The "Black Stories" crime riddles thread

[Tabata]

Are there important informations on that mobile?
Since he isn't a blackmailer - is it him who has been blackmailed?
Was he forced to act outside the law?

[Cassiebsg]

Was there a ransom involved?

[Mandle]

Case #21 - A man makes a phone call. Nobody answers, but the man ends up facing criminal charges because of the call. What's going on?

YES
Is he guilty of what he's charged with?
Do the authorities use his fingerprints, call record, or some other clue produced by him making the call as evidence to tie him to some other crime?
Was the phone ringing in itself a signal to someone? *
Did he call (or pretend to call) the victim of the crime? *
When you say "nobody answered", does this mean nobody picked up?
Was he calling someone he knew? Family member? *
Is the phone a normal landline telephone?
Does the man call from his own (home/office) phone?
Is the crime an attempt to obtain money (or something of monetary value) illicitly? *
Is the fact that he knew the phone number an incriminating thing about the call?
Had the crime taken place very recently before the call was made?
Would the crime have occurred even if he hadn't made the phone call?
Did he call from his home phone?
Was the signal received by the other person?
Is the call record evidence? **
Did he try to reach a mobile phone?
Did he try to reach his own mobile phone?
Did he lost his mobile at the scene of the crime?
is his own mobile, accidentally left at the scene of the crime, in itself the incriminating evidence?
Did the "cops" found his mobile because he ringed to it?


NO
Is he a blackmailer?
Does he do criminal calls?
Is it a case with something fictional involved (i.e. something is getting spaghettified or beamed through time)?
Does the phone call trigger a bomb?
was he driving when he made the call?
Is making the phone call part of the crime he's being charged with?
Is he stalking someone?
Is he calling on someone else's bill?
Did he rob the phone(s)?
Was he calling for a driver?
Was there a theft?
Does he make a phone call from the scene of the crime?
Does he make a phone call near the scene of the crime?
Was the phone call made using a mobile phone?
Was the phone ringing in itself a signal to someone? *
Is the crime (or one of the crimes) he's charged with a murder?
Did he have any accomplices for the crime?
Did he call (or pretend to call) the victim of the crime? *
The the police / authorities use the call record (specifically) as incriminating evidence? **
Was he caught in a sting?
Is he charged with espionage?
Is he charged with conspiracy?
Is hypnosis involved? (i.e. did the phone call trigger someone that was hypnotized to commit a crime?)
Was the phone call to 911?
Did the phone call trigger the crime in some other way?
Was the phone call used to establish (or disprove) an alibi?
Did the man know that nobody would answer when he called?
Is he deaf?
Is he dumb? (meaning "Is he a mute?", I'm assuming.)
Is he in prison?
Is he calling someone back?
Are his fingerprints on the phone used to incriminate him?
Is he a kidnapper?
Does he want to find out whether his victim is at the place where he calls?
Does he try to call his lawyer?
Does he try to call an ambulance?
Was a theft planned? (As in, not completed?)
Was he calling someone he knew? Family member? *
Was he calling someone he knew? A friend?
Did he ring from the phone at the scene of the crime?
Does he call from a pay phone?
Does the call go to an answering machine/voice mail/automated phone tree or similar?
Does the call transmit information over fax, modem, or something like that?
Is it a violent crime?
Is the crime an attempt to obtain money (or something of monetary value) illicitly? *
Was somebody supposed to answer when he called?
Did the number of rings (as in how many times the phone rang before he hang out) meant something?
Is he accused of murder(ing his wife)?
Does he try to proove that she is alive with that call?
Are the calls planned the way they go? (Taken as: Did the calls go the way they were planned?)
Are fingerprints evidence?
Was the call a warning about something?
Is the crime a scam of some kind?
Is it a crime involving an illegal trade (e.g. drugs, organs, endangered species, human trafficking...)?
Did he try to prevent a crime?
Does he need the mobile phone he tried to call because it has a recording to proove he is not guilty of what he is accused?
Did he had a partner in crime?
Did he left his mobile with his partner in crime?
Was his phone found at the scene of a police raid/drug bust?
Was he a member of an illegal organization?
Did he get his phone switched with the victims?
Is this a victimless crime? (examples: prostitution, drug use, gambling)
Was the crime a robbery?
Are there important informations on that mobile?
Since he isn't a blackmailer - is it him who has been blackmailed?
Was he forced to act outside the law?
Was there a ransom involved?


* These questions are on both lists meaning the answer to them is: "Yes and No"
** Sorry for confusing replies. They were a product of the context at the time of answering. Trivial in solving the case though.

[Cassiebsg]

Was he stealing information?

[Mandle]

NO
Was he stealing information?

[Snarky]

Was the crime premeditated?
Did he know the victim of the crime personally?
Was the victim present at the scene of the crime (where the phone was found)?

[Cassiebsg]

Was the crime vandalizing? (like property destruction?)
Was the crime a hate crime?
Did he "hit and run" someone? (has in driving a car and accidentally hit someone)

[Mandle]

YES
Was the victim present at the scene of the crime (where the phone was found)?



NO
Was he stealing information?
Was the crime premeditated?
Did he know the victim of the crime personally?
Was the crime vandalizing? (like property destruction?)
Was the crime a hate crime?
Did he "hit and run" someone? (has in driving a car and accidentally hit someone)

[Riaise]

Had the man committed fraud?
Did the crime take place outside?
Did the victim of the crime realise that they were the victim of a crime at the time that the crime took place? (That's a bit of a tongue-twister! )

[Mandle]

YES
Was the victim present at the scene of the crime (where the phone was found)?



NO
Was he stealing information?
Was the crime premeditated?
Did he know the victim of the crime personally?
Was the crime vandalizing? (like property destruction?)
Was the crime a hate crime?
Did he "hit and run" someone? (has in driving a car and accidentally hit someone)
Had the man committed fraud?
Did the crime take place outside?
Did the victim of the crime realise that they were the victim of a crime at the time that the crime took place?

[Snarky]

Were there more than one victim?
Was anyone physically hurt?
Did the man fail to pay for something?

[Mandle]

YES
Was the victim present at the scene of the crime (where the phone was found)?



NO
Was he stealing information?
Was the crime premeditated?
Did he know the victim of the crime personally?
Was the crime vandalizing? (like property destruction?)
Was the crime a hate crime?
Did he "hit and run" someone? (has in driving a car and accidentally hit someone)
Had the man committed fraud?
Did the crime take place outside?
Did the victim of the crime realise that they were the victim of a crime at the time that the crime took place?
Were there more than one victim?
Was anyone physically hurt?
Did the man fail to pay for something?

[Snarky]

I'm really having a hard time trying to think of a crime that hasn't been ruled out. Unless it's something that has fallen through the cracks because of the wording of some questions...

Let me recap:

Not a violent crime (including murder) or hate crime, kidnapping, stalking or any kind of threat/blackmail/ransom. No one physically injured.
Not a theft, robbery, failure to pay (e.g. like a dine-and-dash), scam or fraud.
Not vandalism or a hit-and-run. (The phrasing of questions here leaves the possibility open for some other destruction of property) 
Not a trade in illegal goods (including organs and human trafficking), or drug-related in any other way.
Not a "victimless crime" (e.g. prostitution, gambling). Nor espionage, information theft, conspiracy or membership in an illegal organization.

The crime was NOT premeditated. He had no accomplices. It happened indoors. The criminal did not know the victim. The (single) victim was present at the crime scene, but unaware (at the time) that they were the victim of a crime. Whether it was a crime to gain money (or something of value) illicitly is ambiguous.

OK, let's try this:

Was the crime an accident of some kind?
Did it involve the failure to carry out some mandatory responsibility (e.g. take care of a child)?
Is what he did a crime under current UK law?

[Riaise]

Did the man realise he had committed a crime at the time?
Was the victim human?
Did the man cause damage to someone else's property?

[Mandle]

Case #21 - A man makes a phone call. Nobody answers, but the man ends up facing criminal charges because of the call. What's going on?

YES
Is he guilty of what he's charged with?
Do the authorities use his fingerprints, call record, or some other clue produced by him making the call as evidence to tie him to some other crime?
Was the phone ringing in itself a signal to someone? *
Did he call (or pretend to call) the victim of the crime? *
When you say "nobody answered", does this mean nobody picked up?
Was he calling someone he knew? Family member? *
Is the phone a normal landline telephone?
Does the man call from his own (home/office) phone?
Is the crime an attempt to obtain money (or something of monetary value) illicitly? *
Is the fact that he knew the phone number an incriminating thing about the call?
Had the crime taken place very recently before the call was made?
Would the crime have occurred even if he hadn't made the phone call?
Did he call from his home phone?
Was the signal received by the other person?
Is the call record evidence? **
Did he try to reach a mobile phone?
Did he try to reach his own mobile phone?
Did he lost his mobile at the scene of the crime?
is his own mobile, accidentally left at the scene of the crime, in itself the incriminating evidence?
Did the "cops" found his mobile because he ringed to it?
Was the victim present at the scene of the crime (where the phone was found)?
Was the crime an accident of some kind?
Did it involve the failure to carry out some mandatory responsibility (e.g. take care of a child)?
Is what he did a crime under current UK law? (Under extreme circumstances usually, but these are such...)
Was the victim human?


NO
Is he a blackmailer?
Does he do criminal calls?
Is it a case with something fictional involved (i.e. something is getting spaghettified or beamed through time)?
Does the phone call trigger a bomb?
was he driving when he made the call?
Is making the phone call part of the crime he's being charged with?
Is he stalking someone?
Is he calling on someone else's bill?
Did he rob the phone(s)?
Was he calling for a driver?
Was there a theft?
Does he make a phone call from the scene of the crime?
Does he make a phone call near the scene of the crime?
Was the phone call made using a mobile phone?
Was the phone ringing in itself a signal to someone? *
Is the crime (or one of the crimes) he's charged with a murder?
Did he have any accomplices for the crime?
Did he call (or pretend to call) the victim of the crime? *
The the police / authorities use the call record (specifically) as incriminating evidence? **
Was he caught in a sting?
Is he charged with espionage?
Is he charged with conspiracy?
Is hypnosis involved? (i.e. did the phone call trigger someone that was hypnotized to commit a crime?)
Was the phone call to 911?
Did the phone call trigger the crime in some other way?
Was the phone call used to establish (or disprove) an alibi?
Did the man know that nobody would answer when he called?
Is he deaf?
Is he dumb? (meaning "Is he a mute?", I'm assuming.)
Is he in prison?
Is he calling someone back?
Are his fingerprints on the phone used to incriminate him?
Is he a kidnapper?
Does he want to find out whether his victim is at the place where he calls?
Does he try to call his lawyer?
Does he try to call an ambulance?
Was a theft planned? (As in, not completed?)
Was he calling someone he knew? Family member? *
Was he calling someone he knew? A friend?
Did he ring from the phone at the scene of the crime?
Does he call from a pay phone?
Does the call go to an answering machine/voice mail/automated phone tree or similar?
Does the call transmit information over fax, modem, or something like that?
Is it a violent crime?
Is the crime an attempt to obtain money (or something of monetary value) illicitly? *
Was somebody supposed to answer when he called?
Did the number of rings (as in how many times the phone rang before he hang out) meant something?
Is he accused of murder(ing his wife)?
Does he try to proove that she is alive with that call?
Are the calls planned the way they go? (Taken as: Did the calls go the way they were planned?)
Are fingerprints evidence?
Was the call a warning about something?
Is the crime a scam of some kind?
Is it a crime involving an illegal trade (e.g. drugs, organs, endangered species, human trafficking...)?
Did he try to prevent a crime?
Does he need the mobile phone he tried to call because it has a recording to proove he is not guilty of what he is accused?
Did he had a partner in crime?
Did he left his mobile with his partner in crime?
Was his phone found at the scene of a police raid/drug bust?
Was he a member of an illegal organization?
Did he get his phone switched with the victims?
Is this a victimless crime? (examples: prostitution, drug use, gambling)
Was the crime a robbery?
Are there important informations on that mobile?
Since he isn't a blackmailer - is it him who has been blackmailed?
Was he forced to act outside the law?
Was there a ransom involved?
Was he stealing information?
Was the crime premeditated?
Did he know the victim of the crime personally?
Was the crime vandalizing? (like property destruction?)
Was the crime a hate crime?
Did he "hit and run" someone? (has in driving a car and accidentally hit someone)
Had the man committed fraud?
Did the crime take place outside?
Did the victim of the crime realise that they were the victim of a crime at the time that the crime took place?
Were there more than one victim?
Was anyone physically hurt?
Did the man fail to pay for something?
Did the man realise he had committed a crime at the time?
Did the man cause damage to someone else's property?


* These questions are on both lists meaning the answer to them is: "Yes and No"
** Sorry for confusing replies. They were a product of the context at the time of answering. Trivial in solving the case though.

[NightHawk]

Is he a world leader?
Did he commit a war crime?
Did he illegally order someone else to do something?

[Mandle]

YES



NO
Is he a world leader?
Did he commit a war crime?
Did he illegally order someone else to do something?

[NightHawk]

Was a child/pet involved?

[Snarky]

Nighthawk:

NO
Did he know the victim of the crime personally?

Maybe rephrase to "a" child/pet.

[Snarky]

COULD the crime have led to someone being hurt?
Was the man intoxicated?