random question for a mystery plot

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docsavage

Trad climber
Albuquerque, NM
Feb 21, 2018 - 06:32am PT
You could have your detective post on a climbing forum about the piece of gear he found at the scene of a crime & ask the owner to PM for a return ...
phylp

Trad climber
Upland, CA
Feb 21, 2018 - 07:47am PT
Or maybe your perp could be a caver? They also use ropes and harnesses to descend and ascend things. And they might also have things like night vision goggles that climbers don’t have. But then the clue could be a small clump of dirt, fresh moss or a rock. That could lead your detective to have it analysed which might lead you to a specific cave.
Since I don’t know anything about caving, I don’t know what would come next - restricted access for that cave? Security camera at parking area?
PTPP who posts here is a caver if I remember correctly and he has posted about going on first explorations of caves with scientific groups.
phylp

Trad climber
Upland, CA
Feb 21, 2018 - 08:11am PT
In fact, you might want to consider making Pete the villain in your plot. Since he's both an aid climber (ascending rock using specialized tiny hooks on tiny holds) and a caver, he'd have the skills to ascend the exterior of a building most people would think impossible to climb.

I think he's breaking in to steal a valuable gem to make into a gift for Anita.
phylp

Trad climber
Upland, CA
Feb 21, 2018 - 11:04am PT
OK, I have even more ideas. Pete is the thief but also the hero.
I’m in my dentist’s office and I don’t want to type the whole thing on my phone, but the target of the theft is an internet billionaire who’s trying to win over Anita. The theft is meant as a f$&k you to the guy but Pete breaks into an impenetrable room called the Aerie using his aid and caver skills, and finds evidence to suggest this guy is a nefarious dark web criminal. So people are hunting for Pete, but he’s also on the hunt - for evidence that will put the sick bastard away or better yet culminate in a battle to the death on El Cap.
Jon Beck

Trad climber
Oceanside
Feb 21, 2018 - 12:22pm PT
Pete is busted when they see his junk show half the way up the wall.
Ward Trotter

Trad climber
Feb 21, 2018 - 12:41pm PT
Hi I am not a climber, but am writing a mystery story where a detective finds a climbing-related clue at the scene of an art theft, which leads him to a specific climbing gym, and then to a specific person.

If I were faced with such a writing task I'd have the clue as a t-shirt with the gym logo on it--as many gyms sell to their patrons.

Let's say the art theif, not proficient at rappelling , goes to the gym to learn said skill. While there he buys their gym shirt. While rapping during the theft he gets the shirt caught in the rappel device and is forced to tear a slight logo-containing portion of the shirt out of the device which he then clumsily drops into the darkness below.

The detective discovers this fragment, has it tested in the lab and finds it is covered in the pollen from a jacaranda tree.
The detective pays a visit to several gyms and while driving up to the last gym on his list he sees that gym surrounded by big beautiful jacaranda trees-- in full bloom.
He goes inside and sees the shirts on sale with same color and logo segment.

Now, go on get outta here.

Do I have to write the whole piece for you?
skitch

Gym climber
Bend Or
Feb 21, 2018 - 01:15pm PT
What if the climber was caught by surprise and ended up leaving a piece of gear or clothing behind to escape quickly, like a NW Alpine (or some other internet based company) balaclava that the theif took off after jugging out of the building. . . the balaclava was missing the tag with the brand name on it, but through incredibly hard work the detective was able to track the balaclava down to NW Alpine. . .who only sold 3 of this type of balaclavas to people living near the break in. . . dun dun dun. . .
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