Crime Scene Mystery Book Tour!

The great response to my recent column about mystery writers locating crime scenes in and around our Cannon Valley, (like Christopher Valen’s novel, Bad Weeds Never Die), led me to want to have a “Crime Scene Mystery Book Tour” to check them out! 

We can make these books come to “life”, so to speak, and then end up at one of our local restaurants or winery to celebrate.

Some of the crime scene scenarios I heard about referred to bodies buried near the bluffs of the Cannon River, then some off a county road next to the Cannon River, then a murderer hiding out in Cherry Grove township, plus drugs and bodies hidden on a horse farm near Highway 52, etc.

We’ve also had some real ones... like the robber of the White Rock Bank who got stopped for speeding following his caper and then was later recognized by the same officer when he was looking at the bank’s surveillance video.

I figure you all have probably read about a lot more scenarios so please let me know so we can add them to the list.

Plus, we can invite some of these authors to join us.  

        John Sandford, author the Prey series with Detective Lucas Davenport, has a video online showing some of the scenes he used up in St. Paul.  (Check out: John Sandford - Scene of the crime on the Star Tribune website.)

We can video ourselves and our tour for YouTube and the world!

Keep reading and let us know the locations!

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Assassins... 
             Drugs... 

                     Bring your shovel?

The assassin for the Columbian drug cartel aimed the gun and the victim fell into the pit.  It had been previously dug by a backhoe as the gravesite for a sick horse.  

And it wasn’t the first human body dumped in there. 

It was on a horse farm near Cannon Falls.

This scenario is part of a book written by crime novelist, Christopher Valen who has won many awards for his series featuring St. Paul Homicide Detective John Santana.  

I met Christopher through e-mail interviews as I was trying to find a speaker to visit the Cannon Falls TRIAD - citizens and law enforcement partnership.  He explained that he loves visiting the local Cannon River Winery because the winemaker, Vincent Negret is from Colombia just like Christopher’s wife.

But the key point was: Cannon Falls is actually referred to in his third novel!

He explained: “A few scenes in ‘Bad Weeds Never Die’ take place at a Paso Fino horse ranch modeled after the ranch in Cannon Falls.”

This immediately caught my attention because we have had such a ranch for the past 25 years... Spirit Song Paso Finos.  To surprise the author I e-mailed back our website: www.paulrosie.com with our farm on it.

Christopher responded: “I didn’t realize... When I was researching the third book, I needed a ranch/farm where Paso Finos were bred in Minnesota and found Spirit Song in Cannon Falls. So my wife and I drove by one day, and then I "fictionalized" the farm in the novel. It plays a key role in the story.”

OK.  So let’s take a glimpse at his novel... and the role Cannon Falls has in it.  He writes:  “The sun moved in and out of darkening clouds as (Detective) Santana drove south on Highway 52, past the huge Pine Bend Oil Refinery, and through a flat landscape... to rural fields of soybeans and stalks of tall corn...”  (We have that.)

Turning off the highway about three miles from the farm on to the county road which was narrow and curving. (We have that.)

There was “...a windbreak of evergreens planted along the end of the pasture...”  (We have that.)

As he drove up the circular driveway (we have that)...  he saw a woman riding on a beautiful black Paso Fino.  (We have that!)

Here’s what we don’t have!

Detective “Santana recalled that Colombians liked to bury things of value... whenever a cartel kingpin was knocked off, the first thing the new leader did was dig up the yard and tear up the floors and walls of the former leader’s home, looking for... treasure.”

When setting up the scene for the murders the author describes the method a vet uses to euthanize an animal.    And the backhoe that digs the grave. 

The strange part is that this book was being written in 2010.   That’s the year we had to “put down” one of our horses because of illness.  And we decided to bury him on the farm so we needed to use a backhoe to dig the grave.  I’ve got a video on Youtube about our memory of him.  http://youtu.be/h__qRIDF2gM

But that’s all that is buried there folks!

I’m looking forward to meeting the author when he visits Cannon Falls this spring.

Until then, a friend, Susan, loaned me some other crime novels written by another Minnesota author, John Sandford.  I opened Storm Prey, also from 2010, and to my surprise I read about “a horse ranch thirty miles south of St. Paul... 40 acres... round gravel driveway...” where two men who had stolen about $1 million in drugs went to hide it but were executed by a hired killer near the horse barn.

It seemed to me that this was all getting kind of creepy!

I was telling about this “literary connection” to one of Cannon Falls’ Police Officers and he just shook his head and said, “Now I suppose we’ll have to get a shovel and come out and dig.”

(Well, I’ve got a garden that could use some work!)

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           Some times a note from a friend sent to all during the holidays, deserves to be read again all year long.  Kevin Hogan, a well-known international public speaker, consultant, corporate trainer and author of 19 books (www.kevinhogan.com) went to high school in Cannon Falls.  He wrote to remind us of the important things in life.. in memory of his mother, Carol Swicker.  

            No Terror “Threats”... 

       every day was terror.

Guest Columnist: Kevin Hogan

There were no terror "threats." Every single day was living terror.  In World War II,  60 million people were killed. 

Each and every day, life was on the line for almost every family.

The battlefield in the harsh winter was unimaginable. Back home, the families of those fighting hoped that their kids would live to return, perhaps at Christmas, the time of year that families came together by tradition... 

It was a time that represented hope. Hope that the person you loved would come home...

For one young girl, that person she wanted to come home was her much older brother, Freddie.

There was no Christmas in her home when she was a kid...and she wanted to have Christmas. There was no money for a tree, gifts...

Christmas Eve 1944.

Mom had just turned 10.

She listened to the radio like most people, and she loved the music of Christmas...  "I'll Be Home for Christmas" played. Bing Crosby recorded it the year before. It was pretty much a vocal Christmas Card from a soldier to his family back home. It finishes, "I'll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams."

As it played, there was a knock at the door and as soon as they opened the door, they knew what was coming.

A family friend in the military brought the telegram with the news that her brother Freddie, 24, had been killed in action, days earlier, fighting for Europe's Freedom. 

He took a bullet for another.  

Back in the States...many families had the knock on the door... or a telegram....and of course for some, the news had to come at Christmas...

That moment changed my Mom's life.

Being 10 and finding out that your big brother had died has to be devastating.

From my earliest days, I can remember, when I would hear one specific song, there was a sort of reverence in the house. Everyone would be quiet... and we had a big family... 

Mom would stop doing whatever. Sometimes she would cry. But she kept the "why" to herself until I was in my late teens ...and to this day, that song means the world to me.

When Mom died 13 years ago, it was one of three songs at her funeral. I don't imagine many have had that song played in that setting. For her, it was perfect. She would have approved.

Mom was the Mom that wanted to make Christmas magical for people for all the right reasons. Her spirit was unyielding in her desire to give people a special Christmas.....

Someone in town didn't have somewhere to go for Christmas, they came to our home. We didn't have stuff...we did have an overflow of love.

At Christmas... there is often a spirit of giving and goodness that I see and feel. The spirit of good intention. The spirit of wanting others to be happier...to feel good...to find ways to give someone else a better life...a brighter day.

And as I think of these things this Christmas, I think of you.  

Maybe you'll be home for Christmas. Or maybe you'll be at someone else's home... 

Sixty-eight years ago, those soldiers made certain you and I would always be at home.

The best of the holiday to you and yours.

  Kevin

They honked to get help...

but nobody heard!

They careened off the newly plowed country road and slid down the steep embankment.  They were wedged backwards between the trees.

They tried honking the horn to attract attention but nobody stopped.

Because nobody heard. 

I hadn’t wanted to go out that morning.  Mainly because we hadn’t plowed our farm road. It’s a half mile to the county road.   

But since I was supposed to bring the treats for a Bible study at the little church on the prairie down the road, my husband Paul said he’d drive.  

Besides we had just gotten snow tires on our car and now we could test them out!

After reaching the main road, Paul saw tire tracks skidding off to the side.  

I hadn’t been paying attention because we were late and I just wanted to stay warm and get there.   I was on the passenger side of the car and replied that I hadn’t seen anything off the road.  And the wind was already covering up the marks with snow.

Maybe it had happened a while ago and was already taken care of.

But I also recalled that we had just passed a steep drop off on that side of the road.    So you probably wouldn’t notice any thing as you were going by.

 As we drove, Paul mentioned the tracks again and I, for some unknown reason, said: “If we don’t turn around and there’s been an accident we won’t forgive ourselves the rest of our lives.”    That thought sounded awfully dramatic - even to me!  Where did it come from?

Paul found another road with space to turn around.

As we drove back he maneuvered the car closer to the edge and I was shocked to see a pickup truck down the steep incline.

It must have spun completely around and was wedged backwards among the trees and facing uphill.

Paul stopped our car and I got out.  I was trying to see if there were any bodies but I couldn’t see down into the windshield.

I asked Paul if we had a rope in the car so I could climb down the bank.  We didn’t.

Then a person got out the passenger side and called up to me warning me not to try to come down to them because there was ice under the snow.

I asked if they were hurt and they replied, No.

I asked if they had a cell phone and they said yes, but it wasn’t working.

I called 911.

We got a little concerned when the woman called up to me that the driver was feeling pressure on his chest.  But this was apparently due to his seat being tipped back and he was laying half way upside down!  He was good.

The folks wanted to stay in their pickup.  They could turn on the heat and stay warm.

I was amazed at how their pickup looked perfectly placed in the brush right next to a tree.  

Fifteen minutes or so later a deputy showed up and took over.  He didn’t need a rope to climb down to them.  

But I did suggest that he should wear a cap in the cold weather - that’s a Grandma routine, I think! - but he said he didn’t need that either.  

Anyway, the folks were towed out of there with little damage to their truck.

And Iola and Dave Engelmann had the opportunity to enjoy another Holiday Season together.

    Looking down at the pickup almost hidden in the brushy ravine off county road 24 about 2 1/2 miles west of Highway 52 it was easy to see how it was missed from the road.   The 2007 Chevy Colorado 4X4 careened off the icy county road down into a ravine before the Christmas holidays. 

The party’s over...

but who pays the costs?

Guess being a “fly-over” state isn’t so bad!  (This means the folks in the “know” think they “know” what political camp we are in so they won’t waste their efforts on it.)

 But, being a “fly-over” state (at least until near the end of the campaign) also means Minnesota doesn’t have to pay repeatedly for the safety of the candidates.  This can be costly to already tight city budgets.

While visiting Ohio a few days before the election, I read about all the visits they’ve had from candidates.

Dozens of times for Obama and Romney!

It probably was exciting at first.

I still think it was a blast to have President Obama visit Cannon Falls.  But would I want any of the candidates to stop by repeatedly?

It has nothing to do with their political views... or personalities.  But it has a lot to do with the cost of protecting them which could ruin already tight budgets.

And perhaps it can get to feel like the relative who comes to visit... too many times...for too long!  (Not referring to any of mine of course!)

You see, the communities hosting these visits have to “pony up” for keeping the visitors safe.  Cannon Falls had a lot of volunteer help from other police departments and the publicity showcasing the beauty of our  area was priceless.

According to an online article I read from WCPN radio, one of Ohio’s county sheriffs, a Democrat, said he wanted some help with the costs.  So he sent President Obama a bill for almost $50,000 and challenger Mitt Romney one for about $26,000.  Apparently he had sent a bill to the Secret Service but they said they weren’t responsible.  Then he sent one to the campaigns but was referred back to the secret service.   (Not identified if both campaigns did this.)

They said the mayor of Mansfield, Ohio, a Republican, sent a bill for around $21,000 to the Obama campaign.  A county commissioner, also a Republican, wanted to send a bill to that campaign for $3000 but their board decided not to.  

I love the quote they give their Governor.  He wondered that since the candidates were there so much they should pay income tax like sports figures do! 

With this insight in mind, I think when I run for President I’ll just tell folks to watch me on YouTube and use the money they save for a community “Booyah”!

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Legit or not... just be aware!

Legit or not... just be aware!

The scenario:

1) Second level of the parking lot on the west side of the Mall of America.  Lady from India with a little girl about nine years old at her side comes up and anxiously asks us to call her husband because she can’t find where he’s parked.

(No warning sign for us here.  We have a neighbor from India that we love and therefore we weren’t concerned.)  

2) Paul punches the number she tells him into his cell phone.  (Nothing wrong here either but a twinge of caution hits me and I ask Paul to put it on speaker phone because I don’t want to give the lady our phone and have her run off with it.  Actually, it’s an old phone that no one would probably want but she might not know that until she sees it.)

3) The phone rings a while but no one answers.  Paul and the lady are talking amiably.

4) I noticed that the little girl by her side is missing.  (This is a warning sign but I didn’t recognize it.)   I had my “fanny pack” (I use it as a purse) on a short strap over my left shoulder and therefore its bulk was in my armpit.

5) I felt a bump on my purse.   I looked down and saw the little girl standing at my side and then she gave me a big smile. 

6) I moved my arm down - still covering my purse -  and put my hand on her head.  She just stayed there.  After a while she moved back to the lady.

7) We talked some more and I encouraged the lady to contact security to help her find her husband but she didn’t want to.  (Another possible warning sign... did not want help from security.)

8) We turned to go to our car.  I didn’t notice where they went but I remember thinking it was strange that I didn’t see them walking down the rows if they were looking for her husband.  

Now in reality, none of these signs might result in a bad situation.  I didn’t think of most of them until I decided to write this up when back at home.

Then I asked Paul to look up the phone number she gave us on his cell phone.  (This is one of the types of things we learn at the local TRIAD - law enforcement/citizen meetings and by watching CSI type shows on TV.)

How cool! Our cell phone gave us the number - and according to my research on the internet - it’s either a land line or cellular from New Jersey.   

I still don’t know if the encounter was legit.  

But what is more important is that I should be more aware of my surroundings... and warning signs...  and memorize what I first see, their faces, marks or scars, what they’re wearing, how they walk, anything different that catches your eye.

Excuse me now... I think I hear my phone ringing.

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(L-R) Rosie Schluter; Aaron Reeves, City Administrator; Commissioner Ehlinger; Tom Bergeson, Public Works Director; Susan Brace-Adkins Healthy Communities Supervisor of the Goodhue County Health and Human Services and Dave Maroney, Community Development Director. 

What’s your “pitch”?

  It was just an impulsive idea... to e-mail the Minnesota Department of Health to see if the Commissioner would be interested in my idea of having upper body exercise equipment along the Cannon Falls city trail to promote community health.  

I had read that he had been in Rochester for a media event - pitching horse shoes and letting citizens “pitch” their ideas on public health issues.

It didn’t matter that I didn’t have the commissioner’s correct address.  I just sent it.

Nothing happened.

That I knew about anyway.

Almost three weeks later I got a surprise call from the Department of Health telling me that Dr. Ed Ehlinger, the commissioner, was coming to Cannon Falls in a couple of weeks for an all-day media event including the county’s Health and Human Services department, the county commissioners, local officials and politicians, etc.

Caught off-guard I chuckled, “President Obama only gave us three days... we can do this!”

And then I explained to city officials that I really didn’t usurp their authority - I was just trying to contact the commissioner - but this was cool wasn’t it?  

Many conferences and collaborations later, they all pulled off a wonderful media event (even the weather cooperated), with the hopeful attitude that health issues of importance to all of us would be addressed by the Commissioner in the future.

As Commissioner Dr. Ed Ehlinger stated, it’s his job “to protect and enhance the health of all Minnesota citizens.”  The state’s national health rating has dropped from number one down to number six.  What has gone up?  Obesity and smoking. And exercise has gone down.  But Ehlinger wants to make Minnesota “the healthiest state in the nation.”

That day in the park many issues were presented to the commissioner.  They included fracking sand, wind generators, dental health,  tobacco, and adding upper body exercise equipment to the city walking trail.

Another issue came from Julie Phelps, an elementary school nurse in Cannon Falls.  She expressed the importance of school nurses as they deal with health issues of students like Loden Bell, a fourth grader with diabetes who is very active and also tossed a couple of horse shoes with the commissioner.

Now back to what I had been doing to promote the event.  Well, newspapers and cable TV promos hit the area.  And I was happily surprised when it was kidded around on WCCO-radio Dave Lee’s show on several mornings with our own Jack Lucking.  And then Joan Risty announced it on KDHL radio.   

But my friend, John Weiss, reporting on the event in the Rochester Post Bulletin, “got” me with this write-up:  "... and Rosie Schluter brought a passion for better health — but poor horseshoe pitching form — to Tuesday's "Pitch the Commissioner event in Cannon Falls." 

Oh, the power of the press!

(Behind the scenes video on www.paulrosie.com)