Brain Teasers
Licensed to Kill?
Situation
Situation puzzles (sometimes called lateral thinking puzzles) are ones where you need to ask lots of yes or no questions to figure out what happened in the situation. These are good puzzles for groups where one person knows the puzzle and answers the questions.Situation
PC Homes fought back tears looking at the face of Rose Simmons, his best friend's wife. She had three children and six grandchildren. She was a kindly, loving woman in the community who wouldn't hurt a fly. So why had somebody stabbed her in the chest while she was walking her dogs? The massive golden retrievers were howling like sad wolves at the sight of their bloodstained mistress. Charlie would be heartbroken, thought Homes.
But who would be capable of murder in the sleepy little town of Happisburgh in Cornwall? PC Homes could only think of one person - well, three actually...
Three weeks later, three boys stood in front of PC Homes and heartbroken Charlie Simmons. They were triplets; Marcus, Lionel and Romeo, also known as The Clones. They were infamous for being robbers and muggers, and one of them was apparently seen near the murder scene. They were looking confused, having been yanked out of their birthday party to come to the police station.
Homes said: "So, boys, what are your testimonies? We know from witnesses that one guy was seen running away with a knife, which could be one of you three. What were you doing at 12 PM on Sunday, when Rose Simmons was stabbed to death? Don't lie, or you'll be spending the rest of your sweet 16th in a jail cell."
Marcus: "I was getting cigarettes and beer from the off-licence downtown. They have new CCTV and you can see me there. People were calling me Marcus, so you know I'm not covering up for my brothers. My best mates can tell me apart from Lio and Ro."
Lionel: "I was out test-driving my new car. It was a red Punto and many people around town must have sighted it. But I stayed downtown, I swear, and the park is on the other side of town. It is registered to me and only I have the keys. You can check if you like."
Romeo: "I've had my eye on this tiny little studio for ages - it'll be a great party place. Well, our dad's kind of rich, and I have enough already in my bank account to pay for the studio. So I went up there, talked to the owners, signed the contract, and voila, the studio's mine. We may be identical triplets, but our signatures are different. You can check if you like."
After a few days of investigating, PC Homes ordered the boys back to the police station. He said, "Okay, now I know all your testimonies were completely true. You did not murder Rose Simmons. However, I am arresting all of you."
Assuming all their testimonies were actually true, why did PC Homes arrest the triplets?
But who would be capable of murder in the sleepy little town of Happisburgh in Cornwall? PC Homes could only think of one person - well, three actually...
Three weeks later, three boys stood in front of PC Homes and heartbroken Charlie Simmons. They were triplets; Marcus, Lionel and Romeo, also known as The Clones. They were infamous for being robbers and muggers, and one of them was apparently seen near the murder scene. They were looking confused, having been yanked out of their birthday party to come to the police station.
Homes said: "So, boys, what are your testimonies? We know from witnesses that one guy was seen running away with a knife, which could be one of you three. What were you doing at 12 PM on Sunday, when Rose Simmons was stabbed to death? Don't lie, or you'll be spending the rest of your sweet 16th in a jail cell."
Marcus: "I was getting cigarettes and beer from the off-licence downtown. They have new CCTV and you can see me there. People were calling me Marcus, so you know I'm not covering up for my brothers. My best mates can tell me apart from Lio and Ro."
Lionel: "I was out test-driving my new car. It was a red Punto and many people around town must have sighted it. But I stayed downtown, I swear, and the park is on the other side of town. It is registered to me and only I have the keys. You can check if you like."
Romeo: "I've had my eye on this tiny little studio for ages - it'll be a great party place. Well, our dad's kind of rich, and I have enough already in my bank account to pay for the studio. So I went up there, talked to the owners, signed the contract, and voila, the studio's mine. We may be identical triplets, but our signatures are different. You can check if you like."
After a few days of investigating, PC Homes ordered the boys back to the police station. He said, "Okay, now I know all your testimonies were completely true. You did not murder Rose Simmons. However, I am arresting all of you."
Assuming all their testimonies were actually true, why did PC Homes arrest the triplets?
Hint
Read it again.Answer
It is illegal in England to buy alcohol, drive a car, or enter into a contract before the age of 18. It says in the text that it is their 16th birthday, and they are identical triplets so they were probably all born on the same day. One might be a day older/younger, but that doesn't change anything.Hide Hint Show Hint Hide Answer Show Answer
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Comments
OH! I get it now!
I like this one.
Very Clever! But you leave the main question unanswered -Who killed poor Mrs. Simms????
My next teaser will be about our dear Mrs Simms...
Clearly it was their Dad, pi**ed off with the three of them and bent on slaying. Murder requires motivation, method and opportunity. Neither applies to the triplets. Dad was having an affair and tried to implicate his kids - little did he realise their lack of understanding of the laws of the land - a dead giveaway!
But are any of those offenses actually arrest-worthy? Like, you'll go to jail if you sign a piece of paper underaged?
@mizchey - There's always juvinile hall!
Loved this teaser!
Loved this teaser!
Got it!
Yes, good, but there is still a Murderer afoot. Their alibies held up, which removes the murder rap, so there is a part two.
Good Teaser, not everything in the world is crystal clear...
Good Teaser, not everything in the world is crystal clear...
I loved this teaser, not a mystery but clearly mysterical elements. Well written, nice storyline, good plot, but no real culprit. Excewllent Trick..
I have a problem with this teaser. I was positive that Lionel killed Mrs. Simmons, because they never told them WHERE she was killed. However, he says "the park is on the other side of town!". How could he know where she had died unless he had killed her? Even if this is irrelevant, does that mean their witness was lying about seeing one of the boys with a knife?
I got it easily.
I mean, you kidding me?
Cigarettes & alchohol and haven't even turned 16 yet?
I mean, you kidding me?
Cigarettes & alchohol and haven't even turned 16 yet?
Very good!
i thought off license meant the place didn't check licenses..so i was a bit confused about the camera
you explode my brain in thinking.
Good teaser.
Good teaser.
that doesnt work in the us. people can drive at 16 legally
@bookwrm-I thought the same thing at first! but then i realized she was walking her dogs when she was stabbed. Assuming this was reported by the media, it makes sense he knew where she was murdered!
Also, you describe them as robbers and crooks, couldn't they easily have fake birth certificates or something proving they're 18 and not 16!???!
Also, you describe them as robbers and crooks, couldn't they easily have fake birth certificates or something proving they're 18 and not 16!???!
Taking back my previous comment. Just realized that Homes KNEW they were 16.
awesomely awesome teaser ^;..;^
Oh, I thought they knew something about the murder because it says 3 WEEKS LATER they are being interviewed. He asked them what they were doing at exactly 12 PM 3 weeks ago. Who could remember that exactly unless it was a planned alibi?
Superb Teaser!
"I have a problem with this teaser. I was positive that Lionel killed Mrs. Simmons, because they never told them WHERE she was killed. However, he says "the park is on the other side of town!". How could he know where she had died unless he had killed her?"
They probably know who she is, or at least where she was killed. He also might have meant the other side of town from where they were being questioned.
"Even if this is irrelevant, does that mean their witness was lying about seeing one of the boys with a knife?"
The witness never said he saw one of the boys. Not to mention that even if they had, they could simply be mistaken.
They probably know who she is, or at least where she was killed. He also might have meant the other side of town from where they were being questioned.
"Even if this is irrelevant, does that mean their witness was lying about seeing one of the boys with a knife?"
The witness never said he saw one of the boys. Not to mention that even if they had, they could simply be mistaken.
My bad, on reread, it *does* say one of them had been seen. Oops!
I admit I somehow skipped over the sentence that stated where this was taking place. XD But as far as I can tell, this riddle would work in the US too, or even Canada. Not sure about contracts, but to buy alcohol in the US you have to be 21, and in Canada you have to be 18 or 19. And to drive you have to be 16. Even with a learner's permit or you couldn't drive on your own, except to or from work or school, and in Canada you couldn't drive on your own at all. With a provisional license in the US you could, but not in all states.
I admit I somehow skipped over the sentence that stated where this was taking place. XD But as far as I can tell, this riddle would work in the US too, or even Canada. Not sure about contracts, but to buy alcohol in the US you have to be 21, and in Canada you have to be 18 or 19. And to drive you have to be 16. Even with a learner's permit or you couldn't drive on your own, except to or from work or school, and in Canada you couldn't drive on your own at all. With a provisional license in the US you could, but not in all states.
The idea is clever. However it is mistaken about contracts. It's true that a minor generally can't make contracts (there are some exceptions) but that doesn't mean the minor is committing a crime, merely that the contract normally can't be enforced. Conceivably the triplet might be committing fraud if he deliberately made a contract that he knew was invalid and thereby gained some advantage.
For driving, the puzzle is more or less right. In general you have to be 17, but there is a provision that people with certain classes of disability can drive at 16. This is not common and we can I suppose assume that the constable checked whether the triplet in question had such a licence.
For buying alcohol and cigarettes, yes, 16 would be illegal. But in Britain I think you would be unlucky to get arrested, unless of course you're black.
For driving, the puzzle is more or less right. In general you have to be 17, but there is a provision that people with certain classes of disability can drive at 16. This is not common and we can I suppose assume that the constable checked whether the triplet in question had such a licence.
For buying alcohol and cigarettes, yes, 16 would be illegal. But in Britain I think you would be unlucky to get arrested, unless of course you're black.
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