Dalton’s Gold Exchange.  According to witnesses the security camera was shot out.  The video footage is located in a different part of the store and was retrieved.   The store owner, Wade Dalton, and two employees were present, Eddie Ruiz and Arthur Lane.  They claim a masked gunman came in through a locked alley door around noon, shot the security camera and made off with two pounds of gold coins and ingots.  Before the tape went black the head of the owner of the store could be seen moving into frame, then ducking down.  A pop of a gunshot could be heard just before  the screen went black.  The owner was the only person on tape.  The other men were behind the counter and out of camera view.  Mrs. Potts asked for a description of the employees and was told their clothing which included the owner wearing penny loafers. 

Crime scene:  Dalton’s Gold Exchange

Clues:  Sheriff Jones noted that all three men in the store were cooperative but nervous when questioned.   Ingots are hard to sell without attracting attention.  The robber had to have knowledge where to fence them.  The perpetrator came in through the back door where there was only one camera.  The tape shows the owner, Wade Dalton, walking in from the direction of the back door, making Sheriff Jones wonder if he unlocked the door to let the robber in.   Just before the tape goes black, Wade is seen ducking, indicating that he knew the camera was about to be shot.  When questioned, he told police he had bent over to tie his shoe.   

Suspects:  Unknown masked robber.  One of the employees.  The owner, Wade.

Red herrings:  It is mentioned that one of the employees is a young male with tattoos.  Also that neither of them has a record…yet.

Solution:  Because Wade Dalton lied when he said he bent over to tie his shoe when he had Penny loafers on, Mrs. Potts fingered him for insurance fraud.

My two cents:  The story works.  This time Sheriff Jones had one or two good lines.  “It’s a new store.  They buy, sell and trade anything gold.  Watches, rings, teeth, you name it.”  While watching the video he said, “Criminals one, businessmen zero.”

 I thought the clue was easy enough; penny loafers vs. laced shoes.  You have to wonder after so many years on the force why Sheriff Jones never sees the clue in front of his face – lol. 

My only comment is that during an investigation cops will ask for a description of the robber, not what the employees are wearing. Although Mrs. Potts asked that question, I doubt Sheriff Jones would have made those kinds of notes.  I would have changed that part so that we got a full head-to-toe glimpse of Wade on the video.  That way we could see what shoes he had on.  I also thought the ‘young man had tattoos’ was a bit of racial profiling.  Racial profiling is a process by which individuals are targeted for special attention, often by such things as height, weight, build, clothing, hair color, tattoos, hats, the car they are driving, etc.  Of course, cops do that in the real world but I thought it was a bit un-PC for WW. 

Also the tag line wasn’t the greatest, but this is often not the work of the author.