Monday, October 27, 2008

Monday Mystery Theater

The Case:

Mr. Basil was a methodical man who liked to plan things down to the smallest detail. This evening's schedule, for instance, included murdering his shrew of a wife. He would do it as soon as they got home.

While driving back to their house, Mr. Basil made a slight alteration to his plan. He dropped off his wife at the front door, then drove across town to the home of Dean Archway. Afer killing Archway, Basil returned to his own house and proceeded to go through with the scheduled murder of his wife.

The Mystery:

Why did Basil alter his plan and make the detour to kill Archway?

The Clues:

1. Mrs. Basil had her last meal at her favorite restaurant.
2. Basil and Archway had similar tastes in clothing.

The Answer:

Think you know the answer? Fill in the comment box to submit your guess. Winner receives a free Heartsong Presents Mystery!

8 comments:

Brenda said...

Mr. Basil detoured and killed Archway because while shopping at this favorite clothes store he saw this wife and Archway having a meal together at his wife's favorite restaurant across the street. What irony if he would have is last meal with his wife at the same restaurant and she would be none the wiser. He put two and two together and he thought affair.

So he altered his plan slightly and killer Archway before is wife.
Brenda.Spiers@thyssenkrupp.com

Stormi said...

I was thinking along the same line as Brenda.

Lisa Karon Richardson said...

Basil realized that his wife, was having an affair and meant to do him in when he spotted her with Archway at her favorite restaurant. So when he suspected that she had rigged the new shirt she'd bought home for with a toxic substance that killed on contact, he took it to her lover's house. Thinking it was a gift from his ladylove, Archway immediately put it on and keeled over. Basil then returned home and finished off his wife as planned.

Elizabeth Ludwig said...

(laughing) You gals are on my list of favorite sleuths. In fact, your answers are similar to something I might don.

And yes, there are clues in my response. :-)

Lisa Karon Richardson said...

Basil got dressed for dinner thinking something was wrong. It wasn't until later that he realized the problem with his favorite shirt, something was wrong with it. He excused himself and went to the restroom where he discovered that the shirt was the wrong size. Grr. Oh he knew she had been having an affair, and she would pay, but this was just too much.

As he emerged from the restaurant Basil spotted Dean Archway lounging at the bar. Sure enough, the louse was wearing a shirt at least a size too small. There was no help for it, he would have to retrieve his lucky shirt if his plans were going to succeed.

That night Basil did recover his favorite shirt from Archway's house and then made him pay for the indignity he had suffered.

Elizabeth Ludwig said...

LOVE your explanation, Lisa, and you're oh, so close...but this doesn't quite cover it.

I wish I had more clues to give you. I left a list somewhere...maybe in my pocket back home.

Lisa Karon Richardson said...

Basil felt his pockets and grimaced. He patted them again, his movement growing frantic. Sighing he struck his forehead. Of course! That's why his clothes didn't seem to fit right. That louse Archway had managed to grab the wrong clothes. What an incompetent. Well this screw-up would cost him.

Basil returned to the dinner table and smiled thinly at his wife. After their meal he drove her home and excused himself to run an errand.

He would have considered an affair with his wife punishment enough, but there was just no excuse for stupidity. Basil did away with Archway and retrieved the poison from the pants, which Archway and inadvertantly put on in his scramble to leave Basil's house that afternoon.

Now to the business at hand.

Elizabeth, I'm not even sure this counts. I think you gave it away.

Elizabeth Ludwig said...

(Laughing) Ah, but faithful reading has it's privileges!!

Congratulations, Lisa. You've won a free book. Please email me at elizabeth at elizabeth ludwig dot com to claim your prize.