It’s a story that
went viral in only a few hours — a woman
innocently uses Google to search for “pressure cooker” followed on the same
computer by her husband who innocently uses Google to search for “backpack”
followed by their son innocently using Google to reach for information about
the Boston bombing . . . followed by a not-so-innocent visit from some
well-armed gentlemen bearing pointed questions.
It sounds like
the inciting incident for a mystery novel. But it really happened. Sort of. As did the story of the novelist who wrote a
blog called How To Murder Your Husband and who was indicted last year on
charges of — you guessed it — murdering her husband. She is currently being
held without bail as she awaits criminal trial—she is also facing a
multi-million-dollar civil lawsuit filed by her stepson. I am virtually certain
that part of her defense will be asking what kind of idiot would write such a
thing and then actually do it.
As a crime
writer, I tend to look at the news as idea fodder, fuel for the creative
engine. These stories hit several particularly interesting subjects — Internet
privacy, free speech, the broad powers of the NSA, the ethical and moral and
civil rights issues of being spied upon by a faceless bureaucrat armed with equally
faceless tracking programs.
I tell my friends
and family that if I’m ever accused of a crime — any crime — I’m sure to be
convicted once prosecutors share my search history. In real life, I’m a rather
average person, as bland as a picket fence. Online, however, I’m a schemer, a
wacko, a homicidal manic searching relentlessly for the perfect way to murder —
holy cow, like, a dozen people — in ways both mundane and extraordinary. And
then hide all evidence of the crime. Or blame it on some innocent. Or skip town
entirely and set up shop in Belize under an assumed name.
I mean, I’m a
member of a blogging group called Writers Who Kill. What evidence could be more
damning?
Should writers
who research the dark side worry about that official tapping at the door? Only
as much as any other citizen. In the meantime, I’m using Duck Duck Go as my
search engine — they make it a point not to collect or track information from
their users. You can learn more about them (including their reasoning behind
their decision to offer anonymous searches) at their website — https://duckduckgo.com.
So, just between
us, what does your search history look like? What are you researching now that
would make you look nefarious if you were ever on trial?
* * *
Tina Whittle writes the Tai Randolph/Trey Seaver mysteries. The sixth book in this Atlanta-based series—Necessary Ends—is available now. Tina is a proud member of Sisters in Crime and has served as both a chapter officer and national board member. Visit her website to follow her on social media, sign up for her newsletter, or read additional scenes and short stories: www.tinawhittle.com.
