Golden Donut Short Story Contest Opens April 1st!

The Writers’ Police Academy is pleased to continue the Golden Donut short story contest in 2013. The rules are simple—write a story about the photograph above using exactly 200 words, including the title (each story must include an original title). The image in the photograph MUST be the main subject of the story. We will not provide clues as to the subject matter of the image, or where the shot was taken. That is for you and your imagination to decide. Remember, though, what you see in the image absolutely MUST be the main subject of your tale.

All stories are to be polished and complete, meaning they must have a beginning, middle, and a twisted surprise ending. Again, all stories must be exactly 200 words. Not 201 or 199! So read the word count rules carefully.

The contest winner will receive the prestigious Golden Donut Award.

All entries will be screened by a panel of authors who will select their ten favorite stories and then forward their picks to the contest judge, editor Kristen Weber. Ms. Weber’s decisions are final and may not be contested or appealed. After reviewing each of the entries, she will present the winning story title to the appropriate Writers’ Police Academy staff member and the winner’s name will be announced and award presented at the WPA banquet. The contest is open to everyone, not just attendees of the academy, and the winner need not be present to win.

Submission Guidelines:

Submissions are a two part process. Please read carefully!

1. All submissions MUST be submitted electronically via email to >lofland32@msn.com< (You’ll need to copy and paste the address, omitting the >< symbols). Each entry will receive a confirmation email. If you do not receive a confirmation within two business days, please feel free to contact Lee Lofland at the above email address.

2. Write: Golden Donut Entry in the subject line of the email.

3. Please include your story within the body of the email. Attachments will not be opened.

4. Additionally, a twenty dollar ($20) entry fee and a hard copy of the story/entry must be mailed to:

Writers’ Police Academy

P.O. Box 60091

Savannah, Ga. 31420

– Contest opens at 12 noon on Monday April 1, 2013 (Please do not send any entries before this date).

Submission Deadline: Midnight Monday August 19, 2013 (the precise point in time between 11:59 pm 8-19 and 12:01 am 8-20)

– Any entry not meeting the exact 200 word requirement will be disqualified. Please count and re-count before submitting your entries. A few excellent stories have been rejected due to word counts.

– Hyphenated words, for the purpose of this contest, will be counted as two words, or three, etc., depending upon how many words make up the hyphenated phrase/word.

– Entries submitted after the deadline will NOT be judged. No refunds!

All entry fees must be received on or prior to August 19, 2013. No exceptions. There is normally a mountain of entries, therefore, it is a time-consuming process for the judges. We need time to process the entries and to have the award properly engraved.

– Every single word will be counted as a word – this includes: “a,” “and,” and “the.” To be very clear…if it’s a word, count it. If it’s part of dialog and you think it may be a word, count it. If it’s a stand-alone letter or group of letters, count it as a word. If it’s a number, count it as a word. If the number would include a hyphen when written out as a word, then count it as a hyphenated word. If it’s a smudge on the page, count it as a word.

– Be sure to include your name, address, email address, telephone number(s), and title of your story in an opening paragraph above your story (in both the email and snail mail entries). Then, please include your story, headed by the title.

– There is a $20 entry fee. You may submit the fee by money order or check. There is no Paypal option for the contest. Entries received without the appropriate entry fee will be excluded from the contest.

Please submit the entry fee and your story(s) in the same envelope. It is far too confusing to receive an entry one day and the entry fee weeks later. Entries received without the proper entry fee will not be considered. Also, you must submit the electronic submission to be considered.

– There is no limit on the number of entries by any author. But each individual entry must be accompanied by its own $20 entry fee. ( One entry = $20. Four entries = $80, etc.)

– Any entry not meeting the exact 200 word requirement will be disqualified.

– By submitting an entry to this contest authors agree to allow The Graveyard Shift/Lee Lofland/the Writers’ Police Academy, Sisters in Crime, and affiliates to publish/reprint the story as a part of The Graveyard Shift blog and/or as advertisement for the Writers’ Police Academy or Sisters in Crime, or in other publications and media, including, but not limited to, books, magazines, newspaper, blogs, ebooks, online outlets, etc. *Sisters in Crime is not a part of the Writers’ Police Academy.

*All rights to all work/short story shall remain the property of the author. The Writers’ Police Academy reserves the right to exclude or delete any entry without cause, reason, or explanation.

– No refunds. Proceeds go to the Writers’ Police Academy fund to benefit the GTCC criminal justice foundation.

So there you have it. Now get busy and take us on a journey that’d scare the pants off Poe himself. Is that a drop of blood on the stairs? Has someone been murdered? Or, was it merely a speck of red paint? Perhaps a colony of zombies lurk behind the concrete and steel. Maybe this is the wall that separates purgatory from eternal paradise. Who knows?

Good luck!

 

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Friday’s Heroes: Remembering The Fallen

Friday's Heroes - Remembering the fallen officers

 

You gave your all to protect and serve us, and for that we are eternally grateful.

Director Tom Clements, 58

Colorado Department of Corrections

March 19, 2013 – Tom Clements, executive director of the Colorado Department of Corrections, was assassinated at his home by a former inmate. Director Clements is survived by his wife and two daughters.

Sergeant Gilbert Cortez, 46

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

March 25, 2013 – Sgt. Gilbert Cortez was killed in an automobile crash when his vehicle left the roadway and overturned. His loyal K-9, Mattie, was also killed in the crash. He is survived by his wife, two children, and parents.

Lieutenant Osvaldo Albarati, 39

Federal Bureau of Prisons

February 26, 2013 – Lieutenant Osvaldo Albarati was shot and killed by several gunmen, an act that was believed to be retaliation for Lt. Albarati’s investigation of a cell phone smuggling operation. Several inmates and another officer are all believed to have played a part in the murder. Lt. Albarati is survived by his wife, two daughters, and a son.

Director Larry Johnson

Arkansas Fifth Judicial District Drug Task Force

March 26, 2013 – Director Larry Johnson suffered a fatal heart attack while in foot pursuit of a suspect.

Trooper James, Sauter, 28

Illinois State Police

March 28, 2013 – Trooper James Sauter was stopped in the left roadway shoulder when a tractor trailer rear-ended his parked patrol car. Both vehicles quickly became engulfed in flames, and Trooper Sauter died at the scene. He is survived by his wife and family.

*Line of duty deaths are on the rise in 2013. In fact, auto-related deaths are 50% higher than at this time last year. There is an 18% increase in the number of officers killed by gunfire.

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Southland: Heroes – A Cop’s Eye Review

Southland: Heroes

Cops are trained to stay in control, but sometimes even heroes feel helpless.

Sure, they’ve been punched, cut, stabbed, slapped, punched again, spit-on, kicked, bitten, and shot at. But they’re survivors. It’s what police officers are taught to do, and they always come out on top, and they always save the day…well, almost always.

Unfortunately, there are times when a cop’s best just isn’t good enough, and people suffer, or die. Sometimes luck doesn’t come their way. And all the training and experience in the world can’t stop the daily chipping-away of the heart and soul that comes with the job.

Cops know they’ve saved dozens in the course of their lifetimes. But it’s the ones they couldn’t protect…those are ones that stand out the most. They crush the spirit, and they eat away at emotions. And not being able to save everyone is a gut-wrenching feeling of helplessness that’s like no other in this world. Yes, even heroes feel helpless at times. But they hold it inside, maintaining control. Because that’s what cops do.

Like yesterday, when the two-year-old child in Bryan County, Ga. who wandered outside and was brutally mauled and killed by seven pit bulls. An adult at the house fell asleep and was unaware of the situation until it was too late. That’s a scene that the responding officers  will forever have etched in their minds. And it will chip away at the shell surrounding their hearts. I know how they felt when they arrived at the scene, because I’ve witnessed similar incidents. Even though there was no way possible of predicting what was to happen, they’ll feel helpless because they weren’t able to save the toddler.

Maybe the motto should read, “To feel absolutely helpless when not fully able to protect and serve.”

After watching last night’s episode, I posted a comment on Facebook that read, “John Cooper wears the weight of the world like a finely tailored suit.” I made the comment because Cooper is stretched nearly to the point of breaking. In fact, most people would have snapped long before now if faced with the challenges and hurdles Cooper encounters as part of his daily routine.

Think about it. How would most people cope with being a mostly-closeted gay man working in a mostly anti-gay job, who’s surrounded by daily death and destruction, and the worst people life has to offer. His dying father despises him so much that he’d raped and killed Cooper’s girlfriend. And Coop’s mentor and friend is suicidal, suffering from relentless loneliness. All this while having to protect and save the world. And Coop does it without exposing the cracks in his armor. Yes, I’d say John Cooper does indeed wear the weight of the world, and he does it quite nicely.

The man who breathes life into John Cooper is Michael Cudlitz, an actor who delivered one of his best performances last night. The scenes with his former TO, Hicks, played by Gerald McRaney (Simon and Simon, Major Dad, and currently the Chicago police captain on Mike And Molly), were absolutely stellar.

Hicks is drowning, and he’s going down fast. His airways are filled with sorrow and loneliness. He’s suffocating with each shallow breath. He’s a retired, widower cop who misses the job and his wife. He feels that his purpose in life has passed, a sentiment shared by many retired and former police officers. Unfortunately, to cope with life-after-cop disease, Hicks has, like many others, turned to alcohol to dull the pain. However, being the handy-dandy depressant that it is, booze has only served to enhance the effects of his rapid journey to the bottom. Cooper takes a stand and vows to save his friend from self-destruction, reinforcing his determination by saying to his old friend, “You are not going out like this, old man. I’m not letting you…I’m not letting you.”

Hicks wasn’t the only burning hurdle he had to clear last night. His sexual preferences are slowly being introduced. His dying father has only words of hatred for Coop, the last words he’ll have to remember his father saying. Although, Coop leaned over to whisper a few words of his own into his father’s ear. Were those words of hate, or did he tell his father that he loved him in spite of his evil? Only Coop knows.

Cooper, still in “save the world mode,” listened as Dewey’s cop-daughter, RayAnn, told the story of how Dewey had once gotten drunk and beat her mother. RayAnn vowed to be a better cop than Dewey could ever be. Perhaps, it is John Cooper she plans to mirror.

And then there was the little boy who was in danger of electrocution. Somehow he’d gotten stuck in a large pool of water that had filled a section of a city street. A downed electrical line made rescue impossible. The child was safe from electrocution as long as he remained standing on a plastic toy (plastic doesn’t conduct electricity. water does). First, Cooper saves the boy’s mother by stopping her from rushing into the water. Next, Coop drives his patrol car into the water and rescues the child.

Well, this is technically possible, as long as the electrically-charged water is at a depth that doesn’t contact any metal car parts. Once it does, the car immediately becomes a conductor of the electricity. That would mean the water could not be at a depth that would touch the metal wheel parts (only the rubber tires could be touching the water). As we saw last night, though, Cooper’s patrol car wound up in water that was definitely in contact with metal parts. Therefore had he or the child touched any part of the car that was made from metal, which they did, they’d have been instantly shocked and/or quite possibly, killed.

Still, this a was scene that showed Cooper once again putting his own safety at risk in order to save someone. But, please don’t try this should you ever face a similar situation. The results are rarely successful.

Ben and Sammy. Now there’s a partnership that shouldn’t be. They’re each dueling with private demons, and their personal lives have begun to affect their police work. They’re both fine officers, when apart. It’s when they’re together that attracts the dark clouds that seem to like the spot above their collective heads. And, when they’re apart, the ominous clouds divide like an amoeba, forming separate trouble-filled cells above each of the two cops.

Ben seems to thrive best when living on the edge. He likes the dark side. He craves action and excitement, and being with a gangbanger’s sister is just what the voodoo doctor ordered. Yes, he loves the bad girls and all the drama that comes with them.

I’ve heard numerous comments over the years that Ben McKenzie is much too “pretty” to play the part of a bad-ass cop. Well, his performance last night should erase those thoughts from the minds of any Doubting Thomas’. The scene where he stood up to his girlfriend’s brother was absolutely fantastic. His nose-to-nose stance combined with a very believable “I’m going kick your a** if you so much as blink” posturing was also on the money. That’s how it’s done in the street, folks. I’m thinking Ben McKenzie has exchanged a punch or two in his day. If not, it was only because his menacing nostril-flaring caused his opponents to back down. Command presence definitely works in more than one kind of situation. Great bit of acting, Ben.

Sammy has changed, and he’s done so with us watching. His love for his kid, Nate, and the rejection he still feels when Tammi left him, are slowly eating away at his core. He’s eroding from the inside out. Still, somewhere in that pot of roiling emotions, he knows the difference between right and wrong. And he prefers to be on the side of “right.” But he’s dug a hole and doesn’t know how to climb out. However, he, like Cooper, has a few flaming hurdles to overcome, such as his lie about the camera to the IA investigators. He wants to come clean, but Ben encourages him to let it go and live with the lie. Sammy, on the other hand, is basically a good cop who merely wants to right a wrong. Doing so, however, could cost both he and Ben their careers.

Sometimes I wonder if Sammy clings to Nate (his son) because he’s a reminder of his old partner and friend, and that being close to the boy eases the pain of Tammi leaving him. I’m not so sure he’s over Tammi, but one thing’s for sure, he feels rejected and a bit less of a man because he couldn’t hang on to her.

Shawn Hatosy has made Sammy what he is—a strong character with many layers. Sammy is a guy you’d want as a friend. He’d be there for you, always. He’d be a great family man. He’d be a fantastic cop. It’s his compassion that makes him do the goofy things he does. I’m convinced that Hatosy brings his real-life emotions to the set, and that’s why he is so darn convincing in this role. His sense of humor is evident when he spouts off lines such as this one from last night. “A bulletproof vest wears Chuck Norris for protection.” I sensed that the real life guy (Shawn) thought the line was funny, and that’s why the chuckle we heard seemed genuine.

Hatosy’s interactions with his fans on Twitter and Facebook, make them feel as if they’re part of the Southland/Hatosy family. He makes people feel as if they’re chatting with the off-duty Sammy who’s hanging out with friends until it’s time to put on the gun belt and badge. Cudlitz is the same. Actually, most of the cast interacts with their fans, even C. Thomas Howell (Dewey). And that’s a big part of the show. Actually, I could see this turning into a cult-like following.

Lydia and Ruben certainly make a great detective team. They feed off one another well, and they’re just different enough to bring a varying perspective to each case they receive. A great pairing like this one goes a long way toward solving cases. If partners are too much alike they could develop a severe case of tunnel-vision, which, all to often, can lead to nowhere.

Lydia seemed like she had all the wind back in her sails this week. Sharing “baby time” with Terrell was a much-needed break for her, and the time apart definitely recharged her rapidly-dying batteries.

Lydia reminds me of me in many ways. I, too, was the detective who’d take the time to lift the corner of a sleeping homeless person’s blanket to examine his shoes. Yes, if there was a haystack and someone told me there was needle in there somewhere, well, I was going to dismantle the thing one straw at a time until I found it. I wasn’t a big fan of paperwork and would eagerly pass it on to someone else who was willing to handle that end while I did the legwork. Lydia seems to like the legwork as well, while Ruben appears to prefer dotting I’s and crossing T’s over trekking through the woods searching for bullet casings.

After witnessing the results of Regina King’s directing abilities, I have to admit, I now see her differently. Well, perhaps differently is not the proper term, because her camera work in the episode she directed was a true reflection of how she portrays Lydia Adams. She’s meticulous and driven toward perfection. We all know the budget for Southland is pretty low, especially for a show of this magnitude and quality, but King took it to another level by using her instinct and drive, and that’s what I see in the Lydia King character—fantastic instinct and unwavering drive. And that’s a reflection of Regina King.

Finally, I’m sure you’ve all noticed that this review is a bit different than my normal fact-checking mission about the police procedure on the show. And I fault the actors, writers, producers, directors, and crew for my deviating from the norm. You see, they all do so many things right that it’s nearly impossible to find something wrong to point out.

Southland is a remarkable team of dedicated people who come together to deliver their best each and every week. And, finally, they were officially recognized by receiving a Peabody Award, an award presented only to the best of the best.

Well-deserved, guys.

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Lisa Black: Famous Unsolved Cleveland Homicide – Beverly Jarosz

Lisa Black: unsolved Cleveland homicide

Beverly Jarosz was the epitome of an innocent, all-American schoolgirl in a more innocent, all-American time. She lived in a tidy suburb with her parents and one sister. Her mother worked in an office, her father was co-owner of a small manufacturing firm. Her little sister took horseback riding lessons. Beverly went to a private high school and dated a strait-laced college boy. Everyone in her life was exactly who they seemed to be. There were no secrets.

But just after Christmas, 1964, Beverly was stabbed over forty times, in her own home, in the middle of the day.

The murder was never solved.

It was a Monday, December 28. Beverly’s parents were at their jobs, but Beverly and her sister Carol were still out of school for the Christmas holidays. They had puttered around the house in the morning, then walked to the store and then over their grandmother’s house for lunch. Carol had stayed at her grandmother’s, but Beverly caught a ride home from her grandmother’s neighbor. A girlfriend, Barb, was going to come over about 12:30 and they were going to go visit a third friend.

About 1 pm, Beverly called her mother at work and chatted for a few minutes, saying that she had to go and change before Barb arrived. That was the last conversation Beverly had with anyone except the killer.

Barb’s mother dropped her off, late, at 1:20. The storm door was locked but the inner door stood open. Barb knocked and rang the bell, but Beverly didn’t answer. Barb assumed she couldn’t hear the bell over the radio, which blared classical music in the living room. Barb waited for a while on the porch but eventually gave up and headed home. The third friend called later to see why they hadn’t showed, and from there they contacted Bev’s grandmother, who called Bev’s father. Ted Jarosz rushed home and, at 4:10 in the afternoon, found both doors unlocked and his daughter, dead, in her second-floor bedroom.

Her clothing had been yanked upward and downwards to expose her torso. She had been stabbed in the back and slashed in the neck, but death came from the clothesline knotted around her neck.

The investigation was thorough. The police in Garfield Heights, Ohio, interviewed every boy Beverly had dated or spent time with, the neighbor who gave her a ride, the boy who bagged groceries at the local store. Of course they looked at both her straight-laced boyfriend, Roger McNamara, and her bad-boy ex, Dan Schulte; they both had alibis but not perfect ones, but they both passed lie detector tests. The investigation continued, rewards were offered—but sufficient evidence never accumulated against any one person.

Several factors in the case stand out. One, the killer didn’t just walk into the house. Both Beverly and her sister Carol were mildly fanatical about keeping doors and windows locked (plus it was December, not a time for open windows in Cleveland). In a time when the populace was largely more trusting than it is today, Beverly would not let anyone she didn’t know into the house, not even the meter reader. So it seems she opened the door to her killer.

The other is the mysterious present she had received the previous summer. A gift box from Higbee’s department store had been tucked inside the back door with “To Bev” written on it. Inside were a silver ring and bracelet. Far from being charmed by the idea of secret admirer, the gift made Beverly nervous. The sender has never been identified, the ring and bracelet nice but not distinctive enough to trace.

The clothesline, of course, remained around Beverly’s neck but the knife or whatever was used to stab her was never found. It might have been a brass letter opener that she kept next to her bed, but if not, then the killer brought the weapon with him and took it away again afterward.

It seems clear that the murder grew out of a sense of unrequited love; he imagined a relationship with Beverly and turned violent when she did not cooperate. But that hardly narrows the field in the life of a popular family girl—neighbors, schoolmates, relatives, parents co-workers, someone she once passed in the park. It could have been literally anyone, and she would not have known until it was too late. Such are the dangers of life when you’re pretty and young.

Anyone who might know anything about the Beverly Jarosz murder can call the Garfield Heights police department at 216-475-3056.

*     *     *

Lisa Black spent the five happiest years of her life in a morgue. As a forensic scientist in the Cleveland coroner’s office she analyzed gunshot residue on hands and clothing, hairs, fibers, paint, glass, DNA, blood and many other forms of trace evidence, as well as crime scenes. Now she’s a certified latent print examiner and CSI for the Cape Coral Police Department. Her books have been translated into six languages. Evidence of Murder reached the NYT mass market bestseller’s list.

See Lisa’s books at: www.lisa-black.com

Blunt Impact will be available April 1, featuring forensic scientist Theresa MacLean and a series of murders surrounding a skyscraper under construction in downtown Cleveland. The first to die is young, sexy concrete worker Samantha, thrown from the 23rd floor. The only witness is her 11 year old daughter Anna, nicknamed Ghost. Ghost will stop at nothing to find her mother’s killer, and Theresa will stop at nothing to keep Ghost safe.

Also, Kindle owners can find a bargain in my new book The Prague Project, written under the name Beth Cheylan. A death in West Virginia sends FBI agent Ellie Gardner and NYPD Counterterrorism lieutenant Michael Stewart on a chase across Europe as they track stolen nukes and lost Nazi gold, hoping to avert the death of millions of people.

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Castle: The Wild Rover – A Good Cop/Bad Cop Review

Castle: The Wild Rover

 

Okay, who knew that straight-as-an-arrow Ryan had an edgy dark side? I, for one, was pleasantly surprised to see Seamus Dever take on the persona of the undercover cop as an Irish mob thug, and boy did he deliver a very nice performance. It was also nice to see Dever showcased instead of doing the instant “pop-in” thing whenever a bit of information is needed to move the story from one point to another.

Before I spill my entire review in this opening segment, though, let’s move along to Melanie’s take of the show. I know she had to be squealing like a hungry pig when Beckett and Castle finally locked lips near the end of the episode. I wonder if she’s back from her trip to Cloud 9? Melanie, would you please stop swooning long enough to share your thoughts on last night’s episode…

Melanie Atkins

Wow. I wasn’t sure if I’d like this episode or not, since it focused more on Ryan and less on Castle and Beckett, but I was pleasantly surprised. What a great episode! The writing was tight, the scenes moved quickly, and the show had enough humor and Caskett moments sprinkled in to keep me on my toes.

The episode started with Kate confronting Rick about saying the name “Jordan” over and over in his sleep. Was Jordan a woman? Someone he just met? Or maybe someone from his past? She kept bugging him about it throughout the entire episode, and nearly every time they made me laugh.

Ryan and Jenny are trying to have a baby, of course, and they go to have tests made to see why they hadn’t been able to conceive. Ryan leaves his lunch at home afterward, and Jenny brings it to him at the precinct — just in time to see some strange woman lay a kiss on him and call him “Fenton”. Can you say awkward?

The woman turned out to be someone from Ryan’s past when he was undercover with the Irish mob, and he hasn’t said a word to Jenny about it. The woman is tied to the murder of Jimmy the Baker, as are some guys Ryan ran with when he was undercover as Fenton O’Connell. He goes back under to catch them, and Jenny is not happy. I loved the undercover part of this show. The undercover scenes were suspenseful and scary, with enough twists to keep me riveted to the screen.

Kate finally talked Jenny down, and Ryan escaped with his life with the help of the team. The scene where they rescued him rocked, and Nathan was so funny. I cracked up when Ryan called Castle’s name, and he backed around the corner and shouted, “Seriously? I-I forgot my vest.” Too funny.

Once things settled down and everyone was safe again, Rick finally came clean to Kate about the name “Jordan”, the name of a defunct car company he wrote a paper about in boarding school — or rather, the company he paid someone to write about. That incident helped shape who he was, and he’s felt like a fraud ever since. IMHO, I believe Kate was thrilled he told her the truth and gave her more info about his past, especially after the seed of doubt Meredith, his ex-wife, planted in her head during her visit in the episode Significant Others back in January. Good for him! And that kiss… finally, we got one with a little passion! Whoa. I just watched it again. Can’t stop watching it, actually.

The last scene was between Ryan and Jenny… with him apologizing for going undercover and her telling him she needs him to be there for her. The reason? She’s pregnant! All of their worry about not conceiving was for nothing. How exciting! I can’t wait until the rest of the team finds out.

All in all, this was a solid, fun episode. Still, I can’t wait for the one next week, Castle’s 100th episode, written by the show’s creator, Andrew Marlowe, and his wife Terri Edda Miller. They write the best episodes ever. I predict they’ll treat us to classic Castle, and I cannot WAIT! It has a plot similar to Hitchcock’s Rear Window, with Rick stuck at home after tearing up his knee in a skiing accident when he and Kate go away for a weekend. Should be a blast!

Lee Lofland

Pardon me, while I take a moment to see if I can locate the problem with my computer. I know something has to be wrong, because no matter which keys I hit, the dang machine always types, “Lanie was great last night!” And we all know those words couldn’t coming from me, right?

Think about it. For years, I practically begged the folks writing the show to please give Lanie lines that were believable (remember, believable make-believe is the key to great fiction), but they stood their ground, making the woman spout off nonsensical forensic goop. However, this season has been a complete turnaround. For example, last night Lanie simply told Beckett that CSU would be running the tests on fibers discovered at the crime scene. Great comment. Perfect, actually.

In the past, the writers would’ve had Lanie saying something like, “I personally found these fibers clinging to the victim’s watchband. My preliminary finding is that the right-handed perpetrator stood on one foot and had his left eye closed while shooting our vic in the back with a Star Trek Phaser. As the money-laundering mob hitman pulled the trigger, the vic reached behind and managed to pull nineteen fibers from the shooter’s jacket, a garment made from pure Tibetan Yak hides. Now, those animals always stand on hillsides with slopes of precisely 45 degrees or more, therefore I conclude that our vic died between 11:00 p.m. and 11:07 p.m. Oh, yeah, the shooter’s name is George.”

Again, Lanie did a fine job last night. I kept waiting for the goofy-bomb to drop, but it never did.

– Beckett told the guys to run all ’68 Dodge Cargers through the system to see who in the immediate area owned one. Yes, that is possible, folks. Especially, when it’s a vehicle that’s not commonplace, such as the ’68 Charger. However, if officers attempted to run, say, all the 2010 Honda Civic’s, well, the list would go on forever.

– Sioban’s statement, “I want my phone call, now!” sounded all fine and dandy, but that “one phone call” is not one of our constitutional rights. So, you’ll get to make it when it’s convenient for the officers. And that might mean later in the day, or night, once you’ve been sweetly tucked into your cozy jail cell. At that time, an officer might roll a stand-up portable telephone to your cell, where you can reach through the slot in the steel door to punch in your number. Oh, the call would be a collect call made at a crazy-high rate that’s charged to your family.

– Ryan…where do I start? Well, I could begin by saying I liked his metamorphosis from cop to thug. Anyone who’s ever worked undercover will tell you that it’s a bit like an actor playing a role. However, the role must be so convincing that you’ll walk away at the end of the day, instead of someone discovering your lifeless body floating in the Hudson.

I think Ryan pulled it off nicely, starting with the haircut. And, actually, I thought he looked better than ever with the new “do.”

Ryan also played it nicely when he was around Siobahn. You could see it in his eyes that, at some point, he actually did care for her. And this is the reason why “handlers” absolutely must pay close attention to the officers who’re working deep cover. It’s so easy to fall into the lifestyle and to develop feelings—romantic or platonic friendships—for the very people they’re there to take down. Believe me, it happens. (Handlers are the officers assigned as contact/supervisor for the UC officers)

– Okay, as usual, my wife and I both named the killer very early in the episode, and we did so by following our simple formula…it’s someone who has a very brief role, but stands out just enough in their short time on camera. Still, the writers concealed this one much better than usual.

Well, that’s about it for the police procedure. But I do want to mention the “cheesy factor” going through the roof over Castle’s admission of wanting to write, and write, and write to prove that he was a great writer to…a bunch of kids he went to high school with… That was the corniest thing I think they’ve done on this show so far.

Overall, this was another good episode. The acting, of course, was good. Stellar acting, though, from Semus Dever. By the way, did you know that Semus Dever is a first cousin to a popular mystery writer? In fact, many of you know the cousin. Okay, I see the wheels turning, but I’m sworn to secrecy. But no one said I couldn’t tease.

By the way, every time someone said the name Siobahn last night, all I could picture was the powerhouse singer Siobahn Magnus who once was a contestant on American Idol. Remember her?

 

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Weekend Update: The Crime Scene

Weekend update

Working the graveyard shift often makes for an interesting week. This one, as usual, was comprised of all things good, bad, and ugly.

First of all, thanks to an enthusiastic group of research-hungry writers, the 2013 Writers’ Police Academy sold out in less than a week!

As a reward for their eagerness, the WPA is pleased to present the largest, best, and most exciting event we’ve ever produced. We have plenty of new action, and exciting workshops lined up. So stay tuned for announcements and details.

The 2013 Golden Donut Short Story contest photo has been released (above). This is an extremely popular contest that’s open to everyone, not just WPA recruits. The rules are simple—write a story about the photograph above using exactly 200 words, including the title (each story must include an original title). The image in the photograph MUST be the main subject of the story. The contest officially opens at 12 noon on Monday April 1, 2013. Winner receives the prestigious Golden Donut Award!

Now, for the news with our on the spot Crime Scene reporter:

New York – NYPD detective and popular Writers’ Police Academy instructor Marco Conelli has penned a new article titled Perps and Guns, It’s No Mystery.

Marco Conelli

Marco invites you all to read the informative piece here.

Brunswick, Ga. – While out for a leisurely walk, pushing her 13-month-old son in a stroller, Brunswick, Ga. resident Sherry West was approached by two teens who demanded her money. When she told the youths that she didn’t have any cash, the older boy pushed West to the side and shot her child in the face, killing him. The boy also fired rounds at West, grazing her ear and wounding her leg. Police have arrested 17-year-old Demarquis Elkins and an unnamed 14-year-old in connection with the attempted robbery, attempted murder, and murder.

U.S.A. – Jason Cherkis of the Huffington Post reports that since the school shooting in Newtown, Ct., 2243 people have died as a result of gun violence. Until I told him last night, Jason was unaware of the shooting in Brunswick, Ga. Unfortunately, I presume the total is now 2244.

Los Angeles – Chef David Viens received a 15-year prison sentence after confessing to police that he killed his wife and then boiled her body for four days to dispose of the evidence. The woman’s body has never been recovered.

Orlando, Fl. – Sarah Adleta was arrested for live-streaming video (Skype) of herself while sexually abusing children. A North Carolina man has been accused of watching the videos as they took place.

Texas – A proposed new law would require DNA testing be conducted on all biological evidence in all death penalty cases. Probably a good idea since Texas executes more people than any other state.

Taiwan – A man wanted for drug crimes was spotting wearing a t-shirt with “WANTED” printed across the front. The suspect does not speak English, therefore had no idea of the word’s meaning. Unfortunately for him, the officer was well-versed in the English language and decided to run a check on the unsuspecting wanted criminal who was indeed arrested.

Robert Skiff, Sirchie Fingerprint Laboratories training manager and WPA instructor

Youngsville, N.C. – Sirchie Fingerprint Laboratories is once again offering writers the rare opportunity to attend their evidence collection course. This week-long class is normally for law enforcement only, however, through the Writers’ Police Academy, Sirchie has opened their doors to any writer who’d like to learn “how it’s really done.” Feel free to contact me for details as to how you can take advantage of this fabulous opportunity. Several writers have already attended the course. www.sirchie.com

Me and my pal Joe Bonsall of the Oak Ridge Boys

Valdosta – @Joe Bonsall of the Oak Ridge Boys just tweeted “It’s a rainy day in Georgia #Valdosta.” Hey, Joe, it’s raining out here on the islands, too. I love seeing the dark clouds roiling over the ocean. The egrets are confused, though, and have all snuggled together in the rookery behind our house.

LA – The Southland crew wrapped up season 5 filming yesterday. Now comes the long wait to hear if we’ll be treated to a season 6.

Here’ what Michael Cudlitz (Southland’s John Cooper) had to say on Facebook about my review of this week’s episode – Michael Cudlitz You always put so much thought into your work. Thank you.

CJ Lyons

From bestselling author CJ Lyons: Attention Fellow Thriller Writers!

You may have heard that last July I began the Buy a Book, Make a Difference charity. So far we’ve raised $28,000 for charity and 28 scholarships for police officers from underserved communities to receive CSI forensic training through the Jeff Farkas Memorial Scholarship, named after my fellow intern who was murdered while we were at Childrens’ Hospital of Pittsburgh.

I know a lot of you have law enforcement connections and need your help in reaching out to law enforcement agencies.

I would greatly appreciate it if you could please forward this link to the scholarship page:

http://www.sirchie.com/training/training-programs/farkasscholarship.html

For more info, you can also send people here: http://cjlyons.net/buy-a-book-make-a-difference/

Together we can help the police officers who are so generous with their time and support of thriller writers gain the tools they need to put the bad guys away!

Thanks in advance,

CJ

*So there you have it, the news for the week. Now it’s time now to toss a banana to the typing ape, hoping he’s up to doing a little work on my manuscript. After all, he types faster than me since I have yet to master the use of my toes on the keyboard. He has.

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Friday’s Heroes: Remembering The Fallen

Friday's Heroes - Remembering the fallen officers

 

You gave your all to protect and serve us, and for that we are eternally grateful.

Police Chief Randy Boykin, 51

Enterprise Mississippi Police Department

March 19, 2013 – Police Chief Randy Boykin was struck and killed while directing traffic.

Village Public Safety Officer Thomas O. Madole, 54

Alaska State Troopers

March 19, 2013 – Officer Thomas Madole was shot and killed while investigating an altercation that had occurred earlier in the day. His body was discovered outside the suspect’s home. He is survived by his wife, son, and daughter.

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Southland: Bleed Out – A Cop’s Eye Review

Southland: Bleed out

John Cooper’s learned in the streets of Los Angeles, a single step can separate life and death.

What a powerful statement the opening line makes. Think about it. A blink. A breath. A turn of the head. A step. All are actions that occur in an infinitely small segment of time. A space on a clock and calendar that will always serve as a reminder that a loved one nearly left this earth, or that a special someone was taken from us at a precise moment. Those seemingly insignificant actions forever mark a life-altering event.

For cops, though, those moments in time are a dime a dozen. They’re part of the job. And with each passing tick of the clock, police officers everywhere walk the very thin line between life or death. Unfortunately, none of them know when they’ll step to either side. It’s a balancing act that many people take for granted…until they slip.

I made the statement last night that while watching this episode I realized how incredibly strong John Cooper really is, because for one solid hour he carried the weight of the entire world on his shoulders. And that was true, but the rest of the solar system was divided between Sammy, Lydia, Ruben, Ben, Hicks, and Dewey.

What an emotional ride. A great bit of acting all around.

– Sammy finally goes before a panel of IA detectives, and they’re not going easy on him. Sammy makes things a little more difficult for himself by mixing a lie (about the camera) with tidbits of the truth. He’s also talking in “cop speak” to police investigators who may see this as rehearsed testimony to prevent being tricked into saying something he didn’t want to say. To further make this scenario difficult is the fact that Ben has to reinforce Sammy’s statements by also telling the same lies. And we all know what happens when two people share the same secret…somebody usually gets burned. And, believe me, this has the potential to become a very hot problem for Sammy and Ben.

– Lydia and Ruben respond to a DOA and see a very troubled Dewey waiting for them at the curb.

The deceased is an infant, and as any cop will tell you, those are calls they’d rather not answer. Ruben’s initial reaction is that the baby died a SIDS death. Lydia’s not buying that, though, and delves deeper into the situation. She feels a personal connection to the case since she, too, is a new mother whose own baby won’t stop crying unless he’s snuggled next to her in bed. Well, we learn, after many twists and turns in the case, that the mother of the infant victim took a sleeping pill and when she finally awakened, discovered that she’d rolled over during her sleep and smothered the child. Lydia’s horrified expression at the mother’s confession was not in response to knowing that the young woman had accidentally killed her own child. Instead, it was in knowing that having her own infant son in bed with her could someday end in a similar tragedy.

It was interesting to see Dewey back at work answering calls after suffering a heart attack two weeks prior. I guess an aspirin a day really does do the trick.

– Coop and Lucero pull up to assist two patrol officers who’d just chased and caught a suspect. A female officer chats with Cooper while her careless partner places the thug in the backseat without searching him. He also leaves the rear door wide open. The crook takes advantage of the situation by pulling a gun and taking a shot at the four officers. Coop takes control, gets the bad guy out of the car, and then finds the weapon. Similar scenarios have played out in real life, ending with both police officers and suspects dead. Officers should ALWAYS thoroughly search suspects before placing them inside the police car. Sure, it’s uncomfortable for all when having to place your hands on parts of someone’s body where the “sun don’t shine,” but a little embarrassment is far better than “bagpipe music and pine boxes”, as Lucero so eloquently related to the careless officer who caused the dangerous mess.

And speaking of embarrassing situations, how about the nude guy who was horse-whipped by a scantily-clad librarian who immediately set her sights on Coop the moment she saw him standing in the doorway. She also experienced a moment of pure heat when Cooper asked her to turn around for cuffing. “My cuffs or yours,” was her response to Coop. Funny thing, many real-life officers hear similar comments during the span of their careers. Must be the uniform…

A man frantically begs for help, leaving Coop and Lucero no choice but to leave their patrol car and follow the distraught man. They soon discover that a bus had struck a pedestrian, trapping her beneath the vehicle. Cooper crawls under and stays beside the severely injured woman, holding her hand until rescue crews arrive to help. They raise the bus and place cribbing under it to hold it up, and then place a backboard beneath the woman before pulling her to safety. They stabilize her neck and head (great scene and procedure, by the way) and Coop wishes her well. He also checks on her condition and is relieved to later learn that she survives.

Now, I can’t begin to pinpoint the thousands of times that officers go through hand-holding moments at trauma scenes. I’ve done it countless times, and so have many, many other officers at some time or another. And, during those seemingly endless moments until help arrives, you form a bond with the victim. And you care. And you hurt for them. And you grieve when they die. And you lose a part of you each time. You know, when I hear people claim that cops are unkind, emotionless, abusers of all people of all races and gender, well, I sometimes wish I could grab them by the collar and force them to see what it’s really like to wear a badge and uniform. But, that’ll never happen. Neither will the day ever come when everyone understands. But you know what…the folks at Southland sure do.

Speaking of emotional roller coasters, Sammy and Ben engage in a high-speed pursuit of a crazy man who stole a taxi and sped off. The wacky driver leads the two officers through city streets while striking other cars, causing multiple accidents, and generally creating a highly dangerous situation for everyone involved. Sammy’s driving while Ben watches the side streets for oncoming traffic. Each time they approached an intersection we heard Ben say, “Clear.” That’s done in real life, and it’s to let the driver know he can safely continue through the crossing.

Suddenly, Sammy decides to terminate the pursuit, and Ben is livid. “We were lead car!” he yelled. Well, that was true, but if Sammy, or any officer, decides that the pursuit isn’t safe, then stopping the chase is the right thing to do. Sure, Sammy’s mind was on other things, but that’s more than enough reason to end the chase. Good move on his part.

– Cooper is a gay cop in a profession that’s overflowing with testosterone and jokes of poor taste. It’s a job where it’s almost taboo to be different/not one of the guys. It’s where a few still believe that being gay equals weakness, unless the officer is a tough-as-rusty-nails lesbian, because being “butch” is a sign of toughness/one of the guys. Screwed up way of thinking? You bet. Right? Nope. But it is what it is.

So, when Lucero offers to hook Coop up with a woman, Coop shrugs it off. But Lucero continues… Coop still plays it off. How long can he continue to hide his personal life from his partner? I’ll tell you…not forever. Because you spend so much time with a partner, and you share so many emotional experiences that, well, it’s almost a necessity to share intimate details about your life. Besides, Cooper has no one else to turn to. His life is crumbling around him. His former TO, Hicks, is falling apart because he feels that his purpose in life is used up. In fact, he came close to pulling the pin last night by shoving the barrel of a revolver against the roof of his mouth. The hammer was back and ready to drop at the slightest touch. Remember, a breath, a blink, and the bagpipes begin to play. It can be that quick.

Adrenaline shoots through roof when Coop and Lucero are faced with a distrught man holding a large knife. He’d cut himself and was considering a final charge at the two officers when a young boy rode up on a bicycle, begging Coop and Lucero not to kill the man. Cooper scoops up the boy and takes him to safety and out of sight of the situation.

– Sammy and Ben finally spot the crazy guy who’d led them on the car chase. This time, though, they’re in foot pursuit. Ben catches the guy, but is injured slightly when he falls down a flight of steps during a scuffle with the “Attica-screamer.” So Sammy follows behind the guy after Ben insists he’s okay and it’s all right to leave him behind. The bad guy jumps a fence and is instantly attacked, mauled, and killed by two large very aggressive dogs. He dies.

Ben insists upon maintaining his womanizing lifestyle when he returns for a second shower scene with the painter-girl/gangbanger’s sister. He’s playing with fire by seeing this girl because he’s now “hanging out” at her house with her scary cousins lounging around the living room. And I do mean “hanging around.”

So, Cooper’s got the weight of the world on his shoulders. He’s nearing the end of his career at a time when his life is empty. He’s lonely and he’s fighting a boatload of demons inside. He lives his personal life in a closet where, apparently, only Dewey has ever had the privilege of peeking inside. Dewey offered Coop some great advice in a way that only Dewey could, by saying, “Hey, John. Go home. Tend to your cactus. Rent a musical. Do what you do. Just have a good time.” He knows John Cooper’s secret, but has never told anyone. Dewey may be lewd and crude, but he’s one helluva stand-up guy.

Lydia lays awake while her baby sleeps soundly beside her. She’s probably thinking about the woman who accidentally smothered her own child during her sleep, so Lydia doesn’t dare close her eyes. Sooner or later her weariness will catch up to her, and she’ll snap if something doesn’t change soon.

Sammy pops the top on a beer and takes a long swallow. He replays the video of the altercation with Tammi, watching it on the camera that he told IA detectives he’d dropped on the ground at the scene.

The show soon fades out, leaving us and the characters in silence, thinking…

Lies. Growing older. Loneliness. Exhaustion. Saving lives. Pain. Suffering. Heartache.

All are causes to “Bleed Out,” emotionally.

And that’s what officers face each and every day of their lives…

 

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Donald Bain: The Science Behind “Experiment in Murder”

Donald Bain: The science behind

My novel, Experiment in Murder, the 26th book in the Margaret Truman Capital Crime series, was published in November 2012. Some reviewers have compared it to The Manchurian Candidate because it deals with the same subject as that chilling book and movie—mind control and the manipulation of certain vulnerable people to kill. While indisputably intriguing, it nevertheless prompts the question: Is what occurs in each book scientifically valid?

I assure you that it is.

My involvement with mind control and the use of hypnosis began in 1973 with my friend, Long John Nebel, then the king of late-night talk radio in NYC. In 1972 he’d married Candy Jones, a famed WWII pinup and one of America’s most well-known models. I was speaking with her at the wedding reception when a strange thing happened. The woman I was talking to suddenly became a different person. Her voice lowered, and her expression changed. I was taken aback by the experience but went on to other conversations and forgot about it.

Long John Nebel

A few months later a distraught Nebel called and asked me to come to their Manhattan apartment. According to Nebel, what I had experienced at the reception was taking place with regularity. Candy kept shifting into that other personality. Nebel told me that her alter-ego even had a name: Arlene Grant. John, who was fascinated with hypnosis and devoted some of his shows to it, began taping Candy when these unsettling shifts in personality occurred. He played me some of the tapes. What I heard was provocative, to say the least. Candy would suddenly morph from being sweet and loving into a hard, sarcastic other woman, challenging everything John said, and at times reliving past portions of her life from before she met him. There were also moments on the tapes when those previous episodes in her life hinted at government involvement, particularly the CIA and two physicians known to have had connections with that agency’s well-documented experimental programs using drugs and hypnosis to manipulate people.

That meeting in John Nebel’s apartment launched me on a year-long quest into the world of medical hypnosis and the phenomena of multiple personality, and how they can be used for both good and evil.

Over the course of the next year I listened to hundreds of hours of tapes John had recorded of Candy when she fell into an involuntary trance state. I attended myriad medical conferences around the country learning everything I could about the power of hypnosis and how it could, when skillfully practiced on the right subject, cause the subject to bend to the hypnotist’s will, including becoming an assassin. It was an eye-opening journey that resulted in the book The Control of Candy Jones (later reissued as The CIA’s Control of Candy Jones). And it is the science of mind control that is at the heart of Experiment in Murder.

Candy

Mind control is not science fiction. It has been clinically proved by top psychiatrists and psychologists over many decades. Dr. Herbert Spiegel, arguably the world’s leading expert in the use of hypnosis in medicine, was a close friend of John Nebel and became mine as well. His groundbreaking work in measuring each individual’s ability to be hypnotized—which he called the Hypnotic Induction Profile (HIP)—identifies those who are most easily led into the trance state. The HIP scale runs from one to five, with five representing those rare individuals who not only are easily hypnotized and manipulated, but who enter into involuntary trance states many times a day. Spiegel used the names of mythical Greek figures for labeling the three basic types of personalities and their relative capacity to enter hypnotic trance. Dionysians are most easily hypnotizable and tend to respond more to their emotions when making a decision. Apollonians are least easy to hypnotize; they apply more cognition to decision-making than Dionysians. And Odysseans fall into the middle range, which includes most of us. There are very few “fives” in the population. They’re almost freakish in their capacity to enter trance. Candy Jones was one of these “freaks.” She was the perfect subject for anyone wishing to prove that it’s possible to use hypnosis to create the perfect assassin, someone who pulls the trigger while in a trance and has no memory of having done so, or of who implanted the instruction to kill.

Candy Jones was one of many unsuspecting Americans used as guinea pigs in the CIA’s infamous series of mind control experiments going back to the “Cold War” days when our government feared that the Soviet Union was in the forefront of creating assassins through the use of drugs and hypnosis. The experimentation on her was conducted by two physicians she’d gotten to know while using her fame in the 1940s to sell war bonds. She wore her patriotism on her sleeve, and it wasn’t difficult to entice her into what seemed like innocuous sessions with these doctors over the course of many years. The goal in Candy’s case wasn’t to turn her into an assassin. She was the subject of the theory that with the right subject, and with skilled hypnotists, someone—in this case Candy Jones—could be trained to become the perfect courier, carrying sensitive messages without knowing that they were, and programmed to reveal those messages only when given the right password. Should the enemy intercept such a courier it would be impossible to force her to reveal the messages she carried, no matter how severe the interrogation and/or torture.

This manipulation of Candy resulted in a hellish scenario for John Nebel and his wife. I was a witness to much of it. The non-fiction book I wrote about her experience, The Control of Candy Jones, was published to great controversy. In Experiment in Murder I wrapped the science into a thriller with fictitious characters. But the message is the same. There are individuals who are born with the capacity to easily enter trance, and who are vulnerable to manipulation. This susceptibility is hard-wired in them at birth. It is also common for those on the high end of Herb Spiegel’s HIP scale to have multiple personalities.

In clinical use hypnosis can be a powerful and positive tool to help overcome addictions, allay fears, and in general benefit patients. But in the wrong hands, access to the easily hypnotized can result in advancing evil intentions.   

20th Century Fox purchased the film rights as a vehicle for Jane Fonda. The studio commissioned three screenplays from top screenwriters. The film was never made. I attempted on numerous occasions to buy back the rights, including paying the cost of those screenplays. A dozen other producers have tried to purchase the rights from Fox to no avail. If I were paranoid, I’d consider nefarious reasons for the film never having been made.

The science of mind control, as I described it in Experiment in Murder, might have been used with Sirhan Sirhan, RFK’s assassin. Do I have probative evidence of this? No. But there are a lot of tangential bits of information that I uncovered during my years of research that make it a possibility worthy of further exploration. And, of course, James Earl Ray, Martin Luther King’s killer, was known to have been hypnotized in Los Angeles two months prior to murdering the civil rights leader in Memphis. Did hypnosis and mind control play a role in both those assassinations? Possibly. The salient point is that the science exists that makes such scenarios possible and has been the subject of multiple government-funded experiments since the 1950s.

Mind control is real. Very real. It’s too complicated a subject to explain in this short blog, but is analyzed in-depth in The Control of Candy Jones, and in Experiment in Murder. Given the right subject, and a skilled manipulator, anything is possible—including creating the perfect courier or assassin.

*     *     *

Donald Bain is the author/ghostwriter of over 115 books, including the best-selling “Murder, She Wrote” series of 39 mysteries, and the latest edition in Margaret Truman’s Capital Crimes series, Experiment in Murder. His 1960’s airline romp, Coffee, Tea or Me? sold more 5-million copies worldwide, and was reissued by Penguin as a “comedy classic.” His autobiography, Murder HE Wrote: A Successful Writer’s Life, was published in 2006 (Purdue University Press). Don is a member of the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers, the Mystery Writers of America, the National Academy of Television Arts & Science, and the Authors Guild. His wife, Renee Paley-Bain, collaborates with him on the “Murder, She Wrote” books.

Please visit him at www.donaldbain.com and “Like” his “Murder, She Wrote Author” page on Facebook.

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Castle: Scared To Death – A Good Cop/Bad Cop Review

Castle: Scared to death

 

While watching the last scene of this episode, a booming thunderstorm and near torrential rains waited until just the right moment—the last minute of the show—to knock out our satellite TV reception. As a result, I missed the ending. How appropriate, though, to hear the skies grumbling and groaning and spewing jagged streaks of hot white electricity while Castle spent the hour waiting for his predicted B-grade horror movie demise. What I did see was nearly an hour of good fun, and I’m curious to know if Melanie enjoyed this one as much as I did. Melanie…

Melanie Atkins

Rick Castle cursed? Ha! I don’t think so, but he’s certain he’s next to die after watching a creepy video at a murder victim’s apartment. With his vivid imagination, he takes the video literally and freaks out while Beckett, ever the level-headed cop, scoffs at him. I loved the quick-witted by-play between Rick and Kate and the weird twists in this episode. After watching The Following and with thunder rumbling outside, it fit right into the night’s eerie feel.

The victim’s death and the deaths of two others were all connected to a serial killer named Nigel Malloy. I won’t go into too much detail about the case, because that’s Lee’s purview. Let’s just say I enjoyed Purlmutter’s snarky remarks, the odd twists and turns, and especially Rick and Kate’s trip to the cabin in the woods late at night to save another possible victim.

Rick is desperate to ward off the evil spirits, so he brings a “war chest” filled incense, some kind of mirror, and even holy water to help save them. Once they get to the cabin, they have no phone reception. Then the lights go out. And… a stranger is lurking outside. Kate chases him/her and finally brings down the nurse who attends Nigel’s brother at a mental hospital. I didn’t see that coming, but then I was more focused on Rick and Kate’s interaction than the rest of the story. Only, the nurse isn’t the killer.

The roommate of the original victim enters the cabin while Kate’s gone and uses a modified Taser to temporarily blind Rick, but Kate calls his name and he hits his assailant on the head with the holy water just in the nick of time. Too perfect.

My favorite part of the episode was Castle studying his bucket list to see what he could mark off in only three days. Then, of course, the delicious Kate-Rick interaction in the loft at the end when we learn the number one thing he had on his bucket list was to “Be with Kate”… and that he’d written the list three years earlier. Aw, too sweet!

I loved the lighter feel of this episode mixed with the inherent creepiness of the curse and the cabin in the woods. A nice change of pace from the last episode’s intense drama.

Next week, we get one that’s a little more Ryan-centric, and then on April Fool’s Day (Castle’s birthday), we get the show’s 100th episode written by Castle’s creator, Andrew Marlow, and his wife. That one’s guaranteed to be awesome.

Lee Lofland

There really wasn’t a lot of police-action/procedure this week. However, the little we did see was a little wacky. Like, when Beckett and crew traveled to Hoboken, New Jersey to kick in a door to Victim #2’s apartment. I’m sure you’re all aware that local police don’t have the authority to roam around the country bashing down doors and kickin’ butt. There’s a little matter of jurisdictional boundaries that come into play, and other departments and courts sort of frown on it when strangers force their way into people’s homes. I believe the correct terminology would be breaking and entering/home invasion.

As much as some would like to think, a badge is not a free pass to any and everything. Of course, Beckett and her posse could have dropped by the local police department and, after following the correct procedures, obtained a search warrant with the assistance of the local authorities. Then, they could have assisted the Hoboken police with the service of the warrant.

We were once again treated to an appearance by Perlmutter, whose favorite pastime is Castle-bashing. I had to chuckle when he addressed Beckett and Castle as, “Detective Beckett and DeFECtive Castle.”

Perlmutter delivered another mild zinger when he responded to Beckett when she asked if the victim had a heart problem. Perlmutter replied, “Well, she did when it stopped beating.”

It was nice to see an appearance by avid bird-watcher and slasher-film king Wes Craven of Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream fame. However, the scene really made me miss the earlier poker games.

As the episode progressed we saw the introduction of horror movie classics, like the cabin in the woods and the equally predictable lack of cell phone service.

Of course, all of the action was plugged into the traditional boilerplate script that never fails to feature a killer who was seen only briefly somewhere in the beginning of the show. And, there are always a few red herrings sprinkled throughout, including the asylum nurse and a sudden potential victim number three that was simply dumped in seemingly at the last minute.

Still, in spite of the predictability factor, this was a fun episode. And that fun was distributed throughout the show and characters. Even tough guy Esposito treated us to his more vulnerable side when the sudden appearance of a man startled him. Of course, he instantly regained his composure and attempted to “man-up” in front of Beckett. His comment to her was priceless and classic Castlesque humor. “Hey, I’m a grown-a** man.”

Another great line in last night’s episode was Beckett’s subtle and lighthearted jab at the NRA and gun control, when she said, “Evil spirits don’t kill, people do” (Guns don’t kill, people do).

Well, as I stated earlier, I missed the end of the show thanks to a spectacular spring thunderstorm. It was one of those where the thunder is not quite in your neighborhood, but close enough to make the house quiver. And where sporadic lightning sends flashes of white that illuminate the curtains just enough for small children to see the black silhouettes of swaying trees, and demons and goblins darting across the backyard.

It was a night where…well, it was a dark and stormy night that made me miss the ending, doggone it.

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A quick reminder…there are less than a dozen slots left for the 2013 Writers’ Police Academy. If you plan to attend, now is the time to register. Once those remaining spots are filled we will be closing registration.

Also, those of you who have already registered, please, please, please hurry and reserve your hotel rooms. They, too, are extremely limited due to other events in the area. Once our block is filled we will not be able to secure additional rooms.

As always, I thank you all for your overwhelming support for the Writers’ Police Academy. Don’t worry, though, I’m not finished. Now it’s time for me/us to start begging for raffle and silent auction items. Please contact me if you have signed books or other items to donate. Profits from the WPA go to the criminal justice foundation at our host academy/college. The money is used to train law enforcement officers, firefighters, and EMS personnel.

Also, we are actively seeking new sponsors and advertisers. If you’d like to become a WPA sponsor and/or place an ad in the WPA program and on the WPA website, please contact me.

Again, we appreciate all you guys do to support the WPA. We couldn’t do it without your help and generosity!

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