A wealthy merchant was found poisoned in his locked study. On his desk was a glass of wine and a list of his four business partners: Arthur, Betty, Charles, and David. Next to the list, he had scrawled a final message with his finger in spilled wine: 'A B C D.' Detective Reed smiled, knowing instantly which partner was the murderer. Who did it?
David
Look at the letters in reverse or look at the alphabet order. Wait, the merchant wrote 'A B C D'. If you read the alphabet backwards or look at the initials... Actually, 'A B C D' stands for 'Arthur, Betty, Charles, David'. But why David? Look at the first letters: A, B, C, D. If the merchant was listing them in order of suspicion, or if 'A B C D' spells out the killer's name? No—let's check the initials: Arthur (A), Betty (B), Charles (C), David (D). Wait, look at the clue: 'A B C D' points to David because D is the last letter, or 'A' 'B' 'C' 'D'... wait. Let's look at the letters: A B C D. If he wrote 'A B C D', he wrote the first four letters of the alphabet. Who is the fourth partner? David. Alternatively, 'A B C D' spells out 'A-B-C-D', but in the context of the riddle, David is the fourth letter, meaning the fourth partner.
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: Easy. More like this: Detective riddles with answers or try Truth & Lie Island for a different kind of puzzle.
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