Wordzzle 78

Raven can tell you all you need to know at the Raven's Nest.


The Ten Word Challenge: records, impulsive, really cool, bread crumbs, angels, Sponge Bob, magical moment, back and forth, suffering, good fences make good neighbors

The mini challenge: side effects are generally mild, clingy, rooster, samples, curiosity


This Week's Episode: Answers


Kuwait, west of the Al Burgan oilfield. The bunker had been used by the Kuwaiti forces to fight the Iraqi invasion, then as a command post for American troops during the aftermath. It had sat empty for years till just a few days ago. The trip by truck, car or ambulance to the bunker from the airfield at Al Magwa was several hours through the desert. There had been much travel back and forth in the last few days. Any oil field workers that might have noted the activity could have only thought that the trucks were headed to the frontier for work at the border because they knew better than most that good fences make good neighbors.

Charlotte awoke in a sitting position. She was fastened at the wrists and ankles to a cold metal chair. Her attire was a thin cotton robe open at the front. Attached to her nipples were alligator clamps that had wires running to a small metal box with colored lights and dials. The air smelled musty but very dry. The room she was in was windowless and dark. A man who appeared Turkish or mid-eastern was speaking to her. "The side effects are generally mild if you answer promptly and truthfully" he stated. "Where am I" Charlotte asked. Instantly she felt a terrifying shock in her breasts. She screamed in pain and horror till the shock stopped.

"We are not here to satisfy your curiosity" the man said sternly. "That was one of what can be many and various samples of your continued suffering if you fail to follow my directions implicitly" he added. "Nod your head if you understand me" he commanded. Charlotte nodded her head as instructed. "There are no angels here" he continued, "but there will come a magical moment when you tell me all." Looking at Charlotte intensely her interrogator asked "Tell me your name?"

Washington, D.C. the Hoover building. "Special" special agent Rodgers had spent two months looking into the finances, investments and businesses of the deceased Charles Hollingsworth. The records that he reviewed told of a massive interstate real estate fraud encompassing California, Arizona, Nevada and not surprisingly, Florida. This operation was clearly not the result of impulsive risk taking, but rather cold calculated financial action. The ex-con- artist turned FBI agent respected the art and artifice necessary to pull off a scam worth billions. The really cool part was that he had found it and figured it out. Perhaps his next office would have a window. After all, no one but him had been able to follow the financial bread crumbs that lead to the Liplin/Hollingsworth partnership and in doing so had uncovered the largest real estate fraud in the history of not only the United States, but the entire world.

Laughlin Nevada, the airport. The man in the Hawaiian shirt stepped off the little twin prop commuter from Phoenix. His appearance was nondescript by design. No one would remember him. He'd received a call for a job on Monday morning while shopping for a Sponge Bob Square Pants lunch box for his 6 year old son. He ex-wife had given him a shopping list of back to school needs and he knew enough not to disappoint her or the boy. Even a contract killer feared some things and an ex-wife was one of them. He'd listened intently to the instructions and raised his eyebrows when the caller mentioned the fee. With the amount of money he would get from the completion of the job he could buy his son a whole classroom.

Laughlin Nevada, the McCool's condo. Jean slipped into a clingy teddy, the kind that Thomas had told her for years that he loved to see her in. Their plans were to watch a good movie with dinner and wine, and then she would invite the horny old rooster to take advantage of her. It never took much asking. But that was actually one of his good points.


RT