Brain Teasers 1

I am a frustrated investigator. Well, not really... I think I just enjoy bending my mind with different situational puzzles. I'll share some of the brain teasers I found and will be posting the answers in the succeeding brain teaser post to avoid spoiling the fun.

The Murder

Old Mr. Tidy was found dead in his study by Mr. Fiend. Mr. Fiend recounted his dismal discovery to the police. "I was walking by Mr. Tidy's house when I thought I would just pop in for a visit. I noticed his study light was on and I decided to peek in from the outside to see if he was in there. There was frost on the window, so I had to wipe it away to see inside. That is when I saw his body. So I kicked in the front door to confirm my suspicions of foul play. I called the police immediately afterward." The officer immediately arrested Mr. Fiend for the murder of Mr. Tidy. How did he know Mr. Fiend was lying?

The Mailbox

An executive went away on a long business trip. Before he left he asked his secretary to forward all of his mail. However, he forgot to give her the key to his mailbox. When he realized his mistake, he mailed the key to his office so the secretary could send his mail to him. But, she never did mail it. The executive got angry and phoned his office, planning to fire his secretary. However, she was able to explain to him why she hadn't sent his mail. He quickly realized he was in the wrong and apologized. What did the secretary say to make the executive realize his error?

Bug on the Plate

A man was eating at a restaurant. When his food came, his waitress told him that they had run out of their usual fancy dinner plates and had to serve him their only plain dish. The man did not object, but there was a bug on his food. His waitress took it away and said she would bring him a new plate with new food. When she came back the man knew she had only tossed off the bug. How?

Sunday Burglary

A couple that owned a mansion came home from church to find that their safe had been robbed. They gathered all of their hired services for questioning. The cook was questioned first and she said that she was busy preparing the Sunday dinner. Next was the butler but he said that he was setting the table for the Sunday dinner. Then they questioned the maid and her excuse was that she had been cleaning the dining room along with the butler. So they moved on and asked the grounds keeper and he stated that after finishing the pruning he went out to get the mail. The couple, stumped by the reasonable alibis soon found that they had the answer. Who was it?

The Dead Driver

When the police arrived, a man was lying dead under a car. Investigations revealed that although he was not the car's owner, he was the last person to drive it. The car had last been driven that morning, but the man's time of death was established at about 3 P.M. The car's owner was discovered in the south of France. No one else was involved in the affair and eventually the police and the coroner were satisfied that no crime had been committed. What is the explanation?

Answers will be posted in Brain Teasers 2