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On the next through line from NPR.

On the next through line from NPR.

On the next through line from NPR.

The Origins of the Modern Civil Service. Listen to ThruLine wherever you get your podcasts.

The Origins of the Modern Civil Service. Listen to ThruLine wherever you get your podcasts.

The Origins of the Modern Civil Service. Listen to ThruLine wherever you get your podcasts.

So this case is such a mess that in the beginning, you don't even have a starting point. Except for Abraham Shakespeare winning the lottery.

So this case is such a mess that in the beginning, you don't even have a starting point. Except for Abraham Shakespeare winning the lottery.

One of the things that people talk about when they talk about winning the lottery is that it's cursed.

One of the things that people talk about when they talk about winning the lottery is that it's cursed.

So how many people in Polk County owed Abe Shakespeare money? Over 20, maybe close to 40. There are all these people with this web of connections to Abraham Shakespeare, and any one of them might be someone who has a motive to see him dead. We all dream of a moment in life that will instantly change everything. A stroke of luck and nothing will ever be the same again.

So how many people in Polk County owed Abe Shakespeare money? Over 20, maybe close to 40. There are all these people with this web of connections to Abraham Shakespeare, and any one of them might be someone who has a motive to see him dead. We all dream of a moment in life that will instantly change everything. A stroke of luck and nothing will ever be the same again.

That's exactly what happened to a man with the name you will never forget, Abraham Shakespeare.

That's exactly what happened to a man with the name you will never forget, Abraham Shakespeare.

Right here at this gas station in a town with a name you just can't make up. Frostproof Florida. One stop, two quick pick lottery tickets, one of which would change his life forever. A jackpot worth $30 million.

Right here at this gas station in a town with a name you just can't make up. Frostproof Florida. One stop, two quick pick lottery tickets, one of which would change his life forever. A jackpot worth $30 million.

12. When he realized he'd won the lottery, he wasn't even sure it was real, so he brought the ticket to his cousin Ashley McMillan.