The dead man in this case was a heavyset fellow named Mort. He was lying in the bathtub with a one leg over the edge of the tub and his right hand still clutching the water faucet. The curtain was still drawn around the tub. There was water all over the floor, and the towel that had been hanging on a rack had fallen into a puddle and was soaking wet.
Mort’s slippers were neatly laid out next to the toilet. And his straight razor was still lying on the shelf, ready to be used. There were no wounds or bruises, or blood, anywhere on his body. As if he hadn’t been touched.
Allonzo, the handyman at the boarding house where this took place, was the first person on the scene. The cops asked him a few questions but his story held up. And since he wasn’t carrying any tools that could be used as weapons – only a long extension cord but there was no sign of strangulation – they moved on to the others. They also found out that Mort was an obnoxious oaf that no one could stand. In other words, plenty of motives but no method. So as usual the police decided that Mort died of natural causes, a heart attack perhaps. Case closed.
I disagreed. And after examining the scene in more detail, I found that my hunch was right. Allonzo did it.
Can you figure out how?
Nano Solution_____________________________________________
“Did he lull the victim to sleep and then push him under the water?” you ask hopefully.
“Murder by lullaby?” Nano says, shaking his virtual head. “No, it was much simpler than that. When I saw that there was an electrical outlet near the medicine cabinet, as in all bathrooms, I realized what Allonzo had done. He went into the bathroom, plugged in the extension cord, then simply let the other end drop into the water of Mort’s tub. The two exposed contacts electrified the water. I would say shocking if it weren’t such a cliché!”
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