Welcome to Mysteries to Die For.
I am TG Wolff and am here with Jack, my piano player and producer. This is a podcast where we combine storytelling with original music to put you in the heart of a mystery. All stories are structured to challenge you to beat the detective to the solution. These are arrangements, which means instead of word-for-word readings, you get a performance meant to be heard. Jack and I perform these live, front to back, no breaks, no fakes, no retakes.
This is Season 7, Games People Play. Games are about competition conducted according to rules with participants working toward a goal. Games are a part of every culture and are one of the oldest forms of social interaction and engagement. Games can be fun, challenging and exhilarating. They can also be intense, cutthroat, and lethal. This season, our authors have fashioned deadly games and unscrupulous villains to test your detection skills.
This is Episode 23, rock, paper, scissors is the featured game. This is Rock, Paper, Scissors, Shoot by Jack Wolff
When you listen to the podcast, you'll hear us say this was episode 24. We were wrong. It's 23. Oh well. ENJOY!
DELIBERATION
Detective Connolly is in over his head more than usual. If he doesn’t get this right, some innocent heads will be squashed. Let’s review who was in the room with the late Mr. Staniel Purquees:
- Anne Taller, the bling loving accountant;
- Cragly Bioth, the former British Army sharpshooter turned chef;
- Dion Mooster, the informant for the FBI who mostly informed for Stan; and
- Timothy Boberts, the drug runner with a bleeding problem.
Now let’s look at the facts Connolly has unearthed:
- Staniel Purquees, the king of fungus corn, died in his mansion named Mt. Eternity, surrounded by his faithful employees.
- At the time the lights went out, Cragly and Stan were playing pool. Tim was standing in a corner by himself, sucking up a head injury. Anne and Dion were sitting on the couches.
- When the lights went out, someone retrieved the murder weapon hidden behind the only askew picture frame and shot Stan. Berthrew entered immediately, covering his employer’s body with his coat.
- Anne lived at Mt. Eternity doing her work as accountant with the shaky internet service. It was so unreliable she’d taken to writing letters to her sick mother.
- Cragly also lived at Mt. Eternity, working as the chef. The ex-army sharpshooter turned his knives to culinary purposes after rampaging the world in search of his son’s killers.
- Dion stayed close to Stanial, a necessary part of snooping for the FBI and counter snooping for Stan.
- Timothy traveled, distributed Stan’s more exclusive products across the mountain states and Florida, when he had a food truck craving.
- Each suspect was assigned a position – rock, paper, scissors, and shoot – based on their story.
Who should Connolly tag as the shooter?
ABOUT Rock, Paper, Scissors
Information on Rock, Paper, Scissors, or RPS, comes from the World Rock Paper Scissors Association (WRPSA). From the official history of RPS, we learn that the game was originally mentioned in a chinese book written during the Ming dynasty, which is the period of 206 BC to 220 AD). The hand game was created in China and traveled to Japan, where they gained popularity. One version used a frog (thumb), who was defeated by the slug (pinkie finger), who was defeated by the snake (index finger), who completed the circle by losing to the frog. In the 17th century, the familiar rock, paper, and scissors were incorporated and grew in popularity. By the early 20th century, the game had spread wider, including to the US. The history names of RPS in Chinese and Japanese were beyond my ability to pronounce, so I encourage you to check out the WRPSA website and maybe sign yourself up to be a player.
https://wrpsa.com/the-official-history-of-rock-paper-scissors/
https://wrpsa.com/about/
ABOUT Jack Wolff
Jack is half of the brain power behind Mysteries to Die For. Now finishing it’s seventh season, Jack writes and performs the musical arrangements and produces the show. He maintains the show’s fresh air by staunchly refusing to edit out his mother’s mistakes, no matter how much she begs.
Jack attends Ball State University, majoring in media production with a minor in music theory, which everyone knows is harder than rocket science.
