{"id":1561,"date":"2012-10-14T17:15:51","date_gmt":"2012-10-14T22:15:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.fanagrams.com\/blog\/?p=1561"},"modified":"2012-10-14T17:15:51","modified_gmt":"2012-10-14T22:15:51","slug":"clean-plate-club-murder-mystery-chapters-44-45","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fanagrams.com\/blog\/2012\/10\/clean-plate-club-murder-mystery-chapters-44-45\/","title":{"rendered":"Clean Plate Club Murder Mystery: Chapters 44-45"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapter 44<\/strong><\/p>\n

We both climbed into the car, mutely put on our seat belts, and I was about to turn on the ignition when Simba grabbed my arm.\u00a0 \u201cWill you listen to Dessa’s message for me?\u201d she said, \u201cI\u2019m too nervous, if she says that she never wants to see me again, all this won\u2019t have been worth it.\u00a0 I think that I would just go back up the canyon and gut it out with Sam.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSimba, I think that you have to listen to the message, but when you listen to it is up to you. \u00a0Listen to it later after you had some rest and can think more clearly.\u00a0 \u00a0But regardless, I don\u2019t think that it is a good idea to go back to Sam\u2019s house.\u00a0 I\u2019ll take you back to Henry\u2019s, get some sleep and then start fresh.\u201d<\/p>\n

Simba slid back into her seat and closed her eyes, but as I wove through traffic I could see her fingering her cell phone.\u00a0 Finally she said in a whisper, \u201cWould you mind pulling over, I think that I have to listen to the message now.\u00a0 Would you mind if I put it on speaker?\u201d<\/p>\n

I nodded my head and turned into the Safeway parking lot.\u00a0 Suddenly for the first time, I heard Dessa\u2019s soft voice.\u00a0 \u201cHello Simba, this is Dessa.\u00a0 I was really surprised to get your phone call because I don\u2019t know how you got my number, but I guess that shows that you are really trying and serious about our relationship.\u00a0 So thank you.\u00a0 I\u2019m not sure if you are worried about Goddard, but he is here with me \u2013 so I\u2019m telling you just in case, and also it has been good for me, because we are working through some things together.\u00a0 We are both fine and staying with a friend of Goddard\u2019s.\u00a0 I know that we need to talk together sometime soon, but I am not ready yet.\u00a0 My friend Penny told me many things about my family, at least what I thought was my family, but I didn\u2019t want to believe her.\u00a0 It was very confusing, but then she died and I got very scared.\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019ve been told that the police would like to question me about her death, but I really don\u2019t know anything that would be helpful.\u00a0 Goddard says that you are probably working with this woman named Liza Blue, and that she’s okay, so that’s good.\u00a0 But I am throwing this telephone away now.\u00a0 I need to meet you on my terms and you\u2019ll just have to wait for me to get in touch.\u00a0 I\u2019m fine where I am, and I\u2019m safe.\u201d\u00a0 There was a slight pause, and then she whispered, \u201cI\u2019m scared of Dad.\u00a0 Be careful.\u201d\u00a0 And then the phone clicked.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy do you think that she called my Simba, and not Mom?\u00a0 And if she is calling me Simba, why didn\u2019t she call her father Sam?\u00a0 Instead she called him Dad.\u00a0 Do you think that means that she knows that I am not her birth mother, but that Sam is her real father?\u00a0 Do you think that she\u2019s with her birth mother?\u00a0 Did she sound like she was mad at me or just disappointed, but she did say that she appreciated my efforts, so that\u2019s good isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n

I was surprised that Simba had latched onto this subtle clue \u2013 certainly there were juicier messages to dissect, like why Dessa was afraid of Sam, or what Penny had told her.\u00a0 I tried to excuse her narcissism, or maybe I was getting used to it – after all repairing her relationship with Dessa was her prime agenda. \u00a0But I still felt some obligation to Penny, who had paid dearly for opening the wedge into this family.\u00a0 \u201cSimba, I don\u2019t know Dessa personally, so it\u2019s hard for me to pick up on her mood, but I do think that she sounds tired more than anything else, and it also sounds like she’s dealing with a lot of issues, far beyond your relationship.\u00a0 But it can only be a good thing that she returned your call.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you think that she will come forward if Henry is arrested?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

I was a bit disarmed by her eagerness in Henry\u2019s arrest, when a couple of hours ago she was all about family unity.\u00a0 \u201cI have no idea, Simba, but if Henry is arrested or indicted, the policy could issue a material witness warrant for Dessa, and they can use all of their considerable resources to find her.\u00a0 But I don\u2019t think you want that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo I suppose not, but maybe you could find her.\u00a0 You did a great job of family mediating, but now I want you back on her trail.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSimba, I\u2019m being pulled in too many directions.\u00a0 I thought that you wanted me to help Henry, he\u2019s the one in the greatest need now, and as Dessa said, she is safe now.\u00a0 I think that helping Henry is the best course right now to ultimately getting Dessa to come forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

I had now pulled out of the Safeway parking lot.\u00a0 Simba put the seat all the way back, closed her eyes and nodded yes.\u00a0 I thought that she had gone to sleep, but then she suddenly murmured, \u201cWhat should I do about Sam.\u00a0 Why does Dessa think that he is dangerous?\u201d<\/p>\n

I was surprised that Simba had forgotten Sam\u2019s bruising thumbprint on her arm.\u00a0 \u201cSimba, I don\u2019t know, but I would be very wary.\u00a0 I think that you should stay at Henry\u2019s tonight, and you can call Sam and tell him that Henry is being questioned and that\u2019s why you are staying there.\u00a0 I can do a little more work on this case this afternoon and tonight, and then I will go with you tomorrow morning and talk with Sam.\u00a0 But just in case, I would keep the security gate locked tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

At this point, I was at the Murphy gate, punched in the code that Henry had given to me.\u00a0 Simba was limp with exhaustion, and I helped her into the house.\u00a0 Considering the shabbiness of the downstairs, I really didn\u2019t want to go upstairs, so I arranged some pillows on a couch, situated Simba, found an old crocheted lap blanket and covered her up.\u00a0 As I was heading to the front door she looked up and said, \u201cThanks, Liza.\u00a0 I trust you, probably the first person I\u2019ve trusted in my whole life.\u201d\u00a0 As she spoke, she fingered the edge of the lap blanket, \u201cYou know what?\u00a0 I crocheted this for my stepmother Chloe probably over 40 years ago.\u00a0 I can\u2019t believe that it\u2019s still here.\u00a0 I loved that woman like she was my mother, even though she wasn\u2019t. \u00a0\u00a0I hope that Dessa can do the same.\u00a0 I hope so.\u00a0 Because that\u2019s what I want to be right now.\u00a0 A mother.\u201d<\/p>\n

I made sure that the lock was engaged as I closed the front door and then latched the gate behind me.\u00a0 I walked down their long driveway, which now served as the cul-de-sac to the virtually empty Coastal Estate properties.\u00a0 I was the only bus rider as we passed through Santa Teresa, in fact, these buses were typically empty going through old Santa Teresa, but as we approached the edge of town, the bus started to fill up with day laborers and the household staff heading back to their homes in Cutter City, one of the many have\/have not clashes between Santa Teresa and Cutter City.\u00a0 I remembered in high school the tense games between the two schools.\u00a0 Santa Teresa would always destroy Cutter City in the elite sports like tennis and field hockey, in fact, I don\u2019t think that Cutter City even had a field hockey team.\u00a0 Lately, I noticed in the local papers that Cutter City had become more competitive in football and soccer, but the basketball game was always THE athletic event of the year.\u00a0 The game drew crowds well beyond the capacity of the high school gymnasium, so the schools moved the game to the college gymnasium and offered bus service to all the Cutter City residents.\u00a0 The game was always packed and raucous.\u00a0 The first year, the Santa Teresa team surprised everyone by showing up with a pep band and pom team, consisting of a homogeneous group of bronzed girls with their swinging blonde ponytails adorned with the school colors of blue and gold.\u00a0Cutter City could not come up with a band, but the following year, a pom team showed up, consisting of a remarkable diversity of girls in skin tight, midriff baring sparkling outfits.\u00a0 That night, Cutter City handily won both the basketball game and the battle of the poms.\u00a0 If it wasn\u2019t so athletic, the routine of the Cutter City squad included an almost lewd bump and grind segment.\u00a0 I was there, and was standing on my feet cheering, along with the rest of the crowd.\u00a0 And here I was again, working the awkward divide between these two neighboring communities.<\/p>\n

Chapter 45<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jimmy was gone when I got back to his office, probably taking Henry back home, or maybe taking him to the police station.\u00a0 I found my keys key where he had left them under the urn at the front door and settled back into the car.\u00a0 I paused to reconsider my next step \u2013 I really thought the Margarita Club brothel was the key to cracking the case, but I wasn\u2019t too sure of the best strategy.\u00a0 I nixed talking with Johnny Knox, he might still be under Sam\u2019s influence.\u00a0 The major of Santa Teresa would likely be a good source of information, I knew that Nick Nichol knew him, and maybe could get me an audience, but not on a Sunday afternoon, and his past indiscretions would probably be an off-limits topic.\u00a0 Carla Piccinini emerged as the best bet.\u00a0 She would probably talk with me, unless Grimes had ruined my relationship with her, and she might have known Johnny Knox when he worked for Sam at the club.\u00a0 Besides she didn\u2019t live too far away from Jimmy\u2019s office.<\/p>\n

When I drove up, I saw the dog pacing in the enclosed yard, and the front porch looked exactly as it did the other day, complete with a couple of beer cans perched on the railing. \u00a0\u00a0There was no answer when I rang the doorbell, and everything about the house suggested that there was no one there.\u00a0 However, based on Carla’s overall vacant presence, I think that was its baseline look.\u00a0 I shouted her name a couple of times, and headed back to my car, wondering where I to go next.\u00a0 Just as I reached the sidewalk, I thought I heard a faint call, and returned to the porch to peek through the off kilter shade.\u00a0 The inside looked just as disheveled at the old Murphy house, with the exception of all the beer cans on the tables and window sills.\u00a0 Once again I heard the faint cry and went to the back yard.\u00a0 There was Carla, splayed out, face down on the packed dirt of the yard.\u00a0 I shook her gently and she rolled over and looked up at me with one blood shot eye.\u00a0 \u201cWho are you?\u00a0 Wait I think that I know who you are.\u00a0 You\u2019re that nosy woman.\u00a0 A policeman came here and told me that you don\u2019t have my best interests at heart.\u00a0 Go away.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thanks a lot Grimes, \u00a0I thought to myself.\u00a0 There was no need for him to undermine my relationship \u2013 after all I had pointed him in the dubious direction of Carla.\u00a0 I sat down on the steps next to Carla.\u00a0 \u201cCarla, it looks like you need some help here.\u00a0 Why don\u2019t I help you up, and I can go inside and make some coffee if you have some.\u201d\u00a0 I reached down to try and help her sit up.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey don\u2019t touch me,\u00a0 I\u2019m perfectly comfortable here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, okay, I won\u2019t touch you, but I\u2019ll tell you what I\u2019ll do.\u00a0 Why don\u2019t I just take your dog for a walk around the block or two down to the bodega, and get us some fresh coffee to drink.\u00a0 Is there anything else I can get you down there?\u00a0 I notice that you don\u2019t have a car and maybe you need a few groceries.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, I can get up whenever I want to, but if you really want to take that dog for a walk you can you pick me up a pack of cigarettes and maybe a burrito.\u00a0 I\u2019ll pay you when I get back.\u00a0 You might want to get some dog food.\u00a0 Don\u2019t think that I have fed him in a while.\u00a0 Leash is just on the back porch there. \u201d<\/p>\n

I saw the leash hanging on the door handle next to an overflowing garbage can.\u00a0 I grabbed an old pizza crust from the top, thinking that this would make a good impression on the dog.\u00a0 I went down the stairs, carefully stepped over the prostrate Carla and headed over to the dog pen.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s the dog\u2019s name again?\u201d\u00a0 I asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis name is \u2018Not My Dog,\u2019\u201d slurred Carla.<\/p>\n

The dog jumped up on the fence in frenzied anticipation of any kind of attention. \u00a0I patted him on the head and slipped him the pizza crust and he calmed down immediately.\u00a0 The pen was filled with dog shit, and I realized that the dog probably had not been walked in days.\u00a0 As I clipped the leash on, Not My Dog whimpered with excitement and I struggled to keep up with him as he pulled me down the block.\u00a0 One neighbor recognized the dog and thanked me for walking him.\u00a0 \u201cThat poor dog, he barks constantly, and Carla can barely take care of herself, much less an animal,\u201d he said.\u00a0 I quickly picked up a few things at the bodega, the burritos looked surprisingly good, but I bypassed the cigarettes in favor of a carton of orange juice, and then got a bag of dog treats.\u00a0 I asked the cashier if Carla came her regularly, and he told me that she was no longer welcome until she paid her outstanding bill.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t like I wanted to buy her friendship, but I pulled out a hundred dollar bill and asked if that would cover it.\u00a0 The cashier shook his head and I pulled out another twenty, but didn\u2019t bother to ask for a receipt.\u00a0 I had always trusted corner bodegas.\u00a0 There was no way a 7-11 would honor a credit, but bodegas were the center of the social life of a community and couldn\u2019t afford to scam their customers.<\/p>\n

When I returned, Carla had hoisted herself up onto the bottom step, but she was not looking good.\u00a0 I silently handed her the cup of coffee and went to put Not My Dog back into the pen along with a bunch of the dog treats.\u00a0 I sat silently next to Carla as we both sipped our coffee.\u00a0 \u201cI bet you don\u2019t think much of me,\u201d said Carla.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not here to judge anyone,\u201d I said.\u00a0 \u201cI know that you\u2019ve been through a hard time.\u00a0 God knows what I would be like if I lost a child.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re right.\u00a0 Some people wonder I am taking this so hard, considering think I wasn\u2019t the best mother in the world. \u00a0But that’s just not fair.\u201d\u00a0 Her words made me think of Simba.\u00a0 \u201cI feel like I lost her twice, first to that no good father, and then I lost her completely.\u00a0 Why’s that so hard for people to believe?\u00a0 At least that detective seemed to understand.\u00a0 He told me that you were just concerned about that other girl, whatever her name is, and that I should only talk with him, and maybe that is what I\u2019m going to do.\u00a0 I\u2019m grateful for your help, I really am, but maybe you should go.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes Carla, I know Detective Grimes very well, in fact he was the one who introduced me to Penny and asked me to help her.\u00a0 That’s how I met her, when she was concerned about her friend Dessa.\u00a0 And I was the one that told Dectective Grimes to come to talk with you.\u00a0 I think that we all want the same thing, justice for your daughter, but the detective and I are coming at it from two different directions \u2013 me from trying to find Dessa, who is probably one of the last people who saw Penny alive, and Detective Grimes is coming at it more directly, from trying to find the hit and run person.\u00a0 But we all want the same things.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, if that is the case, why don\u2019t you work together, instead of trying to put me in the middle of things?\u201d said Carla.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now Detective Grimes is interviewing a possible suspect who might have been driving the car, and I would like to talk with you about why someone would want to hurt your daughter.\u00a0 Our two lines of inquiry \u2013 the who and the why \u2013 are coming together very quickly.\u00a0 This is the case of two heads are better than one, and I would really like to ask you some questions, if you don\u2019t mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know what, I don\u2019t have the energy to argue with you, and I don\u2019t have anything to hide, so go ahead.\u00a0 Did you get my smokes?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, I didn\u2019t enough cash on me, but would you like something to drink?\u00a0 I did get you some orange juice, that\u2019s what I always like to drink when I had a hangover.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, thanks.\u201d\u00a0 I handed her the carton.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll just drink it straight from the carton, no point in getting a cup.\u00a0 Go ahead and fire away, I don\u2019t know what I can tell you that I didn\u2019t tell your detective friend.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, this has to do with Johnny Knox and Sam Todd, the man he worked for when he was working at the Margarita Club. \u00a0Did you know Johnny Knox at that time, and did you know is boss was Sam Todd?\u00a0 This Sam Todd would have been Dessa\u2019s father.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not proud of it, but what do I have to lose at this point?\u00a0 I worked at the Margarita Club too. \u00a0 You do know that the club was not a boarding house, but a whorehouse, most people knew that. \u00a0But I wasn\u2019t one of the girls you know, I was the receptionist and booker.\u00a0 That\u2019s where I met Johnny.\u00a0 The girls always made more money than I did, and I was tempted, but Johnny would never let me.\u00a0 That\u2019s when I fell in love with Johnny, he looked out for me, you know, wouldn\u2019t let me turn tricks, he was good to me. \u00a0All my other boyfriends up to that point wanted me to bring in a little extra cash, if you know what I mean.\u00a0 That was the best job that I ever had.\u00a0 But Sam Todd, that doesn\u2019t ring a bell.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCarla, you must have known the regulars there.\u00a0 Do you remember a man named Henry Murphy.\u00a0 He probably came down from Santa Teresa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell that won\u2019t help to narrow it down.\u00a0 Most of our clients came down from Santa Teresa, and they would slip me some extra money to keep my mouth shut, so I never really wanted to ask any names.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure that there were some big wigs, politicians and stuff.\u00a0 But Henry Murphy doesn\u2019t ring a bell.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell Henry had a nickname.\u00a0 He might have been called Polly, and maybe even Polly Waddle.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, Polly Waddle, sure, we all knew him.\u00a0 Quite a joke among the girls, but also all the girls wanted to be assigned to him, because all he ever wanted to do was just talk.\u00a0 He never unzipped anything. \u00a0He always asked for one girl, can\u2019t remember her name, might have been Sally, something like that.\u00a0 Johnny would get mad since she would spend the whole night with him, when she could be billing out several guys.\u00a0 Johnny was a real business man you know, really knew how to maximize the take, since he would get a cut of everything that went on.\u00a0 Johnny got really mad at Sally when she started seeing Polly Waddle outside the club.\u00a0 This is where Johnny got really smart too, he said that there was no seeing men outside of the house \u2013 no extracurriculars.\u00a0 That made sense to me, you know, after all it was Johnny that introduced them, no reason why he shouldn\u2019t continue to be paid even if they took it outside the club.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou say her name was Sally, but could her name have been Sylvia maybe?\u00a0 Was she about your age?<\/p>\n

\u201cSylvia, sure that could have been her name, but she wasn\u2019t there that long, and then everyone dispersed after the raid.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou were there when the police raided the place?\u00a0 Can you tell me about that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat a joke, the police came running in, and I immediately recognized three or four of them as regular customers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWere Polly and Sally there that night?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell if it was a Friday night, they were.\u00a0 Polly always came Friday night, and we all joked that he had probably had dinner with his mummy, told her that he was off to the club to play backgammon, then kissed her goodnight and came on down here.\u00a0 If Polly was here then Sally was also.\u00a0 She made sure of it.\u00a0 I bet that he was a mighty fine tipper.\u00a0 I\u2019d be his best friend too if he paid me.\u00a0 Why do you want to know about this anyway?\u00a0 This must have happened about 25 years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

I just pressed ahead. \u201cWas there anything funny about that night?\u00a0 Was Johnny there?\u00a0 The reason I ask is that I think that someone might have tipped off Johnny that the raid was coming, so that he was able to protect his best customers and get them out of there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCome to think of it, you might be right about that.\u00a0 Usually Johnny would get the night going and then go out for dinner.\u00a0 But that night was different.\u00a0 He brought dinner in, and actually started to set up a romantic dinner with me, which is why I remember.\u00a0 I really loved Johnny then, he was good to me, even though I don’t think that I was his exclusive girlfriend.\u00a0 And then he got a phone call, and had to leave, and then the police came storming in.\u00a0 I was surprised that the policy nabbed so few people, since the house was always pretty full on Friday nights, particularly since it was at the end of the month \u2013 we were always busier around payday.\u00a0 Johnny always called a few more girls in that night, we had a downstairs living room where they waited. \u00a0Real nice red velvet furniture.\u00a0 Johnny even helped me pick out the color, since he said that I had good taste.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is why I am curious.\u00a0 If you think Polly Waddle\u201d \u2013 I cringed when I had to use this name \u2013 \u201cif you think that Polly Waddle was in the house, why wasn\u2019t he one of the people picked up in the raid?\u00a0 I\u2019m wondering if someone tipped Johnny off \u00a0and he hustled him out of the house.\u00a0 Probably some other regulars too, the only one they really nabbed was the mayor of Santa Teresa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell hard to imagine why Polly Waddle got preferred treatment.\u00a0 Johnny always joked about him, called him a momma\u2019s boy.\u00a0 I do remember the mayor though.\u00a0 Johnny hated him.\u00a0 Came in once with a bunch of friends and stiffed us and one of the girls said that she was raped.\u00a0 Not much she could do though, but I can see why Johnny let him get caught.\u00a0 But this is really old history.\u00a0 I don\u2019t see how this is going to help you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell it turns out that this Sam Todd owned the boarding house and Johnny has worked for him on and off for several years.\u00a0 Sam is both Dessa\u2019s father, but also Polly Waddle\u2019s brother-in-law.\u00a0 Here let me see if I can get a picture of him on my iPhone.\u201d<\/p>\n

The only thing that I could find quickly was a fairly recent picture, but Carla recognized him immediately.\u00a0 \u201cSure I used to see him around.\u00a0 Johnny only called him Boss.\u00a0 That night, he arrived with the police and was kind of directing them, but I still don\u2019t see why that is important.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t really know the whole story yet Carla, but this is very helpful.\u00a0 You see this establishes the connection between Penny and Dessa.\u00a0 In my line of business, I often find that things that look like ancient history are still just below the surface. \u00a0Old anger and resentment can erupt sometimes, like a volcano, and cause a lot of damage.\u00a0 \u00a0I think that Penny must have accidentally uncorked the past.\u00a0 And that is what Detective Grimes and I are trying to unravel.\u00a0 I suggest that you keep this to yourself for the moment and let Grimes and I work through it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carla looked spent, the same kind of exhaustion that I had recently seen on Simba\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cLook, Carla would you like some help getting inside?\u00a0 It looks like you could use a rest.\u00a0 Let me help you.\u201d\u00a0 Carla seemed resigned to my help, and resigned to the fact that I would see the shocking interior of her house.\u00a0 Just like Simba, I lead her to a couch in the living room and covered her with a ratty afghan.\u00a0 And then I spent a good two hours washing the stacks of dishes in her kitchen.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\nFollow Liza Blue on: \"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>Share: \"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"reddit\"<\/a>\"pinterest\"<\/a>\"linkedin\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chapter 44 We both climbed into the car, mutely put on our seat belts, and I was about to turn on the ignition when Simba grabbed my arm.\u00a0 \u201cWill you listen to Dessa’s message for me?\u201d she said, \u201cI\u2019m too … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1561","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-murder-mystery"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7iVc8-pb","post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fanagrams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1561","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fanagrams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fanagrams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fanagrams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fanagrams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1561"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.fanagrams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1561\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1563,"href":"https:\/\/www.fanagrams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1561\/revisions\/1563"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fanagrams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1561"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fanagrams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1561"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fanagrams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1561"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}