  Mystery
This week: On the lam! Edited by: Arakun the Twisted Raccoon  
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Quote for the week:
“There is a delight in the hardy life of the open. There are no words that can tell the hidden spirit of the wilderness that can reveal its mystery, its melancholy and its charm."
~Theodore Roosevelt |
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Amazon's Price: $ 19.99
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In some mystery stories, the killer's identity might be known from the beginning, and the puzzle facing investigators is how to track and catch him. In other stories, the protagonist might be on the run. Maybe an innocent character is falsely accused and must avoid capture and try to prove his innocence at the same time. Or maybe a potential victim needs to outwit and outrun the killer. All of these characters need to find ways to elude capture, or the story will be very short.
In a city, hiding in plain sight might be the best option. Huge crowds and the fact that many city dwellers don't know or interact with neighbors could be an advantage. After one real life bank robbery, the robber ran to a nearby shopping mall, discarded his jacket and hat, and disappeared into the crowd of shoppers.
Hiding would be more difficult in a small town. If the character is from the town, everyone will know his face. If he is a stranger, he will stick out like a sore thumb. Hiding in a small town would probably require friends who could help your character along.
In the country, isolation might make hiding easier, but if your characters need to survive in the wilderness, make sure they know what they are doing. In one true case, a fugitive turned himself in to the police after spending one cold night outside in the North Dakota Badlands.
Unless he has access to a large amount of cash, the need for food, shelter, or fuel might get your character caught. Credit card use can be tracked, and stores and ATMs have video surveillance. When serial killer Ted Bundy was on the run, he survived by stealing purses that female shoppers left unattended in shopping carts. If the purse contained a credit card, he used it before it could be reported stolen, and then discarded it. Interestingly, he said that he was seldom questioned, even when using a card with an obviously female name.
Trying to contact family or friends is another mistake if you wish to avoid capture. Cell phone records can also be tracked. Authorities might check all phone calls to a close friend's phone, looking for frequent calls to or from any number. That way, they might be able to find the fugitive, even if he is using someone else's phone.
Something to try: Write a mystery story in which someone is on the run.
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| Question for next time: Do you have a mystery story that you have stopped writing because you can't figure out an ending? |
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Mystery: November 04, 2015 Issue [#7304]
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