The Key Placed After the Break-In

Difficulty ★★☆about 5 minLocked Rooms & Impossible CrimesTimingKeys

The caretaker, looking in from outside the window, says there was no key on the desk. After the door was broken down, a key was on the desk.

Case Record

The master of the house lay collapsed in his study. The door was locked from the inside and was later broken down by ramming it. After the door was broken, there was the study key on the desk.

Your question

When, and by whom, was the study key placed on the desk? Look closely at the evidence.

Case Files

Evidence

E-1The caretaker’s testimony and photoHe looked into the study through a window from the garden and said, “There was no key on the desk.” His eyesight is good, and the desk was 2 meters from the window. The photo taken right after he looked shows no key either. (Photo: the study taken by the caretaker through the window)
E-2Order of breaking in the doorThe secretary was first to break the door down by ramming it, followed by the doctor and the driver.
E-3The study keyOnly the secretary holds the spare key to the study.
E-4The study doorIt was locked from the inside. No one went in or out until it was broken.

Diagram

Hints

If you get stuck, open the hints one at a time, in order.

Open hint 1

When the caretaker looked in through the window, was there a key on the desk?

Open hint 2

Between which two moments did the key appear?

Open hint 3

Who could enter the study in between?

Solve It

Your question

When, and by whom, was the study key placed on the desk? Look closely at the evidence.

Choose the answer closest to the truth.

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The Truth

After the door was broken, the secretary, who holds a spare key, placed it

The answer is “After the door was broken, the secretary, who holds a spare key, placed it.”

The caretaker has good eyesight, was close, and even has a photo. A “mistake” is hard to believe. So someone must have placed it after the caretaker looked.

Before the door was broken, no one could get in. After it was broken, the ones who entered were the secretary, the doctor and the driver. Only the secretary holds a key to the study, so the secretary is the one who could have placed it.

Diagram of the solution

Key Points

Photographic evidence
Order of events
Who holds the key

Why people get fooled

The fact that the key was in the room makes you think it was there from the start.

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