I’m sorry to bother you ladies and gentlemen, Lieutenant Columbo here. Now this might sound silly, but please bear with me.
There’s been a murder.
I got an anonymous call last night that a person had been killed at Boddy Mansion. Right, that’s what I said. Are you kidding me? But I thought I’d better go have a look.
To be honest, the place gave me the creeps. And it was a dark and stormy night to boot. You just can’t make stuff like this up.
Long story short, I got there and no one knew anything about a murder. It wasn’t until later I realized I’d been set up. Because Mr. Boddy was killed while I was in the house.
I don’t know how they did it, and I can’t prove it, but one of Mr. Boddy’s six guests killed him. And they’re trying to frame me. Is that rich, or what? I think this is the first time I became a suspect in my own investigation.
So I’m asking for your help. I’ve got evidence to prove three of the seven of us have alibis, thanks to the security cameras placed around the mansion. I need you to sort through the details of who was doing what where, and what kind of a weapon they had with them.
Six of us were peacefully employed, minding our own business. One of us was committing murder. If you think you figured who did what, email me your solution. If you have any questions, you can post them below. Here’s what I can tell you.
• Mrs. White was watching TV in the Dining Room with the candlestick on the table.
• Col. Mustard was playing billiards in the Billiard Room with the lead pipe. I don’t know why he didn’t just use cues, but that’s not relevant to this investigation.
• Mrs. Peacock was knitting in the Library. There were no weapons in the library. It’s a library, there’s only books in there.
No one was in the Hall or the Lounge. We’re not sure who was in the Kitchen or the Study, because there’s a secret passage connecting them. But maybe you can figure it out from these clues.
CLUES
1. Miss Scarlet was reading but didn’t have the knife.
2. The person with the gun was smoking but not in the Kitchen.
3. The murderer was in the Conservatory but it wasn’t Mr. Green.
4. The two people in the Kitchen and Study were myself and the guest who was making a phone call.
5. The guest who had the rope wasn’t in the Study.
6. Professor Plum had the wrench.
I’m sorry I can’t give you any more specifics than that – I need you to be unbiased and objective so that the answers you come up with are based solely on logical deduction, and not anything I tell you.
I’m depending on you folks to clear my name. I hope this doesn’t make you feel bad, but it’s my neck on the line.
Oh, and one more thing.
Good luck.
Based on a logic puzzle written by Shelly Hazard on Puzzles.com
Solutions will be posted next Monday. Meanwhile, put on your thinking cap to deduce Columbo’s innocence and the real killer’s guilt! Send your answers to cortneymatz@yahoo.com. May the best detective win!
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