Thank Holmes It's Friday - Halloween Special

A Spooktacular Shurdle Puzzle to Crack:

Here's a "who dunnit, why and how" puzzle to solve.

The Puzzle of the Murdered Skeleton

The Halloween Fancy Dress Ball was in full swing at the Cliff Top Hotel when a guest dressed as a skeleton was found murdered in the ballroom, stabbed to death with a kitchen knife. Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson were immediately called to solve the mystery. Four suspects were identified, each with a motive. One piece of evidence will crack the case, can you help Sherlock Holmes find it?

What Three Words Crack the Case? (Looking for one suspect, motive and deduction)

Possible Suspects

Mr Tibbs: The hotel manager, discovered the body, so having raised the alarm, surely it couldn’t be him.

Mrs Burton-Granger: A wealthy widow, who pleaded that she was in her bedroom at the time, or at least she claimed to be. Although the only witness to this was now dead.

Tim: The bellboy who said he was upstairs carrying suitcases at the time, but no guests had recently checked-in.

Sēnor Tache: The ballroom dancer from Barcelona, who claimed to be on the dance floor all night but was seen on the top landing at 10pm, just before the body itself was discovered in the ballroom he’d just left.

Possible Motives

Theft: The murdered skeleton was a wealthy businessman, with a considerable amount of money secured in the hotel safe.

Anger: An indiscreet liaison had taken place earlier in the evening between the skeleton and another guest dressed as a witch. Perhaps a spell had been cast between them.

Revenge: The guest dressed as a skeleton had fallen out with a number of other guests, including Count Dracula, whom he had had business transactions with. It was at least something to get their teeth into.

Jealousy: The guest dressed as the skeleton had won the best costume prize, upsetting Frankenstein, a couple of pumpkins and the Grim Reaper.

Possible Deductions

Suitcase: No suitcases were found unaccounted for at the scene, so it couldn’t have been the bellboy, unless he was delivering room service upstairs at the same time.

Ballroom: The band were on a break at 10pm, so Sēnor Tache could have been upstairs at the time of the murder, perhaps feeling hungry after all of the dancing.

Room Service: Reception confirmed that at 9.45pm Mrs Burton-Granger had ordered room service for two, she must have been waiting for it – or a Spanish dancer - to arrive.

Safe: The hotel safe had been left open and the contents stolen. Hundreds of pounds were taken from the victim. The manager was last seen in the kitchen looking flush. Looking for a clue? Click here for a helpful hint as well as the three word answer (and resolution) to the mystery.

The Countdown to Christmas is On!

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