Super Quick Mysteries, Volume 4: Super Quick Mysteries, #4

By Andrew Stanek

30 Super Quick, cozy mysteries that you can solve yourself! Each episode is a simple stand-alone mystery a few pages long, plus the solution, that fit into a larger narrative. Volume 4 in the Super Quick Mysteries series follows the story of Chuck Waters, a sleepy sandwich-selling sleuth, and Andy Clayton, intrepid local newspaper reporter, as they crack tricky cases in their hometown of Lesser Redmond. Brand new, never-before-seen cases! By author Andrew Stanek, whose literary intentions remain a mystery even to himself.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Andrew Stanek
• Release date: Jan 23, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215178706

Book preview

Also by Andrew Stanek

And Then They All Died Again

And Then They All Died Again

And Then They All Died A Third Time

And Then They All Died A Fourth Time

Empire

Empire

Felix Green Mysteries

Death by Nostalgia

Death in Detail

Murderer's Dilemma

Shell Game

The Murder Next Door

Vanquished

Falling Problem

Super Quick Mysteries

Super Quick Mysteries, Volume 2

Super Quick Mysteries, Volume 3

Super Quick Mysteries, Volume 4

Super Quick Mysteries, Volume 5

Super Quick Mysteries, Volume 6

Super Quick Mysteries, Volume 7

You Are Dead.

You Are A Ghost. (Sign Here Please)

You Are Doomed. (Sign Here Please)

You Are Undead. (Sign Here Please)

You Are On Fire. (Sign Here Please)

You Are Concluded. (Sign Here Please)

You Are A Christmas Special. (Sign Here Please)

Standalone

Solomon's Eagle

Super Quick Mysteries (Vol 4.)

by Andrew Stanek

You can sign up for my mailing list at http://eepurl.com/bhTc9H to receive emails from me about my writing, including information about sales and book giveaways! This is the fourth book in the Super Quick Mysteries series. If you enjoy it, why not read Volumes 1, 2, and 3?

--Andrew Stanek

Case 1: Pick Me Up

It was a beautiful fall day in Lesser Redmond, and Chuck Waters felt his eyes droop as he put his chin down on the order counter on the side of his sandwich truck, Chuck Wagon. The weather was very mild, and it was warm but not too warm, and sometimes a cooling breeze swept down the street and tossed leaves fallen from the nearby trees. It was all very peaceful and calm and Chuck considered having a relaxing nap, maybe after he had a brief rest to store up the necessary energy for it, and then maybe another nap after that, if he was feeling up to it after all the napping he had to do.

There were no customers at the order window of Chuck Wagon, but if there had been any, they probably would have regarded Chuck as lazy and slow as he tried to rest and think of ways to not have to make the sandwiches they ordered from him. They would have said that he was the laziest sandwich man in the whole of Lesser Redmond.

Very few would have guessed that Chuck had another side to him. When he wasn’t busy napping and dodging work, Chuck had a serious reputation in the city’s sleuthing and crime solving communities as the Sandwich Shop Detective. Dozens of people flocked to him when they had cases to crack, but very few of Chuck’s regular customers knew this.

In fairness, Chuck didn’t really know this either, or to the extent he did know it, he tended to ignore it because it sounded like an awful lot of work to him and he preferred to think of soothing things, like sandwiches and naps. Yet, when victims and customers and even the police brought cases to him, he would solve them while making them sandwiches.

Here’s an example.

On this particular autumn day, Chuck was lolling peacefully in his sandwich truck and staring across the street at a crowd of people in the park, trying to keep a low profile and stay out of sight for fear that they might try to order sandwiches from him, which would be a problem because he was feeling awfully sleepy. As he rested his cheek against the order window, a police car pulled up next to Chuck Wagon and out walked Police Chief Logan.

Police Chief Randall Logan was a good friend of Chuck’s. Chief Logan worked hard to keep Lesser Redmond safe and had put a lot of notorious criminals behind bars and often came to Chuck with cases to solve. He was also a very fat man who liked sandwiches. Chief Logan approached Chuck’s order window.

Hello, Chuck, Logan said enthusiastically.

From deep within himself, Chuck summoned the energy to lift his head a few inches off the counter and smile pleasantly, reflecting his peaceful mood.

Hello, Chief Logan, Chuck said dopily. Would you like your usual 24-inch mega-tuna-meatball-and-mayonnaise sub?

Yes, but I already had a pretty heavy lunch back at the station, Logan told Chuck. You’d better hold the sauce. It’ll just be a little pick-me-up.

With a grunt of exertion, Chuck just barely managed to haul the massive 24-inch bun onto the counter and started to slather tuna over it. Since the peaceful day had made Chuck feel even sleepier than usual, he found it quite difficult to run his arms all the way from one end of the sandwich to the other.

So, what brings you out here, Chief? Chuck asked conversationally.

Logan leaned in close to Chuck.

It’s actually a case! Logan told Chuck conspiratorially. There’s been an awful crime wave in Lesser Redmond, and part of that is a huge increase in car thefts. We think there’s a big car-stealing ring operating in the city! Do you see that red pickup truck across the street?

Chuck rested his head on the counter to regain his energy and squinted. Across the street, there was a small, beat-up old red pickup truck with a short, cramped cab. The paint was peeling and one of the headlights was broken, and there were lots of cracks in the glass on the sideview mirrors.

A pickup truck matching that description was reported stolen earlier today, and I think that’s the stolen vehicle, Logan said. I tracked it here on a tip-off. When the thieves come back to drive the truck, I’ll arrest them, and, hopefully, I’ll be able to bust this car theft ring.

Gee, would anyone really want to steal a little old truck like that? Chuck asked. It didn’t look very valuable.

Actually, it’s one of the most commonly stolen vehicles, Logan said. They don’t have many security features but the parts are worth a lot of money, and more than one pickup of that make and model has gone missing recently. They’re both valuable and easy to steal.

Oh, Chuck said, then started to spread the meatballs on top of the tuna.

He was just applying the mayo when a tall, dark-haired man approached the pickup and got inside. Logan cried out triumphantly and approached the truck before it could drive away. Moments later, Logan returned with the dark-haired man in handcuffs and started to pat him down next to the police cruiser.

I’m telling you, Chief! You’ve got the wrong man, the dark-haired man was saying. I’ve never stolen a car in my life! I don’t even jaywalk! This is my truck, and I’ve owned it for years.

A vehicle matching this description was stolen from the 5th Street parking lot at 7 AM this morning, and you also match the description of the thief, Logan told the man.

I wasn’t anywhere near 5th Street at 7 this morning! the man howled. I was driving in my truck down Route 909 to pick up some lumber in Gillyville. That’s miles away!

Can anyone corroborate that? Chief Logan said skeptically.

Just ask the guys at the lumber yard, the man complained. I picked up the lumber at around 9 AM.

You could have stolen the truck and then picked up the lumber two hours later, Chuck pointed out sleepily, as he quietly watched the exchange.

Who steals a truck and then picks up lumber in it? the man further protested.

I’m afraid I’ll need to take you in for further questioning, and we’ll decide if your alibi checks out later on, Logan told the suspect, then opened the door to his police car to bundle the man inside.

No, wait, the dark-haired man said quickly. There is someone else who can corroborate my story! I just remembered, uh, on my way down the highway, Route 909, to Gillyville this morning, I picked up a hitchhiker! That was right around 7 AM. They could tell you that I didn’t steal the car.

What do you mean, they? Logan asked.

There were two of them, a man and a woman, the dark-haired man said quickly. The man was on the shorter side and was pretty big, but he had a lot of tattoos, and the woman was very heavy. She had long, brown hair and was wearing one of those hats with a chin strap, and they both had big backpacks. They were both around twenty-five years old or so. I saw them trying to catch a lift on the side of the road and picked them up. They sounded like they’d hitchhiked all over.

Interesting, Logan said. Where can I find these hitchhikers so I can verify your story?

Gosh, I don’t exactly know, said the suspect. They asked for a lift to Lesser Redmond. I dropped them off at the bus station. While they were riding with me, they were talking about their big plans the whole time. They were going to take a bus at noon to Great Redmond and then walk all over the place and see all the sights in the big city. I heard them talk about nine or ten places they wanted to visit in Great Redmond.

That’s not helpful to me because I can’t find these witnesses to verify your alibi, Chief Logan said.

Sure you could, Chief! the man said. Just start asking at the bus station for buses that left at about noon. I’m sure someone remembers them, or the attendant at the bus station will, and you can go track them down.

I’m not sure, Logan said. You could have made this story up. They probably get a lot of people who match that description down at the bus station.

Look, Chief, I’m definitely telling you the truth, the man continued boldly. There’s no way you could ever think that I would steal a truck. Have you even run the plates? If you run the license plate number, you’ll see that this is my truck.

Logan peered suspiciously at the man while thinking about the man’s story, then disappeared into his police car for a minute, then returned scratching his head.

I forgot to run the plates ahead of time because it slipped my mind, Logan told Chuck confidentially. The license plate number of this truck is different from the one that was stolen, and this truck is registered to this man! I was about to arrest a man for stealing his own truck. That would have been a big mistake.

Chuck wobbled gently as he wrapped Chief Logan’s sandwich in paper.

Sir, I’m sorry for the misunderstanding, Logan told the suspect. It sounds like this truck is registered to you, so you’re free to-

Wait, Chief Logan, Chuck said quietly as he gently interrupted. Your sandwich is done. Here you go. I also wouldn’t release him, if I were you. He’s your car thief, and I can prove it!

(Why does Chuck think that the man is the car thief and how can he prove it? See the next page for the solution.)

Solution to Case #1: Pick Me Up

You can’t put three people in a two-seat pickup truck.

Many pickup trucks only have two seats. Some pickup trucks with expanded cabs have four seats, but these pickup trucks have very large cabs. Since the cab for this pickup was described as short and cramped, the suspect couldn’t possibly have put four people into it. It was too small. Since he described the hitchhikers as large people, he couldn’t have crammed both of them into his small cab.

Chuck thought about this very carefully. The suspect also couldn’t have put the hitchhikers in the back of the truck and had them ride on the truck bed for a few reasons. Above all else, the suspect overheard them talking while he was driving them, which he couldn’t have done if they were riding on the truck bed. Furthermore, the suspect was traveling to Gillyville when he picked the hitchhikers up, but he wasn’t dropping off the hitchhikers until he returned to Lesser Redmond. They couldn’t have ridden in the back because he had to put lumber in the back. (Also, riding on the truck bed would have been very conspicuous and dangerous.)

There’s something else funny about the suspect’s story, too. He said the hitchhikers were going to Lesser Redmond, but the suspect was driving to Gillyville - away from Lesser Redmond. This means the hitchhikers were standing on the wrong side of Route 909 (which is a highway) and all the traffic on their side of the highway was going away from their destination, not towards it. Hitchhikers would never do this! The suspect said they had hitchhiked all over and were experienced hitchhikers, and would not have made this mistake.

Chuck can also prove his suspicions. He thinks he knows how the suspect operates. Chief Logan said that a lot of trucks of exactly this make and model were going missing. Chuck realized that the suspect was a highly specialized car thief - he only steals trucks that match the make and model of his own truck. Then, when he steals them, he changes out the license plate to his own license plate, which he obtained legitimately. That way, if the police pull him over, it looks like he’s merely driving his own truck, and no one has the faintest idea he’s responsible for the rash of auto thefts in the city. However, Chuck realized that the suspect slipped up because his own truck must have an expanded cab that seats four. In the heat of the moment, the suspect forgot that the truck he’d stolen only had a short cab with two seats.

Chief Logan double-checked the suspect’s vehicle registration and verified that the suspect’s truck had an expanded cab with four seats, whereas the vehicle the suspect was about to drive away in only had two. It was, in fact, the stolen car. The suspect went to jail and Chief Logan busted the biggest car theft ring in Lesser Redmond, further discovering that they were operating out of Gillyville with the lumber yard as their front. Then, Chief Logan ate his sandwich.

Chuck was feeling so happy and peaceful about a job well-done that he put his head down on the counter and had a nice nap, which was of great annoyance to the other customers who were trying to order sandwiches from him at the time.

Case 2: Puppy Love

Of course, Chuck did not only solve big police cases that ended with Chief Logan busting a major crook or car theft ring. Most of the time, his cases were just small matters that his friends and customers brought to him between sandwich orders. One such case came by a few days later.

It was another beautiful autumn day. Mild fall weather and the gentle breeze felt very soothing against Chuck’s face as he pushed it into the counter. He was still feeling much sleepier than usual, probably because he was having trouble napping. This was, in turn, because he had parked Chuck Wagon across from a construction site with a chain-link fence around it. Construction workers in bright orange hazard vests and safety helmets were busily erecting some very large structure in the lot near Chuck Wagon, and all their very loud, nonstop pounding and hammering caused Chuck Wagon to tremble and jostled Chuck’s head against the counter, which was impairing his ability to rest. Nevertheless, Chuck regarded the construction site hopefully. They seemed to be working very hard, which Chuck thought would make them hungry for sandwiches.

As Chuck had so hoped and feared, eventually a few construction workers in hardhats drifted over from the site and ordered sandwiches from Chuck.

We’ve been working around the clock and I’m hungry, one of the workers told him. Give me a 12-inch chicken sandwich.

Chuck, who continued to loll unenthusiastically against the counter, wasn’t sure he liked this idea much.

You all seem like you’re pretty good at construction, Chuck said hopefully. Maybe I could just give you the chicken and the bread separately and then you could construct your own sandwich.

Sadly for poor Chuck, the customers didn’t take kindly to this idea and refused. Groaning, Chuck was forced to get out the ingredients and make the sandwich himself before the workers would agree to leave him in peace.

Chuck’s eyes were drooping again as he listened to the constant sounds of tools and heavy equipment. Across the street, a bulldozer was driving onto the construction site. It was then that he heard a voice.

Hey, Chuck, came a young, squeaky voice.

Chuck blinked in confusion. There was no one outside the order window.

Down here! came the voice.

Chuck looked down and saw a familiar red-haired boy with powerful legs, who was of an elementary school age and so short that he couldn’t be seen from the order window.

Oh, it’s you, Robbie, Chuck said. I remember who you are, so you don’t have to-

But Robbie had already jumped. Robbie had a talent for jumping and he kept going up and up and up, well above Chuck’s counter-contacting chin. Robbie went so high that Chuck almost got vertigo trying to watch him. Maybe he would set a world record one day.

When Robbie plummeted back to the ground, he grinned proudly at Chuck.

Now do you remember? he asked.

Yes, Chuck said weakly. Are you here for a sandwich, Robbie? Actually, why aren’t you in school?

It’s a day off, Robbie said with a shrug. Maybe I’ll get a sandwich later, ‘cause my mom didn’t pack lunch for me today, but anyway, that’s not why I’m here. I’m here because my friend needs help.

Robbie gestured. He had brought with him a very little girl, even smaller than Robbie was. She had messy, brownish hair, and clasped in her arms was a tiny puppy with floppy ears and big, brown eyes.

Hello, Chuck said kindly to her. What’s your name?

My name is Lynn, and this is Mr. Barker, Lynn said, and showed Chuck the puppy. Chuck couldn’t tell what breed it was, though it looked like a mutt, and it didn’t have a collar. Probably, this puppy was not very old and had been born six to eight