Welcome to Mysteries to Die For.
I am TG Wolff and am here with Jack, my piano player and producer. This is a podcast where we combine storytelling with original music to put you in the heart of a mystery. All stories are structured to challenge you to beat the detective to the solution. These are arrangements, which means instead of word-for-word readings, you get a performance meant to be heard. Jack and I perform these live, front to back, no breaks, no fakes, no retakes.
This is Season 7, Games People Play. Games are about competition conducted according to rules with participants working toward a goal. Games are a part of every culture and are one of the oldest forms of social interaction and engagement. Games can be fun, challenging and exhilarating. They can also be intense, cutthroat, and lethal. This season, our authors have fashioned deadly games and unscrupulous villains to test your detection skills.
This is Episode 11, Marco Polo is the featured game. This is Marco Mayhem by Karina Bartow
PRE-ROLL
Today's author is Karina Bartow. “Marco! Mayhem!” is part of Karina’s Unde(a)feated Detective Series, which follows deaf detective, Minka Avery. Minka’s always striving to rise above her deafness—as well as her family’s antics—to crack the case. To catch up on the Avery family, check out Husband in Hiding, Brother of Interest, and Accidental Allies, available now. For further information on Karina and her books, visit KarinaBartow.com.
DELIBERATION
Minka needs our help to get Marco to his Polo. Here are the pool characters affiliated with Xavier Maccabbee:
• Hope, the girlfriend who kissed and made up with Xavier
• Clinton, pool manager and Hope’s ex who defended her
• Leon Fleming, bounty hunter who worked an alternate deal with Xavier
• TC, possibly Tanner Cowen, Xavier’s boss who wasn’t happy with Xavier’s work.
Here are the facts as Minka and her partner Cael know:
• Hope and Xavier went into the pool for a game of Marco Polo. In the middle of the game, Xavier left the pool and was later found dead in the pool shed from a blow to the head with a crank handle.
• The facility video showed something off camera drawing Xavier out of the pool. It also showed a male in a hoodie sneaking around, later leaving, taking Xavier’s car.
• Clinton defended his ex, Hope, when she argued with Xavier. He later spied on the couple when they were “making up” in the hot tub. Other than that, he was working.
• Clinton claims he had no linger affection for Hope. They had both moved on.
• Leon Fleming recognized Xavier as a skip and approached him to apprehend him. Xavier supposedly offered him a better pay day. A dead Xavier wasn’t worth any thing.
• TC made demands for Xavier to finish a job. The addresses in the text chain were locations where cars were stolen from.
Who should Minka and Cael set their sights on?
PRINT & E-BOOKS
A reminder to mystery readers, check out our print and e-books. The companion book for Seasons 4, 5 and 6 are available in e-book and trade paperback from online retailers. This season’s book is being released in two parts. Part one released in March 2024 and Part two in September. Buy one for you and one for a mystery lover you love. The dimes and quarters from books sales do support the podcast and keep Jack in tacos and headphones.
ABOUT Marco Polo
Marco Polo, as you got from today’s story, is an aqua “blind man’s bluff” – the tag game, not the poker game. According...
