1 0 9A n ex a m p l e o f R e c o n s t r u c t i o n : ca p i t a l P u n i s h m e n t“I’m glad you dropped by, Tom,” said Walker. “We have a difficult case on
hand. Several thousand dollars’ worth of jewelry was stolen from Hoffman’s
Jewel Palace yesterday morning. From some clues at the scene and a few
handy tips, we have it narrowed down to three suspects: Addington, Burke,
and Chatham. We know that at least one of them was involved, and possibly
more than one.”
“Burke has been suspected in several other cases, hasn’t he?” asked
Stanwick as he filled his pipe.
“Yes, he has,” Walker replied, “but we haven’t been able to nail him yet.
The other two are small potatoes, so what we really want to know is whether
Burke was involved in this one.”
“What have you learned about the three of them?”
“Not too much. Addington and Burke were definitely here in the city
yesterday. Chatham may not have been. Addington never works alone, and
carries a snub-nosed revolver. Chatham always uses an accomplice, and he was
seen lurking in the area last week. He also refuses to work with Addington,
who he says once set him up.”
“Quite a ragamuffin crew!” Stanwick laughed. “Based on what you’ve said,
it’s not too hard to deduce whether Burke was involved.”
Was Burke involved or not?MYsteRY 2: tRiviA AnD siGniFicA
“For April, this is starting out to be a pretty quiet month,” remarked Inspector
Walker as he rummaged in his desk drawer for a cigar.
Thomas P. Stanwick, the amateur logician, finished lighting his pipe and
leaned back in his chair, stretching his long legs forward.
“That is indeed unusual,” he said. “Spring usually makes some young
fancies turn to crime. The change is welcome.”
“Not that we police have nothing to do.” Walker lit his cigar. “A couple of
the youth gangs, the Hawks and the Owls, have been screeching at each other
lately. In fact, we heard a rumor that they were planning to fight each other
this Wednesday or Thursday, and we’re scrambling around trying to find out
whether it’s true.”
“The Hawks all go to Royston North High, don’t they?” asked Stanwick.
“That’s right. The Owls are the street-smart dropouts who hang out at Joe’s
Lunch Cafe on Lindhurst. You know that only those who eat at Joe’s collect
green matchbooks?”
Stanwick blinked and smiled. “I beg your pardon?”
“That’s right.” Walker picked up a few papers from his desk. “That’s
the sort of trivia I’m being fed in my reports. Not only that, but everyone at
Royston North High wears monogrammed jackets. What else have I got here?
Only kids who hang out on Laraby Street fight on weekdays. Laraby is three
blocks from Lindhurst. The Hawks go out for pizza three times a week.”
(continued)Source: Stanley Smith, “A Mere Matter of Deduction,” from Five-Minute Whodunits. Copyright
© 1997 by Stanley Smith. Reprinted with permission of Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., NY, NY.97364_ch05_ptg01_079-110.indd 109 15/11/13 9:53 AM
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