Crime scene: 162 mystery solving puzzles to find out who the murderer is

Chapter 33 The Legacy of the Doctor

Dr. Ding was shot and killed in his own home.The body of Dr. Ding, who lived alone in the suburbs, was found by the helper Zhao Ma the next morning.The corpse fell in the middle of the study, and was shot in the chest.Electric lamps with shades hung from the ceiling, and the 80-watt incandescent lamps were still on.Dr. Ding was wearing a gown and fell under the lamp.

The windows were closed and the curtains were drawn.There was a bullet hole in the curtain and glass, and the time of death was estimated to be around 9 o'clock last night.Zhao, the head of the investigation section, and Xiao Wang, his assistant, were ordered to arrive and looked around the room.The local security chief gave a brief introduction to the situation: "The prisoner shot from the miscellaneous forest opposite the yard, at a distance of about 40 meters. One shot hit, and the marksmanship is sure to be good. Based on this, the prisoner will be found soon."

However, Lao Zhao raised a question: "The fabric of the black curtains is very thick. Even if the lights in the house are turned on, the figures in the room cannot be reflected outside. Moreover, Dr. Ding was shot under the electric light, and his shadow will not be reflected." to the window. Then, how did the prisoner aim and shoot? Did he get hit by accident?"

The security chief couldn't answer Section Chief Zhao's question, so he had to agree to do an experiment when it was dark.At this time, Section Chief Zhao saw the light switch next to the door, and tried to press it two or three times. There was nothing unusual about the light in the study turning on and off.

After testing, Section Chief Zhao's doubts were confirmed. "From the gap in the curtains, we can still tell whether the indoor lights are turned on. However, the criminal hit him with only one shot. He is indeed a sharpshooter. Maybe the criminal aimed with confidence." The security captain felt a little strange.

"Have you roughly figured out who the prisoner is?" Old Zhao asked straightforwardly. "There are two major suspects, Dr. Ding's two nephews, Li Ming and Li Xiang. The doctor is single now and has no will. The two of them will each inherit half of the estate. The doctor has quite a fortune."

Then he asked Li Ming and Li Xiang.Due to the lack of conclusive evidence, the case cannot be finalized.In fact, on the night of the incident, the two had dinner at their uncle's house.Afterwards, the three of them talked in the living room next to the study.It is said that at 3:8, Li Ming and Li Xiang went home, while the helper Zhao Ma left at 30:7.During this period, the two nephews each went into the study once.First, Liming was chatting, and the doctor ran out of cigarettes, so he went into the study to get them.Before leaving, Li Xiang borrowed books from the study and went back.

During this period, Dr. Ding never entered the study room once.These, both Li Ming and Li Xiang testified just now, and Dr. Ding has been sending them to the door, and then closed the door.Unexpectedly, he was shot dead after entering the study.When the crime happened the next morning, the door of his house was still closed, in a state of secret room.

Besides, the two nephews lived in separate apartments.According to them, after saying goodbye to their uncle's house, one went to the left and the other went back to the right.Section Chief Zhao thought of this, closed his eyes and meditated.After a while, Section Chief Zhao suddenly opened his eyes and said to the security captain: "According to Zhao's mother, when the body was found, the light in the study was still on?" "Yes, the light was on." "Then I know who it is. The murderer is here. The prisoner cleverly used electric lights to attack the doctor."

So, according to Section Chief Zhao's reasoning, which of the two nephews is the real criminal?
[Answer] The criminal is Lixiang.The evidence was that he was the last to enter the study before returning from his uncle's house.When he came out of the study, he turned off the switch on the lamp head, or took out the light bulb.After the nephew left, the doctor entered the study. He pressed the switch on the wall, but the light was off.So, he went to turn on the switch on the lamp holder, or put in a new bulb to brighten the light.At this time, no matter what, the doctor was standing directly under the lamp.Therefore, when the light is on from the window of the study, the victim must be directly under the light. Even if there is no shadow on the window, the criminal can aim and shoot.Of course, the position of the electric light in the study room has been determined in advance.

(End of this chapter)