Tuttle True Detective

Waren Burn

2 min read

·

04-12-2024

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Tuttle, a town seemingly plucked from a Norman Rockwell painting, boasts charming architecture, friendly faces, and… a surprisingly high rate of unsolved mysteries. This isn't your typical sleepy hamlet; beneath the veneer of quaint normalcy lies a rich tapestry of intriguing enigmas, perfect fodder for a dedicated amateur sleuth – or, in this case, a seasoned journalist.

The Case of the Missing Marmalade: A seemingly trivial mystery with unexpected depths.

It all began with Mrs. Periwinkle's prized marmalade. Not just any marmalade, mind you, but a recipe passed down through generations, a concoction rumored to possess a uniquely tangy zest, unlike any other. One morning, it vanished. Poof. Gone. The local sheriff, a kindly but somewhat overwhelmed man named Deputy Dale, shrugged it off as a simple case of mistaken identity. But Mrs. Periwinkle, a woman whose steely gaze could curdle milk, was unconvinced. And neither was I.

My investigation began, not with grand pronouncements or dramatic stakeouts, but with a simple, methodical approach. I interviewed neighbors, examined the scene (a meticulously organized pantry), and even tasted Mrs. Periwinkle's other preserves (for comparative purposes, of course). The lack of forced entry ruled out robbery. The absence of any significant disturbances eliminated the possibility of a clumsy accident. The trail, however, was frustratingly cold.

The Clues: A trail of breadcrumbs (or marmalade smears?)

The only clue was a faint orange smudge near the kitchen window, a smudge that seemed suspiciously… deliberate. Had someone carefully wiped away a larger spill? The possibility of a meticulously planned theft gained traction. But who would want this particular marmalade? And why?

Further investigation led me to the annual Tuttle County Fair, a local event known for its competitive preserves section. Could this be a case of industrial espionage, a culinary coup d'état of sorts? The top prize winner for marmalade that year, a seemingly innocuous baker named Agnes Plum, seemed oddly nervous during my interview. Was her award-winning marmalade… suspiciously similar to Mrs. Periwinkle's?

The Resolution: A twist worthy of a classic whodunit.

The truth, as it often does, revealed itself in an unexpected way. While examining Agnes Plum's award-winning entry, I noticed a distinct resemblance in the label design, a small detail, a tiny flourish, almost imperceptible to the untrained eye. It was identical to a label I had seen earlier… on a jar of Mrs. Periwinkle's marmalade, a jar she had "misplaced" in the back of her pantry.

The case of the missing marmalade wasn't a theft, nor was it a grand conspiracy. It was a simple case of forgetfulness, albeit a rather dramatic one. Mrs. Periwinkle had accidentally entered her own marmalade in the competition. The "orange smudge" was merely a consequence of a hurried attempt to cover her tracks. Agnes Plum, naturally, was relieved.

This seemingly trivial case, however, served as a reminder: even in a town as seemingly peaceful as Tuttle, mysteries abound, waiting to be unraveled, one marmalade jar at a time. The Tuttle True Detective agency, though still in its nascent stages, promises many more intriguing cases to come.