Comprehensive Law Studies Mini-Mysteries The Deadly Safe House Despite the cold, Officer Alex Morelli was sweating heavily as he stood in the front hall of the dingy safe house, waiting for a superior to show up and take charge of the strangled body on the floor. Morelli himself had been in charge of the body while it was alive and that, of course, was the reason for Morelli's sweat. For two days, he'd been one of the guards assigned to Jake Fishel, a harmless accountant who'd been unlucky enough to witness a mob hit. The D.A. had begged Fischel to testify and vowed he would be kept safe from the long arm of the Popov crime family. Officer Morelli had stayed with Fischel, working 12-hour shifts and actually growing to like the meek, mousy witness. And now this. The doorbell startled Morelli and he opened up to admit Captain Cromwell, a whirlwind in a rumpled suit that flapped in the frigid breeze. Cromwell stared down at the corpse. "Why was he left alone?""I got a call from your office," Morelli stammered, pulling out his two-way radio as if it proved something. "I was ordered back to the stationhouse. They said another guard would take over. It was half an hour before I got wise and got back here." "Just because it came on the right frequency, you didn't think to question it? The Popovs have connections, you idiot. They own people." The captain sighed. "Who all had keys?" "I had the only set. I told Fischel not to open up for anyone. When I closed the door, it locked behind me, then I heard him throw the deadbolt. You know him, Captain. He wasn't a reckless guy." Cromwell knelt by the body. "Strangled from behind. Probably a wire. Who would Fischel open the door for? Who knew he was here? It's time we got answers."The captain grabbed his overcoat from a hook and led the way to his car. Morelli grabbed his own coat and followed.The first lead came from the safe house's phone records. Just the previous night, the victim had sneaked a call to Luther Dross, his brother-in-law. "My wife's in intensive care," Luther told the officers when they visited him at his locksmith shop across town. "Jake and her were real close. Jake was worried and wanted the latest news about her condition. We talked for maybe five minutes. He knew it was against the rules and he never told me where he was." The captain pulled a notepad and pen from his coat. "Where were you today around two?""Is that the time of death?" Luther asked weakly. "I was installing locks in a new apartment complex on Prospect Road. Some of the workmen must have seen me. I came back here to clean up before going to the hospital. Can I go now?" Officer Morelli came up with the case's second lead. Four months ago, he remembered using this same safe house to protect Buddy Banks, a mob informer. When the D.A. was trying to convince Fischel to testify, he brought in Buddy to calm the accountant's nerves and tell him how safe protective custody could be. "Buddy knew where the safe house was. He had mob connections. And Fischel knew him, so he might have opened the door." Banks had moved 20 miles away and changed his name. Cromwell and Morelli tracked him down to a phone company where he worked as a directory assistance operator. Cromwell showed his badge and had the former informer sent out on a break. He told him the news. "Wow," Banks said and looked sick to his stomach. "I feel terrible. If I hadn't talked him into testifying, he'd still be alive." "Did Fischel make contact with you?" "No, I swear. I only saw him that once in the D.A.'s office. And I had no way of knowing they'd send him to that safe house." "You could have found out." "Look, I've cut my ties to that whole world. I work 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day, and I'm straight as an arrow." Cromwell and Morelli drove the 20 miles back to the city, turning everything over in their minds. "The killer always makes a mistake," the captain mumbled. "Yes," Morelli agreed. They both stayed silent for the rest of the drive. ***Who killed Jake Fischel? Was it Luther Dross, Buddy Banks, Officer Morelli, or Captain Cromwell ***What mistake did the killer make? Just a Glaring Error Detective Nose had just wrapped up a case in the upper town district of Trenton and since he was in the area decided to stop by and pay his friend Dr. Dean Lamar a visit at the museum. Dr. Dean was the director in charge at the museum and had been so for the past five years. By all accounts, he was doing a fantastic job. When Nose arrived at his friend's office, he saw that he was in the middle of looking over some résumés. "I'm looking to hire a new tour guide to help with a new ancient Chinese exhibit that's due to arrive next week" said Dr. Dean. "I expect that this exhibit will attract hundreds of visitors and to tell you the truth, I'm a little worried that I may not be able to find a suitable guide to help with the attraction." Detective Nose decided to sit down and assist his comrade sort through the large stack of resumes. They were near the end of the pile when Dr. Dean pointed out a resume to Nose that he felt might be from a suitable candidate. Typed on a plain sheet of white paper was the resume of a man whose name was Geoffrey Montgomery. Under his qualifications he had a few relevant jobs listed with all the required references but it wasn't the job history that caught Dr. Dean's attention. Rather, under the heading of hobbies and interests, Geoff had listed that he was very much interested in the Chinese culture and had been studying their language, alphabet, geography, religions, history, and customs for close to ten years. The resume then went on to list other desirable traits and details that would be of some benefit to the position. "I think we may have found our candidate," said Dr. Dean. "With his previous job experience and his extensive background knowledge of the Chinese culture, I doubt I will be able to find anyone else that is more suited for the task. I think I'll give him a call and see if we can meet this afternoon." "I'd hold off on phoning him just yet if I were you. There's something off about his resume that leads me to believe that he is not being totally honest about his qualifications." ***What mistake did Geoffrey make in his resume? Just a Taste Detective Nose emerged from his car and was immediately dwarfed by the grandeur before him. All at once he felt quite small to be in the presence of one so wealthy. Inhaling a deep breath he began the large trek up the marble walkway. The house, or rather estate, was easily worth over a million dollars and the proprietor far more than that. Or at least he "was" worth far more than that. Earlier that morning Detective Nose had received a call from the daughter of the late Monsieur Cyr, although the police had deemed his death accidental, Nose suspected foul play. Nose approached the door and heaved upon the large ornate door knocker. Almost immediately it opened and Nose was greeted by a tiny, shrewd looking man. "May I Help You?" "Yes, I'm Detective Nose. I was summoned here to investigate the death of Mr. Cyr." "I'm sorry sir, there must be some mistake, the police have already been and gone. No such summons was issued." The man began to close the door. "Wait, wait! It's okay Geoffrey. I called him here just after the police departed. Please, Detective come in. Would you like some refreshments?" "If it's all the same to you I'd like to get started right away, the longer we wait the less likely I'll find anything. Miss uh..." "Gertrude Elizabeth Beatrice Cyr. You may address me as Miss Gertrude. That will be all Geoffrey. If I have need of you I will ring." "Yes ma'am." The aged man, sluggishly departed. Watching him leave eerily reminded Nose of a small prime ape, not at all attractive. Why was he employed here, if not to scare away any unwanted visitors. A small smirk appeared by the corners of his mouth as detective Nose mused over these thoughts. Just then Geoffrey stole a quick glance towards the outdoor pool, completely overlooked by Gertrude, but not Detective Nose. "I'd like to begin my investigation out there, Miss Gertrude." Detective Nose motioned towards the pool. "How perceptive of you Detective, that's where father passed away earlier this morning." Gertrude led the detective towards the enormous sliding glass doors that not only led to the backyard, but the outdoor swimming pool as well. "As you are aware the police have already been here and surveyed the scene deeming poor fathers death an accident." Nose surveyed the scene. The pool was well crafted, roughly, twenty by twenty five feet. There was a shallow end and a deep end complete with a diving board. "Father had always enjoyed swimming and diving in his spare time. On occasion, he would go for hours. Geoffrey found his body in the pool this morning and called the police. He had a large bump on his head and had apparently been knocked unconscious, subsequentially drowning." Gertrude's eyes began to swell and she took out a delicate white hanky to wipe away a single tear. "The police believe it was an accident. They say that he slipped on the diving board and hit his head. I have my doubts and I sincerely hope you find more than they did." Detective Nose noticed a trail of water going from the ladder at the edge of the pool to the diving board. The quantities suggested the story Miss Gertrude had regaled him with was true, Monsieur Cyr had been diving for hours. Bending down detective Nose placed his finger in the water and tasted it. "Miss Gertrude I believe your convictions are right, there is more to Mr. Cyr's death than meets the eye." ***Why did Detective Nose suspect foul play? The Case of the Snack Shack Harborville's Beach Snack Shop had been open only an hour when Max stopped in and noticed a new poster announcing a price increase. "I put the sign up this morning," Mr. Levine told him. "Had to raise my prices ten percent because I have so many new expenses. Like now I need a new window for my back room. Somebody broke it, trying to get into my store last night." "Have you called the police?" Max asked. "No. Nothing was stolen." He led Max to a small storeroom in the back. "I use this space as an office. Sat here and made my price change poster last night. Soon's I was done, I left it on that old desk. When I went out, I locked the door to the main part of my store. So whoever got in was stuck in this little storeroom. Nothing here to steal." When Max left he wandered down to the break wall, where Nathan and Trevor were fishing. "Did you hear that somebody broke a window at the Shack?" he asked. "Nope," Nathan said. "We've been here since dawn. Haven't talked to anybody." Trevor gestured to the bucket. "We've caught some big ones." Nathan stood. "But now I'm starving. I've got a dollar left from my allowance. If Mr. Levine is there now, I'm going up to the Shack to get a Big Beach Bun." "Better get another dime from somewhere," Trevor told him. "A dollar's not enough any more. As for me, I'm going home to get a couple sandwiches for myself." "You both stay right here," Max said. "I know which one of you broke that window. You'd better think of a way to pay for it, because I'm telling Mr. Levine." ***How did max figure it out? The Case of the Defaced Sidewalk One Saturday morning Nina saw the three musketeers in the mall. Jenny, Brittany, and Mitzi called themselves by that name because they always were together. "I've been shopping for sandals," Jenny told Nina. "But I have such a wide foot nothing seems to fit. We've been looking everywhere." "And it's been slow going," Mitzi added. "On account of Brittany's-" "I know," Nina said, looking at Brittany. "I heard you sprained your ankle in gym yesterday. Does it still hurt a lot?" "It's okay as long as I move really slowly," Brittany told her. "We're going to get ice cream at the Just Desserts Shop now. Want to join us?" "Better not. Max is meeting me at home. See you later." Nina was taking a short cut through Harborville's city park when she saw Mr. Hansen kneeling beside a new sidewalk. The city maintenance man frowned as she drew closer. "Somebody jumped right in the middle here while the cement was still wet," he said, pointing at two narrow footprints embedded in the concrete. "Now I'll have to rip out this section and re-do it. Sure can't leave the sidewalk looking like this!" "Any idea of who did it?" Nina asked. "A kid over there on the slide said that girls named Brittany, Mitzi, and Jenny were the only ones near here. But he doesn't know which one ruined my sidewalk." "I know who did it," Nina declared. ***How did Nina figure it out?
