The Mona Lisa Caper – Two Minute Mystery

The Mona Lisa Caper – Two Minute Mystery
The Louvre’s director in charge, Théophile Homolle was pacing back and forth within his small disorganized office. With the setting where the Mona Lisa was once proudly displayed now empty, he wondered if the mystery of her disappearance would ever be solved. The whole country screamed with retribution and if the police didn’t start producing results soon, the whole of France would be screaming at him too!

Just as the director was about to pack up and leave for the day, the phone rang. He quickly slouched down in his chair, and picked up the receiver.

“Bonjour.”

“Monsieur Homolle?” queried a monotone voice.

“Yes.”

“I have the Mona Lisa and if you want her returned, you’ll pay me a ransom of 50,000 francs!”

Homolle was momentarily speechless as he tried to digest what he just heard. With the mystery of exactly how Mona disappeared having played out in his head over and over during the past few days, he asked, “How did you acquire the painting?”

“It was simple. I stowed overnight in the Louvre knowing that the next day, a Monday, the museum would be closed for cleaning. With the Lourve being chiefly vacant, I took the portrait, carefully removed it from it’s frame, rolled it up and placed it under my smock. I then headed down the stairs, where I discarded the frame and promptly left the museum.” After a brief ominous laugh, he continued. “It was as easy as that! So if you would like to see …”

Homolle interrupted. “Although I am sure that the police would love to meet with you, it won’t be to recover the Mona Lisa. It’s obvious to me that you do not have the painting!”

How did Monsieur Homolle know that the mystery caller did not have the Mona Lisa?

Answer: Da Vinci painted his masterpiece, the Mona Lisa, on a plank of poplar wood. Since the painting is not on canvas, as the unidentified caller probably assumed, it could not have been “rolled up” and placed under his smock as he claimed.

Bonnie And Clyde – Infamous Criminals

Bonnie Parker (October 1, 1910 – May 23, 1934) and Clyde Barrow (March 24, 1909 – May 23, 1934) were notorious outlaws, robbers, and criminals who, with their gang, traveled the Central United States during the Great Depression. Their exploits were known nationwide. They captured the attention of the American press and its readership during what is sometimes referred to as the “public enemy era” between 1931 and 1934. Though their gang was notorious for their bank robberies, Barrow preferred to rob small stores or gas stations. The gang was believed to have killed at least nine police officers, among several other murders.

Bonnie and Clyde were killed on May 23, 1934, on a desolate road near their Bienville Parish, Louisiana hideout. Below is a video that shows their death scene – Shot by an amateur photographer five minutes after the event.

After this film was taken, the bullet-riddled Ford containing the two bodies was towed to the Conger Furniture Store & Funeral Parlor. The firm was located on Railroad Avenue in downtown Arcadia, Louisiana across from the Illinois Central train station (which is now a historical museum containing Bonnie and Clyde artifacts.) Preliminary embalming was done by C.F. “Boots” Bailey in the small preparation room in back of the furniture store.[ It was estimated that the northwest Louisiana town swelled in population from 2,000 to 12,000 within hours, the curious throngs arriving by train, horseback, buggy, and plane. Beer which normally sold for 15 cents a bottle jumped to 25 cents; food quickly sold out.

Walkabout’s Bonnie and Clyde song with photos of Bonnie & Clyde

The Story of Bonnie And Clyde

You’ve read the story of Jesse James–
Of how he lived and died;
If you’re still in need
Of something to read
Here’s the story of Bonnie and Clyde.

Now Bonnie and Clyde are the Barrow gang.
I’m sure you all have read
How they rob and steal
And those who squeal
Are usually found dying or dead.

There’s lots of untruths to these write-ups;
They’re not so ruthless as that;
Their nature is raw;
They hate the law–
The stool pigeons, spotters, and rats.

They call them cold-blooded killers;
They say they are heartless and mean;
But I say this with pride,
That I once knew Clyde
When he was honest and upright and clean.

But the laws fooled around,
Kept taking him down
And locking him up in a cell,
Till he said to me,
“I’ll never be free,
So I’ll meet a few of them in hell.”

The road was so dimly lighted;
There were no highway signs to guide;
But they made up their minds
If all roads were blind,
They wouldn’t give up till they died.

The road gets dimmer and dimmer;
Sometimes you can hardly see;
But it’s fight, man to man,
And do all you can,
For they know they can never be free.

From heart-break some people have suffered;
From weariness some people have died;
But take it all in all,
Our troubles are small
Till we get like Bonnie and Clyde.

If a policeman is killed in Dallas,
And they have no clue or guide;
If they can’t find a fiend,
They just wipe their slate clean
And hang it on Bonnie and Clyde.

There’s two crimes committed in America
Not accredited to the Barrow mob;
They had no hand
In the kidnap demand,
Nor the Kansas City Depot job.

A newsboy once said to his buddy:
“I wish old Clyde would get jumped;
In these awful hard times
We’d make a few dimes
If five or six cops would get bumped.”

The police haven’t got the report yet,
But Clyde called me up today;
He said, “Don’t start any fights–
We aren’t working nights–
We’re joining the NRA.”

From Irving to West Dallas viaduct
Is known as the Great Divide,
Where the women are kin,
And the men are men,
And they won’t “stool” on Bonnie and Clyde.

If they try to act like citizens
And rent them a nice little flat,
About the third night
They’re invited to fight
By a sub-gun’s rat-tat-tat.

They don’t think they’re too smart or desperate,
They know that the law always wins;
They’ve been shot at before,
But they do not ignore
That death is the wages of sin.

Some day they’ll go down together;
They’ll bury them side by side;
To few it’ll be grief–
To the law a relief–
But it’s death for Bonnie and Clyde.

Written by Bonnie Parker

The Case of It’s a Dog’s Life

So how are you finding our British weather?” inquired Constable Howard.

Detective Nose searched for something positive to say but came up blank – there had been nothing but gray drizzle since he arrived! And now, although he was supposed to be on holiday, his friend was taking him on a work trip to the scene of a death – as if Detective Nose didn’t see enough of them back home.

Luckily he was saved from having to answer as the Constable suddenly braked hard and swerved the police car into a gravel drive. “Jolly good, here we are,” he said happily.

As they exited the car, a plump man opened the door of the big, old, ivy-covered house and bustled out to meet them.

“Ah, good morning,” said the Constable, removing his hat deferentially. “This is my friend Detective Nose, holidaying here; come along with me for the ride is all.”

Mr. Falconer, the owner of Manor House, shook both of their hands. “A pleasure, a pleasure! Do come in, gentlemen.”

Detective Nose’s day wasn’t getting any better. As he crossed the threshold, a huge dog appeared from nowhere and launched itself at his chest, almost winding him.

“Down, Rover! Sorry Detective – sorry – he wouldn’t hurt a flea – his only problem is his bottomless stomach, I’m afraid he searches everyone that comes in the house in case they have any food!”

“Humph… that’s OK,” said Detective Nose a little grumpily.

Their host showed the two investigators to the scene of the crime. An impressive dining room, the centerpiece of which was an enormous, regal dining table.

“The police have of course removed the … uh … deceased,” said Mr. Falconer,”and my chef cleared away the dishes, but otherwise nothing has been touched.”

“Right,” said Constable Howard reassuringly. “This is just a formality, sir, my colleagues at the station believe your guest died of a heart attack. Our visit is just a tick in the box.”

Mr. Falconer looked relieved. “It was awful,” he confided. “One minute we were all enjoying a lively dinner party, and the next dear old Bob collapsed into the remains of his food.”

As the other two men talked, Detective Nose stalked around the room, his footsteps cushioned by the deep, luxurious carpet. He stopped directly behind the seat where Bob had been sitting when he died. He slowly turned a full circle, noting everything in sight. Returning to face the table, Detective Nose was struck by the vast mirror that hung on the wall directly opposite. With its highly ornate frame, the mirror was clearly meant to be the focal point of the room.

The Detective frowned as he looked at the mirror – there was something odd about it – it was subtly concave, reflecting virtually the whole room. Immediately behind him was an open door. He wandered through it and found himself in a spotless kitchen. He took a quick inventory. Dog’s bowl full of dinner scraps by the scullery, a hanging rack of utensils, enormous Aga stove …

“Ah, Detective, there you are!” The constable bustled in. “I think we’ve done our duty here. Shall we be going?”

“Howard”, the detective replied seriously, “all is not quite what it seems in this place.”

What made Detective Nose suspect foul play?

More Two Minute Mysteries

Case Of The Tough Break

Detective Nose once again arrived at the jewelery store, a route he has become rather familiar with for all the wrong reasons. The previous owner of the store, having being arrested for committing fraud, left the management of the store to his son. It was the store owner’s son that called Detective Nose into the store.

“Detective Nose”, said the young man, “I know that my father hasn’t been an honest person, but I assure you that I am trying to make amends for his tainted reputation.” Detective Nose examined the young man closely. Neatly and smartly dressed in a navy blue suit and matching striped tie, the young man was a stark contrast to his father, and looked every bit as refined and educated as a young person could hope to be.

“I called you in because someone has sold me fake diamonds, and I want you to work with the police to catch these despicable crooks!” “I was hoping that my father’s reputation with his suppliers would still be intact, but I believe that they simply preyed on my inexperience in this trade.”

“What is it with this jewelery store and crooks?” Detective Nose thought to himself. “Show me where these fake diamonds are”. The young man produced a velvet pouch, from which he took out several glittering stones and laid them out on a mat on the counter.

“I had tried the scratch test, and indeed they were scratch resistant against sapphires, but when I tried to hit them with a mallet to test their hardness, the stone shattered.” The young man sounded devastated, and what Detective Nose had to say would prove even more disastrous for him.

More Two Minute Mysteries

“No need to call the cops,” Detective Nose quipped, “there’s been no deception here.”

What was the jewelery owner’s mistake? And why did Detective Nose not call the cops?

Case of the Missing Rings

Detective Nose entered the dark cottage and spied the distraught woman Ms. Lloyd sitting on her sofa by candle light. A uniformed Officer passed by and assured Nose that they would have the power on in an instant. Detective Nose then approached the woman and asked for her story.

“I was watching an old movie when the lights suddenly went out. Just then, I heard some strange noises coming from the bedroom. I got up to investigate when all of a sudden someone came flying out of the bedroom in such a rush that they knocked me down. Although I did not get a look at the offender, I did hear them open the front door and run out.. At this point, I crawled over to my desk and picked up my phone to call you people. When I got off the phone I lit some candles and checked the bedroom, that’s when I saw that my diamond rings were missing.”

The lights suddenly flashed on and Detective Nose was able to get a good look at the neat cottage. There was a large fireplace, and a very modern computer sitting on a desk. The front door was opposite another door which lead to the bedroom. The phone rang and the woman got up to answer it. Inspector Nose watched as Ms. Lloyd picked up the cordless phone and nodded as she politely excused herself and went into the bedroom to continue with the call. When she returned, the Detective asked her if that was the only phone in the cottage. She assured him that it was.

“I guess the only other question I have then, Ms. Lloyd, is where did you hide the rings?”

Why did detective Nose suspect that the woman was lying?

More Two Minute Mysteries

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