FILE No.90Unsolved
A burglary happened next door. The suspect says, "I was away on a trip for the last three days. I only got back a few minutes ago, just before you arrived."
His front-door newspaper box was empty, and no newspapers were piled up outside. He gets a paper delivered every morning.
The delivery person says, "I was never told to stop delivery. I put a paper in the box every morning for three days."
What can be concluded?
If you get stuck, open the hints one at a time, in order.
Were papers delivered every morning?
If he had been away three days, what should the box look like?
Why is it empty?
What can be concluded?
Choose the answer closest to the truth.
He was probably not away, or someone was bringing the papers in every morning
The answer is: he was probably not away, or someone was bringing the papers in every morning.
Delivery was never stopped, so papers were in the box each morning. He says he only just got back, so he cannot be the one who emptied the box. That none have piled up means someone was taking them in every day. So someone was probably at the house during those three days, and his claim of being away is doubtful. (It does not prove he was the one there, but it undermines his story.)
An empty box looks tidy, so we do not notice that the papers are missing.
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