Sunday, May 4, 2008

Marvelous Mystery Theater

Think you could be a sleuth for Heartsong Presents: Mysteries! Then try your hand at this:


The Case:

Marvin is found dead near a bicycle surrounded by marbles.

The Mystery:

Who killed Marvin, and how?

The Clues:

1. Too late, Marvin realized the gravity of the situation.
2. Marvin had a rival who was a little off-balance.
3. Not your typical bicycle.

THE ANSWER:

Tip Moore and his bicycle had been famous for his circus high-wire act until Marvin joined the troupe. Marvin's balancing feats on a higher wire and a unicycle made him a headliner and Tip a has-been. But Tip had a plan to recapture the spotlight.

After dark, Tip sneaked under the big top and removed the special non-rolling ballast that weighted the ends of Marvin's balance bar. He then replaced the ballast with four pounds of marbles and returned the bar to the rafters where it was stored.

During Marvin's next performance, Tip tossed the bar to him as always, after Marvin mounted the bike on the wire. Marvin tilted in vain to stabilize his balance, while the marbles rolled wildly in his bar. Finally, Marvin plummeted to the concrete floor below, losing not only his marbles, but his life as well. Matching marbles found in Tip's trailer tipped off the police, who promptly put Tip behind bars.

29 comments:

Unknown said...

Marvin fell off his bike and hit his head. LOL!

Linda Kozar said...

Marvin lost his marbles. None of this ever happened.

Elizabeth Ludwig said...

LOL! You're very close, Chickey. Can you elaborate a bit? Remember clue #3.

Elizabeth Ludwig said...

Ah, but Linda, they weren't his marbles...

Mary Connealy said...

A bicycle built for two. His wife, riding in front, lost her marbles and accidentally wrecked the bike and killed Marvin

Mary Connealy said...

I mean she lost her marbles, they fell on the ground, the bike skidded and wrecked....

Elizabeth Ludwig said...

(laughing) This is fun!

Sorry, Mary, it wasn't his wife who lost the marbles. Marvin actually lost them, they just didn't belong to him.

Am I driving you crazy yet?? :-)

Unknown said...

Is it a unicycle?

Elizabeth Ludwig said...

Very good, Chickey. Now, where might you SEE a unicycle, and where would be the WORST place for Marvin to realize the gravity of the situation?

Mary Connealy said...

Gravity of the situation is a clue. I just know it.

Unicycles...the circus.
He's riding a unicycle across a highwire, convinced to do it by the ringmaster. He's half way across when he realized he'd lost his marbles and fell.

The center ring. With the lion act. So the LIONS got him.

NancyMehl said...

I thought about a unicycle (meaning one wheel) - but it isn't a bicycle (meaning two wheels) so I discarded that idea.

Hmmmm. Misdirection of clues, huh? LOL!

Pretty tricky stuff!

Nancy

Elizabeth Ludwig said...

Mary, you're so close.....aargh. Can't quite give it to you yet. Remember, they weren't Marvin's marbles...

Nancy, I know I was mean trying to throw you off with clue #3. :-)

susansbooks said...

Marvin was killed by a circus performer dropping marbles from a unicycle on the high wire.

Janelle said...

Now Lisa, you're just mean not giving us more clues. I mean, even I give a new one every day. (g) I can never figure these things out. Not with just three obscure clues. LOL

Ausjenny said...

I was thinking there was a unicycle.
If Marvin was on the unicycle on the highwire when someone from the floor was shooting marbles at him and it took so many cos they were such a bad shot. he falls and it was the clown!

Ausjenny said...

changed my mind the guy riding the unicycle on the highwire became unbalanced and fell on Marvin who was the clown playing with marbles on the floor. therefore the high wire act killed marvin and the marbles were to confuse us.

Elizabeth Ludwig said...

Y'all are so good to keep playing even though I'm trying my hardest to throw you off. :-)

Okay, one last clue:

The marbles came from inside the unicycle. (Combine this with clue #2, but don't be confused by the play on words.)

Mary Connealy said...

Okay you said it was a unicyle.
A rival who was a little off-balance.
His rival...the acrobat...
no you said I was close before...
how could the marbles come out of or off of the unicycle.

His rival ... the lion tamer ... marvin is the acrobat.

The unicycle

Oh yeah, what did you say Elizabeth????? and I quote
----Combine this with clue #2, but don't be confused by the play on words.)

nuthin about THIS is confusing, oh no.

Mary Connealy said...

How about a bicycle built for two. The lion tamer is a rival for the affections of the pretty lady acrobat who ...

This sounds familiar. have I guessed bicycle built for two before?

I could never make it as a detective. Get me a smoking gun now or let the criminals go free!!!

Marvin realized the acrobat riding his unicycle high overhead hat lost his marbles. Marvin went to pick them up and give them back when his rival the lion tamer, let the lions out and the lions killed him.

I really want those lions to kill someone don't I. NOT an attractive bend.

Mary Connealy said...

Maybe the unicyclist fell on Marvis and killed him, while Marvin was trying to pick up the unicyclist's marbles.


Does 'losing your marbles' have anything to do with this???

Besides the fact that I'm losing mine of course.

Ausjenny said...

Ok the marbles are actually ball bearings line inside a unicycle. looks like the high wire act was riding his unicycle and somehow over balanced calling him to fall the fall caused the ball bearings to come out of the cycle.
he hit marvin who was the clown and killed him. hence the unicycle and the marbles (ball bearings)

Or maybe Marvin was convinced to try they unicycle which belonged to the killer who had tampered with it so Marvin fell along with the bike and the ball bearings came out so when he landed there was the unicycle and the marbles
and i will go along with the ringmaster! but i think the clown really did it.

Ausjenny said...

Mary would just having a shoot out be easier?

Mary Connealy said...

The ringmaster is so obviously innocent AusJenny, how can you ever beGIN to suspect the poor man??? I am shocked!!!!!!!!!

The ball bearings, though...maybe you're onto something there.

Seriously, elizabeth, I think YOU are starting to look good for this crime.

You have a ruthless streak.

Ausjenny said...

Mary is the ring leader like the butler he couldn't do it!
woops ring master.

see who doesn't go to circus's.

and You know girls can sabatage bikes as well as guys! the hirewire girl is jealous of the guy trying to steal her act.

Elizabeth Ludwig said...

(Laughing) Okay, I'll take pity on you poor, marble-less sleuths. Thanks for playing!!

Unknown said...

It's the clown! It's always the clown! I think that's in the Constitution!

Ausjenny said...

That was so cool thanks.

Mary Connealy said...

Well, thank you, elizabeth. Just in time to keep ME from losing my marbles.

Excellent post.

Anonymous said...

You write very well.