A man was found dead in his apartment with a gunshot wound to the chest. A revolver was clutched in his right hand, and a cassette recorder was resting on the coffee table. Detective Sterling pressed play on the recorder. It played a voice saying, 'I can't take this anymore,' followed by a loud gunshot. Sterling immediately called for a murder investigation, ignoring the suicide theory. Why?
He couldn't press stop after shooting himself
If the man shot himself first, he would not be able to press stop on the tape recorder afterward. Conversely, if he pressed play and then shot himself, the gunshot would have to be recorded live, but the tape already had the gunshot on it before it finished playing, proving someone else manipulated the device.
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: Hard. More like this: Detective riddles with answers or try Truth & Lie Island for a different kind of puzzle.
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