Murder Mysteries

In 1883, the residents of the small town of Cactus Gulch near the Grand Canyon assembled to honor prospector and gold mine owner Dusty Jones.​ Jones had arrived in town five years before, flat broke and relying upon the generosity of local residents to help him get by. 

He struck gold and became the sole owner of the TAqIlA mine. (He named it after his favorite drink, but Dusty never could spell.) Key citizens of Cactus Gulch agreed to honor Dusty. Each one rose to say a few words about him and his contributions to the community.

Then, it was Dusty's turn. After speaking his mind, Dusty raised a glass of Gila Gold, his favorite brand of tequila, sat down and, a few minutes later, slumped over in his chair. He was dead.

The marshal took charge of the investigation and suspects were interrogated. But who killed Dusty Jones? And would the secrets of his mysterious mine ever be uncovered? 

It's Christmas time again and the toy department at Lacy's is selling more merchandise than its chief competitor, Tidewater's Toys. The main reason for this explosion of sales is Elmer Ellsworth, Lacy's holiday Santa Claus.

Before Elmer was hired for last year's Christmas season, Lacy's toy receipts were so bad that the store was ready to stop selling toys altogether. Now, business is booming because Elmer makes Santa come alive to young and old alike. In a daily ritual, kids hug Santa and mothers five him kisses as photos are taken for Christmas albums.

But, in the midst of parents and children lined up to tell the jolly ol' elf all about their wish lists, Elmer stands up, utters a faint, "ho, ho, ho," and falls to the floor in front of his chair. He is dead. Someone has done in the department store Santa before he could grant everyone's wishes.

Who would put the ice on the iconic idol? What could Santa have done to elicit such a raucous response? And, how would the authorities go about determining what happened to the holiday mirthmaker?