Our 20th Meeting!

​Meeting number 20 was conducted on Tuesday, December 11, 2018, and began at 7pm at 5905 Carolina Beach Road, Unit 7, in Monkey Junction. Attending was (from left to right) Barry, Candace, Michelle, Pat, Beth, Bill, Rick, Linda, Floyd (Linda's Husband), Henry, and myself (Tom). We missed Barb so much that we created a "stand in" for her, pictured on the right! Although she was pretty quiet during the meeting, we were delighted to have her!

Notes from the December meeting:

INTRODUCTION:  Tom welcomed everyone to the meeting, and then proceeded with opening remarks which included reading from the "Afterword" section of a collection of Sherlock Holmes stories. That prompted a brief discussion about how Conon Doyle chose to publish his stories, both in England and the USA.
QUOTE:  The assigned quote for this meeting came from "The Engineer's Thumb", and was guessed correctly by Candace, Michelle, Rick, Bill, and Pat. 
CHARACTER:  Barry presented the character description for us all to guess, and credit goes to Pat, Michelle, and Candace for guessing the title to be "The man with the Twisted Lip", and the character to be "Sherlock Holmes" himself!
​SHOW AND TELL:  Tom brought in 4 of his Sherlock Holmes collectibles - Meerschaum pipes, small red Sherlock Holmes book, a Sherlock Holmes Zippo lighter, and small SH mug.
MYSTERY:  The mystery to solve was entitled "A Christmas Eve Surprise", and was rather difficult to solve.  Although all participated in the discussion, ultimate credit goes to Beth was asking the key questions that resulting in the solution.  In case you tried to solve the mystery but missed the meeting, here is the solution:  Richard had murdered his girlfriend Shelley exactly one year ago on Christmas Eve. She had been Donna's best friend.  To hide his crime, he packed up Shelley's suitcases and buried the body and her luggage together. Then, he spread the word that Shelley had made a sudden decision to move to Alaska.  Unfortunately, someone knew about the murder, because a few weeks ago Richard started to receive anonymous letters that threatened to turn him into the police. No wonder Richard was acting erratically! The present that had arrived at the house was addressed to D. Albans - "D" for Dick. It was more blackmail material. It was the sweater that Richard had given to Shelley last Christmas Eve - and it had been buried with Shelley. Donna mistakenly opened the package thinking it was for her. When Richard saw Donna wearing the sweater at the party, he was convinced that she was the blackmailer and that she had married him only to gather evidence against him. Richard's next victim had to be Donna!
STORY:  Linda did a masterful job of introducing and explaining "The Empy House" which was the assigned story for December.  After a brilliant job of summarizing the story, she led a lively discussion which included everyone present! Well done, Linda!

Plans for the January meeting:

​The next meeting will take place on Tuesday, January 22nd, and be held at Beach PC, 5905 Carolina Beach Road, Unit 7. The starting time is 7pm, and the meetings usually last until 8:30pm. All are welcome to attend, but, it would be a nice gesture to let Tom know in advance if you plan to come.  The quote for the January meeting is as follows:

You know, Watson, I don’t mind confessing to you that I have always had an idea that I would have made a highly efficient criminal. This is the chance of my lifetime in that direction. See here!” He took a neat little leather case out of a drawer, and opening it he exhibited a number of shining instruments. “This is a first-class, up-to-date burgling kit, with nickel-plated jemmy, diamond-tipped glass-cutter, adaptable keys, and every modern improvement which the march of civilization demands. Here, too, is my dark lantern. Everything is in order. Have you a pair of silent shoes?” 

Linda has agreed to bring a character description, so that we may attempt to guess the identity and the story.  Tom has agreed to bring more show and tell (but others are encouraged to bring their stuff as well), and the story to be discussed is entitled "Silver Blaze", and will be presented by Bill. Below is the mystery to solve: