| Author | Message | ||
| Admin (Admin)
Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 950 Registered: 7-2006 |
Two months after he returned from a trip a man phoned the police to report the location of a body near to where he had been. The police asked why it took him two months to report the body. What reason did he give? This puzzle is taken from my new book Lethal Lateral Thinking Puzzles It is a collection of puzzles which all feature murder, death, injury or gruesome outcomes. A good one to add to your collection. Paul Sloane | ||
| Lynne (Lynne)
New member Username: Lynne Post Number: 5001 Registered: 12-2000 |
Had he been imprisoned in some way for those two months? Had he been in Area 51? | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 13562 Registered: 4-2010 |
I think I know this one - should I email to confirm? | ||
| Admin (Admin)
Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 951 Registered: 7-2006 |
Lynne, Had he been imprisoned in some way for those two months? NO Had he been in Area 51? NO (where is it BTW?) | ||
| Admin (Admin)
Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 952 Registered: 7-2006 |
Balin, I think I know this one - should I email to confirm? YES | ||
| Doriana (Doriana)
New member Username: Doriana Post Number: 1277 Registered: 12-2010 |
Is he H/A/M? "body" as in "the dead body of a human being"? If so, H/A/M?F? Is it important where he had been? Could he have reported the body earlier? Would this have got him into trouble? | ||
| Lynne (Lynne)
New member Username: Lynne Post Number: 5002 Registered: 12-2000 |
Area 51 - obviously not a Doctor Who fan or conspiracy theorist! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Area_51 (I thought he might have claimed to have been abducted by aliens and been unable to make phone calls.) | ||
| Admin (Admin)
Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 953 Registered: 7-2006 |
Doriana, Is he H/A/M? YES "body" as in "the dead body of a human being"? YES If so, H/A/M?F? IRRELEVANT Is it important where he had been? NOT REALLY Could he have reported the body earlier? NO Would this have got him into trouble? NO | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 13571 Registered: 4-2010 |
Emailed. | ||
| Admin (Admin)
Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 954 Registered: 7-2006 |
Balin, Thanks for the email- and yes, you got it. Paul | ||
| Lynne (Lynne)
New member Username: Lynne Post Number: 5003 Registered: 12-2000 |
Were there problems with communications from where he had been? Like no cell network? Up a mountain? Below the sea? Did the other person die by natural, accidental or murderous causes? Relevant? | ||
| Shez (Shez)
New member Username: Shez Post Number: 654 Registered: 2-2011 |
was he in a coma? did he have amnesia? | ||
| Admin (Admin)
Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 955 Registered: 7-2006 |
Lynne, Were there problems with communications from where he had been? Like no cell network? Up a mountain? Below the sea? NO OR IRRELEVANT Did the other person die by natural, accidental or murderous causes? Relevant? NOT RELEVANT | ||
| Admin (Admin)
Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 956 Registered: 7-2006 |
SHEZ, was he in a coma? did he have amnesia? NO, NO | ||
| Shez (Shez)
New member Username: Shez Post Number: 657 Registered: 2-2011 |
was he conscious during the two months? in prison? had he taken a vow of silence? was he in a mental institution? on a witness protection programme? | ||
| Gregoryuconn (Gregoryuconn)
New member Username: Gregoryuconn Post Number: 1248 Registered: 9-2010 |
Did he not realize that what he had seen then was a dead body? Or did he recognize that but make some other sort of FA? And then did he find something out that cleared it up? | ||
| Admin (Admin)
Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 957 Registered: 7-2006 |
Shez, was he conscious during the two months? YES in prison? had he taken a vow of silence? NO, NO was he in a mental institution? on a witness protection programme? NO, NO | ||
| Admin (Admin)
Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 958 Registered: 7-2006 |
GREG, Did he not realize that what he had seen then was a dead body? CORRECT (BROADLY SPEAKING) Or did he recognize that but make some other sort of FA? NO And then did he find something out that cleared it up? YES | ||
| Sundowner (Sundowner)
New member Username: Sundowner Post Number: 715 Registered: 6-2003 |
Is the purpose of the trip relevant? if so: business? holiday? research? sports? Did he visit several places? Relevant how long he stayed? Did he meet people there? Did he travel alone? Is his job relevant? Relevant that he is male? Did he know the dead person? if so: was it a friend? a relative? Did he find some relevant information two months after his return just by chance? Or did he already suspect something "fishy" and it took him two months to find relevant information or to confirm his suspection? Was the discovery connected with somebody returning on that day? or somebody not returning who was supposed to return? somebody not being in the place where he should be? Did he see something during his trip what he two months after his return identified as a dead body? or something hiding/covering/concealing a dead body? if so: did he also touch this item? Or did he merely conclude that somewhere there must be a dead body without being able to tell exactly where? Was the body already dead for a long while? centuries, maybe? Was the dead body buried? Relevant how the man traveled to this place? if so: by plane? by car? by train? by ship? by bicycle? walking? Was the dead body, by any chance, on board of the vehicle/ship/plane on which he traveled? | ||
| Admin (Admin)
Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 959 Registered: 7-2006 |
Sundowner, Is the purpose of the trip relevant? NOT REALLY if so: business? holiday? research? sports? HOLIDAY Did he visit several places? Relevant how long he stayed? Did he meet people there? Did he travel alone? Is his job relevant? Relevant that he is male? ALL IRRELEVANT Did he know the dead person? NO if so: was it a friend? a relative? Did he find some relevant information two months after his return just by chance? NOT QUITE BY CHANCE Or did he already suspect something "fishy" and it took him two months to find relevant information or to confirm his suspection? NO Was the discovery connected with somebody returning on that day? or somebody not returning who was supposed to return? somebody not being in the place where he should be? NO Did he see something during his trip that he two months after his return identified as a dead body? EFFECTIVELY YES or something hiding/covering/concealing a dead body? if so: did he also touch this item? NO Or did he merely conclude that somewhere there must be a dead body without being able to tell exactly where? NO Was the body already dead for a long while? centuries, maybe? NO Was the dead body buried? PARTIALLY Relevant how the man traveled to this place? if so: by plane? by car? by train? by ship? by bicycle? walking? NOT RELEVANT Was the dead body, by any chance, on board of the vehicle/ship/plane on which he traveled? NO | ||
| Shez (Shez)
New member Username: Shez Post Number: 661 Registered: 2-2011 |
was the thing which made him realise that he'd seen a dead body seeing another one? did he mistake the "first" dead body for another object altogether? or did he know it was human but not realise that it was dead? | ||
| Admin (Admin)
Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 960 Registered: 7-2006 |
SHEZ, was the thing which made him realise that he'd seen a dead body seeing another one? NO did he mistake the "first" dead body for another object altogether? MAYBE or did he know it was human but not realise that it was dead? NO | ||
| Shez (Shez)
New member Username: Shez Post Number: 665 Registered: 2-2011 |
this partially buried body - did the head show? the leg(s)? the arm(s)? was the body clothed? was it wearing a hat? gloves? shoes? | ||
| Admin (Admin)
Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 961 Registered: 7-2006 |
Shez, this partially buried body - did the head show? the leg(s)? the arm(s)? IRRELEVANT was the body clothed? was it wearing a hat? gloves? shoes? IRRELEVANT | ||
| Redwine (Redwine)
New member Username: Redwine Post Number: 805 Registered: 1-2011 |
Was the dead body made up to look as something else? If so: a statue? Did it look like a dead body, but not a real, but artificial one (for example like wax figurine of dead body)? Did he realize it had been a dead body when he heard news after coming back? | ||
| Peter365 (Peter365)
New member Username: Peter365 Post Number: 3412 Registered: 1-2007 |
Is the man's occupation relevant? | ||
| Sundowner (Sundowner)
New member Username: Sundowner Post Number: 718 Registered: 6-2003 |
Did the man bury the dead body himself? or attempt to bury? Were some parts of the body above the earth? and visible? clearly visible even from a distance? Was the face visible? Only the face? Was the body partly buried in the earth? under water? covered by rock or stones? by concrete? by snow? by ice? was the body (partly) in a crypta? or otherwise (partly) surrounded by walls? Was the man ever near the dead body? Was it daytime? night? weather relevant? season? Relevant how the dead person died? if so: was he killed? did he die from a disease? from an accident? suicide? Was there only one dead person in this place? Was it a place where it would not be totally unlikely to encounter remainings of a dead human body? (like: cemetery? church yard? battle field? archeological site?) When the man first saw what later turned out the dead body, did he: - take it as something completely different? - find that it looks like a dead body but not a real one? - find that it looks like a dead body of an animal? - find that it looks like a human body but that there is nothing strange about it? Did the man see whatever he saw twice (or more than once)? if so: did it change between the first and second time? Were other people in the same place? who saw the same? and made the same mistake? (or is there something special about the man still to be found out?) Was the thing he saw something tangible? if so: did he touch it? When the man phoned the police .. did the police already know? | ||
| Admin (Admin)
Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 962 Registered: 7-2006 |
Redwine and Peter, Was the dead body made up to look as something else? If so: a statue? NO Did it look like a dead body, but not a real, but artificial one (for example like wax figurine of dead body)? NO Did he realize it had been a dead body when he heard news after coming back? NO Is the man's occupation relevant? NO | ||
| Admin (Admin)
Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 963 Registered: 7-2006 |
SUNDOWNER, Did the man bury the dead body himself? or attempt to bury? NO Were some parts of the body above the earth? and visible? clearly visible even from a distance? YES Was the face visible? Only the face? IT DOESN'T MATTER WHICH PART BUT LET'S SAY YES Was the body partly buried in the earth? YES - COULD BE under water? NO covered by rock or stones? YES - COULD BE by concrete? by snow? by ice? NO was the body (partly) in a crypta? or otherwise (partly) surrounded by walls? NO Was the man ever near the dead body? YES Was it daytime? night? weather relevant? season? NOT SPECIFIED IN THE PUZZLE SOLUTION BUT LET'S SAY NIGHT AND WINTER Relevant how the dead person died? NO if so: was he killed? did he die from a disease? from an accident? suicide? KILLED I GUESS Was there only one dead person in this place? YES Was it a place where it would not be totally unlikely to encounter remainings of a dead human body? (like: cemetery? church yard? battle field? archeological site?) NO When the man first saw what later turned out the dead body, did he: - take it as something completely different? YES - find that it looks like a dead body but not a real one? NO - find that it looks like a dead body of an animal? NO - find that it looks like a human body but that there is nothing strange about it? NO Did the man see whatever he saw twice (or more than once)? if so: did it change between the first and second time? YES -ISH. YES Were other people in the same place? who saw the same? and made the same mistake? YES (or is there something special about the man still to be found out?) NO Was the thing he saw something tangible? if so: did he touch it? YES (THIS MIGHT MISLEAD) When the man phoned the police .. did the police already know? NO GOOD QUESTIONS | ||
| Lynne (Lynne)
New member Username: Lynne Post Number: 5004 Registered: 12-2000 |
Had anybody else missed the man? Friends, family, work colleagues etc? Is it relevant that nobody knew about his whereabouts for a couple of months? Or did someone know and not say anything? Could he have been undiscovered for longer than a couple of months? Less time? Or wouldn't the 'camouflage' have had time to do its work? Was he a famous person? A 'wanted' person? | ||
| Admin (Admin)
Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 964 Registered: 7-2006 |
Lynne, Had anybody else missed the man? Friends, family, work colleagues etc? PRESUMABLY YES Is it relevant that nobody knew about his whereabouts for a couple of months? NOT REALLY RELEVANT Or did someone know and not say anything? I GUESS THE KILLER - BUT NOT GERMANE TO THE ISSUE Could he have been undiscovered for longer than a couple of months? YES Less time? YES Or wouldn't the 'camouflage' have had time to do its work? ??? Was he a famous person? A 'wanted' person? NO - JUST A MISSING PERSON | ||
| Vesica (Vesica)
New member Username: Vesica Post Number: 890 Registered: 8-2001 |
Is it relevant how long the person had been dead? Did the person die shortly before the "he" in the statement saw him? Long before? Really really long before? | ||
| Admin (Admin)
Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 965 Registered: 7-2006 |
Vesica, Is it relevant how long the person had been dead? NO Did the person die shortly before the "he" in the statement saw him? Long before? Really really long before? IT DOES NOT REALLY MATTER BUT LET'S SAY DAYS OR WEEKS | ||
| Galfisk (Galfisk)
New member Username: Galfisk Post Number: 3958 Registered: 9-2009 |
Did he mistake the body for a decoration? Halloween decoration? Film prop? Similar? Or did he think the body was a living person? | ||
| Shez (Shez)
New member Username: Shez Post Number: 693 Registered: 2-2011 |
was the dead body lying alongside a lot of fake bodies? like at a waxworks or a museum exhibit? was the body wearing a gorilla suit? the thing that made him realise - was it a photo? | ||
| Admin (Admin)
Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 966 Registered: 7-2006 |
Galfisk, Did he mistake the body for a decoration? Halloween decoration? Film prop? Similar? Or did he think the body was a living person? NO | ||
| Admin (Admin)
Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 967 Registered: 7-2006 |
Shez, was the dead body lying alongside a lot of fake bodies? like at a waxworks or a museum exhibit? NO was the body wearing a gorilla suit? NO the thing that made him realise - was it a photo? YES | ||
| Whirligig (Whirligig)
New member Username: Whirligig Post Number: 979 Registered: 8-2010 |
I know this one too. It's not far to the solution now. | ||
| Shez (Shez)
New member Username: Shez Post Number: 699 Registered: 2-2011 |
did he see a photo of what he had seen originally? did it now seem clear because of the context? did he see the photo in the paper? on TV? was it already known that this person was dead? and thi is why it was in the news? | ||
| Admin (Admin)
Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 968 Registered: 7-2006 |
Shez, did he see a photo of what he had seen originally? HE SAW A PHOTO did it now seem clear because of the context? IT NOW SEEMED CLEAR did he see the photo in the paper? on TV? NO was it already known that this person was dead? NO and thi is why it was in the news? NO | ||
| Shez (Shez)
New member Username: Shez Post Number: 705 Registered: 2-2011 |
thanks. I wouldn't like you to make this too easy! was the photo one of his holiday snaps? and he hadn't seen it before because it hadn't been developed? maybe he hadn't finished the roll? was the photo colour? black and white? had anyone made an attempt to disguise the body? was the body just in the background of one of his snaps so he hadn't noticed it (rather than examining it and not realising what it was) and when the photo was developed he studied the background and that's when he noticed the corpse? | ||
| Admin (Admin)
Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 969 Registered: 7-2006 |
Shez, * * * SPOILER * * * was the photo one of his holiday snaps? and he hadn't seen it before because it hadn't been developed? maybe he hadn't finished the roll? EXACTLY was the photo colour? black and white? IRRELEVANT had anyone made an attempt to disguise the body? NO - IT WAS PARTIALLY BURIED IN THE UNDERGROWTH was the body just in the background of one of his snaps so he hadn't noticed it (rather than examining it and not realising what it was) and when the photo was developed he studied the background and that's when he noticed the corpse? CORRECT The man saw the body in the background on one of his vacation photos. He was using film and it was two months before the roll was completed and developed. Well done and thanks for those who posted. | ||
| Shez (Shez)
New member Username: Shez Post Number: 734 Registered: 2-2011 |
yay! thanks that was a good one. I've never seen one of your books, but how does that work if you can't ask questions? | ||
| Vesica (Vesica)
New member Username: Vesica Post Number: 962 Registered: 8-2001 |
You need a friend (or enemy, I suppose) to read the solution and answer the questions for you. Makes a good party game. Or at least my friends and I thought it did. | ||
| Shez (Shez)
New member Username: Shez Post Number: 743 Registered: 2-2011 |
I think I like it here |
