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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 for your entertainment.

This is Episode 2, cow flop bingo is the featured game. This is A Scent of Murder by Paul A Barra.

PRE-ROLL

This week\\u2019s author is Paul A. Barra. The author of "A Scent of Murder," today\\u2019s story, Paul A. Barra has written and published five novels. His latest was WESTFARROW ISLAND, a finalist for the Silver Falchion. One of his short stories was selected for the award-winning MWA anthology WHEN A STRANGER COMES TO TOWN. His historical juvenile adventure, SAMSON AND THE CHARLESTON SPY, will be published by Level Best Books in August 2024.

DELIBERATION

Before we get into the who and why of the story, I want to let you all know that Mysteries to Die For remains ad free. In exchange for not making you move to hit the fast forward button, support our authors by digging into their backlists and picking up a title. This week is Paul A Barra. Check out his catalogue on his website and your favorite book retailer. Now\\u2026

Deputy Sandy Buford has been doing a lot of running around but doesn\\u2019t seem to be getting any place. Let\\u2019s see if we can help him out. Here are the people who were in Emory James\\u2019s house when he could have been killed:

\\u2022\\tAdele James, the wife who was broken by her husband\\u2019s murder

\\u2022\\tSusan James, eldest daughter, thin and pale, probably not strong enough to plunge a knife into a big man.

\\u2022\\tSarah James, younger daughter, stayed up witnessing the two pols get drunk.

\\u2022\\tFrank Burns, lobbyist #1, spent his time eating and drinking with his friend Sam (below)

\\u2022\\tSamuel Cohen, lobbyist #2. Both lobbyists looked as if they\'d just gotten out of bed when Adele\'s scream woke the house.

\\u2022\\tMutt James, Emory\\u2019s brother

\\u2022\\tBeauty Barnes, the caterer working the weekend at the James house, wife of Jasper.

Here are the facts as we know them.

\\u2022\\tWith the exception of Beauty Barnes, all others stayed up late together strategizing on Emory\\u2019s political future. Beauty arrived at six-thirty in the morning using her key to the kitchen door.

\\u2022\\tEmory James did not open his hip-pocket loan operation at eight, as was normal. There had recently been a news article about his business.

\\u2022\\tA crowd of would-be borrowers had assembled outside the door to Emory\'s office before 8 a.m. They all knew there was a box of cash on Emory\'s desk, and many of them were probably already in debt to Emory James.

\\u2022\\tAdele James was a gambler who lost. She had recently paid her debt off.

\\u2022\\tAdele schemed with Mutt James to win the Cow Flop Bingo, paying Beauty\\u2019s husband, Jasper, to seed the field on their squares.

\\u2022\\tAdele knew her husband had money in his safe, including the Cow Flop Bingo money, but claimed not to know the combination. It was found in her jewelry box.

\\u2022\\tBeauty Barnes picked up the James job for the extra money. Her husband was seen leaving the house by the kitchen door. He had delivered drinks and was seen leaving with a satchel, although...'