Mick Darabont fell in the bathroom, hit is head, and died. It happens at his age. But, is that what happened this time? Investigator Stef Kopriva knows Mick as the gruff park institution with a love of checkers. Others don’t paint such a nice picture. Now Stef is on the case and working to solve a classic locked-room mystery in this two-part story.
Listen to part 1 here or wherever you get Mysteries to Die For podcast. Come back next week for the conclusion.
ABOUT Frank Zafiro
Frank Zafiro writes gritty crime fiction from both sides of the badge. During his life, he has been a military intelligence linguist, a police officer (a twenty year career, retiring as a captain), and an independent consultant and instructor. He has taught both writing and police related topics at the collegiate level and professional venues. Through it all, he has been a writer. To date, he has published 48 novels, over 100 short stories, and appeared in over 50 anthologies. He lives in Redmond, Oregon, with his wife, Kristi, who is a teacher. https://www.frankzafiro.com/
ABOUT Checkers
According to the website Wonderopolis, checkers is much older than the more sophisticated chess, with the game being mentioned in the writings of Homer and Plato. Historians currently date checkers back to an archeologist find in the ancient city of Ur in Iraq. This dates to 3,000 BC. In the 12th century, the French had the idea of playing checkers on a chess board. With the updated design and accompanying rules, the game migrated to England and outward. With a game this old and that has traveled the globe, it should be no surprise that it have many names and variations. Wikipedia has an extended citation on the games, the boards, and the pieces. Even the size of the boards change. An 8×8 board is common, but 10×10 and 12×12 boards are used, too. Given the rich history and complexity of this “simple” game, Mick Darabont just may have been right.
TG Wolff 