A famous author was murdered in his study during a torrential rainstorm. His personal assistant said she was in the kitchen brewing chamomile tea. The gardener said he was trimming the indoor tropical ferns in the greenhouse. The chauffeur said he was polishing the car in the garage. Detective Holmes arrested the murderer before taking off his raincoat. Who was lying?
The gardener
The gardener claimed he was trimming *indoor* tropical ferns in the greenhouse during a torrential rainstorm. Greenhouses contain plants, but 'indoor tropical ferns' would be inside the main house or a conservatory, not a greenhouse, which is glassed and exposed to the rainstorm outside. Or, more simply, you don't trim ferns in a greenhouse because they grow outdoors or in pots, but the gardener lied about his location. Wait, the chauffeur was polishing a car in a garage during a storm—cars are kept in garages. The assistant made tea. The gardener trimmed tropical ferns in a greenhouse, but greenhouses are for growing plants, not trimming them in the dark during a storm.
About this riddle
Detective riddles are tiny mysteries. Look for the detail in the story that does not fit; it is usually the clue that solves the case.
Difficulty: Medium. More like this: Detective riddles with answers or try Truth & Lie Island for a different kind of puzzle.
More detective riddles
The priceless vase was shattered into a thousand pieces. The maid claimed she accidentally knocked it off the pedestal while dusting. Detective Hayes looked at the floor pattern and arrested her for arson... wait, no, for intentional destruction. Why did he know it wasn't an accident?
A wealthy merchant was poisoned during a banquet. Every guest ate the exact same meal, drank the same wine, and used the same silver cutlery. However, only the merchant's goblet contained arsenic. The cupbearer insisted he poured from the same pitcher for everyone. Detective Sterling checked the cutlery and solved the case. What did he find?
An art collector was found shot in his locked gallery. The room had no windows, and the heavy oak door was bolted from the inside. A small puddle of fresh, unfrozen water sat directly beneath the air conditioning vent, even though the AC unit had been unplugged for three weeks. Detective Vance looked at the puddle and solved the murder. What was the weapon?
Detective Hayes walked into a messy crime scene. Shattered glass was scattered across the hardwood floor, but all the windows were completely intact and closed from the inside. What caused the glass to shatter?
Detective Finch walked into a freezing cabin where a man sat dead at a wooden table. On the table sat an unlit kerosene lamp, a box of matches with one match missing, and a thick woolen winter coat draped over the empty chair next to him. The window was frozen shut from the inside. Finch noted the man froze to death, but suspected foul play. Why?
Three kids race to build the tallest clock tower. Lily finished before Mia. Mia finished before Noah. Who finished last?