Solutions
Case 1: Who Attacked Damien?
Dining Room Reeve Amanda Hatter
Drawing Room Carter Gideon Jonas
Parlor Room Jill Bryan Bennett
Each of the three rooms had one guest with blue eyes, one with green
eyes, and one with brown eyes. You realize that the ring in the Parlor
Room fell off Jill's finger, leaving the band of pale flesh. So Jill was in
the Parlor Room. You also deduce that the leaky pen in the Drawing
Room was used by Carter, leaving ink on his fingers. So Carter was in
the Drawing Room. Reeve, the only other blue-eyed guest, was therefore
in the Dining Room. (There was only one blue-eyed guest in each room.)
Who was the green-eyed guest in the Parlor Room with Jill? We know that,
according to her own testimony, Jill was the shortest person in the room.
Amanda and Gideon, who both have green eyes, are both shorter than Jill,
so they were not in the Parlor Room with her. This leaves only one other
green-eyed guest: Bryan, who was therefore in the Parlor Room with Jill.
Bryan told us that both of the guests in his room (the Parlor Room) had
20/20 vision. Jonas is wearing eyeglasses, so he was not in the Parlor
Room with Bryan and Jill. So which room was he in? Jonas told us that
neither person in his room had ever had their skin cut. Reeve has a long
scar on his left arm, indicating that he has been cut (pretty badly, and not
surprising, given what we know about Reeve from Nine Man's Murder).
So Jonas was not in the Dining Room with Reeve. Therefore Jonas was in
the Drawing Room.
Reeve told us that both guests in his room are deathly allergic to pork.
But we found Bennett eating a bacon sandwich, so he is clearly not
allergic to pork and therefore not one of the guests in the Dining Room
with Reeve. So which room was Bennett in? Bennett has brown eyes,
like Jonas; and Jonas was in the Drawing Room. Since there is only one
brown-eyed guest in each room, Bennett was not in the Drawing Room.
So he was in the Parlor Room. The third brown-eyed guest, Hatter, was
therefore in the Dining Room.
Gideon told us that neither of the guests in his room smokes, yet we
found a cigarette lighter in Hatter's pocket, indicating that Hatter is a
smoker. So Gideon was not in the Dining Room with Hatter, nor in the
Parlor Room (because Bryan is the green-eyed guest in the Parlor Room).
So green-eyed Gideon was in the Drawing Room, leaving Amanda as the
green-eyed guest in the Dining Room.
Therefore Amanda was the one who attacked Damien in the Dining Room.
Congratulations on solving your first case.
Detective's Note:
The characters in this logic puzzle appear in Nine Man's Murder,
but the story and solution are completely different.
Case 2: Who Wrote the Note?
Billiard Room Amanda Hatter Reeve
Library Jonas Gideon Bennett
Study Bryan Jill Carter
Carter wrote the note in the Study.
Since none of the rooms were occupied by guests who shared traits,
including handedness, each of the three rooms had one right-handed,
one left-handed, and one ambidextrous guest. The blood in the library
must have come from Jonas, who has a fresh cut on his finger, so Jonas
was the right-handed guest in the Library. The ashes in the Study must
have come from Bryan, the only guest carrying cigarettes, so Bryan was
the right-handed guest in the Study. Since no room has more than one
right-handed guest, right-handed Amanda can't be in the Library or Study,
so she was in the Billiard Room.
Amanda has blonde hair. So do Gideon and Jill. Therefore neither of
them is the left-handed guest in the Billiard Room with Amanda, so Hatter
is. Jonas has a mustache. So do Reeve and Carter. So they are not the
ambidextrous guests in the Library with Jonas. Thus Bennett is.
Bennett wears eyeglasses. So does Jill. So left-handed Jill is not in the
Library with Bennett. Nor is she in the Billiard Room, which already has a
left-handed guest (Hatter). So Jill is in the Study with Bryan. Therefore
Gideon (the third left-hander) is in the Library, the only room without a
left-handed guest. Bryan has a tattoo on his left arm. So does Reeve. So
ambidextrous Reeve is not in the Study with Bryan. Nor is he in the Library,
which already has an ambidextrous guest (Bennett). Therefore Reeve is in
the Billiard Room, and Carter, the last-remaining ambidextrous guest, is
in the Study.
So the ambidextrous guest in the same room with Jill is Carter, who therefore
wrote the note in the Study.
Detective's Note:
The characters in this logic puzzle appear in Nine Man's Murder,
but the story and solution are completely different.
Billiard Room Amanda Hatter Reeve
Library Jonas Gideon Bennett
Study Bryan Jill Carter
Carter wrote the note in the Study.
Since none of the rooms were occupied by guests who shared traits,
including handedness, each of the three rooms had one right-handed,
one left-handed, and one ambidextrous guest. The blood in the library
must have come from Jonas, who has a fresh cut on his finger, so Jonas
was the right-handed guest in the Library. The ashes in the Study must
have come from Bryan, the only guest carrying cigarettes, so Bryan was
the right-handed guest in the Study. Since no room has more than one
right-handed guest, right-handed Amanda can't be in the Library or Study,
so she was in the Billiard Room.
Amanda has blonde hair. So do Gideon and Jill. Therefore neither of
them is the left-handed guest in the Billiard Room with Amanda, so Hatter
is. Jonas has a mustache. So do Reeve and Carter. So they are not the
ambidextrous guests in the Library with Jonas. Thus Bennett is.
Bennett wears eyeglasses. So does Jill. So left-handed Jill is not in the
Library with Bennett. Nor is she in the Billiard Room, which already has a
left-handed guest (Hatter). So Jill is in the Study with Bryan. Therefore
Gideon (the third left-hander) is in the Library, the only room without a
left-handed guest. Bryan has a tattoo on his left arm. So does Reeve. So
ambidextrous Reeve is not in the Study with Bryan. Nor is he in the Library,
which already has an ambidextrous guest (Bennett). Therefore Reeve is in
the Billiard Room, and Carter, the last-remaining ambidextrous guest, is
in the Study.
So the ambidextrous guest in the same room with Jill is Carter, who therefore
wrote the note in the Study.
Detective's Note:
The characters in this logic puzzle appear in Nine Man's Murder,
but the story and solution are completely different.