At a remote mountain lodge, a guest was found stabbed to death. Three suspects claimed they were sleeping in their respective rooms all night. The detective checked the hallway floor, which was covered in a thick layer of freshly fallen dust. Only one set of footprints was found in the hallway: a line going from the victim's room to the back exit. None of the suspects' rooms showed any disturbed dust near their doors. How did the killer commit the murder without leaving footprints outside their own doors?
The killer was staying in the victim's room or the victim was the killer's accomplice who walked out.
If there are no footprints outside the other suspects' doors, they never walked in the hallway. The only footprints led from the victim's room, meaning the killer was either already inside the victim's room, or the victim walked out of their own room after being attacked.
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.
More detective riddles
Detective Moss arrived at a snowy cabin where a man had been shot. There were no footprints leading to or from the cabin except for a single set of boot tracks coming directly from the back door, stopping twenty feet away where a pair of skis lay in the snow. Moss smiled and realized the victim shot himself accidentally. How did the tracks prove it?
The victim was found in his study with a poisoned glass of wine on his desk. Three suspects were present: the butler, the gardener, and the cook. The butler was wearing thick rubber gardening gloves. The gardener was wearing a tuxedo. The cook was wearing a chef's apron covered in flour. The detective asked what they were doing before the scream. The butler said he was pruning roses. The gardener said he was serving dinner. The cook said she was kneading dough. Who killed the master?
Detective Holmes inspected a threatening letter made of cutout newspaper words. He noticed the word 'the' appeared five times, but each time it was printed in a completely different font and color scheme. What did this tell him?
A priceless golden statue vanished from a pedestal inside a heavily guarded vault. The vault door had a combination lock that had not been turned, and the laser grid was completely uninterrupted. The ceiling vent was too small for a human. How did the thief get the statue out?
A renowned scientist was found poisoned in her sealed laboratory. The only way in was through a biometric retinal scanner lock that required her own eye to open. The log showed her eye opened the door at 9:00 PM, after her estimated time of death at 8:00 PM. Detective Sterling smiled and solved the mystery. How did the killer bypass the door?
At midnight, a jewelry store alarm blared. Police arrived to find the front glass smashed inward and display cases empty. The night watchman was tied to a chair in the back, claiming a masked man ambushed him at 8 PM, knocked him out, and tied him up. When the detective checked the watchman's wristwatch, it was ticking normally, but the hands were frozen at 3:15. What gave away the watchman's lie?