Brain Teasers
The Ex-Wife Murder
"Who shot her?" cried Rogers as he rushed into the hospital three minutes after his ex-wife died from a bullet through her head.
"Just a minute, Mr. Rogers," said Professor Stiggins. "We'll have to ask you a few questions-routine, you know. Although divorced for the past six months, you have been living in the same house with your ex-wife, have you not?"
"That's right," replied Rogers.
"Had any trouble recently?"
"Well, yesterday, when I told her I was going on a business trip, she threatened to commit suicide. In fact, I grabbed a bottle of iodine from her as she was about to drink it. When I left last evening at seven, however, telling her I was spending the night with friends in Sewickley, she made no objection. Returning to town this afternoon," continued Rogers, "I called my home and the maid answered."
"Just what did she say?" inquired Stiggins.
"'Oh, Mr. Rogers, they took poor mistress to St. Ann's Hospital 'bout half an hour ago. Please hurry to her.'
"She was crying, so I couldn't get anything else out of her; then I hurried here. Where is she?"
"The nurse will direct you," said Stiggins with a nod.
"A queer case, this, Professor," said Inspector Kelley. "These moderns are a little too much for me, I'm afraid. A man and woman living together after being divorced six months!"
"A queer case indeed, Inspector," mused the professor, "and you'd better detain Mr. Rogers. If he didn't shoot her himself, I'm confident he knows who did."
Why did the professor advise the Inspector to detain Rogers?
"Just a minute, Mr. Rogers," said Professor Stiggins. "We'll have to ask you a few questions-routine, you know. Although divorced for the past six months, you have been living in the same house with your ex-wife, have you not?"
"That's right," replied Rogers.
"Had any trouble recently?"
"Well, yesterday, when I told her I was going on a business trip, she threatened to commit suicide. In fact, I grabbed a bottle of iodine from her as she was about to drink it. When I left last evening at seven, however, telling her I was spending the night with friends in Sewickley, she made no objection. Returning to town this afternoon," continued Rogers, "I called my home and the maid answered."
"Just what did she say?" inquired Stiggins.
"'Oh, Mr. Rogers, they took poor mistress to St. Ann's Hospital 'bout half an hour ago. Please hurry to her.'
"She was crying, so I couldn't get anything else out of her; then I hurried here. Where is she?"
"The nurse will direct you," said Stiggins with a nod.
"A queer case, this, Professor," said Inspector Kelley. "These moderns are a little too much for me, I'm afraid. A man and woman living together after being divorced six months!"
"A queer case indeed, Inspector," mused the professor, "and you'd better detain Mr. Rogers. If he didn't shoot her himself, I'm confident he knows who did."
Why did the professor advise the Inspector to detain Rogers?
Answer
Rogers could not have known that his ex-wife had been shot unless he had the guilty knowledge of the crime. The maid did not say why she had been taken to the hospital. Yet Rogers' first words on entering the hospital were, "Who shot her?"Hide Answer Show Answer
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Comments
hi nice teaser but another answer could have been when the husband said that the maid said that the wife was moved 30 minutes ago to the hospital, whereas he came 3 minutes after she got shot.
Ditto to coolk
No, he arrived 3 minutes after she DIED
very nice! full pts for fun =)
the ex-wife, living together threw me for a half-second, but great red herring! =) well done *applauds
the ex-wife, living together threw me for a half-second, but great red herring! =) well done *applauds
Gunshot wounds to the head usually bring about death pretty much automatically. She wouldn't have been taken to the hospital at all, she'd have been taken post haste to the mortuary.
Also, the Iodine suicide effort was an excellent way of getting the reader to appreciate that Mr Rogers' first thoughts when his wife had been taken to hospital may have been, iodine poisoning and not gun shot death. Therfor he MUST have had prior knowledge. Gosh I feel like Grissam from CSI now.
Great work and great teaser.
Also, the Iodine suicide effort was an excellent way of getting the reader to appreciate that Mr Rogers' first thoughts when his wife had been taken to hospital may have been, iodine poisoning and not gun shot death. Therfor he MUST have had prior knowledge. Gosh I feel like Grissam from CSI now.
Great work and great teaser.
Clever Shame I didn't get it ¬¬ That was a great teaser!
I enjoyed this teaser. No Correction, so the Hospital vs. the Morgue don't pan out too well. The main Clue was right in front of our faces. I did not get it, but I thought morally to leave you ex alone after they claimed suicide, meant you are a murderer to some extent.
I have to disagree with Dodger. There are many gunshots to the head or even the brain and the patient may Not die right away. ONe would believe that one should die, immediately, but not necessarily. And, that's just info, very little to do with Who killed the women. See...
Pretty good.
This was the first brain teaser I looked at on this site (I'm a new member) and I think it's one of the best so far. I LOVE mystery riddles!
d'oh, I can't believe I missed that
Very good!
A bit easy, but I enjoyed it thoroughly.
A bit easy, but I enjoyed it thoroughly.
kinda late for the subject but there are lots of accounts of head wounds that dont kill directly but cause coma. i once read about a kid that stood too close to the target when his dad was shooting arrows and the arrow stuck right through his head but the doctors just removed it and he lived on...
Mr rogers had obviously been speaking with the detectives and we caught the conversation in the middle...at least that's what I thought. So I had assumed the detectives told him she had been shot. There are any number of ways he could have found out. Maybe he got a phone call on the way to the hospital. As a detective, I wouldn't make such a jump as to say he's definitely guilty or knows who is.
good quiz!
easy but fun!
I agree with precious. There was this story about a chick who shot her husband in the head and he didn't die for 2 hours!!!
lovely teaser....i got it right away
hard
got it soon as i read the first sentence
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