FILE No.27Unsolved
In the office of detective Miyake, a wristwatch disappeared from a backpack placed at the back of his desk. Miyake clearly remembers putting the watch in the backpack before going out. The backpack’s mouth was open.
While Miyake was out, only the visitor Okada and Miyake’s partner, the Shiba dog Kotaro, were in the office. Kotaro is a detective dog trained to carry things in his mouth, but in the office he is always tied by a leash to a metal fixture on a pillar. The leash and the positions of the desk and backpack are as shown in the photo and were not moved.
On returning, Miyake said to Okada, "Let’s go in order. Tell me what you saw." Okada said:
"I saw Kotaro put his front paws on the desk and pull the watch out of the backpack with his mouth."
Why does Okada’s testimony not hold up?
If you get stuck, open the hints one at a time, in order.
Look in the photo at where Kotaro is tied.
How far is it from Kotaro to the backpack at the back of the desk?
Even standing up at the front of the desk, how far can his mouth reach?
Why does Okada’s testimony not hold up?
Choose the answer closest to the truth.
Tied up, Kotaro’s mouth cannot reach the backpack at the back of the desk
The answer is “tied up, Kotaro’s mouth cannot reach the backpack at the back of the desk.”
In the photo, Kotaro is tied by his leash to a fixture on the pillar, and his range stops at the near edge of the desk. The backpack is at the back of the desk, so even with his paws on the front of the desk, his mouth cannot reach it. Kotaro can carry things in his mouth, the backpack was open, and the watch was inside. The reason it was impossible lies in the positions. Note that we can tell the testimony is impossible, but this photo does not show who took the watch.
A story where the dog took it sounds plausible, so you accept it without checking the leash length or distance.
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