Brain Teasers
Double Murder
Fun: (3.01)
Difficulty: (1.52)
Puzzle ID: #42411
Submitted By: TRILLIONAIRE Corrected By: Winner4600
Submitted By: TRILLIONAIRE Corrected By: Winner4600
Mystery
Mystery teasers are little stories where you need to figure out what happened based on the given clues.Mystery
Colin Hammond was working in his study before dinner. As he sat at his desk filling out paperwork, the door behind him opened slowly and silently. Peter Wall was in the room with the door closed behind him before Hammond became aware of his presence.
Hammond stood to confront the intruder. "What are you doing here?" He inquired, trying to conceal his annoyance at the intruder's presence in his private office.
"What do you think I'm doing here?" Wall answered with another question.
"Any business we have will be handled at our appointment this evening. Please leave right now and come back later as I asked you to do. How did you get up here, anyway? The doors are all locked and nobody gets by my guard, Bruce. Get out of here!"
"Not just yet. Do you know how much it hurt me to discover that my own brother-in-law planned to turn me in to the police?"
"You embezzled the firm's money! I would never have let you join the firm if you hadn't been Diana's brother! I never trusted you, but I always thought that you were simply incompetent, not a thief."
"Thief? I deserved that money by putting up with your arrogance all these years. I am not going to jail for simply taking something I earned!" Wall punctuated his statement by producing a revolver from his pocket.
"Don't be a fool, Peter! Put that stupid gun away!"
As Peter Wall drew a threatening aim on his brother-in-law's heart, there came a pounding on the office door.
"Sir! Mr. Hammond, sir! It is I, Bruce. I heard voices. Is everything all right?"
Wall yanked the door open and jerked the astonished butler into the room.
"Too bad you had to interfere, Bruce; now you'll have to go too. Too bad; goodbye, Bruce."
The two shots that killed Bruce and Colin Hammond were fired.
Wall muttered to himself, "All right, take both wallets... that big jeweled ring... anything else? Bruce has nothing more. Empty the drawers. Ransack everything as a proper robber should, and then descend out the window."
***********
Three men descended the stairs toward the front foyer after investigating at the scene of violence on the second floor of the Hammond home.
"A clear case of robbery, I think, Mr. Johnson," Inspector Lewis said. "It would seem that the unfortunate Mr. Hammond and the butler Bruce stumbled upon the intruder and it cost both of them their lives."
"That is the obvious explanation, Inspector... you did say that it was Mrs. Hammond, Colin Hammond's wife, who found the bodies?" Detective Gregory Johnson asked.
"Yes, sir, Mrs. Diana Hammond," replied Inspector Lewis. "She found them very much where you saw them yourselves."
"That must have been quite a shock for the lady," Mr. Wilson interjected. "Where is she now?"
"Upstairs in her room with a police physician," the Inspector answered. "Excuse me, but I must go back upstairs and assist at the scene. I should not have bothered you with such an obvious case of murder associated with robbery. Have no doubt, sir, we will find the murderer."
"I'm sure you will, Inspector," Johnson agreed. "Let us be about our business, Mr. Wilson."
"Thank you, gentlemen," Inspector Lewis said. "Could you please show yourselves out?"
"Very well," Mr. Wilson called to the Inspector, turning back towards the murder scene.
As Mr. Johnson opened the front door, he found himself confronted by a dismayed stranger.
"Who are you?" the stranger asked.
"Why, I'm Detective Gregory Johnson and this is my friend and colleague, Mr. Wilson. Who are you, if we might ask?"
"I am Peter Wall and I have an appointment with my brother-in-law, Colin Hammond. What are you people doing here?"
"I regret that I have to tell you that your brother-in-law is dead," explained Johnson.
"Oh my!? What happened?"
"I'm afraid that he was murdered," Johnson explained.
"Oh my God! Murdered? Who could have done such a horrid thing?"
"There seems to have been a robbery, Mr. Wall."
"Oh no! Where is my sister? Is she all right?"
"Yes, Mrs. Diana Hammond is upstairs in her room with a physician. She was not injured. The police are upstairs, but their investigation of the scene is nearly finished and there shouldn't be a problem with your going upstairs to speak with sister now, if you wish to do so."
"The police are still here? I would like to talk to them and see what progress they are making in this horrible matter! Is my brother-in-law still here? Have they removed the bodies yet?"
"The police are still in Mr. Hammond's office upstairs. You should ask for Inspector Lewis, who is in charge of the investigation. Actually, when you see him, would you please ask him to come see me? I would like to have a word with him."
Within three minutes after Peter Wall vanished up the stairs, Inspector Lewis appeared in the foyer.
"Lewis, this crime might not be a simple as we had thought," Johnson suggested. "I believe that we are faced with a case of cold-blooded, premeditated murder. I strongly suggest that you interrogate the dead man's brother-in-law, Mr. Wall. I have reason to believe that he, and not some nameless burglar, had a hand in this gruesome matter."
***********
Why did Detective Johnson think Mr. Wall was part of the crime?
Hammond stood to confront the intruder. "What are you doing here?" He inquired, trying to conceal his annoyance at the intruder's presence in his private office.
"What do you think I'm doing here?" Wall answered with another question.
"Any business we have will be handled at our appointment this evening. Please leave right now and come back later as I asked you to do. How did you get up here, anyway? The doors are all locked and nobody gets by my guard, Bruce. Get out of here!"
"Not just yet. Do you know how much it hurt me to discover that my own brother-in-law planned to turn me in to the police?"
"You embezzled the firm's money! I would never have let you join the firm if you hadn't been Diana's brother! I never trusted you, but I always thought that you were simply incompetent, not a thief."
"Thief? I deserved that money by putting up with your arrogance all these years. I am not going to jail for simply taking something I earned!" Wall punctuated his statement by producing a revolver from his pocket.
"Don't be a fool, Peter! Put that stupid gun away!"
As Peter Wall drew a threatening aim on his brother-in-law's heart, there came a pounding on the office door.
"Sir! Mr. Hammond, sir! It is I, Bruce. I heard voices. Is everything all right?"
Wall yanked the door open and jerked the astonished butler into the room.
"Too bad you had to interfere, Bruce; now you'll have to go too. Too bad; goodbye, Bruce."
The two shots that killed Bruce and Colin Hammond were fired.
Wall muttered to himself, "All right, take both wallets... that big jeweled ring... anything else? Bruce has nothing more. Empty the drawers. Ransack everything as a proper robber should, and then descend out the window."
***********
Three men descended the stairs toward the front foyer after investigating at the scene of violence on the second floor of the Hammond home.
"A clear case of robbery, I think, Mr. Johnson," Inspector Lewis said. "It would seem that the unfortunate Mr. Hammond and the butler Bruce stumbled upon the intruder and it cost both of them their lives."
"That is the obvious explanation, Inspector... you did say that it was Mrs. Hammond, Colin Hammond's wife, who found the bodies?" Detective Gregory Johnson asked.
"Yes, sir, Mrs. Diana Hammond," replied Inspector Lewis. "She found them very much where you saw them yourselves."
"That must have been quite a shock for the lady," Mr. Wilson interjected. "Where is she now?"
"Upstairs in her room with a police physician," the Inspector answered. "Excuse me, but I must go back upstairs and assist at the scene. I should not have bothered you with such an obvious case of murder associated with robbery. Have no doubt, sir, we will find the murderer."
"I'm sure you will, Inspector," Johnson agreed. "Let us be about our business, Mr. Wilson."
"Thank you, gentlemen," Inspector Lewis said. "Could you please show yourselves out?"
"Very well," Mr. Wilson called to the Inspector, turning back towards the murder scene.
As Mr. Johnson opened the front door, he found himself confronted by a dismayed stranger.
"Who are you?" the stranger asked.
"Why, I'm Detective Gregory Johnson and this is my friend and colleague, Mr. Wilson. Who are you, if we might ask?"
"I am Peter Wall and I have an appointment with my brother-in-law, Colin Hammond. What are you people doing here?"
"I regret that I have to tell you that your brother-in-law is dead," explained Johnson.
"Oh my!? What happened?"
"I'm afraid that he was murdered," Johnson explained.
"Oh my God! Murdered? Who could have done such a horrid thing?"
"There seems to have been a robbery, Mr. Wall."
"Oh no! Where is my sister? Is she all right?"
"Yes, Mrs. Diana Hammond is upstairs in her room with a physician. She was not injured. The police are upstairs, but their investigation of the scene is nearly finished and there shouldn't be a problem with your going upstairs to speak with sister now, if you wish to do so."
"The police are still here? I would like to talk to them and see what progress they are making in this horrible matter! Is my brother-in-law still here? Have they removed the bodies yet?"
"The police are still in Mr. Hammond's office upstairs. You should ask for Inspector Lewis, who is in charge of the investigation. Actually, when you see him, would you please ask him to come see me? I would like to have a word with him."
Within three minutes after Peter Wall vanished up the stairs, Inspector Lewis appeared in the foyer.
"Lewis, this crime might not be a simple as we had thought," Johnson suggested. "I believe that we are faced with a case of cold-blooded, premeditated murder. I strongly suggest that you interrogate the dead man's brother-in-law, Mr. Wall. I have reason to believe that he, and not some nameless burglar, had a hand in this gruesome matter."
***********
Why did Detective Johnson think Mr. Wall was part of the crime?
Answer
"So, Johnson, I was surprised to hear you virtually accuse that Peter fellow. What on earth led you to believe that he had a hand in the murder of his own sister's husband?" Mr. Wilson asked as the pair left the Hammond mansion."Really, Wilson, I can't believe that you would ask me such a thing. You see, and yet do not observe. It would seem that you also hear and yet do not observe."
"What did you hear that I did not, Johnson?"
"Nothing, old friend. I merely drew an inference which you did not from something we both heard. Did you not hear Mr. Wall ask if the bodies had been removed? Did you not wonder about his choice of the plural noun? We only advised him that his brother-in-law was dead. We never mentioned the demise of the butler, Bruce. How could Wall have known that there was more than one body to be removed unless he had greater knowledge of the events than he had learned from us? And how, old friend, would he have gained such information unless he had a hand in the matter? If I am not mistaken, Lewis's interrogations will reveal the truth."
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Comments
YAY! first to comment I thought it was b/c he said th e police are STILL here? I am getting smarter at these though! good teaser
that was fun...I like mysteries
Excellent teaser, Trillionaire. I got it after the second reading!
You know, you should publish these mysteries of yours into a series of books with a crackerjack detective or police figure figuring these out!
$D
You know, you should publish these mysteries of yours into a series of books with a crackerjack detective or police figure figuring these out!
$D
easy
liked it.
liked it.
good teaser! i got it as soon as i read the word "bodies"..great fun! i'd definitely like to see more like this
Good one. It was a bit too obvious. I also got it right when i read the word "bodies".
I got it after I thought about the word "bodies".
I Love your teasers TRILLIONARE.
Very clever and well written
Very clever and well written
fun!!!!!!
that was great trillionaire!!!
good one
nice teaser! I got it right!
Mysteries are my favorite. Investigator Precious1026. Yes, the killer made a mortal error by his misuse of nouns, singular and the plural nouns. Did they remove the bodies. Only someone who knew beforehand of the murders would have known there were two bodies. Another fatal error Teaser Submitter, the husband asked "how did you get pass my guard, later to be revealed as the butler. Perhaps, a butlerguardian?
A bit easy, but a really well written teaser!
Well done! Most of these mysteries are painfully obvious, with one bit that is so out of place it must be the clue. This one was better hidden. Good job!
It was Wall's remarks about the police and the bodies that indicated his guilt.
Cool little mystery. Thanks.
Cool little mystery. Thanks.
I got it right
Very good TRILLIONAIRE!
Very good TRILLIONAIRE!
Great teaser Trillionare. I got it wrong.
personally, i thought it was way too easy. The 'bodies' hint was a bit too obvious in the dialogue. That may just be because I read too many murder mysteries. However, it's not direct proof of his guilt, you know. He could have stumbled up there earlier and been too afraid to tell the police. He could have been so used to the butler being around that when he didn't show up, the murderer put one and one together to make two dead bodies. very well written though!
'Bodies' makes it too easy.
The word "bodies" gace it away.
Excellent teaser!
Very fun indeed.
Another hint as to guilt was his comment, "The police are still here?" as how would he have known when the murder occurred? For all he knows, the murder happened 20 min ago and it is only natural the police are "still" there.
Very fun indeed.
Another hint as to guilt was his comment, "The police are still here?" as how would he have known when the murder occurred? For all he knows, the murder happened 20 min ago and it is only natural the police are "still" there.
Well, actually, I Detective Albert Holmes, have also deduced another answer which might not be right after all. Given the fact that Wall's intention was an appointment with Mr. Hammond, he couldn't have known that his sister, Colin's wife, was there hence my deduction was that she was an accomplice to the crime.
I thought this was really easy and got it as soon as I saw the word "Bodies" However I love mystery teasers so please keep them coming!
Anybody coming into this would have known that wall killed them both, and in that skipping over the plural. also, as a big mystery fan, i skipped over the plural, because i dismissed it as unimportant and uniformative. so those that said it was easy think again. for most smart people, its not.
I feel pretty stupid after reading the other comments that said they got it right away. I took like an hour to figure this one out.
The word "bodies" jumped out at me so got it pretty quick, but I think that's because a number of the mysteries on Braingle try to hide the plural that gives it away. However, I loved the story and detail, the misdirection, how the answer was the story continued, and thought it was a great teaser!
Loved the teaser. I like how you sneakily input the clue without giving too much attention to it.
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