It was 8 a.m. on a cold Saturday morning in November when Inspector YU of the local police department received the call that a robbery had taken place at the home of a Miss Tiffany Ritz, a wealthy widow who lived in a wealthy neighborhood of seven mansions. The Ritz mansion was exactly in the middle, with three neighboring mansions located on either side of her lavish estate. Upon arriving at the scene of the crime, Inspector Yu was informed by the police that Miss Ritz had called 9-1-1 at 6 a.m. to report her million-dollar broach had been stolen during the night. She said she had gone downstairs just before 6 a.m. to feed her pet piranha fish when she noticed the window was open, and her ruby broach was missing from its glass display case. The police informed Inspector Yu they had left the grounds behind the mansions undisturbed, as that was where the break-in had occurred, and with the assistance of a two-inch snowfall during the night, they knew any footprints would be easily readable in the freshly fallen snow. Wasting no time, Inspector Yu began an intricate search of the snow-covered grounds behind the Ritz mansion where the break-in had occurred. The blacktopped roadway behind the seven mansions had already been plowed by the contracted maintenance man, but the snow-covered yards behind each mansion remained undisturbed. Inspector Yu was surprised to see there were absolutely no footprints of any kind leading up to the rear window of the Ritz estate, and he was especially mystified by the presence of a strange, slightly curving line in the snow which went from the plowed blacktop to the rear window where the robber had entered to steal the million-dollar broach. How was it possible for there to be absolutely no footprints in the snow which had fallen during the night, and what had caused the bizarre, curving two-inch wide line pressed into the snow which lead to the back window? The inspector noted a small, circular hole had been cut out of the window glass, where someone had reached through to undo the latch. Inspector Yu then opened the window and entered the room where the burglary had taken place. A second hole had been cut out of the glass case protecting the broach, and the thief had obviously reached through the hole and swiped the valuable jewelry. He found no other significant clues in the room, and the dusting of the window and broach case for fingerprints brought no results. Inspector Yu had observed the strange, curved line which was pressed into the snow lead to the back window, but then went away from that window in a different direction, noting this two-inch wide track then returned back to the blacktop near the place where it had started. An inspection of the other snow-covered yards behind the other six mansions revealed no footprints and no sign of the mysterious curved line in the snow. Inspector Yu's next step was to interview the tenants of the three mansions on either side of the Ritz home. He learned all of the other six neighbors had been in the home of Miss Ritz on numerous occasions for various parties, and they all said they had been shown the million-dollar broach in the case. None of the six had an alibi for their whereabouts the night of the robbery, as they all lived alone, and had slept soundly through the night, according to their testimonies. The inspector also discovered each of the neighbors despised one another, including Miss Ritz, and each one tried to implicate the others concerning the case, with stories about their exotic and bizarre behaviors. The tenants were identified as follows: Miss Sharp, a professional ice skater, whom one of the neighbors said had a habit of riding around the neighborhood on a pair of custom-built motorized ice skates, making a complete spectacle of herself on the icy blacktop. Another neighbor, Samuel Clowney, was a retired circus entertainer who was well versed in all aspects of circus performance life. One of the neighbors reported Mr. Clowney liked to show off some of his circus skills by riding up and down in front of the seven mansions as he demonstrated his balancing skill, while simultaneously juggling up to five oranges. A third neighbor, a Mr. Baghat, had relocated to the U.S. from India. Several neighbors reported he had a snake he had trained to fetch items for him upon request, and had actually trained the snake to move through the snow, even though snakes are cold-blooded reptiles which usually hate cold environments. Neighbor number four, a former Olympic pole vaulting champion from France by the name of Monsieur Jumpette, once reportedly shocked each of these neighbors by running through each of their yards using his pole to vault over each of their in-ground swimming pools. A fifth neighbor, a Miss Priscilla Pirouette, was a professional ballerina who reportedly showed off her skills to her neighbors on a regular basis, by walking on her extreme tiptoes up and down in front of the seven mansions. The last neighbor, a Miss Tallsey, was an extremely thin and emaciated woman who was 7 feet 2 inches tall but weighed less than 100 pounds. Her neighbors told Inspector Yu she made a frequent habit of walking around the neighborhood on a tall pair of wooden stilts, making her over ten feet tall. After interviewing each of the six neighbors in their mansions, Inspector Yu deduced one thing for certain: This was the weirdest group of people in one neighborhood he had ever seen in his entire life! The inspector felt certain one of the six neighbors had stolen the precious ruby broach, and he felt almost 100% certain he knew who the culprit was, based on one of the reports he had received from one of the neighbors. The inspector made his arrest, and sure enough, the million-dollar ruby broach was found in that neighbor's home. And now you, (not Inspector Yu), as a member of the Detective Dream Team, must use your powers of deduction to identify the thief who stole the precious ruby broach. So.......... Who Done It?
Here's a hint: Think about the strange, curving line in the snow and how it relates to one of the neighbors' unique habits or abilities. Consider how this line could have been created without leaving any footprints in the snow.
Inspector Yu was tipped off by one of the neighbors who spoke about the circus skills of Samuel Clowney. The neighbor mentioned Mr. Clowney liked to "demonstrate his balancing skill while juggling up to five oranges." The inspector discovered what the neighbor was referring to when he interviewed Samuel Clowney in his mansion, and noticed many pictures of Mr. Clowney riding a unicycle while juggling various objects. Only the tire of a unicycle could have made the curving line in the snow which lead up to the back window of the Ritz mansion where the break-in had occurred. This explained the mystery of why no footprints were found on the ground outside the window, as Mr. Clowney's feet were on the pedals of his unicycle, and never touched the ground.
You live in a one story house made entirely of redwood. What color would the stairs be?
A boy was at a carnival and went to a booth where a man said to the boy, "If I write your exact weight on this piece of paper then you have to give me $50, but if I cannot, I will pay you $50." The boy looked around and saw no scale so he agrees, thinking no matter what the carny writes he'll just say he weighs more or less. In the end the boy ended up paying the man $50. How did the man win the bet?
Mr. and Mrs. Mustard have six daughters and each daughter has one brother. How many people are in the Mustard family?
What has six faces, but does not wear makeup, has twenty-one eyes, but cannot see? "What is it?"
A woman shoots her husband. Then she holds him underwater for over 5 minutes. Finally, she hangs him. But 5 minutes later they both go out together and enjoy a wonderful dinner together. How can this be?
How do you make the number 7 even without addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division?
There are 10 people in an empty, square room. Each person has full sight of the entire room and everyone in it without turning his head or body or moving in any way (other than the eyes). Where can you place an apple so that all but one person can see it?
Always in you, Sometimes on you; If I surround you, I can kill you. What am I?
How can you take 2 from 5 and leave 4?
I have a little house in which I live all alone. It has no doors or windows, and if I want to go out I must break through the wall. What am I?
I am a word of six; my first three letters refer to an automobile; my last three letters refer to a household animal; my first four letters is a fish; my whole is found in your room. What am I?
Two girls have the same parents and were born at the same hour on the same day of the same month, but they are not twins. How can this be possible?
A time when they are green, a time when they're brown, but both of these times, cause me to frown. But just in between, for a very short while, They're perfect and yellow and cause me to smile! What am I talking about here?
When can you add two to eleven and get one as the correct answer?
Sometimes I am born in silence, Other times, no. I am unseen, But I make my presence known. In time, I fade without a trace. I harm no one, but I am unpopular with all. What am I?
A pregnant lady named her children: Dominique, Regis, Michelle, Fawn, Sophie, and Lara. What will she name her next child? Jessica, Katie, Abby, or Tilly?
Romeo and Juliet are found dead on the floor in a bedroom. When they were discovered, there were pieces of glass and some water on the floor. The only furniture in the room is a shelf and a bed. The house is in a remote location, away from everything except for the nearby railroad track. What caused the death of Romeo and Juliet?
Three playing cards in a row. Can you name them with these clues? There is a two to the right of a king. A diamond will be found to the left of a spade. An ace is to the left of a heart. A heart is to the left of a spade. Now, identify all three cards.
I'm not clothes but I cover your body; The more I'm used, the thinner I grow. What am I?
A man was found dead next to a 13 story building. The police say it was a suicide, but you say it was a homicide (someone killed him). To prove this, you go to each floor on the building, open the window, and toss a penny out. You do this to each floor until you reach the 13th floor, open the window, and toss a penny out. How does this prove it wasn't a suicide?