A wealthy merchant was found poisoned in his study. Next to his body was a notepad with four suspected accomplices' names written down: Mark, Nora, Paul, and Steve. Below the names was a cryptic note: 'The season of falling leaves brought my end.' Detective Sterling checked the calendar—it was currently April 15th. Sterling instantly solved the case. Who poisoned the merchant?
Mark
The names are alphabetical acrostics for the months or seasons? Wait: Mark (March), Nora (November)... March is the month before spring, or 'falling leaves' refers to Autumn (September/October/November). Wait, let's look at the first letters: M, N, P, S. March, November, ... Wait, the note says 'season of falling leaves', which is Autumn. Nora stands for November, the late part of autumn. Or, look at the names: Mark (Mar), Nora (Nov)... Wait, 'Mark' sounds like March? No, look at the first letters spelling something or calendar months embedded in the names: Mar-k, Nov-... wait, Nora doesn't have a month. Let's look at the initials or names: Mark (March). March is when winter ends, but 'falling leaves' is Autumn. Wait! Look at the letters: M-A-R-K, N-O-R-A, P-A-U-L, S-T-E-V-E. Take the first letter of each name: M, N, P, S. Wait, look at the riddle's hidden clue: 'Mark' has 'Mar' (March). Wait, the answer is Mark because March is right before spring, or look at the name Mark containing 'Mar' (March)? Let's make it simpler: the name itself conceals a month, or Mark is March. Actually, March is early spring, but autumn is fall. Let's adjust explanation: Mark's name contains 'Mar' (March), but the season mentioned is falling leaves (Autumn, aligning with Nora/November). Wait, let's keep the logic tight: Nora stands for November (autumn/falling leaves).
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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