Crime Scene
This week has been beautiful in Northeast Mississippi, but I’ve been chained to my computer, working on edits for the next Memphis Cold Case novel, Justice Delivered. They’re due tomorrow, so I’ll get right to last week’s puzzle. And the answer is…
The man with the cast
Explanation:
Reason-1: The blood stain was on the left side of the dead man which means the killer is most likely a left-handed. The cashier and man with the cashier are both right-handed.
Reason-2: Why will a man with the cast go for buying shirts/coat? Seems suspicious.
Reason-3: The man with the cast must be carrying the weapon inside the cast.
Congrats to all who took part in the puzzle!
Now on to this week’s Mystery Question: A man went on a business trip. He and his wife usually spoke every morning, and when he didn’t call and didn’t answer his phone, the wife contacted his co-workers. Two of them drove to the hotel where the man was staying and knocked on his door.
There was no answer, so they got the hotel manager to open it where they found the man dead on the rug, prone and doubled over, a spent cigarette cupped delicately between two stiff fingers of his left hand. Room 348 was stuffy and exceptionally warm. When questioned, the wife said he always kept the air conditioning turned down low. At the autopsy, the coroner discovered a surprising amount of blood and extensive internal damage. Partly digested food had been torn from his intestines. He ruled his death was a homicide due to blunt force trauma and that the man had been kicked and beaten.
The detective in the case interviewed the wife, family, friends, and the electricians in the room next to him who had been drinking. When the detective discovered that before his death, the man had inadvertently blown a fuse, interrupting electrical service to the two rooms. The detective wondered if the burly construction workers had confronted the man and beaten him to death, but there were too many witnesses who stated there’d been no fight. There were many puzzles to the case–the man was right-handed, so why was the cigarette in his left hand? There was no trace evidence of anyone other than the employee who came to fix the electrical shortage. The employee was a registered sex offender.
Below are four clues, three of them true. Can you figure out the false one?
- Video cameras showed the electricians had made several trips back and forth to their vehicles.
- A small hole had been patched in the electricians’ room with toothpaste.
- The crew foreman had heard something about a gun going off in a boardinghouse.
- The detective focused on the maintenance man after he was arrested a few days later for carrying a gun, prohibited since he was a sex offender.
Okay, Super Sleuths, which statement is false? Extra points if you can figure out how the man was killed. Leave your answer in the comments and I’ll enter you in a drawing for a copy of Justice Betrayed at the end of the month!
It’s Elvis Week in Memphis, and homicide Detective Rachel Sloan isn’t sure her day could get any stranger when aging Elvis impersonator Vic Vegas asks to see her. But when he produces a photo of her murdered mother with four Elvis impersonators–one of whom had also been murdered soon after the photo was taken–she’s forced to reevaluate. Is there some connection between the two unsolved cases? And could the recent break-in at Vic’s home be tied to his obsession with finding his friend’s killer?
When yet another person in the photo is murdered, Rachel suddenly has her hands full investigating three cases. Lieutenant Boone Callahan offers his help, but their checkered romantic past threatens to get in the way. Can they solve the cases before the murderer makes Rachel victim number four?
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Comments 39
This one sounds challenging to get to the bottom of what really happened! I’m going to say #3 is the one that’s false.
Author
It is challenging, Rosalyn, and a very interesting story. And next week I’ll provide a link to the rest of the story…thanks for stopping by.
I hope #2 is false, the one about a small hole filled w/ toothpaste (which does work), but these are deliciously hard. Do tell!
Author
We’ll see, Delores…thanks for stopping by!
I guess it’s #3 since that clue doesn’t seem to have anything to do with this crime.
Author
Hmmm, Suzanne…maybe. We’ll see next week. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by.
#4 is false I think one of the electricians did it with a gun. That would explain the hole in the wall.
Author
I see you’re using your deducting skills, Tori. We’ll see next week if you’re right. Thanks for stopping by.
I’m going to go with #3.
Author
We’ll see, Beth…we’ll see. Thanks for stopping by.
I am guessing #3.
Author
We’ll see, Gloria…we’ll see. 🙂 Thanks for dropping by.
Wow, this one is challenging….I’ll say 3.
Author
Glad you think it’s hard, Jackie! I think you’ll find the story very interesting! Thanks for stopping by!
I’m going to go with #3 since I don’t think the boarding house has anything to do with it. This is a hard one.
Author
Hi Faith. Interesting thought. Glad you think it’s hard. 🙂
I’m going with number three. There was no mention of a boarding house.
Author
Two people who think the boarding house is a red herring. Thanks for stopping by Beverly!
I am going with 2. I think he was killed by a hollow point bullet which could account for the excessive blood and internal damage. I think any hole in the wall would have been too large for toothpaste to fill.
Author
Using your deducting skills, Edward. We’ll see next week. I think you’ll be interested in the story. Thanks for stopping by.
I just looked it up. It is very interesting, as you said.
Author
I figured you would find it, Edward. 🙂 Yes, it is very interesting.
I am going to say that #4 is false. I think the small hole in the wall was a bullet hole and that the man was somehow shot through the wall and somehow the bullet was overlooked at autopsy. I’m interested to know when this took place; the details sound modern, but I wasn’t aware any hotels still allowed smoking in their rooms!! Unless it was an extended stay hotel……curious.
Author
It is an extended stay hotel, Diane. I’ll give the link to all the details next week. Very interesting case. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by.
Well, that solves that part of the puzzle. LOL I look forward to seeing the whole article.
Author
I think you will find it fascinating, Diane. And thank you so much for the lovely thank you card. Did you make it? It’s wonderful.
I think four is false.
Author
We’ll see, Lucy. Thanks for stopping by!
Why would electricians need to patch a hole with toothpaste when they would have the proper caulking to do the job? I’d have to say #2 for the false statement. I can’t wait to see the answer next week Patricia, you keep us on our novice detective toes! 🙂
Happy editing!
Author
Trixi, great deduction…we’ll see next week the answer. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
I don’t see what #3 has to do with the others. It seems out of place.
Author
Hmmm. Yes, #3 does seem out of place, but… 🙂 We’ll see next week if it is out of place. Thanks for stopping by, Paula!
#2 is false?
Author
Maybe Lisa…maybe. We’ll see next week. Thanks for stopping by!
#3…hmmm
Author
Yes, it’s a hmmm question, MS Barb. lol thanks for dropping by.
Looking forward to your release!!
1 is false, the place probably didn’t have working cameras or they would not so many questions. He was badly beaten to death with the blunt of gun or any other electrician tools, including tough boots of the electrician tore his intestine. I m trying to decide if the partial digested food should indicate anything but, my mind is mush lol. I’ll Google stuff tomorrow or just wait until Tuesday :).
Author
Funny, Jessica. I think you’ll find the whole story interesting.
I’m sure I will! 🙂