A wealthy businessman was found dead in his locked mansion. The coroner determined he died of natural causes. The housekeeper swore she saw a masked intruder leap out of the second-story window right before she found the body. The detective thanked her and arrested her for perjury. Why?
The housekeeper
If the businessman died of natural causes, there was no intruder. The housekeeper fabricated the intruder story to cover up the fact that she stole valuables while he was having a medical emergency instead of calling an ambulance.
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
A security guard at a tech warehouse reported that a thief broke in through the roof skylight at 2:00 AM, smashed a glass cabinet, and stole prototype microchips. When Detective Greene inspected the scene, she immediately knew the guard staged the break-in. What gave him away?
Three kids race to build the tallest calendar tower. Noah finished before Ben. Ben finished before Omar. Who finished last?
At a winter dinner party, the host was poisoned. Four guests drank spiced cider: the doctor, the lawyer, the architect, and the professor. Each used a different decorative mug. The doctor's mug was ceramic, the lawyer's was silver, the architect's was copper, and the professor's was glass. The detective noticed that only the lawyer's silver mug had severe tarnish marks on the rim where the lips would touch. The detective immediately knew the lawyer was innocent. Why?
An antique dealer was found dead in his locked vault. The heavy steel door could only be opened from the inside with a complex wheel mechanism, or from the outside with a mechanical digital keypad code. Detective Drake checked the security logs: no one had entered the code in five years. The door was locked when police arrived. How did the killer escape?
A jeweler was murdered in his store. On the glass counter, someone had hastily smeared three letters in blood: J, O, and Y. The three primary suspects were Jason, Oliver, and Yvonne. Inspector Cole immediately arrested Yvonne. Why?
The mitten is bigger than the icicle, and the icicle is bigger than the sled. Which one is the smallest?

