Ockham's Razor: A Deductive Riddle

Chapter 11

There is an old saying, "He knows just enough to be dangerous." If Ian could have written his own epitaph, this would be it.

Once he and Dave separated after lunch, Ian had time to think about what was ahead of him. He had access to Dave's computer later that evening after Dave had gotten back from his job at the gas station, but until then, Ian was left to his own devices.

His thought process immediately drifted off to the start of the getaway on the 800 block of Kingfisher Avenue. That was in Saint Barbara, and he was not too familiar with that part of the city. He knew all the university students called it St Barb's, but that was it. He lived in Great Plains proper, went so school in Great Plains and by and large only ever went into St Barb's only for the occasional party or bet.

Not being from the area, Ian had to learn plenty about the twin cities geography and history of the region on his own. After all, it might come in handy for a bet.

When the region was being settled by the European settlers, they displaced the indigenous populations. Those tribes had considered the junction of the Oxbow and Grand Rivers to be sacred as a meeting spot. The settlers, realising that the waters provided sustenance, eased transport and formed the largest landmark in a region devoid of large hills, distinctive forests and other water features, decided to create their settlement in the same area.

The two key rivers met at the spot that the settlers immediately named "The Tributary". Nowadays, the cooler generations, and essentially that meant anyone born after World War One, called the whole region the Trib. It was a cultural spot that was great for markets, concerts, baseball and other outdoor civic events. The Trib itself was prone to flooding, and since the Depression, there had been very little building of businesses and homes there. Just a lot of parks, open spaces and pavilions. Ian considered it one of his favourite parts of the city.

From the west, flowing to the Trib, was the Oxbow river. This river meandered greatly, hence the name, and was characterised by somewhat steep riverbanks within the city limits. At the Trib, it met the mighty Grand River. This river, while large, was slow moving, almost lazy. It flowed from north to south, and eventually fed into the Mississippi and out into the Gulf of Mexico. In its past, it was not quite big enough for the famous paddlewheel boats, but it was big enough for barges and other boats to bring cargo and people to the city.

The settlers that came were hardy people, but they were far from unified in purpose, culture, religion or language. As a result, the settlers that came from eastern Europe settled southwest of the Trib, south of the Oxbow River and west of the Grand River. They named their town after Saint Barbara, as most of them came from the mining areas of eastern Europe and she was prevalent there. The remaining settlers came largely from the British Isles and Scandinavia. They settled in the other areas around the Trib, essentially filling out three quarters of a circle centred on the Trib. They called their settlement Great Plains.

Over the century or so since the two cities were established, they grew and boomed as a pair. Most of the economic power was placed in Great Plains with its manufacturing in the southeast of the city, rail lines in the northeast and the creation of several considerable shopping and commercial districts. Saint Barbara, on the other hand, had difficulty creating the economic conditions to allow it to have major manufacturing and commercial growth, but, despite its economic disparity, the city still thrived in other ways.

The cultural character of the city of Saint Barbara remained tangible even more than a century after the forming of the settlements. Gentrification, lower house prices and reduced crime rates were very attractive for people who worked in Great Plains that wanted to buy or build a home. Saint Barbara had a bright future. Its independent character ensured that it maintained its own mayoral chambers, town hall, chamber of commerce, police force, fire services and school boards. It was a jewel in the region.

But from outside the city, everyone in the nearest major metropolitan centres, such as St Louis, Kansas City, Minneapolis or Chicago constantly referred to the twin cities of Great Plains/Saint Barbara as solely Great Plains. St Barb's remained a great secret.

But as Ian surmised, that was all he knew of St Barb's. Just enough to be dangerous.