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<title>5 Minute Mystery</title>
<link>http://www.5minutemystery.com</link>
<description>5 Minute Mystery</description>
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<url>http://www.5minutemystery.com/images/bg-h1.png</url>
<title>5 Minute Mystery</title>
<link>http://www.5minutemystery.com</link>
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<language>en-us</language>
<copyright>Copyright 2008 Mystery Competition LLC</copyright>
<item>
	<title><![CDATA[Where is Matthew?]]></title>
	<link>http://www.5minutemystery.com/mystery/where-is-matthew</link>
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	<description><![CDATA[Five -year- old Andy, (5 1/2, as he would tell you), came to his father early one evening and said, “Matthew is hiding.  Can you tell where he is

Dad knew that the boys liked to play games with him and their mother.  He also knew that Andy expected some questions.  He started by asking, “I suppose you know where he is?”

Andy, who expressed himself quite well for a five year old, replied, “Yes, I’ve been with him all afternoon.  I know where he is but we want you to find him.”
]]></description>
	<category>Missing persons</category>
	<dc:creator><![CDATA[Tom Fowler]]></dc:creator>
	<pubDate>Wed, 8 Dec 2010 04:00:00 EST</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
	<title><![CDATA[ASK MARTHA - THE ARSONIST]]></title>
	<link>http://www.5minutemystery.com/mystery/ask-marthathe-arsonist</link>
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	<description><![CDATA[The arsonist had the town police stumped.  It was a series of vicious fires, set to produce a large ransom from the town.  Already, several stores in the old Main Street commercial section had been hit.  They were on a continuous block of stores on both sides of the street, with a common roof.  One of them had burned nearly to the ground.  Then there was a particularly vicious episode, when the fire department, distracted by a commercial fire, arrived too late at a residential fire three miles south of the city.  The hallmark of that arson, rags soaked in kerosene, was the same as the fires set in the commercial section.  Clearly, the arsonist was upping the ante.

Clues were hard to come by, and the arsonist had called in a warning to the local radio station, KPKR.  Anybody who helped the police would find their house or place of business was the next target.  That’s when Inspector Samuels had his bright idea.]]></description>
	<category>Who Dun It?</category>
	<dc:creator><![CDATA[Robbie Cutler]]></dc:creator>
	<pubDate>Wed, 25 Aug 2010 04:00:00 EST</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
	<title><![CDATA[The April Fool ]]></title>
	<link>http://www.5minutemystery.com/mystery/the-april-fool</link>
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	<description><![CDATA[“Barney, you may be wondering why you are in a boxcar on a moving train.  This is a payback from everyone in your life on whom you have played April Fool’s jokes over the years.  We decided that it was time to play one on you.  Here is what is happening.  You were placed on a train that left New York City this morning at 3:00 am.  The train will arrive at its destination at 10:00 am.  You have until that time to determine where you are.  There are five choices, with a corresponding phone number programmed into this cell phone.  By 10 am, you need to call one of the five listed phone numbers.  If you get the right answer and call the right number, the door to the boxcar will automatically open and you can get out.  There will be a driver there ready to take you to breakfast and then take you home.  However, if you dial the wrong number or if you fail to call a number by 10:00 am, you open the latch on the crate at the other end of the boxcar.  In that crate are several skunks.  You will then have to spend the rest of the day with the skunks.  We have ensured that there are clues that will allow you to solve this mystery if you pay attention.  Good luck and APRIL FOOL’s.”  With that, Fred hung up.]]></description>
	<category>Geography</category>
	<dc:creator><![CDATA[Barney Parmington]]></dc:creator>
	<pubDate>Wed, 31 Mar 2010 04:00:00 EST</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
	<title><![CDATA[Who is Telling the Truth?]]></title>
	<link>http://www.5minutemystery.com/mystery/who-is-telling-the-truth</link>
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	<description><![CDATA[
Terry Brennan was enjoying a glass of wine before dinner with his wife of over 30 years, Rochelle.  The early June evening was perfect and, as they relaxed on the spacious outside patio deck, he was explaining to her how much he had enjoyed finding several long lost friends on one of the internet’s many social networking sites. 

Terry poured another glass of wine.  He was in a playful mood.  “Well, there is much to tell, but since we are relaxed and in no hurry this evening, allow me to relate some of the emails they have sent me.  See if you can figure out which one is telling the whole truth.  Four of the five old friends I have mentioned have told me some things that, simply put, cannot be 100% accurate.”  There was a twinkle in her husband’s eye.  Rochelle knew that whatever Terry was about to say, it would be good.  She said, “I’m not certain what you are getting at, but start talking.”  
]]></description>
	<category>Who Dun It?</category>
	<dc:creator><![CDATA[Tom Fowler]]></dc:creator>
	<pubDate>Fri, 12 Feb 2010 04:00:00 EST</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
	<title><![CDATA[Ask Martha - The Identity Thief]]></title>
	<link>http://www.5minutemystery.com/mystery/ask-marthathe-identity-thief</link>
	<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.5minutemystery.com/mystery/ask-marthathe-identity-thief</guid>
	<description><![CDATA[Crusher Davis read the letter closely. It was to Ask Martha, his pen name for the personal advice column he wrote for the Chronicle.  This letter was different. The writer had not only signed her real name - she accused one of her friends of identity theft!  She asked Marta for help in deducing just which one had stolen her credit card.  It was a challenge that Crusher Davis enjoyed.]]></description>
	<category>Who Dun It?</category>
	<dc:creator><![CDATA[Robbie Cutler]]></dc:creator>
	<pubDate>Mon, 8 Feb 2010 04:00:00 EST</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
	<title><![CDATA[Ask Martha - The Pickpocket]]></title>
	<link>http://www.5minutemystery.com/mystery/ask-marthathe-pickpocket</link>
	<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.5minutemystery.com/mystery/ask-marthathe-pickpocket</guid>
	<description><![CDATA[There I was, enjoying a cup of coffee at the Lonesome Polecat Cafe, the western themed coffee house that was Centerville’s not very adequate answer to Cheyenne.  Inspector Samuels of the Centerville Police entered the swinging tavern doors, narrowed his eyes at the darkened interior and squinted my way, then came charging towards my corner table like a halfback in search of paydirt in the last quarter.

“Is this a case for Crusher Davis or Ask Martha?”  (In other words, do you want my help directly, or do I use my advice to the lovelorn column in the Chronicle to get clues?)

“You decide, Crusher.  It’s that rash of thefts we’ve been having recently.  There seems to be a pattern developing.  I think we are dealing with a pickpocket.]]></description>
	<category>Who Dun It?</category>
	<dc:creator><![CDATA[Robbie Cutler]]></dc:creator>
	<pubDate>Fri, 5 Feb 2010 04:00:00 EST</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
	<title><![CDATA[Perry Mason and the High School Crush Murder]]></title>
	<link>http://www.5minutemystery.com/mystery/perry-mason-and-the-high-school-crush-murder</link>
	<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.5minutemystery.com/mystery/perry-mason-and-the-high-school-crush-murder</guid>
	<description><![CDATA[It didn’t take much sleuthing, much less the investigative talents of Perry Mason, to figure out that something had gone very wrong at the Parkinson High School.  It was a pretty campus, but murder at a class reunion was really not on the program!]]></description>
	<category>Who Dun It?</category>
	<dc:creator><![CDATA[William Shepard]]></dc:creator>
	<pubDate>Mon, 1 Feb 2010 04:00:00 EST</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
	<title><![CDATA[Diamond Deception]]></title>
	<link>http://www.5minutemystery.com/mystery/diamond-deception</link>
	<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.5minutemystery.com/mystery/diamond-deception</guid>
	<description><![CDATA[When Madam Rosler’s priceless red diamond, the Star of Hearts, was stolen, the staff at her country house was not unduly concerned that the police could not be at the scene of the robbery until much later that day.  Mr. Seppings, the butler, announced that he would take charge of things at the house and such was the faith of the household in his keen intelligence and calm self-assurance.  No one questioned his instructions when he arranged for the four people suspected of taking the diamond to be assembled in the room from which the valuable item had been taken.

Mrs. Rosler was away for a short hospital stay and Mr. Seppings insisted that she should not be informed of what had occurred until everything was resolved.  It certainly sent an uneasy ripple of tension through the four suspects gathered in the living room when Mr. Seppings seemed so sure that the matter would be fixed and settled before the police even arrived.  Only Mr. Seppings had been told of the diamond’s whereabouts, although it seemed that someone else must have discerned the hiding place.  The living room cabinet, which had contained the jewel, had been found smashed open with the refreshment trolley.  The cabinet stood in a corner by the window, the refreshment trolley had collided with it resulting in the colored glass shattering and no doubt revealing the diamond inside.
]]></description>
	<category>Who Dun It?</category>
	<dc:creator><![CDATA[Stefanina Hill]]></dc:creator>
	<pubDate>Fri, 29 Jan 2010 04:00:00 EST</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
	<title><![CDATA[Dr. Watson and the Thwarted Engagement]]></title>
	<link>http://www.5minutemystery.com/mystery/dr-watson-and-the-thwarted-engagement</link>
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	<description><![CDATA[Mrs. Hudson, the housekeeper at 221B Baker Street, had served me delicious hot tea with scones and jam, and I then settled in to reading some old files. 

That was when a knock on the door interrupted my thoughts, and before Mrs. Hudson could introduce the visitor, I saw a charming, rather breathless young woman, about twenty, fashionably dressed, almost bursting through the door, so hurried was she. 

“You must help me, Mr. Holmes!  She nearly shouted.  There was no possibility of explaining to her that I was Dr. Watson, not Sherlock Holmes!
]]></description>
	<category>Who Dun It?</category>
	<dc:creator><![CDATA[William Shepard]]></dc:creator>
	<pubDate>Mon, 25 Jan 2010 04:00:00 EST</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
	<title><![CDATA[The Thief in the Night Mystery]]></title>
	<link>http://www.5minutemystery.com/mystery/the-thief-in-the-night-mystery</link>
	<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.5minutemystery.com/mystery/the-thief-in-the-night-mystery</guid>
	<description><![CDATA[Eleanor Hall would soon be 97 years old. Her body was failing but with the assistance of her beloved grandson Nick and his wife Nance, she was able to live in the house she and her late husband Harry had purchased in 1946, shortly after the war ended. 

Eleanor pondered this one morning while sipping her morning coffee. Sadly, the neighborhood had deteriorated in the last few years. Not too long ago, it was well maintained and the neighbors quiet and friendly. But, in the last dozen years or so, Eleanor had seen the last of her old friends pass away and a new criminal element move in. Now, drug abuse and other crime, mostly thievery, had made the street she lived on unsafe. This was especially true for a 96-year old widow, but Nick had been unable to convince her to move into a retirement center. 
]]></description>
	<category>Who Dun It?</category>
	<dc:creator><![CDATA[Tom Fowler]]></dc:creator>
	<pubDate>Fri, 22 Jan 2010 04:00:00 EST</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
	<title><![CDATA[Mr. Patrick and the Graveyard Mystery]]></title>
	<link>http://www.5minutemystery.com/mystery/mr-patrick-and-the-graveyard-mystery</link>
	<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.5minutemystery.com/mystery/mr-patrick-and-the-graveyard-mystery</guid>
	<description><![CDATA[Since relating Great-grandfather Tom Patrick’s civil war story to his history class last year, Gary Patrick had become intensely interested in the Patrick family tree. Recently, with the help of an internet ancestry site, plus a few hours of a professional genealogist’s time, Mr. Patrick had discovered that the remains of one of Great-grandfather’s many brothers, Robert, was buried in an unnamed cemetery in East Texas, a few miles outside of Kilgore. 

Robert Patrick was, from what he had learned, not as interesting or colorful as Tom and Uncle John, another of Gary’s recent ancestors and the subject of another story which he related to his students only a couple of weeks ago. As he drove up to the old graveyard on this hot, dusty East Texas October morning, he chuckled. Gary knew this would more than likely not be material for a third story to his advanced class concerning the Patrick family. Still, he was grateful for the superintendent’s permission to allow him to be away during conference week. He chuckled again when he thought of his threat to retire if permission was denied. 
]]></description>
	<category>Geography</category>
	<dc:creator><![CDATA[Tom Fowler]]></dc:creator>
	<pubDate>Mon, 18 Jan 2010 04:00:00 EST</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
	<title><![CDATA[Ask Martha - The Shoplifter]]></title>
	<link>http://www.5minutemystery.com/mystery/ask-marthathe-shoplifter</link>
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	<description><![CDATA[There seemed to be a puzzling series of shoplifting thefts going on in Centerville's business section. That's why Inspector Samuels is hoping that Crusher Davis, AKA Ask Martha, has heard anything through his personal advice column that might help crack the case.]]></description>
	<category>Who Dun It?</category>
	<dc:creator><![CDATA[Robbie Cutler]]></dc:creator>
	<pubDate>Fri, 15 Jan 2010 04:00:00 EST</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
	<title><![CDATA[Who Scratched the Porsche?]]></title>
	<link>http://www.5minutemystery.com/mystery/who-scratched-the-porsche</link>
	<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.5minutemystery.com/mystery/who-scratched-the-porsche</guid>
	<description><![CDATA[Rochester was glad it was his turn to walk the dog.  He generally didn't like to do this chore when company was over, but since Malcolm, the school bully, was one of those visitors he welcomed the chance to get away.

Malcolm and his mother, Dr. Von Beddinglam, were over that night to meet Colonel Greenerbaum.  Colonel Greenerbaum was a client of Rochester's father.  Rochester's mother thought the single Dr. Von Beddinglam and the single Colonel Greenerbaum would want to meet.  It turned out to be a bad idea as Colonel Greenerbaum was not nearly as nice as Rochester's parents thought.
]]></description>
	<category>Who Dun It?</category>
	<dc:creator><![CDATA[Ryan Hogan]]></dc:creator>
	<pubDate>Mon, 11 Jan 2010 04:00:00 EST</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
	<title><![CDATA[Thin Ice]]></title>
	<link>http://www.5minutemystery.com/mystery/thin-ice</link>
	<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.5minutemystery.com/mystery/thin-ice</guid>
	<description><![CDATA[TJ was up at the crack of dawn the following morning, anxious to see the new ice on the new rink.  He listened to the sportscast on the radio as he threw on his clothes, cheering when he heard that his beloved Moose had finally broken out of their slump with a late goal in overtime.  Then he pulled on his boots and parka and raced out into the backyard. 

His father was standing by the hockey rink, his shoulders slumped.  “Someone vandalized our new rink last night,” the man groaned.  “Poured salt all over the ice – ruined it!”

TJ stared at the cratered and pockmarked ice surface, where the salt had melted through it, at the empty twenty-five pound bag of road salt that had blown into a corner of the messed-up rink.  The salt was a commonplace brand that people all over Manitoba used on their driveways and walkways and steps in the wintertime to melt ice and improve traction.
]]></description>
	<category>Who Dun It?</category>
	<dc:creator><![CDATA[Laird Long]]></dc:creator>
	<pubDate>Fri, 8 Jan 2010 04:00:00 EST</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
	<title><![CDATA[The Golden Ruse]]></title>
	<link>http://www.5minutemystery.com/mystery/the-golden-ruse</link>
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	<description><![CDATA[Jealousy and treachery had blighted the Yoxley Art Prize ever since it’s inception, there were even some who said it was cursed.

The prize had been set up by the Lord of Yoxley in the late Eighteenth Century in an effort to improve his reputation as a cultural connoisseur.  From its outset the event had been dogged by dishonesty, mainly due to the substantial financial reward that accompanied the winning place.  Some dark rumors about how the Lord met his death had created sufficient romance to ensure that the competition endured through the years.

One summer the group of hopeful artists and four judges gathered together for the competition with a certain sense of foreboding, as though some misadventure was at hand.  Robert Yoxley, the modern day possessor of the title and estate, attempted to soothe his guests with a surprise buffet at afternoon tea.
]]></description>
	<category>Who Dun It?</category>
	<dc:creator><![CDATA[Stefanina Hill]]></dc:creator>
	<pubDate>Mon, 4 Jan 2010 04:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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