It was midnight when Joan and Eric arrived home. They had just got out of the car when a man stepped out of the shadows and shot Eric at close range. Eric slumped to the ground. The man fired again, as if to ensure that his victim was dead. He then walked away slowly.
Joan collapsed in shock and was taken to the next house by the man who lived there. She was still there when she was questioned by the police the next morning.
The investigation into the affair produced evidence of Eric's involvement years ago in organized crime. Joan, it turns out, was the sole beneficiary of a substantial insurance policy on Eric's life.
Her relationship with the neighbor was unusually close. Not surprisingly, she was considered a prime suspect in the case. Although Joan gave a very detailed description of the shooter, it turned out to be completely false.
Joan had tried to mislead the police, but she was not involved in the homicide. Joan had been very devoted to her husband. Why then did she mislead the police?
Joan knew the assailant. It was her neighbor who killed Eric. Since she had a very close relationship with the neighbor, and could benefit a lot from the insurance payout, so she just kept quiet. Eric was dead - nothing she could do, but she could pocket the money.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Eric was the neighbor. When it says "taken to the next house by the man who lived there" it means her husband took her home. It didn't say "neighbor to his house." And she was Eric's beneficiary because he was her neighbor and she had an unusually close relationship with him. Her husband shot him out of jealousy, but as she was very devoted to her husband, she kept quiet.
ReplyDeleteThat's the way I set it up. I modified this question a little bit so that suspicion would fall on the neighbor/ possible husband.
ReplyDeleteIn the original puzzle, there is a sentence that clears the neighbor completely. I thought it would be a little sneaky to have the husband be the shooter and the guy who took Joan home.