Test Your Sleuthing Abilities
In Nine Man's Murder, nine guests invited to a "detective school reunion" are murdered
one by one. Can you use your crime-solving abilities (and a dose of logic) to deduce who
is behind some of the attempts? Look for the latest case, "Who Wrote the Note?", below.
one by one. Can you use your crime-solving abilities (and a dose of logic) to deduce who
is behind some of the attempts? Look for the latest case, "Who Wrote the Note?", below.
Case 1
Who Attacked Damien?
At 10:00 PM, Damien was attacked in the Dining Room of Moon's End. Fortunately, he
survived. He did not get a good look at his attacker. All he remembers is that his attacker
had green eyes.
Since Damien's nine guests (listed below by eye color) are the only people at Moon's End,
we know the attacker is one of them. From the guests' testimonies, all we have been able
to determine so far is that at 10:00 PM, the nine guests were all either in the Dining Room,
the Drawing Room, or the Parlor Room. Three guests were in each room. No two guests in
a room had the same eye color.
By searching the rooms for clues, investigating the suspects (guests) and questioning them,
can you figure out who attacked Damien?
The Guests
Blue Eyes Green Eyes Brown Eyes
Carter Amanda Bennett
Jill Bryan Hatter
Reeve Gideon Jonas
Inspect the Rooms
DINING ROOM: You find no clues in the Dining Room.
DRAWING ROOM: On the Drawing Room table is a leaky fountain pen.
PARLOR ROOM: You find a ring on the Parlor Room floor.
Investigate the Suspects
AMANDA: Amanda is 5'4" tall.
BENNETT: Bennett is eating a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich.
CARTER: Carter has a blue ink stain on the fingers of his right hand.
GIDEON: Gideon is 5'5" tall.
HATTER: In Hatter's pocket you find a cigarette lighter.
JILL: Jill is 5'6" tall. You find a band of pale flesh on one of her fingers.
JONAS: Jonas is wearing eyeglasses.
REEVE: Reeve has a long scar on his left arm.
Question the Suspects
BRYAN: "Both people in the room with me had 20/20 vision."
GIDEON: "Neither of the two people in the room with me is a smoker."
JILL: "I was the shortest person in my room."
JONAS: "Neither person in the room with me had ever had their skin cut."
REEVE: "Both people in the room with me were deathly allergic to pork."
To see the solution, click on the Solutions link.
CASE 2
WHO WROTE THE NOTE?
WHO WROTE THE NOTE?
At 8:30 P.M., Jill found a note in one of the rooms. It wasn't there at 8:00 P.M. It said, "I
saw what you did." Perhaps the person who wrote the note saw something that can help us
identify the murderer. But who wrote the note?
Expert handwriting analysis of the note reveals that the writer is ambidextrous (since part was
written with the left hand, and part with the right). So we know the writer is one of the nine
guests: an ambidextrous guest who was in the same room as Jill between 8:00 and 8:30 P.M.
Now, this is what we have been able to ascertain. According to the testimony of the guests,
during the hour between 8:00 and 9:00 P.M., each guest occupied one of three rooms: the
Billiard Room, the Library, or the Study. Three guests occupied each room. Each guest
remained in his or her room the entire hour. No two guests occupying the same room shared
a common trait (handedness, hair color, facial hair, eye-wear, or tattoos).
By searching the rooms for clues and studying the suspects (guests), can you deduce which
guest was the ambidextrous guest in the same room as Jill, which room that was... and thus who
wrote the note?
saw what you did." Perhaps the person who wrote the note saw something that can help us
identify the murderer. But who wrote the note?
Expert handwriting analysis of the note reveals that the writer is ambidextrous (since part was
written with the left hand, and part with the right). So we know the writer is one of the nine
guests: an ambidextrous guest who was in the same room as Jill between 8:00 and 8:30 P.M.
Now, this is what we have been able to ascertain. According to the testimony of the guests,
during the hour between 8:00 and 9:00 P.M., each guest occupied one of three rooms: the
Billiard Room, the Library, or the Study. Three guests occupied each room. Each guest
remained in his or her room the entire hour. No two guests occupying the same room shared
a common trait (handedness, hair color, facial hair, eye-wear, or tattoos).
By searching the rooms for clues and studying the suspects (guests), can you deduce which
guest was the ambidextrous guest in the same room as Jill, which room that was... and thus who
wrote the note?
The Guests
Right-Handed Left-Handed Ambidextrous
Amanda Gideon Bennett
Bryan Hatter Carter
Jonas Jill Reeve
Right-Handed Left-Handed Ambidextrous
Amanda Gideon Bennett
Bryan Hatter Carter
Jonas Jill Reeve
Inspect the Rooms
BILLIARD ROOM: You find no clues in the Billiard Room.
LIBRARY: You find blood on the spines of a few of the books.
STUDY: You find ashes in an ash tray.
BILLIARD ROOM: You find no clues in the Billiard Room.
LIBRARY: You find blood on the spines of a few of the books.
STUDY: You find ashes in an ash tray.
Investigate the Suspects
AMANDA: Amanda has blonde hair.
BENNETT: Bennett wears eyeglasses.
BRYAN: Bryan has a tattoo on his left arm. He is the only guest carrying cigarettes.
CARTER: Carter has a mustache.
GIDEON: Gideon has blond hair.
HATTER: Hatter has no outstanding traits.
JILL: Jill has blonde hair and wears eyeglasses.
JONAS: Jonas has a mustache and a fresh cut on his finger.
REEVE: Reeve has a mustache and a tattoo on his left arm.
To see the solution, click on the Solutions link.
AMANDA: Amanda has blonde hair.
BENNETT: Bennett wears eyeglasses.
BRYAN: Bryan has a tattoo on his left arm. He is the only guest carrying cigarettes.
CARTER: Carter has a mustache.
GIDEON: Gideon has blond hair.
HATTER: Hatter has no outstanding traits.
JILL: Jill has blonde hair and wears eyeglasses.
JONAS: Jonas has a mustache and a fresh cut on his finger.
REEVE: Reeve has a mustache and a tattoo on his left arm.
To see the solution, click on the Solutions link.