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| Inspire - A Murder is Announced |
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Page 1 of 2 Megan Westley turns Marple and (hopefully) brings a cold-hearted killer to justice I have always had suspicions that I would make an excellent detective. Not that I have any desire to join the police force; my ambitions lie a little more in line with the high jinks of Poirot, Sherlock Holmes and Jonathan Creek. Though why my avid consumption of these stories would make me a good investigator, I’ve no idea. Perhaps it’s a belief that so many hours spent in such fine company will mean some sleuthing powers have rubbed off. When I recently stumbled across a company called Treasure Trails, it seemed I’d finally get a chance to find out. The premise behind Treasure Trails is to get people out of the house and exploring a local (or distant) area in a fun, informative way. There are three different kinds of trails, which are essentially guided walks of varying length with clues to find along the way. Walkers can embark on a treasure hunt, murder mystery or spy trail, with fixed and free clues to seek out, such as names and dates on monuments. In the case of a murder trail, the back of the booklet purchased has pictures of suspects and weapons that need to be eliminated. The weapons have dates above them, which largely correspond to those found on plaques and buildings, and the suspects have names that can be discovered in a similar way. When, for instance, a plaque is found that bears a name on my sheet, that suspect is proven innocent. After much deliberation, I settle on a part-walking, part-driving trail that incorporates visits to Newlyn, Mousehole, Paul, Land’s End, St Just and Pendeen. Most of the other mysteries available are contained within one location and can be done solely on foot, but after far too many hours spent on the sofa over Christmas I decide a little car time might break me into exercise more gently. So, on a cold but dry Sunday afternoon myself and my Watson sally forth to find the killer of a famous visiting author. Justice must be served, and I am clearly the one to do the serving. Marple herself couldn’t be more on the alert than I am, bolstered by two croissants and a cup of coffee. Our hunt begins in the fishing town of Newlyn, where we are required to find the name of a fisherman who spent 116 days at sea. This is accomplished very easily thanks to my sidekick’s local knowledge, and with two more clues solved in lightning-fast time we’re off to Mousehole, convinced the trail won’t take the approximate four hours that we’re told to allow.  The war memorial in Newlyn, where we seek our second clue of the day. Over-confidence is certainly the sentiment of fools, and retribution is hot on our heels. In Mousehole, progress grinds to a halt as our first clue cannot be found. By luck, we stumble upon clue three down a side street and begin searching out of sequence. I should explain here that the clues are in the order of a linear walking narrative, making the whole thing much easier. Missing out clue number one and walking around willy-nilly means that before long we are utterly confused. My Watson takes umbrage at this and declares with a glower that we must, must follow sequence in the future. |
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