Lisa's laptop vanished from her New York office at noon Tuesday. Her coworker Jim says he was flying in from Los Angeles.
Jim says
“My flight left LAX at 8 a.m., and we landed at JFK a little after 1 p.m. New York time. I took a cab straight to the office.”
What gave Jim away?
Hint: Convert both times to New York time.
AnswerThat's only a two-hour flight from LA to New York.8 a.m. in LA is 11 a.m. in New York, so landing at 1 p.m. means a two-hour flight. LA to New York takes about five hours.
A bike was swiped from outside the Main Street diner around sunset on Tuesday.
Gina says
“I was walking home, heading west on Main right into the sunset, with my long shadow stretched out in front of me. I grabbed an ice cream and went straight home.”
How did the detective know she was lying?
Hint: Where does a shadow fall?
AnswerHer shadow would have been behind her, not in front.Walking toward the setting sun puts the light in front of you, so your shadow stretches out behind you.
Someone ate a slice of the birthday cake after Mrs. Wong left the house at 5:45 p.m.
Jamie says
“I finished my homework at exactly six. I remember because both hands on the kitchen clock were pointing straight up. Then I left for soccer practice.”
How did Mrs. Wong know Jamie was fibbing?
Hint: Picture the clock face.
AnswerAt six o'clock, the clock hands point in opposite directions.At 6:00 the hour hand points straight down at the 6. Both hands point straight up only at 12:00.
Someone licked the frosting off the cupcakes before Sophie's party.
Her brother says
“I spent the whole hour blowing up balloons by mouth. By the time guests showed up, there were 30 of them floating up against the ceiling.”
What gave him away?
Hint: What's inside those balloons?
AnswerBalloons blown up by mouth don't float.Balloons you blow up yourself are filled with breath, which is no lighter than the air around them, so they drift down. Only helium balloons float up to the ceiling.
Someone dumped a whole can of food into the class fish tank Monday morning.
Owen says
“I was at the zoo's reptile house all morning for my report. The big python stared right at me and kept blinking. So creepy! Then we ate lunch.”
What gave Owen away?
Hint: Look closely at a snake's eyes.
AnswerSnakes can't blink because they have no eyelids.Snakes have a clear scale over each eye instead of eyelids, so a python can stare but never blink.
Someone took the cash box from a Georgia farm stand on Saturday.
Cal says
“I was at my grandpa's farm all day. He grows peanuts and sweet corn, and I spent hours picking peanuts off his bushes, right off the branches like berries, and loading the truck.”
What gave Cal away?
Hint: Where do peanuts actually grow?
AnswerPeanuts don't hang on bushes; they grow underground.Peanut pods form underground on the plant's roots. To harvest them, farmers dig the whole plant up, so nobody picks peanuts off branches like berries.
Each detective riddle gives you a quick scene and a suspect's alibi in their own words. Somewhere in that alibi is one detail that simply can't be true, and catching it is up to you. No special knowledge is needed, just the everyday facts most people know but rarely stop to think about.
Read the alibi slowly and question every detail: the time, the place, the weather, how things actually work. Want a longer mystery with three suspects? Try our Case Files.