It looks like a murder thatcouldnt have happened. Frank Caponelli(a/k/a Monsieur Francois), owner of a downtown beauty salon in fashionableWestport, Connecticut, is found dead in his apartment, with a knife wound inhis back. The knife, wiped clean, is onthe table beside him. Every door andwindow is locked from the inside and there are no fingerprints anywhere.Baffled, police Lieutenant Phelanturns to Professor Sanford, head of the psychology department at FairfieldUniversity. The professor and DavidTrent, his young assistant, agree to aid in the investigation.<spanstyle="mso-spacerun: yes"> David, who has a definite weakness for femalecharm, is not at all reluctant, for it develops that many beautiful women havefigured in the life of Frank Caponelli.Charcoal sketches of them line the walls of his apartment, all nudes,and all drawn by Frank, who had been an amorous esthete with a taste and talentfor art. The investigation reveals thathis affairs had been numerous as well as overlapping and most of them withpatrons of his salon.Professor Sanford feels that allof these women are suspects and David is given the not unwelcome assignment oftracing and interviewing them. The mannerin which he accomplishes this, and the tangled chain of events he uncovers,provides an amusing and exciting background for the plot.<spanstyle="mso-spacerun: yes"> There are other murders, and conflictingclues, but finally the evidence gathered by David enables the professor toarrive at the solution through clever psychological deduction.TICKED OFF!, by GailaOzaki Perran, is based on the book THE CUCKOO CLOCK, written by herfather Milton K. Ozaki, in 1946.The murder and consequential activitysurrounding this creative mystery story, has been modernized and injected into Westportsdowntown business area. Ms. Perran hasused the names of actual people and places of business wherever permitted.
