S9E7: A Cast of Crabs feat. Larry M. Keeton

Welcome to Mysteries to Die For.I am TG Wolff and am here with Jack, my piano player and producer. This is a podcast where we combine storytelling with original music to put you in the heart of a mystery. All stories are structured to challenge you to beat the detective to the solution. Jack and I perform these live, front to back, no breaks, no fakes, no retakes.In the world’s most dangerous working environments it can seem like everything is out to kill you. The equipment you use. The materials you work with. The very air you breathe. Stored energy is a coiled viper waiting for the right moment to lash out. Owners, manufacturers, contractors, and beyond have developed safety protocols to combat STCKY, that is, Stuff That Can Kill You. Gravity, Motion, Mechanical, Electrical, Pressure, Sound, Radiation, Biological, Chemical, Temperature. This season is all about the means of murder as authors put our STCKY detective skills to the test. This is Season 9, Stuff That Can Kill You.This is Episode 7, where biologic is our STCKY means of death. This is A Cast of Crabs by Larry M. KeetonDELIBERATIONDrake is up to his gills in this one. No one on board (and few on land) liked Ronald “Lep O” Dunne. Drake needs our help to determine if Lep O died accidentally or, if on purpose, who helped him along. Here are the men on the Debra Anne in the order we met them:Capt. Sigurd, crab boat owner and operatorGull, first mate and friend for over 20 yearsHammer, engineer, Native American, and former copHere’s what Drake knows:• On the voyage back after a successful crab harvest, Lep O was found in one of the king crab holds. The crabs devoured him. His skull had a large fracture.• The official investigation ruled the death accidental. Under federal jurisdiction, the victim’s family can sue, which Sarah, Capt. Sigurd’s daughter, did.• Capt. Sigurd’s granddaughter, Sarah’s daughter, Debbie, married Lep O while away at college. Lep O assaulted Debbie, but she refused to press charges.• Capt Sigurd hired the man on to separate him from his granddaughter. Sigurd admitted that if Lep O hadn’t died in the hold, he would have thrown him overboard.Capt. Sigund acknowledged negligence in his statement to Drake, saying the hold was open, so he accepted responsibility.Gull is the crane operator who handles moving the pots and placing the steel covers over the crab holds. The last time he saw Lep O, the man was crossing the street.Gull claims the title of Debbie’s “adopted uncle.” He thought little of his nephew-in-law.Hammer, a Native American, has been with Sigurd for 2-years, since quitting law enforcement. As the engineer, he’s responsible for the boat’s seaworthiness. The last time he saw Lep O was inside the bar accosting a waitress.Hammer had suspected Lep O was stealing native art. This was confirmed when he found a head piece in a box marked as frozen bait.Sigurd claims he was in his cabin at the time Lep O went into the hold.Lep O had been cleaning the hold in which he died. It was still open when he went ashore to the nearby bar. He hit on and then assaulted a waitress. Hammer had arrived by that point and intervened, putting Lep O into a chokehold. A knife fight nearly broke out.Lep O left the bar and didn’t show up for work the next morning.Was Lep O’s death a not-so-sad accident or who did the definitely on purpose?ABOUT Larry M. KeetonRetired Army Officer and local county official, Larry M. Keeton has plenty of unique characters and situations upon which to base his stories. 53 years of marriage to his watercolorist wife has provided him with ample lessons of dialogue better suited for the printed page. His works have appeared in Mystery Magazine, and Seasons 7 and 8 of Mysteries to Die For, and the 2024 Derringer Nominated Anthology, Larceny and Last Chances. He thanks Merle Knapp for his expertise in Alaskan fishing industry. His website is https://larrykeetonwriter.com.WRAP UPThat wraps this episode of Mysteries to Die For. Support our show by subscribing, telling a mystery lover about us, and giving us a five-star review. Check out our website m2d4podcast.com for links to this season’s authors.Mysteries to Die For is hosted by TG Wolff and Jack Wolff. A Cast of Crabs was written by Larry M. Keeton. Music and production are by Jack Wolff. Episode art is by TG Wolff. Join us next week for a Toe Tag, which is the first chapter from a fresh release in the mystery, crime, or thriller genre. Then come back in two weeks for our next original story where chemicals is our STCKY means of murder. It’s Bedpan Alley by Ken Harris