Archie's Antiques Mystery Puzzles: Book 2

By Robin Hillard

Archie’s Antiques Mystery Puzzles: Book 2

Archie’s Antiques is a charming fictional antique shop set in a small town somewhere in Australia. And inside Archie’s are a wonderful group of characters: Sam, the knowledgeable owner of Archie’s, his clever friend, the retired policeman, Edward Destranger, and his young niece, Sandra. Also, you will find a surfeit of mysteries and puzzles.

Archie’s not only attracts all sorts of curious questions but also interesting people. It welcomes through its doors a parade of charlatans, frauds, and pranksters, who arrive with a variety of dishonest schemes and ingenious tricks. It also attracts ordinary townsfolk and Sam’s family and friends. Who bring their troubles and problems through its door in search of answers.

Robin Hillard’s Archie’s Antiques Mystery Puzzles books each contain twenty-eight small mysteries, or puzzles, that the shop’s staff, and you, the reader, can investigate and solve.

The mysteries in these books often include intriguing snippets of general knowledge that may entice you to look deeper into things, or they may involve exposing the type of scams that can easily take in the unwary.

As Sam, Edward, Sandra; their family and friends; and Archie’s customers struggle with these mysteries, you can try to match your brains against theirs in finding a way around every problem and a solution to every mystery.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cyberworld Publishing
• Release date: Dec 11, 2013
• ISBN: 9781922187741

Robin Hillard

Robin Hillard grew up in the Western Australian goldfields and has spent many years living in provincial cities and country towns of varying sizes during a career spent teaching in Australia, England, and Canada. She has now settled, with her husband, in Toowoomba, also known as the “Garden City” of Queensland. It is also well served with antique shops—providing the inspiration for Archie’s Antiques—while Robin’s own fertile mind and interest in the strange and curious have created “Archie’s Antiques Mystery Puzzles.” Toowoomba also provides the basis for the Australian town of Ridgeway, which features in her murder mystery/cozy novel “Ridgeway Murder,” due for release in early 2014. Robin likes to receive feedback from readers and appreciates reviews of her books being posted at Goodreads and other sites.

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http://www.cyberworldpublishing.com/

This book is copyright © 2013

Robin Hillard asserts her right to be known as the author of this work.

First published by Cyberworld Publishing in 2013

Published by Cyberworld Publishing at Smashwords

Cover design by S Bush © 2013

Cover images: (all manipulated): doorway copyright: AnnMei | view portfolio, antique shop interior copyright: alex_zhivitsky | view portfolio

E-book ISBN: 978-1-922187-74-1

Print (combined books 1 & 2) ISBN: 978-1-922187-75-8

All rights reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review or article, without written permission from the author or publisher.

This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

All characters in this book are the product of the author’s imagination and no resemblance to real people, or implication of events occurring in actual places, is intended.

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Archie’s Antiques Mystery Puzzles

Book 2

Robin Hillard

CONTENTS

Introduction

29. MIRACLE CURE

30. THE RAINMAKER’S DANCE

31. THE GREAT GAMBLE

32. THE STOLEN COIN

33. ALFRED’S MAN

34. OLD RYAN

35. DEAD MAN ALIVE

36. THE TERRIBLE TWO

37. THE HAUNTED HOUSE

38. PLACEBO EFFECT

39. A DOG IN THE TRUCK

40. GREAT GRANDUNCLE’S LETTER

41.THE AUNT’S CANDLESTICKS

42.THE PORCELAIN CAT

43. BUCK ’EM UP

44. SPACE TRAVELLER

45. A CRY FOR HELP

46. THAT CHRISTMAS DINNER

47. THE CLADDAGH RING

48. SANDRA IN CHARGE

49. APRIL FOOL

50. THE POISONED CUP

51. THE POLICEMAN’S DILEMMA

52. THOMAS AND GERALD’S CARNIVAL CON

53. THE MISSING HUSBAND

54. WHO TRIED TO BRIBE THE COUNCILLOR?

55. CHANNELLING CAPTAIN COOK

56. WHAT’S IT TO BE?

About the Author

Introduction

I hope you will enjoy the stories I have woven around the puzzles and mysteries in this collection. You will meet Sam, the owner of Archie’s Antiques, his niece, Sandra, and their clever friend, Edward Destranger in these stories.

When troubled customers come to Archie’s Antiques, someone in the shop is always able to help them. Usually it’s Sam’s friend, Edward Destranger. He also foils the conmen and shysters who come into the shop with their crooked schemes. And when that mischievous oldster, Grandfather Gale, amuses himself by pitting his wits against the younger generation, Edward is a match for the old man.

Edward Destranger and his companions provided the solution in a series of monthly puzzles I originally wrote for the now-defunct Australian ezine Bonzer! A selection of these have been revised and are published here in Archie’s Antiques Mystery Puzzles.

Producing these monthly problems gave me a wonderful excuse to wander around the Internet looking for scams, tricks, and jokes. I also collected a number of fascinating facts on a variety of subjects to provide a context for the puzzle. After you have answered the question at the end of each puzzle, perhaps you will be interested to learn more about the background to some of these puzzles, and in places I have provided links to websites you might like to visit.

I hope you have as much fun reading these puzzle/stories as I had writing them.

Robin Hillard

Toowoomba, 2013

29. MIRACLE CURE

Edward Destranger walked briskly in the bitter wind, but it was not the weather that made him frown as he strode across the park. The object of his animosity was a gaily striped tent with a banner announcing the arrival of a "GREAT PERSIAN PROPHET," who promised, in large red letters, to use the wisdom of the Ancient East to cure the sickness of our modern time. Townsfolk were invited to visit the prophet that night and, according to the sign, to LEAVE THEIR TROUBLES WITH HIM. And leave their money too, Destranger said to a woman who had paused to read the promises. She walked away, ignoring him. She wanted to believe in miracles.

Destranger quickened his stride, leaving the park behind as he headed for Archie’s Antiques. If it was a quiet day, Sam could leave the shop in the capable hands of his niece and the two men would retire to the small back room for a cup of tea and a chat.

But as soon as he stepped through the door Destranger knew there would be no pleasant chat today. Sam was leaning against the wall, scowling, while at the counter a large person, wearing a turban and bright emerald robes, waved a sterling silver spoon as he lectured young Sandra.

Destranger guessed he was in the presence of the Persian Prophet himself and that the Great One was using the expensive spoon to illustrate some fable of the Ancient East. A couple of women joined the audience.

Lot of hot air, Sam growled. He was about to interrupt the performance when an older man walked in using a white cane to tap the floor in front of his feet. Sam moved forward to offer help, but the man shook his head. He did not want to buy anything; he was simply seeking shelter from the wind outside. Sam guided him to a chair, and the blind man sat down gratefully.

At any other time the visitor might have rested quietly, enjoying the sounds of the shop, but today Archie’s Antiques was honoured by the presence of a Persian Prophet in his green-robed glory.

When the self-appointed miracle worker saw the white cane he pushed Sandra out of the way, and  rushed across the floor to wave his arms over the blind man’s head.

He started singing an incantation in a language the ignorant could mistake for Old Persian but which Edward Destranger loudly referred to as jabberwocky  Then the  prophet held out a hand, pulled the blind man to his feet and led him to the front of the shop. They stood at the entrance until the sight of the oddly assorted pair, and the shrill words of the incantation attracted a crowd.

The prophet finished his incantation and placed his hands over the blind man’s eyes, before raising them, palms up, to bless the crowd.

I can see! I can see! The blind man yelled, waving his now-unnecessary stick. Born blind and I can see your wonderful face! He grabbed the Persian Prophet’s hands and kissed them while Sandra left the counter to join the erstwhile customers who had rushed into the street to see the miracle. A teenage boy, who had been wheeling his bicycle past the door, left his bike on the footpath and