Murder Mysteries

Cruise Director Sunny Sails had her own way for handling the passengers on the good ship Legendary Carnival. Her two decades of life on the caribbean had seen her promoted from busgirl to the person whom everyone depends upon to get things done. The past eight years had been spent making sure that passengers were happy and content as they enjoyed the amenities of a world-class cruise ship.

It was indeed strange, then, that her body was found early one warm morning tucked away near a lifeboat on deack 5. At first, everyone was certain it was a tragic accident- an unexpected slip on a wet deck, or an inadvertent misstep.

Yet, the more that was discovered about the death, the more apparent it became that sails met her demise in an untimely fashion. Who would have wanted to do in such a maritime fixture? After all, stories of Sunny's many adventures were recounted by cruise ship employees from Fort Lauerdale to Panama. Some of those tales, if true, would make an experienced sailor blush.

Her many encounters with the rich and famous aboard the Legendary Carnival would provide fascinating reading for someone who might wwant to lkearn the real ins and outs of a life about a luxury ocean liner.

Although the official investigation of the death would have to wait until the ship docked, a selected group of on-board sleuths could provide an early insight into what could have happened to turn a sunny event into a cloudy affair.

It was an evening of wine and cheese at the Melee Vineyards in the Nippy Valley, celebrating the winery's tenth anniversary. Owner Malcolm Melee took great pride in pouring his world-famous Melee Cabernet, the wine that tickles the palates of wine connoisseurs around the globe. Over the past decade, his small operation has built a record of supplying a quality product, even though Melee's surly personality has produced more adversaries than advocates.

The Celebration was open to the public and the assemblage included both his supporters and detractors, some of whom openly expressed their opinions about his business practices. Melee simply laughed off all negative words, even dismissing the notion that someone was determined to end his reign as cabernet King.

As the Gathering broke up about midnight, Melee bade "farewell' to everyone and said he would stay around to turn out the lights. But this morning, it became deadly obvious that someone had planned liughts out for Malcolm Melee, for his body was found at the bottom of the staircase that leads to the oak casks in the wine cellar. Someone had put the cork on Melee and taken action that would squeeze the winery's reputaion. 

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?