HARD RIDDLES Options

[Azn Kid from NY]

post some really hard riddles, heres mine:

a detective found a dead man sitting at his desk with a gun in his hand, and a tape recorder was on his desk...the detective came in and picked up the tape recorder and pressed the play button...he heard "i am sick of my life. i have no purpose to live" and then a gunshot.

the detective instantly knew it was murder, not suicide. how?

[JustAnotherTeena...]

The 6 foot 4, 240-pound body of Earl Moon lay on the tile veranda amid a welter of shattered glass. Dr. Haledjian studied the left side of Moon's jaw, which was bruised outside and bloody inside from a cut caused by two broken teeth. The bruise on the back of the head showed where Moon was struck tiles. The back of the dead man's sports jacket was stitched with glass splinter.
"Apparently somebody punched Moon awfully hard on the side of the jaw," mused Haledjian, "Moon was thrown backward and he crashed through the sliding glass door. Falling, he struck his head on the veranda tiles and died of a broken neck."
"That confirms the account, we have from Buster Epps, a neighbor," said Inspector Winters.
Epps moved from behind the inspector and stared in disbelief at the body. He still seemed in a state of shock.
"I was tending my roses about half an hour ago when I noticed Moon and a stranger standing near this glass door. The stranger was not quite as tall as Moon, but just as broad. And he handled himself like a professional boxer. They seemed to be quarreling, but the door was shut and I couldn't overhear distinctly," continued Epps. "Suddenly, Moon swung his fist. The stranger sidestepped expertly and hooked a left to Moon's jaw. Moon went crashing through the glass. He struck his head -- I could hear the crack! The stranger fled immediately. I called the police when I couldn't overtake him."
"Now now, Mr. Epps," said Haledjian, "Suppose you tell us what really happened."

Why didn't Haledjian believe Epps?

Oooh, ohh, I know!! Epps said that the stranger struck Moon with his left hand. The bruise would have been on the right side of Moon's jaw if that were true. But the bruise was on the left side of Moon's face.

[Paradox of Life]

Oooh, ohh, I know!! Epps said that the stranger struck Moon with his left hand. But the bruise was on the left side of Moon's face. The bruise would have been on the right side of Moon's jaw if that were true.

YOU GOT IT!

"Bill would have met your train himself, Dr. Haledjian," said Nora Perkins. "But since I was in town, he asked me to pick you up. He wanted more time to prepare the barbecue."
Bill Perkins, however, was past worrying about barbecues when Haledjian and his hostess arrived at the house half and hour later. Nora shrieked. Her husband lay on the lawn, a knife protruding from his chest.
A hasty examination indicated to Haledjian that the killing had occurred about an hour before. He studied the scene.
A half-cooked steak lay above flameless coals banked in a stone barbecue pit. Upon an iron shelf were a tray of condiments and a long-handled knife and fork.
"Who are you?" demanded Haledjian as a young man burst through the woods.
"Ed Magden. My house is about a hundred yards back there. I heard a shriek -- what happened?"
"Where were you an hour ago?" inquired Haledjian.
"Over at the boat yard. I'd just entered my driveway when I heard a shriek," replied Magden. "Here -- what's this?"
Magden pointed to a metallic object partly buried under the coals. WIth a quick stride, he reached the pit, thrust in his hand and pulled out a charred earring.
"Why, it's mine!" gasped Nora. Suddenly her expression hardened, "Ed Magden, you hated Bill. What are you trying to do?"
"You hated him more than anyone," snapped back Magden.
"You hated enough to kill," Haledjian said to --

Which one and why?

[Ington]

YOU GOT IT!

"Bill would have met your train himself, Dr. Haledjian," said Nora Perkins. "But since I was in town, he asked me to pick you up. He wanted more time to prepare the barbecue."
Bill Perkins, however, was past worrying about barbecues when Haledjian and his hostess arrived at the house half and hour later. Nora shrieked. Her husband lay on the lawn, a knife protruding from his chest.
A hasty examination indicated to Haledjian that the killing had occurred about an hour before. He studied the scene.
A half-cooked steak lay above flameless coals banked in a stone barbecue pit. Upon an iron shelf were a tray of condiments and a long-handled knife and fork.
"Who are you?" demanded Haledjian as a young man burst through the woods.
"Ed Magden. My house is about a hundred yards back there. I heard a shriek -- what happened?"
"Where were you an hour ago?" inquired Haledjian.
"Over at the boat yard. I'd just entered my driveway when I heard a shriek," replied Magden. "Here -- what's this?"
Magden pointed to a metallic object partly buried under the coals. WIth a quick stride, he reached the pit, thrust in his hand and pulled out a charred earring.
"Why, it's mine!" gasped Nora. Suddenly her expression hardened, "Ed Magden, you hated Bill. What are you trying to do?"
"You hated him more than anyone," snapped back Magden.
"You hated enough to kill," Haledjian said to --

Which one and why?

Magden. How would he have heard the shriek from a hundred yards in the woods?

Oh. And Nora and the detective were together half an hour before the killing. She picked him up from the train station.