Crime and Puzzlement

1. Crime and Puzzlement By Lawerence Treat Powerpoint created by Monica Bramall

3. A Snitch in Time When somebody forgot to open the damper in the copper hood over the fireplace in the center of Le Pigeonneau, most of the patrons scrambled to the nearest exit for a breath of air. Because of a tip to the effect that Orin Sanscrit was meeting a foreign agent here as the first step in passing him some sensitive information, an FBI agent had followed him and his party to the restaurant. The agent, however, had no idea whether the tip was valid, and if so, which of the men at Sanscrit’s table was the foreigner. It so happened that Wilbur Unisex was having squab (his favorite dish) in the restaurant and that on his way out he passed the Sanscrit table, which you see. Outside, while waiting for the air to clear, Wilbur chatted with the FBI man, who chatted back at him and told him of his problem. Wilbur, of course, had the answer and told the FBI man whom to follow. Could you?

4. Was this an expensive restaurant? • Where had Sanscrit been sitting? • What had the foursome been talking about? • Do you think that any bribe money was passed? • Was Sanscrit trying to impress his guests? • Where had the foreigner been sitting?

5. Slip or Trip At five-feet-six, and a hundred and ten pounds, Queenie Black was a sight to behold, and when she tore out of the house after a tiff with her husband Arthur, she went to the country club where there was a party going on. She left the club shortly before one in the morning and invited a few friends to follow her home and have one more drink. They got to the Black’s house about ten minutes after Queenie, who met them at the door and said, “Something terrible happened—Arthur slipped and fell on the stairs. He was coming down for another drink—he still had the glass in his hand—and I think he’s dead. Oh my goodness—what shall I do?” The autopsy concluded that Arthur had died from a wound on the head, and confirmed the fact that he’d been drunk. What do you think happened?

7. Could such a wound have come from a fall? • Do you think Arthur had a good sense of balance when he started to go downstairs? • In which hand do you think he was holding his drink when he fell? • What was Queenie cooking? • Can you find a probable murder weapon? • Who/what do you think killed Arthur and how?

9. Boudoir Amy LaTour’s body was found in her bedroom last night, as shown, with her pet canary strangled in its cage. Henry Willy and Joe Torte, her boyfriends; Louis Voleur, a burglar known to have been in the vicinity; and Celeste, her maid, were questioned by the police. Wilbur Papillon, who happened to be in the area pursuing the Heliconiuscharitonius, put down his butterfly net and solved the case. Can you?

10. How was Amy apparently killed? • Is there evidence of a violent struggle? Explain. • Was her murderer strong? Explain. • Was Amy fond of jewelry? Explain. • Was she robbed? Explain. • Do you think she had been on friendly terms with her killer? Explain. • Was the canary strangled before Amy’s death? Explain. • Was this a crime of passion? Explain. • Did Willy have a motive? Explain. • Who killed Amy? • Henry • Joe • Louis • Celeste

12. A Matter of Diamonds Mrs. Diana Dogge, Dr. C. D. Spaniel and Owen Rottweiler were having tea on the Dogge patio and examining some diamonds that Mr. Rottweiler was showing in the hope of selling. The diamonds were on the small, dark platter near the center of the table when someone inside the house yelled “Fire!” and the three fled the patio. The fire, which had been set, damaged a curtain but was easily extinguished, and it was not determined who had given the alarm. When the trio returned, the diamonds were gone. Wilbur Sleuth, who had been chasing butterflies, came up on the scene as shown. He questioned the trio and all of them gave similar answers to the effect that at the alarm, they had jumped up and ran into the house and that no one had noticed what the others did. From a study of the scene, Wilbur guessed who had stolen the diamonds. And he was right, or course. He always is.

13. Where did Mrs. Dogge sit? • Where did the doctor sit? • Was the doctor nervous? • Do you think the diamonds blew away? • Does Mrs. Dogge’s wealth eliminate her as a suspect? • Had all three people left the table after making similar movements? • Who stole the diamonds?

15. The Lunchroom Murder On an otherwise uneventful Thursday, police heard a shot in Ernie’s Lunchroom, rushed inside, and found this scene: They identified the body as that of Five-Fingered Fannin, a racketeer. Ernie, who had no helper, had only one fact to tell: The murderer had leaned against the wall while firing at point-blank range. The imprint of his hand is in clear view. From the facts and an examination of the scene, can you answer the questions and tell who killed Fannin?

16. Had Ernie been mopping up recently? • How many customers had recently been in the restaurant? • Do you think Ernie was the victim of a holdup? • Do you think B, C, and D knew each other? • Did A enter the restaurant before D? • At least how many people were in the restaurant the instant that Fannin entered? • Would footsteps show if they had not traversed the wet spaces? • Which are Ernie’s footsteps? • Did Ernie walk out through the kitchen door? • Did Ernie ring up the $8.75 sale on the cash register before the murder? • Where was Ernie at the moment of the shooting? • Which are A’s footsteps? • Did A run out through the kitchen door? • Are the footsteps marked X those of the murder? • Did the murder fire with his right hand? • Who killed Fannin?