Dr Haledjian was shaving in his hotel room on the second floor when he heard a woman screaming, "Help!" Tossing on his robe, he dashed into the hall. In front of room 213 a woman stood crying and screaming.

Introducing himself, Haledjian looked through the open door and saw a man slumped in an easy chair. A swift examination showed he had just been killed by a bullet through the heart.

"Try to get hold of yourself and tell me what happened," said the sleuth.

"I'm Clara Uffner," sobbed the woman. “A few moments ago I heard a knock on the door. A voice said, 'Telegram'. ”

"I opened the door. A masked man stood there, a gun in his gloved hand. He shot my husband, tossed the gun into the room, and ran."

The automatic pistol on the floor, Haledjian saw, was equipped with a silencer. Returning to the hall, he noted the door at one end marked Exit.

Reentering the room, he stepped on something hard. It turned out to be an empty cartridge shell. Farther to the left was another. Both were of the caliber to match the pistol. Embedded in the wall, about two feet above the seated body, Haledjian discovered a second bullet.

"All right, Mrs. Uffner,” he said sternly. "Now tell me the truth!".

Why did Dr. Haledjian doubt Mrs. Uffner?

(In reply to For starters and possible spoiler by Kenny M)

Hearing the screams for help, Dr Haledjian dashed into the hall and hurried to where a woman stood crying a screaming. Unknowingly, as he approached room 213 to introduce himself to calm the crying and screaming lady, he kicked two bullet casings into the room. The sound of their rolling muffled by sobbing and panic of the new widow.

Hmm... that certainly a possibility. There must be some other clue that made Dr. Haledjian doubt Mrs. Uffner's veracity.

 

 

Edited on April 2, 2013, 10:52 am

Posted by Dej Mar on 2013-04-02 08:19:45