As promised, here’s the first of a series of five-minute-mysteries. These mini-who-done-its are just tidbits for honing your detective skills. The cases are
The Body at Sunset Park
Detective Evelyn Marks adjusted her sunglasses as she walked the winding path past Sunset Park’s tennis courts. The rhythmic thwack of tennis balls punctuated the summer air. She glanced at the courts, noting how long it had been since she played.
When she made it to the single-story building surrounded by trees and shrubbery on all sides, her feet were already hurting. The main building’s brick facade, its entryway framed by hedges, and an equipment shed close by. The detective pushed past the heavy glass doors at the entrance to meet the officers inside.
“It’s Gregory Marks, ma’am,” said officer Pelosi. “Found dead in his car. The tennis pro, Lila Carter, had a very public fight with him just before he left the courts.” The weapon appears to be a tennis racket.
Evelyn nodded. Lila was an old friend. “Show me,” she said. The detective followed the officer out through the entrance door to the employee parking lot at the rear of the brick building next to the equipment shed.
The medical examiner, along with two officers, occupied the parking lot. Gregory’s car was positioned near the curb, the door ajar. A bloody tennis racket lay in the gutter below.
Evelyn crouched beside the car. Gregory was slumped in the driver’s seat, his head injury obvious. Upon returning through the rear entrance, a small purple tassel caught her eye, snagged in the door leading back to the office hallway.
“Bag that,” she instructed an officer. “I’ll start with interviews.”
The city manager had made the call at 3:15 p.m.; she was still visibly disturbed by the incident. “I had just finished a call to the mayor from my office and headed to my car to get something out of my glove compartment when I saw him slumped over,” said Victoria Chase, City Manager.
Although the detective was listening, her attention was divided. She was following scuff marks leading from the back door down the hall. Officer Pelosi had gathered witnesses and had them waiting in the break room.
Witness 1: Lila Carter, Tennis Pro
The detective found Lila pacing near the coffee machine. “Gregory was stalking me,” Lila began. “I told him to leave me alone. He called me some choice words, and I answered back with a few of my own. Then he got physical. I swung the racket to scare him, not to hurt him. After he left, I went back to practice.”
“Did you see him again?” Evelyn asked.
“No,” Lila said, her voice steady. “I was on the courts alone until I heard the commotion.”
Witness 2: Jim Rutherford, Recreation Supervisor
“Gregory was a bit of a tyrant,” Jim admitted when Evelyn found him in his office. He spent far too much time trying to intimidate people into doing what he wanted. “I was meeting with parents about summer programs.”
“Anyone to confirm that?” Evelyn asked.
“Not exactly,” Jim said, shifting in his seat. “We wrapped up early, and I stayed here catching up on paperwork.” My office is further down the hall.
Witness 3: Derek Walsh, Equipment Technician
I was unloading tools near the gym. “Gregory?” he said, scratching his head. “He wasn’t my favorite guy. Tried to push the idea that I was taking kickbacks once. The dude is a straight-up villain. I had no love for the guy. but murder? That’s not my thing.”
“Where were you?” Evelyn asked. “Fixing treadmills,” he said. This place is pretty quiet after 3:00, so there weren’t a whole lot of people around.
Suspect 4: Victoria Chase, City Manager
Victoria greeted Evelyn with practiced composure. “This is a terrible tragedy,” she said. “I was on a call with the mayor in my office the entire time.”
“Did you hear anything?” Evelyn asked.
“I did see the argument on the tennis courts. Gregory called Lila a… Well, it was bad, then she promised to remove his testicles if he continued the harassment. He called her a… well, she slugged him with her racket,” Victoria said. “Gregory stormed off toward the parking lot after that.”
The Reveal
Evelyn walked the hall a bit before returning to the break room, where a scarf and hat were neatly placed on a coat rack next to a wheelchair near the entrance. She traced the scuff marks on the floor, following them to the back door. The tassel from the scarf confirmed the route.
“We’re going to make an arrest in about five minutes,” Evelyn said to the officers.
The detective turned to confront the four witnesses who were seated in the break room. “Obviously you didn’t plan this very well, so it must have been a crime of opportunity more than anything else,” said the detective.
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Can you guess who the culprit is? Click the link for the answer.
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