"Drowned? Drowned, you say""Yes, inspector, we found 'im lyin' there dead. Blue as one of 'em Blue Men from Las Vegas, over in the colonies."
"And since it hasn't rained for a fortnight and the swimming pool is bone dry, how do you suppose he drowned?"
"Well, see, inspector, we figures he was held down on his back and water was poured into his mouth while his nose was held until . . well, until he drowned."
"And the water came from where? I don't see a hose anywhere."
"Inspector, we suspect they used that 'ere waterin' can."
"Ah, I see. And this happened when?"
"The fellow was seen at his pub last night at closin' time so it was after that."
"Yes, and the pub closed at an hour before midnight and it is now half past eight in the morning. So it was within the last 8 hours, correct?"
"That's right, inspector. Pretty smart of us to figger it out, wa'nt it?"
"Except for one thing, Dee-tect-ive."
"What's 'at, sir?"
"The plants growing through the handle of the watering can. And IT HASN'T RAINED FOR A FORTNIGHT!!! I think you'd better do some more investigating."
==========================
Oh, that damned Poirot, he's always so smart. Or it could have been Holmes. Or Dalgliesh. Well, anyway, this was only an exercise, prompted by the fiendish Willow with her photo prompt (obviously from some place where it actually rains.) You can read more offerings at Magpie Tales. Meantime, the inspector will try to figure this one out.
so these are like short shorts?
ReplyDeleteHey, godsey! Long time, no hear. The Magpie Tales can be anything from stories - long or short, poems, haiku, or whatever you want to make it. You should check out the link to Magpie Tales and join us. It's a weekly thing and it's fun!
ReplyDeleteyou're pretty good at this Catalyst
ReplyDeleteloved this one
Or maybe, just maybe, the plant is from the Little Shop of Horrors! The vine did it!
ReplyDeleteFun story!
Rick
inventive dialogues,
ReplyDeleteloved your beautiful tale here.
stay well!
keep it up.
ooo so very cleverly thought out! Loved it!
ReplyDeleteWhat a clever idea! I loved the dialect too!
ReplyDeleteI know the solution is forthcoming! A delightful read!
ReplyDeleteNice take on the prompt Mr C.
ReplyDeleteLove it!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this! Your dialogue is superb.
ReplyDeletewww.angiemuresan.com
I was half way though this and some dasterly person pulled the plug, could it have been the same villan that caused death by drowning?? LOL
ReplyDeleteChristine
Ooo, i do love a good mystery! You named three of my fave detectives. my dad and i often get a whole weekend load of the bbc and a&e videos and watch them together. I've also read every Poirot mystery by agatha out there. great job, i really liked this magpie a lot.
ReplyDeleteHmmm...maybe the watering can snuck under the fast-growing vines to disguise itself. Curious! Nice Magpie.
ReplyDeleteSounds a bit like that "water-boarding", but of course it never hurt anyone. Thank you sir.
ReplyDeleteWith mystery and humor you can't go wrong! Love this one! :-)
ReplyDeleteAs usual, this was a lot of fun - love your stories!
ReplyDeleteA real 'who done it' ....
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoyed this!
ha! such a great magpie and you have my wholehearted agreement...them there fellers are one fry short of a happy meal :)
ReplyDeletedear catalyst, i had to stop by again because i swore i saw you tonight! i was watching the msnbc nightly news and they aired a segment showing an ice cream shop in prescott, sweet caesars was the name of it. and standing in line was a fella with this gorgeous gray beard and i knew it was you! just hope you didn't spoil your dinner that night ;)
ReplyDeleteSheri - I'm sorry to disappoint you. It wasn't me. I was watching that newscast, too, and was surprised to see the report from Prescott. But . . . gorgeous though I am . . . the fellow in line was trimmer, had a much neater beard and (I hate to say) was probably younger. The ice cream looked good, though!
ReplyDeleteCute and clever...
ReplyDeleteLOL! This was definitely worth the trip over here to visit. Loved it.
ReplyDeleteah, brilliant...darn flowers growing int eh can...thanks for the chuckle this morning...
ReplyDeleteThis was fun, Mr. C! Reminds me of the movie Charade, where they prop the guy they drowned in the bathtub in bed.
ReplyDeleteAw shucks..I want to know how he drowned?! Loved this Magpie! :)
ReplyDeleteGreat Magpie...love the dee-tec-tive - your writes are always filled with intrigue...bkm
ReplyDeleteAch, a mystery! And a fun one, too. As long as you're not the dead guy...
ReplyDeleteYou just can't put one over on Poirot. Love the "accent" the Dee-tect-ive has.
ReplyDeleteExcellent magpie Cat! Way to go with the 'accent' - that is hard to do. I just love the bloggers who pay more attention to the nuances of the photo, and grab inspiration out of them. :-)
ReplyDelete