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Crack the Case

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XXVZ
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That was quick


"72% of all statistics are made up"
-XXVZ

Nielzabub
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The man was not in a bicycle shop.

Yes, Pydro, bicycle does refer to cards.

Donner, you didn't actually ask a question.


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Arcanist Lupus
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Do we have enough people around who don't know the albatross one to do that one next, or do we need to do a different one?


"Do you not know that a man is not dead while his name is still spoken?"

- Terry Pratchett, Going Postal

Donner
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Nielzabub wrote:

The man was not in a bicycle shop.Yes, Pydro, bicycle does refer to cards.Donner, you didn't actually ask a question.

Sorry!  Um....Did the guy cheat at cards and get killed for it? :D


"Deja-fu? You've heard of that?"
- Lu Tze, Sweeper, Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett

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Donner wrote:

 

Nielzabub wrote:
The man was not in a bicycle shop.Yes, Pydro, bicycle does refer to cards.Donner, you didn't actually ask a question.

 

Sorry!  Um....Did the guy cheat at cards and get killed for it? :D

That is correct! You win the grand prize! If you want, you can make a limmeric for Arcanist's contest. Be sure to enter the code "crackthecase" when submitting your limmeric.


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It's not the "Suicide" King answer? Oh well.


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Matchstickman
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Three women enter into a lottery syndicate and buy a random number draw tickets, no one outside the syndicate knows about it. They win but tell no one. The weekend before they are going to announce the win/collect the money from the lottery board one of the women invites the others around for a celebratory dinner intending to posion them.

Knowing that she will be suspected if they both die at her table and nothing happens to her she orders from a cateering company for the food and puts the slow acting poison in something they will all consume.

The women come round and all three eat, drink and are merry. The poisoner is very nervous and downs her drinks quickly, but neither of the victims notice anything amiss. Later, the two victims die, the poisoner does not.

How was this accomplished?


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I presume the plan didn't go as intended and it wasn't the pioson that killed the two victims (while the poisoner had an antidote she could take after htey'd left her house)?


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Ameena wrote:

I presume the plan didn't go as intended and it wasn't the pioson that killed the two victims (while the poisoner had an antidote she could take after htey'd left her house)?

No, it did go as intended.

No, she had no antidote (that would ruin her alibi).


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jajd2c
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Poisoned ice cubes in the drinks, I'd assume. 

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The poison was in the drink and something about drinking it quickly prevented her from absorbing the poison?

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jajd2c wins this round, but I'll poison you all yet!


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Pydro
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Can't think of one, so I am going to use one from Crack the Case

 

The Case

"The cops will never suspect me," Pat thought as he tiptoed toward the living room, carrying a heavy iron skillet. One whack and his murderous plan would surely pan out! Mike, his brother, would be sitting where he sat every night, in his favorite chair, falling asleep in front of the TV. Killing him would be easy and foolproof.

A week later, alerted by a concerned neighbor, police broke into the apartment and found the bodies. Both men were in the living room: Mike dead in his chair, his head severly dented; Pat in another chair, just as dead. A piece of paper was on the coffee table.

 

The Mystery

Why did Pat think he could het away with murder? What really happened that fateful night?


Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing.
-Robert E. Howard, "The Tower of the Elephant"

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Was Mike already dead before he was hit in the head?


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Pydro
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Matchstickman wrote:

Was Mike already dead before he was hit in the head?

Yep.


Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing.
-Robert E. Howard, "The Tower of the Elephant"

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The piece of paper, was it a will? Or suicide note?


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Pydro
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Matchstickman wrote:

The piece of paper, was it a will?


Nope.

Matchstickman wrote:
Or suicide note?


Yep.

Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing.
-Robert E. Howard, "The Tower of the Elephant"

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Did Mike commit suicide?

Did Pat commit suicide?

If no, did Mike kill Pat?

Did either eat albatross?

Is the job of either person relevant?


"Do you not know that a man is not dead while his name is still spoken?"

- Terry Pratchett, Going Postal

Pydro
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Arcanist Lupus wrote:

Did Mike commit suicide?

Yep.

Arcanist Lupus wrote:

Did Pat commit suicide?

Nope.

Arcanist Lupus wrote:

If no, did Mike kill Pat?

Nope.

Arcanist Lupus wrote:

Did either eat albatross?

Define what you mean by "eat"? (OK, just so nobody gets confused, the official answer in "irrelevant".)

Arcanist Lupus wrote:

Is the job of either person relevant?

Nope.


Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing.
-Robert E. Howard, "The Tower of the Elephant"

Arcanist Lupus
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Was there a third person (or more) present that night?

Did Mike write the suicide note?


"Do you not know that a man is not dead while his name is still spoken?"

- Terry Pratchett, Going Postal

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Did Mike get hit in the head and survive long enough to kill Pat when Pat was writing the suicide note?


"Deja-fu? You've heard of that?"
- Lu Tze, Sweeper, Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett

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I assume that Mike was committing suicide by gas (possibly carbon monoxide, but I think gas would be less difficult inside a home rather than a garage), sitting in his favorite chair watching television to make his passing more comfortable, when Pat walked in, whacked him, and was overcome by the gas. This would be more likely if Pat's sense of smell were impaired, by a cold or some such.

Just speculation, but it seems logical to me.

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jajd2c wrote:

I assume that Mike was committing suicide by gas (possibly carbon monoxide, but I think gas would be less difficult inside a home rather than a garage), sitting in his favorite chair watching television to make his passing more comfortable, when Pat walked in, whacked him, and was overcome by the gas. This would be more likely if Pat's sense of smell were impaired, by a cold or some such.Just speculation, but it seems logical to me.

Nice one!


"Deja-fu? You've heard of that?"
- Lu Tze, Sweeper, Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett

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Arcanist Lupus wrote:

Was there a third person (or more) present that night?

Nope.

Arcanist Lupus wrote:

Did Mike write the suicide note?

Yep.

Donner wrote:

Did Mike get hit in the head and survive long enough to kill Pat when Pat was writing the suicide note?

Nope.

jajd2c wrote:

I assume that Mike was committing suicide by gas (possibly carbon monoxide, but I think gas would be less difficult inside a home rather than a garage), sitting in his favorite chair watching television to make his passing more comfortable, when Pat walked in, whacked him, and was overcome by the gas. This would be more likely if Pat's sense of smell were impaired, by a cold or some such.

Nope.


Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing.
-Robert E. Howard, "The Tower of the Elephant"

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Was Pat's chair a wheelchair? 

Did Pat die of a heart attack brought on by unaccustomed exertion? 

Are these absurdly specific questions?

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jajd2c wrote:

Was Pat's chair a wheelchair?

Nope.

jajd2c wrote:

Did Pat die of a heart attack brought on by unaccustomed exertion?

Nope.

jajd2c wrote:

Are these absurdly specific questions?

Nope.


Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing.
-Robert E. Howard, "The Tower of the Elephant"

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Is Mike's method of suicide relevant?

Pydro
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jajd2c wrote:

Is Mike's method of suicide relevant?

Yep.


Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing.
-Robert E. Howard, "The Tower of the Elephant"

Arcanist Lupus
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Was Pat murdered? (as opposed to his death being an accident)

Is Pat's reason for wishing to kill Mike relevant?

Was the pun in the case description intentional?


"Do you not know that a man is not dead while his name is still spoken?"

- Terry Pratchett, Going Postal

Pydro
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Arcanist Lupus wrote:

Was Pat murdered? (as opposed to his death being an accident)

Nope.

Arcanist Lupus wrote:

Is Pat's reason for wishing to kill Mike relevant?

Yep.

Arcanist Lupus wrote:

Was the pun in the case description intentional?

Let me look...You mean "Pan out!"? I am guessing it was intentional, because Mike was hit with a skillet. However, unless I am missing something, it is just a pun.


Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing.
-Robert E. Howard, "The Tower of the Elephant"

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Were Pat and Mike identical twins?

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Did Mike poison himself?

Is there a typo in the opening spiel where cop should be cops?


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Mike electrocuted himself.  Frying pan conducted it to his brother.

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Pat and Mike are conjoined twins. Mike committed suicide by poisoning himself, which killed Pat as well.

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Azqa wrote:

Were Pat and Mike identical twins?

If they were, they aren't anymore.  Now Mike has a dent.

 

Where the chairs near each other?  (Could Mike and Pat have touched each other without getting out of their chairs if they weren't dead?)

 

Was Pat killed by Mike's suicide method?


"Do you not know that a man is not dead while his name is still spoken?"

- Terry Pratchett, Going Postal

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Azqa wrote:

Were Pat and Mike identical twins?

Nope.

Matchstickman wrote:

Did Mike poison himself?

Yep.

Matchstickman wrote:

Is there a typo in the opening spiel where cop should be cops?

Not anymore!

phantaskipp wrote:

Mike electrocuted himself.  Frying pan conducted it to his brother.

Nope.

grysqrl wrote:

Pat and Mike are conjoined twins. Mike committed suicide by poisoning himself, which killed Pat as well.

Nope.

Arcanist Lupus wrote:

Where the chairs near each other?

The chairs were in the same room, how close, I do not know.

Arcanist Lupus wrote:

Could Mike and Pat have touched each other without getting out of their chairs if they weren't dead?

I do not know.

Arcanist Lupus wrote:

Was Pat killed by Mike's suicide method?

Yep.

 


Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing.
-Robert E. Howard, "The Tower of the Elephant"

Arcanist Lupus
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Is the reason Mike killed himself relevant?

 

Did Pat die from consuming the same item Mike used to poison himself?  (As opposed to Pat being poisoned by Mike's blood or something like that.)

 

Did Pat wish to kill Mike for emotional reasons? (He was angry at him, he was jealous of him, etc.  Contrasted with 'logical' reasons like gaining an inheritance.


"Do you not know that a man is not dead while his name is still spoken?"

- Terry Pratchett, Going Postal

Pydro
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Arcanist Lupus wrote:

Is the reason Mike killed himself relevant?


Yep and Nope. It's relevant for getting a complete picture of what happenes that night, but not relevant or needed for the other pieces of information needed.

Arcanist Lupus wrote:

Did Pat die from consuming the same item Mike used to poison himself?  (As opposed to Pat being poisoned by Mike's blood or something like that.) 

Yep.

Arcanist Lupus wrote:

Did Pat wish to kill Mike for emotional reasons? (He was angry at him, he was jealous of him, etc.  Contrasted with 'logical' reasons like gaining an inheritance.


Nope.

Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing.
-Robert E. Howard, "The Tower of the Elephant"

XXVZ
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Oh! Pat wanted Mike's cake which he poisoned to commit suicide, then when pat ate it he died!

 

Unless the cake is a lie...

 

Arcanist Lupus wrote:

 

Azqa wrote:
Were Pat and Mike identical twins?

 

If they were, they aren't anymore.  Now Mike has a dent.

Is it weird that I found this hilarious?


"72% of all statistics are made up"
-XXVZ

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XXVZ wrote:
Oh! Pat wanted Mike's cake which he poisoned to commit suicide, then when pat ate it he died!

Nope.

XXVZ wrote:
Unless the cake is a lie...

Nope.

XXVZ wrote:
Is it weird that I found this hilarious?

Nope.

Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing.
-Robert E. Howard, "The Tower of the Elephant"

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Did Mike kill himself by putting poison in some kind of foodstuff but then didn't eat all of it, and when Pat thought he'd killed him by whacking him on the head, ate some of it as well because he was feeling pleased with himself and so died?


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Pydro
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Ameena wrote:

Did Mike kill himself by putting poison in some kind of foodstuff but then didn't eat all of it, and when Pat thought he'd killed him by whacking him on the head, ate some of it as well because he was feeling pleased with himself and so died?

Essentially, yep.

Now why did Pat think he could get away with it.


Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing.
-Robert E. Howard, "The Tower of the Elephant"

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Things we know

Mike killed Mike.

Pat hit a dead Mike in the head.

Mike wrote his own suicide note.

Mike poisoned himself.

Pat was poisoned by Mike's suicide method.

Things we don't know

Why Pat wanted to kill Mike.

What Mike consumed to poison himself (food, gas etc).

Why Pat thought he would not be suspected of killing Mike.

 

Was Pat blind? (And thus didn't know Mike was dead, had written a note and could not see a bottle of poison on the counter next to the delicious tacos Mike poisoned himself with)

 

EDIT: Curse you for answering questions while I was reviewing the data!


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Matchstickman wrote:
Was Pat blind?

Yep.


Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing.
-Robert E. Howard, "The Tower of the Elephant"

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So are we done?


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The Story

Pat was blind. he was living with his bully of a brother who kept a tight rein on his Social Securit checks. The resentment built until Pat thought murder was his only way out. Being blind, he figured the police would never suspect him of such a brutal physical attack. pat would blame it on an intruder.

Meanwhile, Mike had problems of his own. In one week, he had lost his job and his girlfriend, and he felt trapped caring for a whiny brother.

As Pat approached Mike's chair, he had no way of knowing that Mike was sitting there already dead. Mike had written a suicide note, placed it on the coffee table, then poisoned his bourbon and drank several glasses of it. After Pat swung the skillet, he sat down, and to steady his nerves took several swigs from Mike's bourbon bottle. That was a mistake! Bye-bye, Pat!


Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing.
-Robert E. Howard, "The Tower of the Elephant"

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So not poisoned Tacos? That mystery is totally unrealistic.

 

Thanks Pydro!


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New case!

 

The music stopped, and she died.

Explain.

 


"Do you not know that a man is not dead while his name is still spoken?"

- Terry Pratchett, Going Postal

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A dancer in a music box?


Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing.
-Robert E. Howard, "The Tower of the Elephant"

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Was she the fat lady? Did she stop singing?


Good ideas are usually just bad ideas a stubborn person eventually fixed.

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