Stealing
as a kid? Candy, gum, baseball card? Lipstick. Prizes from a Cracker
Jacks box. Yes, kids, there used to be prizes. Even money, up to a
quarter, I think. I don't remember ever getting more than a nickel and
maybe only two of those. I never pryed open a box but I shook at least
fifty or so. Trying to guess if any box rattled like a quarter.
As
a teen-ager did you ever steal a car? Tires, money? Ever get caught? I
didn't really steal a deputy's car, one evening about twilight time, but
he left it running with the keys in it. I think I drove it around the
courthouse square. Around the block in case you've never seen a small
county courthouse square. What was I doing at the courthouse on an early
spring evening? I have no memory of that.
As an adult? Have you ever swiped ashtrays, towels, blankets, pillows
or one of those soft, fluffy robes from a hotel? Or Silverware? Or shot
glasses from a bar or restaurant? Have you done any crimes more serious?? Like maybe a DUI? You don't have to answer that either. Did you ever write about or fictionalize your experience as a Juvenile? Or committing a felony? I
know most if us have never committed a serious crime but we write about
it often. Especially murder. Was it a joke that the heroine of Murder She Wrote was
really a murderer because she always stumbled over a body? If
you've never done a crime then how do you research so confidently to write
about a kidnapping, a bank heist, or a car bombing? Do you talk to
Police officers? FBI or CIA agents?
This looks huge and it's not. See next photo for reference. I
once called the Security Chief at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport to ask if an idea I
had for a story was feasible. After I explained that I was a
mystery writer he listened to my idea. Which
was: Could a person flying from Los Angeles, eat dinner and slip the metal knife
in the chair back pocket and the hostess who picked up trays didn't notice the
missing knife. The bad guy retrieves the knife, goes to lavatory & sharpens
the knife point and puts it in his pocket. The plane lands at Dallas/Fort Worth
airport for say 30 minutes, half the passengers including our bad guy, stays on
as it's a continuing flight to Miami. The passengers who stay onboard are not
rescreened and it takes off again. So before the plane gets to Miami, the bad
guy stabs another guy to death in the lavatory. The Security guy told me it was
feasible but not very likely. But I had already slipped a steel plated knife into my purse on such a
flight. I got away with it. I think I wrote a story like that which was
published but I don't remember what anthology where it was published. Have no
memory of which one. I'm fairly sure the statue of limitations on both
of my crimes have run out. I'll plead not-guilty if ever questioned.
Normal
0
false
false
false
EN-US
X-NONE
X-NONE
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;}
The airline knife next to normal kitchen knife & kitchen scissors.
This was
back when security was fairly lax & you got meals on long flights and nice
metal forks & knives.
If I'm not mistaken I heard recently some guy used a
plastic knife which he'd broken & made a shiv which he used to stab a
flight attendant. Hope he didn't read my story 40 years ago to get the
idea.
Normal
0
false
false
false
EN-US
X-NONE
X-NONE
