Spaghetti Sam was notorious for sneaking off during the day and leaving people tied up on the street, though the law enforcement didn’t acknowledge the strange claims. However, most of the neighborhood didn’t trust him much, as the one piece of evidence found at every single crime scene was a single rope of spaghetti. One day, when Detective Denny was going on his morning walk, he saw Pasta Parker tied up to a fire hydrant, blindfolded. “I said I liked macaroni better than spaghetti.” Pasta Parker wailed. “I really shouldn’t have said that.”
“Don’t worry, I can help you, Pasta.” said Detective Denny.
“Thank god someone finally decided to untie me!” Pasta said. “I’ll help you catch the perpetrator!"
Denny looked around the crime scene, finding one singular strand of spaghetti. “It was Spaghetti Sam for sure!” Pasta Parker proclaimed indignantly. “Everyone knows that he ties people up using spaghetti! It is just that no one takes us seriously!”
“I assure you, I am taking this very seriously, but I think the reason law enforcement hasn’t taken any prior actions is that Spaghetti Sam is a well established businessman.” Denny reassured, looking at the evidence very carefully. “However, I will look into it. I must take this back to my crime lab to examine.”
“And I, Spaghetti Sam’s brother, shall help you!” Pasta Parker exclaimed, gladly following Denny to his home. Inside his lab, Denny pulled out other samples of past victims. Each of them were spaghetti ropes, almost indistinguishable from the one used to tie Pasta Parker up. But Denny was a thorough and patient detective, and knew there was more to this crime than it seemed.
“You and Sam live in the same household, correct?” Denny asked.
“Yes.” Parker answered.
“What was the last conversation you had with Spaghetti Sam?”
“It was last night. We were arguing over what type of grain to eat, along with our other brother, Macaroni Mason.” Parker recalled angrily. All evidence seemed to point toward Spaghetti Sam, but there was one more clue that Detective Denny hadn’t touched on yet. The blindfold.
Looking at the blindfold carefully, Detective Denny saw that it seemed to be an intricate weave of spaghetti. Again, more evidence in the case against Spaghetti Sam. It was time to do a more thorough investigation on the prime suspect. “Let us talk to Spaghetti Sam,” Denny said. “Can you give me his address?”
“Gladly.” Pasta Parker said fervently. Denny drove them both to the given address, and soon, they were on his doorstep, Parker fumbling around his pocket for his housekeys. His hand emerged empty-handed. “It seems that Sam took my housekeys after tying me up.” Pasta Parker exclaimed sheepishly. So they knocked on the thick pasta door of the menacing house, and Spaghetti Sam greeted them at the door.
“Oh, brother!” Spaghetti Sam exclaimed. “I had been looking all around for you! Where did you go these last few hours?”
“You know where I was!” Pasta Parker yelled, pointing his finger accusatorily. “Don’t pretend, you tied me up to a fire hydrant, and blindfolded me! You even stole my house keys!”
Detective Denny restrained Pasta Parker before he could do anything brash. “I think that we should have a civilized discussion before we start pointing any fingers.” Denny stated. “Let us go to the living room to talk.” This was a classic test that Denny used on many occasions before this, and by watching the suspect’s reaction, he had caught many guilty criminals this way. However, Spaghetti Sam seemed calm and somewhat indignant, as if the claims Pasta Parker made were ridiculous.
Again, Detective Denny thought, Sam had a lot of experience with the law, and was definitely capable of keeping a poker face. But Spaghetti Sam had never been through a full on interrogation before. Sam guided them to their seats in the living room with the gracious nature of a good host. This would not be an easy interrogation.
“Pasta Parker had made some claims about you.” Detective Denny started, trying to keep the conversation from heating up. “What were you doing this morning, when Parker was taking his morning jog.”
“Why, I was having my morning coffee at the local Cappuccino store.” Spaghetti Sam said with an easy grace that made Parker snarl. “The store is 30 minutes away, and I had left at 7:30 in the morning, 15 minutes before my dear brother starts his morning jog. In fact, it is somewhat routine, as you know, Parker.”
“Parker, what do you have to say?” Detective Denny asked.
“Well, come to think of it, that is true.” Parker said, “But his drive to the Cappuccino Coffeeshop closely follows my morning jogging route at some places, so he could have pulled over and ambushed me.”
Detective Denny checked the weather report for that morning. It was indeed foggy, perfect weather for such an ambush. “Have you ever tied people up before, Sam?” Denny asked strategically.
“Well… yes.” Sam admitted. “But those are past mistakes, and ones that I have been reprimanded for by our eldest brother, Macaroni Mason. He seems to find satisfaction in catching others doing crimes, and being all crime and justice about it. He is a police officer, after all.”
Detective Denny was quick on the uptake. “But you have never been sent to jail before, or even incriminated, have you?”
Sam’s quick response surprised him. “Of course I have! Macaroni Mason has sent me to jail many times!”
“That is true…” Pasta Parker admitted. “You have disappeared for a few days at times, though Mason always said it was unexplained business trips.” Detective Denny frowned. This was a new twist. It seemed like they had a new suspect to deal with. But first, the evidence warranted more investigation. Spaghetti Sam had a solid alibi.
The three of them drove to Denny’s lab once again, where he pulled out his finer instruments. “I think that this is the job for a magnifinding glass.” Denny said.
The two brothers gasped in astonishment as he pulled out the state-of-the-art investigation tool and set up his high-powered piece of tech. Looking through it with one eye intently, Denny searched the surface of the rope until he settled on a spot, the intersection of many spaghetti weaves. He reminded himself that though Sam had a great alibi, he could still not rule him out. Slowly zooming in, Denny saw nothing but spaghetti.
“I can only see spaghetti used.” Denny admitted. However, he also reminded himself that the two suspects were brothers, and the ropes that Spaghetti Sam had used in the past could’ve been stolen and misused by Macaroni Mason in order to incriminate Sam. “Tell me about the blindfold.” Denny questioned Sam.
“What blindfold?” Spaghetti Sam asked, “I never use blindfolds!”
“Yes!” Pasta Parker added, “His company, after all, specializes in making ropes, and only ropes! It is his company’s key principle!”
“Aha!” Denny exclaimed. “This should be it!” The three of them hunched over the magnifinding glass, watching in suspense as Denny slowly zoomed in more and more… only to find… “Macaroni strands glued together to look like spaghetti!” Detective Denny exclaimed, much uncharacteristically of his usual demeanor.
Pasta Parker agreed. “This is most definitely Mason’s handiwork. In fact, his macaroni cuffs are made in the same manner, using glue!”
However, Detective Denny made sure to not jump to a conclusion immediately. It was time to confront Macaroni Mason, at none other than the police station.
As they drove to the station, Detective Denny laid out the plan for his interrogation. It was going to be a short and simple one. One that would be secretly recorded and videotaped by none other than Macaroni Mason himself. They arrived at the police station with Spaghetti Sam in cuffs.
Macaroni Mason seemed to have been waiting for them. “Good evening, Detective!” He greeted Denny with a joyful air. “I see you have found the culprit who tied up my brother here, have you?”
“Yes.” Denny said, “Now it is time to interrogate him, as I haven’t had the time to do so earlier. All evidence and an eyewitness account points toward him being the culprit.” Detective Denny’s observant eye noticed that Macaroni Mason could barely contain his joy. Well, the law would see to that, soon enough. Parker and Sam were playing their parts magnificently. Mason guided them to the interrogation room.
They sat down on one side of a massive table, with Sam on the other. “Shall I record our conversation, Detective?” Mason asked gleefully.
“Yes, Officer.” Detective Denny said, keeping his poker face.
“A rope and a blindfold had been found at the crime scene,” Mason started, “Correct, Detective?”
“Yes, Officer.” Detective Denny answered.
“Both of them have been made of the spaghetti rope that Spaghetti Sam had used in his previous crimes, correct?” Macaroni Mason continued.
Denny’s trap sprang into action. “What previous crimes, Officer? In fact, we don’t have a single documented day of jail time that Spaghetti Sam should’ve warranted, given the severity of the crime. Can you explain this, Officer?”
Beads of perspiration started forming on Macaroni Mason’s brow, his entire demeanor changing from elated to nervous. “Oh, Detective, I’m sure that he has faced jail time for his crimes, I’m just sure that they disappeared with the introduction of the conversion of physical files to online ones.”
“Then explain this, Officer.” Detective Denny slammed an empty file on the table, the file of Spaghetti Sam.
It was now Pasta Parker’s time to step in, and he did so spectacularly. “Well, I have noticed that Sam sometimes disappears on unannounced business trips, and it seems strange that when he goes to the airport to catch his flights, you always disappear with him for a few hours. After all, it is only 30 minutes to the airport, and 60 minutes at max with clogged-up traffic. How can you explain your disappearances?”
Before Officer Mason could respond, Spaghetti Sam burst in. “It is because you gave me undocumented jail time despite insufficient evidence! You have been abusing your powers as the Officer of this fine suburb!”
“Is this true, Officer?” Denny questioned.
“Well, er, no, Detective, I can explain…” Officer Mason started, but Denny cut him off abruptly.
“Furthermore, other than abuse of duties, which I remind you, can get you stripped of your sheriff's badge, we have evidence that you have incriminated Spaghetti Sam for a crime that he did not commit. After all, how did you know that there was a rope and a blindfold at the crime scene before I even unveiled the evidence?”
“Well, that can be explained…” Macaroni Mason started, but Detective Denny cut him off again. “How did you know that your brother was tied up in the first place, Officer?”
“I… I…” Mason was on the verge of breaking down. “You can’t prove it! You have insufficient evidence!”
“Well, Officer,” Denny continued, “It seems that I do, in fact, have sufficient evidence.” He pulled out photos that the magnifinder had taken of the blindfold. “This is not spaghetti, though from a human perspective, it seems so. It is actually small macaroni threads glued together to form the larger spaghetti weaves, and this combination of glue and macaroni is in fact the type of handiwork you are rather famous for.”
“But the rope!” Officer Mason yelled, “How can you explain the rope?”
“Well, Officer, the rope is widely available for sale, as your brother Spaghetti Sam is quite famous for it, and has, in fact, commercialized it.” Detective Denny stated. “There is also the fact that he lives in the same household as you and keeps a diligent count of the ropes he has in inventory at his home. It seems interesting that the rope count was one less that morning, is it, Officer?”
Macaroni Mason finally broke. “I think that this interrogation should end here!” Officer Mason roared, “and you have no right to keep me here!” As he attempted to storm out, he felt a soft tap on his back, and turned around slowly as Detective Denny cuffed his hands together.
“Macaroni Mason,” Detective Denny stated, “you are under arrest.”
News spread quickly in the small town of Oatman about their sheriff’s arrest, and so did the apology and confession of Spaghetti Sam’s crimes. However, because he had already served time, albeit illegally on Mason’s part, he was given a pardon by the higher up’s in New Grain City.
This case also gave Detective Denny great renown in the law enforcement community, and though he tried to delay his promotion to more important cases in the big city, he would have failed if not for a generous donation to the law agency by a mysterious donor who supported Denny’s wishes to remain where he was.
Officer Mason was stripped of his title and badge, and was sentenced to 25 years in prison by unanimous decision before a panel of seven judges, as there was such solid evidence of his crimes that no amount of denying the claims or pleading for a lower sentence could override his self-confession earlier. Pasta Parker and Spaghetti Sam were star witnesses in his trial, despite being Macaroni Mason's brothers.
Oh, and the town got a rather eccentric sheriff and partner detective for Denny, Pasta Parker. All was well. Or at least, it was well for a while.
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