New "Black Stories" Crime Riddles

Started by Snarky, Sat 23/05/2020 12:44:56

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Cassiebsg

I suck at grammar... even my own mother language. So it doesn't surprise me that I do that and don't even notice it.  :) Thanks... (though expect me to do it again since I rarely stop to think about grammar...)  (roll) (laugh)
There are those who believe that life here began out there...

Snarky

#41
Just to be clear, there are no shenanigans around the meaning of words beyond what you have already figured out: the pills were not used to poison or directly kill the victim; they served some other helpful purpose in the crime.

Edit: I've reconsidered the answer to one of the questions and corrected it below.

Spoiler
Case #59
The murder was carried out using two pills.

How was the murder done? Who were the murderer and victim? And what was the motive?
[close]
Yes (nod)
Are both pills the same?
Are the victim and murderer related?
Were both pills taken?
Did the murderer take a pill?
Were the pills designed to ameliorate the effects of something else (e.g. anaphylaxis)?
Are all involved human?
Were both pills taken at the same time?
Could the same crime have been committed with only 1 pill?
Was money involved in the motive?
Could this murder take place in the real world?
Were the pills of a kind usually available over the counter in drugstores?
Does "take a pill" equals "ingest a pill"?
[Yes, although the case description says "carried out using two pills", not "take a pill"]

Corrected: Was the murderer incapacitated in some way before they took the pills?


No (wrong)
Was the murderer a medical practitioner?
Did the murderer and the victim each take a pill?
Was it the ingredients of the pills that caused the victim’s death?
Was Hydroxychloroquine taken on the advice of Donald J. Trump?  :-D
Were the pills ingested by the victim?
Did the victim choke? [But I had to consider this one carefully]
Did more than one person die? [Hmm, let's say no]
Was the death quick?
Are the murderer and the victim siamese twins?
Is the pill an abortion pill?
Did the victim die as a result of one or more stings or bites?
Was the victim tricked into a bogus suicide pact?
Did the victim die from an allergic reaction?
Is the fact that there were two pills relevant?
Are the victim and the murderer, one and the same person?
Are the "pills" actually drolly amusing people?
Are you word-playing on the meaning of "taken"? [I haven't used the word "taken"?]
Were there more than two people at the scene at the time of the murder?
Is this murder an actual case that happened in the real world?
Were the pills of a kind that usually require a prescription?
Is the victim the wife of the murderer?
Is the victim the husband of the murderer?
Is the murderer a child of the victim?
Did the murderer take the pill to stop the victim from curing himself from an allergic reaction?
Was some kind of insurance scam involved?
Were the pills deliberately mislabelled?
Did the pill treat the opposite condition to what it was supposed to?  (ie treatment for hypothyroidism when it should have been for hyperthyroidism)
Did the victim give the murderer the pills?
Did the pills contain a hallucinogenic?
Are the pills against diving sickness?
Would the victim have survived if he/she had taken a pill?
Did they find treasure?

Corrected: Was the murderer incapacitated in some way before they took the pills?



Unanswerable or Ambiguous :-\
Did the pills contain some kind of technology? [What is "technology"? But no, not in the way I assume you mean.]
Did the victim know beforehand they would die? [Before what? The answer is probably no, though]

heltenjon

Are the murderer and the victim siblings?

Does the victim know that the murderer took a (or two) pill(s)?

Is the cause of death drowning? (Not choking, but close...)

Does the nature of the pill reveal new information about the murderer?

Stupot

Was the pill a drug used to steady the nerves or stop shaking?

Was the murderer a sniper.

Was the victim aware they were about to be murdered In the moments before the act?

Mandle

#44
Were the pills taken as suppositories?

Pogwizd

Was there any liquid drunk after taking the pills by both persons?

Ali

Quote from: Snarky on Sun 24/05/2020 22:36:55
Are you word-playing on the meaning of "taken"? [I haven't used the word "taken"?]

I meant, in answering yes to questions including the word 'taken'. But, that's good to know.

Snarky

Since the list of questions was getting long, I've broken it up by topic. Again, I would suggest narrowing down the nature of the pills a bit, and maybe working out the relationship between murderer and victim, before guessing at how the murder was committed.

Spoiler
Case #59
The murder was carried out using two pills.

How was the murder done? Who were the murderer and victim? And what was the motive?
[close]

What: The Pills
Yes
Are both pills the same?
Were the pills designed to ameliorate the effects of something else (e.g. anaphylaxis)?
Were the pills of a kind usually available over the counter in drugstores?

No
Is the pill an abortion pill?
Are the "pills" actually drolly amusing people?
Were the pills of a kind that usually require a prescription?
Did the pills contain a hallucinogenic?
Are the pills against diving sickness?

Was the pill a drug used to steady the nerves or stop shaking?
Were the pills taken as suppositories?


Unanswerable or Ambiguous
Did the pills contain some kind of technology? [What is "technology"? But no, not in the way I assume you mean.]

Does the nature of the pill reveal new information about the murderer? [I suppose that depends on how good you are at drawing inferences.]


Who: The Murderer and Victim
Yes
Are the victim and murderer related?
Are all involved human?

No
Was the murderer a medical practitioner?
Are the murderer and the victim siamese twins?
Are the victim and the murderer one and the same person?
Is the victim the wife of the murderer?
Is the victim the husband of the murderer?
Is the murderer a child of the victim?

Are the murderer and the victim siblings?


How: The Murder
Yes
Were both pills taken?
Did the murderer take a pill?
Were both pills taken at the same time?
Does "take a pill" equals "ingest a pill"?
Could the same crime have been committed with only 1 pill?
Could this murder take place in the real world?
Was the murderer incapacitated in some way before they took the pills?

No
Did the murderer and the victim each take a pill?
Was it the ingredients of the pills that caused the victim’s death?
Was Hydroxychloroquine taken on the advice of Donald J. Trump?  :-D
Were the pills ingested by the victim?
Did the victim choke? [But I had to consider this one carefully]
Did more than one person die? [Hmm, let's say no]
Was the death quick?
Did the victim die as a result of one or more stings or bites?
Was the victim tricked into a bogus suicide pact?
Did the victim die from an allergic reaction?
Is the fact that there were two pills relevant?
Are you word-playing on the meaning of "taken"?
Were there more than two people at the scene at the time of the murder?
Is this murder an actual case that happened in the real world?
Did the murderer take the pill to stop the victim from curing himself from an allergic reaction?
Were the pills deliberately mislabelled?
Did the pill treat the opposite condition to what it was supposed to?  (ie treatment for hypothyroidism when it should have been for hyperthyroidism)
Did the victim give the murderer the pills?
Would the victim have survived if he/she had taken a pill?

Does the victim know that the murderer took a (or two) pill(s)?
Is the cause of death drowning? (Not choking, but close...)
Was the murderer a sniper.
Was the victim aware they were about to be murdered In the moments before the act?


Unanswerable or Ambiguous
Did the victim know beforehand they would die? [Before what? The answer is probably no, though]

Was there any liquid drunk after taking the pills by both persons? [Do you mean both of them drinking the same thing, drinking from the same container? Either of them drinking something?]


Why: The Motive
Yes
Was money involved in the motive?

No
Was some kind of insurance scam involved?
Did they find treasure?

heltenjon

Is the murderer the parent of the victim?

Would the murderer also have died if he/she had not taken the pill?

Are the genders of the murder/victim relevant?

Cassiebsg

Did the murderer ingest the pills of his own will? (as in, he was not forced to take them)
Did the murderer brought the pills to the crime scene?
Did the murder and the victim lived under the same roof?
Did the murder knew he was going to kill the victim before hand?

There are those who believe that life here began out there...

Riaise

Are the pills painkillers?
Do the pills prevent motion sickness?

Stupot

Was the victim already in hospital?
Was the victim the grandparent of the murderer?
We’re the pills intended for the victim?
Is it because the victim didn’t take the pills that he died.
Could this killing reasonably be described as euthanasia?

Snarky

Aha! You're taking several steps closer. I'm worried you'll be annoyed when you learn the solution…

Quote from: Cassiebsg on Sun 24/05/2020 16:51:48
(though expect me to do it again since I rarely stop to think about grammar...)  (roll) (laugh)

You weren't joking!

Spoiler
Case #59
The murder was carried out using two pills.

How was the murder done? Who were the murderer and victim? And what was the motive?
[close]

What: The Pills
Yes
Are both pills the same?
Were the pills designed to ameliorate the effects of something else (e.g. anaphylaxis)?
Were the pills of a kind usually available over the counter in drugstores?

Are the pills painkillers? [Among other things]

No
Is the pill an abortion pill?
Are the "pills" actually drolly amusing people?
Were the pills of a kind that usually require a prescription?
Did the pills contain a hallucinogenic?
Are the pills against diving sickness?
Was the pill a drug used to steady the nerves or stop shaking?
Were the pills taken as suppositories?

Do the pills prevent motion sickness?

Unanswerable or Ambiguous
Did the pills contain some kind of technology? [What is "technology"? But no, not in the way I assume you mean.]
Does the nature of the pill reveal new information about the murderer? [I suppose that depends on how good you are at drawing inferences.]


Who: The Murderer and Victim
Yes
Are the victim and murderer related?
Are all involved human?

Are the genders of the murder/victim relevant? [Somewhat]
Was the victim the grandparent of the murderer?

No
Was the murderer a medical practitioner?
Are the murderer and the victim siamese twins?
Are the victim and the murderer one and the same person?
Is the victim the wife of the murderer?
Is the victim the husband of the murderer?
Is the murderer a child of the victim?
Are the murderer and the victim siblings?

Is the murderer the parent of the victim?
Did the murderer and the victim live under the same roof?
[Hmm, interesting. I'll say no, but it could go either way.]


How: The Murder
Yes
Were both pills taken?
Did the murderer take a pill?
Were both pills taken at the same time?
Does "take a pill" equals "ingest a pill"?
Could the same crime have been committed with only 1 pill?
Could this murder take place in the real world?
Was the murderer incapacitated in some way before they took the pills?

Did the murderer ingest the pills of his own will? (as in, he was not forced to take them)
Did the murderer know he was going to kill the victim beforehand?


No
Did the murderer and the victim each take a pill?
Was it the ingredients of the pills that caused the victim’s death?
Was Hydroxychloroquine taken on the advice of Donald J. Trump?  :-D
Were the pills ingested by the victim?
Did the victim choke? [But I had to consider this one carefully]
Did more than one person die? [Hmm, let's say no]
Was the death quick?
Did the victim die as a result of one or more stings or bites?
Was the victim tricked into a bogus suicide pact?
Did the victim die from an allergic reaction?
Is the fact that there were two pills relevant?
Are you word-playing on the meaning of "taken"?
Were there more than two people at the scene at the time of the murder?
Is this murder an actual case that happened in the real world?
Did the murderer take the pill to stop the victim from curing himself from an allergic reaction?
Were the pills deliberately mislabelled?
Did the pill treat the opposite condition to what it was supposed to?  (ie treatment for hypothyroidism when it should have been for hyperthyroidism)
Did the victim give the murderer the pills?
Would the victim have survived if he/she had taken a pill?
Does the victim know that the murderer took a (or two) pill(s)?
Is the cause of death drowning? (Not choking, but close...)
Was the murderer a sniper.
Was the victim aware they were about to be murdered In the moments before the act?

Would the murderer also have died if he/she had not taken the pill?
Did the murderer bring the pills to the crime scene?
Was the victim already in hospital?
Were the pills intended for the victim?
Is it because the victim didn’t take the pills that he died?
Could this killing reasonably be described as euthanasia?


Unanswerable or Ambiguous
Did the victim know beforehand they would die? [Before what? The answer is probably no, though]
Was there any liquid drunk after taking the pills by both persons? [Do you mean both of them drinking the same thing, drinking from the same container? Either of them drinking something?]


Why: The Motive
Yes
Was money involved in the motive?

No
Was some kind of insurance scam involved?
Did they find treasure?

Stupot

Did taking the pills have any effect on the murderer relevant to the murder?

Would the murderer have been unlikely to have carried out the murder if he had taken the pills earlier?

Did the murderer take the pills before carrying out the crime?

Did the murderer actually prevent himself from carrying out the murder (but was too late).

Was the victim asleep at the time of the incident?

heltenjon

Does the murderer suffer from something that normally would prevent him/her from carrying out the murder?

Is the location relevant?

Is the motive inheritance?

Does the pills play a role in giving the murderer an alibi?

Riaise

#55
Are the pills for cold/flu relief?
Was the murderer male?
Was the murderer female?
Was the victim male?
Was the victim female?

Snarky

At this point I think you have all the pieces and can put together the solution…

Spoiler
Case #59
The murder was carried out using two pills.

How was the murder done? Who were the murderer and victim? And what was the motive?
[close]

What: The Pills
Yes
Are both pills the same?
Were the pills designed to ameliorate the effects of something else (e.g. anaphylaxis)?
Were the pills of a kind usually available over the counter in drugstores?
Are the pills painkillers? [Among other things]

Are the pills for cold/flu relief?

No
Is the pill an abortion pill?
Are the "pills" actually drolly amusing people?
Were the pills of a kind that usually require a prescription?
Did the pills contain a hallucinogenic?
Are the pills against diving sickness?
Was the pill a drug used to steady the nerves or stop shaking?
Were the pills taken as suppositories?
Do the pills prevent motion sickness?

Unanswerable or Ambiguous
Did the pills contain some kind of technology? [What is "technology"? But no, not in the way I assume you mean.]
Does the nature of the pill reveal new information about the murderer? [I suppose that depends on how good you are at drawing inferences.]


Who: The Murderer and Victim
Yes
Are the victim and murderer related?
Are all involved human?
Are the genders of the murder/victim relevant? [Somewhat]
Was the victim the grandparent of the murderer?

Was the murderer female?
Was the victim male?


No
Was the murderer a medical practitioner?
Are the murderer and the victim siamese twins?
Are the victim and the murderer one and the same person?
Is the victim the wife of the murderer?
Is the victim the husband of the murderer?
Is the murderer a child of the victim?
Are the murderer and the victim siblings?
Is the murderer the parent of the victim?
Did the murderer and the victim live under the same roof? [Hmm, interesting. I'll say no, but it could go either way.]

Was the murderer male?
Was the victim female?



How: The Murder
Yes
Were both pills taken?
Did the murderer take a pill?
Were both pills taken at the same time?
Does "take a pill" equals "ingest a pill"?
Could the same crime have been committed with only 1 pill?
Could this murder take place in the real world?
Was the murderer incapacitated in some way before they took the pills?
Did the murderer ingest the pills of his own will? (as in, he was not forced to take them)
Did the murderer know he was going to kill the victim beforehand?

Did taking the pills have any effect on the murderer relevant to the murder?

No
Did the murderer and the victim each take a pill?
Was it the ingredients of the pills that caused the victim’s death?
Was Hydroxychloroquine taken on the advice of Donald J. Trump?  :-D
Were the pills ingested by the victim?
Did the victim choke? [But I had to consider this one carefully]
Did more than one person die? [Hmm, let's say no]
Was the death quick?
Did the victim die as a result of one or more stings or bites?
Was the victim tricked into a bogus suicide pact?
Did the victim die from an allergic reaction?
Is the fact that there were two pills relevant?
Are you word-playing on the meaning of "taken"?
Were there more than two people at the scene at the time of the murder?
Is this murder an actual case that happened in the real world?
Did the murderer take the pill to stop the victim from curing himself from an allergic reaction?
Were the pills deliberately mislabelled?
Did the pill treat the opposite condition to what it was supposed to?  (ie treatment for hypothyroidism when it should have been for hyperthyroidism)
Did the victim give the murderer the pills?
Would the victim have survived if he/she had taken a pill?
Does the victim know that the murderer took a (or two) pill(s)?
Is the cause of death drowning? (Not choking, but close...)
Was the murderer a sniper.
Was the victim aware they were about to be murdered In the moments before the act?
Would the murderer also have died if he/she had not taken the pill?
Did the murderer bring the pills to the crime scene?
Was the victim already in hospital?
Were the pills intended for the victim?
Is it because the victim didn’t take the pills that he died?
Could this killing reasonably be described as euthanasia?

Would the murderer have been unlikely to have carried out the murder if he had taken the pills earlier?
Did the murderer take the pills before carrying out the crime?
Did the murderer actually prevent himself from carrying out the murder (but was too late).
Was the victim asleep at the time of the incident?
Does the murderer suffer from something that normally would prevent him/her from carrying out the murder?
Is the location relevant?
Do the pills play a role in giving the murderer an alibi?
[Not in the strict meaning of "alibi", no]

Unanswerable or Ambiguous
Did the victim know beforehand they would die? [Before what? The answer is probably no, though]
Was there any liquid drunk after taking the pills by both persons? [Do you mean both of them drinking the same thing, drinking from the same container? Either of them drinking something?]


Why: The Motive
Yes
Was money involved in the motive?

Is the motive inheritance?

No
Was some kind of insurance scam involved?
Did they find treasure?

heltenjon

Does the murderer infect the victim with covid-19?

Does she hide her symptoms with the pills?

Stupot

#58
I’m gonna attempt to solve it.

Spoiler
The young woman contracted Covid-19. Due to the lockdown she is fearful of her financial prospects. Knowing that the disease is much less forgiving on elderly people, she decides to pay her old Grandad a ‘visit’. After all, she happens to know that he intends to leave her a considerable sum of money when he leaves. So she visits the old geezer, gives him a kiss, a cuddle and a few coughs in the face and then leaves, popping a few Lemsip tablets in her mouth on the way out. 
[close]

...
Oh, seems heltonjon had the same idea as me while I was typing.

Snarky

:-D (nod) (nod) (nod) Correct! (nod) (nod) (nod) :-D

Detective heltenjon jumps in first with the correct answer, and also correctly identifies the purpose of the pills: suppress mild COVID-19 symptoms so the murderer could pretend that she was asymptomatic when she visited grandpa. For mild COVID symptoms, paracetamol (Tylenol) is recommended, and in my mind painkillers are always taken in twos (apparently this is something Big Pharma ad-campaigns managed to drill into people decades ago in order to sell more aspirin).

Congratulations heltenjon!

Kudos also to consulting detective Stupot's colorful version of the denouement, which saves me writing up the solution, and to the perceptive Riaise, whose questions supplied some crucial clues in the end-game. Well done!

Stupot's account is only mistaken in two minor details: the purpose of the pills, and (although this is peripheral to the case and didn't really come up) that in my mind the murderer contracted the coronavirus deliberately, knowing that as a young woman her risk of serious illness was relatively low. Pretending to have been in self-isolation and healthy, she could then visit and infect her rich, elderly grandfather and look forward to a healthy inheritance. Tsk, tsk!  (wtf)

Case closed

Thanks to all participants, and I hope it wasn't too frustrating.

heltenjon, do you want to propose the next case or pass it to somebody else?

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