An ancient manuscript was stolen from a glass display cabinet in the university library. The thief left behind a muddy boot print on the white carpet. Three student assistants fit the description. Alex wore rubber rain boots. Blake wore leather hiking boots with deep lug soles. Cameron wore smooth-soled dress shoes. Detective Vance looked at the mud-caked boot print, which clearly showed a distinctive waffle tread pattern with tiny embedded pebbles, and cleared all three suspects. Why?
None of the suspects wore shoes matching the waffle tread with pebbles.
Wait, let's re-read: Blake wore leather hiking boots with deep lug soles, Alex wore rain boots, Cameron wore dress shoes. None of them had waffle treads with pebbles, or perhaps none of them wore boots that matched the print, meaning an outsider or someone else left the print.
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.
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