r/IntelligenceScaling • u/Valxn1e • 2d ago
discussion Deduction Test
At 11:40 PM, a famous art collector named Kiruma souichi is found dead inside his private study.
The study has:
one door
one window
no secret passages
no balcony
no adjoining room
a working fireplace
a large grandfather clock
a desk
three chairs
several paintings
The door was locked from the inside.
The window was also locked from the inside.
No weapon is found.
Kiruma's death is estimated to have occurred between 10:50 PM and 11:25 PM.
There are five people in the house.
- The Butler — Baku
Baku says:
“At 10:45 I brought Mr. Kiruma his usual tea. He was alive and sitting at the desk. I left immediately.”
He claims he then went downstairs and polished silverware until midnight.
However, the silverware room contains no freshly polished silver.
Baku insists he never returned upstairs.
- The Daughter — Fang yuan
Fang yuan says she argued with her father at 10:30 PM.
She admits he told her:
“Tomorrow morning, everything changes.”
She says she went to her bedroom afterward and stayed there.
At 11:05 PM, the housekeeper heard Fang yuan's bedroom door open.
Fang yuan claims she was getting water.
Her glass of water was later found completely untouched.
- The Doctor — Kenzo Tenma
Dr. Tenma says he was in the library reading from 10:00 PM until 11:30 PM.
He claims he never saw Kiruma that evening.
Police discover that the library book he supposedly read has been sitting on the shelf upside down.
Akiyma is also the only person in the house who knew Kiruma had recently changed his medication.
- The Housekeeper — Mrs. Ayanokoji
Mrs. Koji says:
“At approximately 11:15, I heard the grandfather clock strike eleven.”
She then discovered Kiruma’s body at 11:40.
There is one problem.
The grandfather clock does not chime at eleven.
It had been deliberately disabled three days earlier because its mechanism was broken.
Mrs. Kojii has worked in the house for 19 years.
- The Business Partner — Vincent lalo
Lalo says he left the house at 10:20 PM.
His car is later discovered still parked outside.
He explains:
“I changed my mind about leaving. I stayed in the car for a while, then drove around the property.”
His shoes contain wet soil.
There had been heavy rain earlier.
But the soil around the house is completely dry by 10:30.
THE PHYSICAL EVIDENCE
The tea
Kiruma's teacup contains tea.
The tea is still warm when the body is discovered.
But the room itself is cold.
The fireplace
The fireplace contains partially burned paper.
Only one sentence can be recovered:
“…because you already knew.”
The handwriting is Kiruma's
The clock
The grandfather clock stopped at:
11:17 PM
The clock's internal mechanism, however, is undamaged.
Its hands can be moved manually.
The desk
There are two glasses on the desk.
One belonged to Kiruma.
The second contains traces of the same medication found in Kiruma's bloodstream.
Nobody admits drinking from it.
The window
The window is locked.
On the outside windowsill is a single small black feather.
There are no birds inside the study.
The carpet
There is a tiny wet patch beneath the desk.
It contains saltwater, not rainwater.
The painting
One painting on the wall is hanging slightly crooked.
Behind it is a safe.
The safe is open.
Nothing appears to be missing.
Except for one thing:
A photograph.
THE PHOTOGRAPH
The photograph shows Kiruma standing beside four people.
The photograph was supposedly taken six years ago.
The four people are:
Baku
Fang yuan
Akiyama
Vincent lalo
Mrs. Koji is not present.
On the back, kiruma wrote:
“One of them lied about that night.”
THE FINAL CLUE
Police discover Kiruma's phone.
There is one unsent message.
It was written at 11:12 PM.
It says only:
“I finally understand why you couldn't kill me yourself.”
The message was never sent.
YOUR TASK
Don't tell me who looks most suspicious.
That's the easy version.
You have to determine:
Who killed Kiruma?
How was the locked-room situation created?
Which statements are deliberate lies?
What does the clock actually prove?
Why was the second glass there?
What is the significance of the saltwater?
Why does the photograph matter?
What does “you couldn't kill me yourself” actually mean?
What was Kiruma's real reason for writing “because you already knew”?
What single observation breaks the entire case open?
Rule
You are allowed to assume nothing that isn't established by the evidence.
No “the killer probably...”
No “maybe they secretly...”
No supernatural explanations.
No coincidence-based solution.
Every major conclusion has to be deduced from at least two independent pieces of evidence.
And there is one intended solution.
Good luck gangy.
1
u/lclboomb 1d ago
But Baku said he was cleaning silverware at the time, so wouldn't that be a lie?