The Clues:
What does the picture tell us?
Mind you, all of this is speculative, and your interpretation may be different, but here goes.
The suspect is probably:
- A woman. Lipstick on the teacup makes that seem obvious.
- A winter or a summer. As indicated by the bright red shade of lipstick.
- Left-handed. The fact that the handle on the teacup points to the left and that the spoon has been placed to the left might indicate she is left-handed. Also, the handwriting appears suspiciously upright, which might also indicate that the suspect is left-handed.
- Is either from or loves Russia, because she drinks Russian Caravan tea, a Russian favorite, from a Russian teacup.
- The picture on the teabag label is of a Russian caravan.
- Either enjoys or deals in antiques. Along with the antique Russian teacup, the address she started to write on the letter includes Udelnaya, a suburb of St. Petersburg, known for antiques.
- Intends to mail the envelope, rather than having received it, because it has not been postmarked.
- Has probably recently been to Russia, because she has an unused Russian stamp to place on the envelope
- Plans to return to Russia soon to mail the envelope. She cannot mail it from the U. S. because she has used a Russian postage stamp.
- Lastly, the envelope probably contains something (perhaps a payoff) that must be delivered and/or that should not leave an electronic signature. Otherwise, she would use text or email.
How did you do?
Be sure to let me know by leaving a comment on the blog post or on Facebook at DonaldJayAuthor or on the post in your favorite mystery group. I hope you enjoyed this mini-mystery. Thanks for playing.