Brain Teasers
Licensed to Kill?
Situation
Situation puzzles (sometimes called lateral thinking puzzles) are ones where you need to ask lots of yes or no questions to figure out what happened in the situation. These are good puzzles for groups where one person knows the puzzle and answers the questions.Situation
PC Homes fought back tears looking at the face of Rose Simmons, his best friend's wife. She had three children and six grandchildren. She was a kindly, loving woman in the community who wouldn't hurt a fly. So why had somebody stabbed her in the chest while she was walking her dogs? The massive golden retrievers were howling like sad wolves at the sight of their bloodstained mistress. Charlie would be heartbroken, thought Homes.
But who would be capable of murder in the sleepy little town of Happisburgh in Cornwall? PC Homes could only think of one person - well, three actually...
Three weeks later, three boys stood in front of PC Homes and heartbroken Charlie Simmons. They were triplets; Marcus, Lionel and Romeo, also known as The Clones. They were infamous for being robbers and muggers, and one of them was apparently seen near the murder scene. They were looking confused, having been yanked out of their birthday party to come to the police station.
Homes said: "So, boys, what are your testimonies? We know from witnesses that one guy was seen running away with a knife, which could be one of you three. What were you doing at 12 PM on Sunday, when Rose Simmons was stabbed to death? Don't lie, or you'll be spending the rest of your sweet 16th in a jail cell."
Marcus: "I was getting cigarettes and beer from the off-licence downtown. They have new CCTV and you can see me there. People were calling me Marcus, so you know I'm not covering up for my brothers. My best mates can tell me apart from Lio and Ro."
Lionel: "I was out test-driving my new car. It was a red Punto and many people around town must have sighted it. But I stayed downtown, I swear, and the park is on the other side of town. It is registered to me and only I have the keys. You can check if you like."
Romeo: "I've had my eye on this tiny little studio for ages - it'll be a great party place. Well, our dad's kind of rich, and I have enough already in my bank account to pay for the studio. So I went up there, talked to the owners, signed the contract, and voila, the studio's mine. We may be identical triplets, but our signatures are different. You can check if you like."
After a few days of investigating, PC Homes ordered the boys back to the police station. He said, "Okay, now I know all your testimonies were completely true. You did not murder Rose Simmons. However, I am arresting all of you."
Assuming all their testimonies were actually true, why did PC Homes arrest the triplets?
But who would be capable of murder in the sleepy little town of Happisburgh in Cornwall? PC Homes could only think of one person - well, three actually...
Three weeks later, three boys stood in front of PC Homes and heartbroken Charlie Simmons. They were triplets; Marcus, Lionel and Romeo, also known as The Clones. They were infamous for being robbers and muggers, and one of them was apparently seen near the murder scene. They were looking confused, having been yanked out of their birthday party to come to the police station.
Homes said: "So, boys, what are your testimonies? We know from witnesses that one guy was seen running away with a knife, which could be one of you three. What were you doing at 12 PM on Sunday, when Rose Simmons was stabbed to death? Don't lie, or you'll be spending the rest of your sweet 16th in a jail cell."
Marcus: "I was getting cigarettes and beer from the off-licence downtown. They have new CCTV and you can see me there. People were calling me Marcus, so you know I'm not covering up for my brothers. My best mates can tell me apart from Lio and Ro."
Lionel: "I was out test-driving my new car. It was a red Punto and many people around town must have sighted it. But I stayed downtown, I swear, and the park is on the other side of town. It is registered to me and only I have the keys. You can check if you like."
Romeo: "I've had my eye on this tiny little studio for ages - it'll be a great party place. Well, our dad's kind of rich, and I have enough already in my bank account to pay for the studio. So I went up there, talked to the owners, signed the contract, and voila, the studio's mine. We may be identical triplets, but our signatures are different. You can check if you like."
After a few days of investigating, PC Homes ordered the boys back to the police station. He said, "Okay, now I know all your testimonies were completely true. You did not murder Rose Simmons. However, I am arresting all of you."
Assuming all their testimonies were actually true, why did PC Homes arrest the triplets?
Hint
Read it again.Answer
It is illegal in England to buy alcohol, drive a car, or enter into a contract before the age of 18. It says in the text that it is their 16th birthday, and they are identical triplets so they were probably all born on the same day. One might be a day older/younger, but that doesn't change anything.Hide Hint Show Hint Hide Answer Show Answer
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