MURDER IN A LONDON FLAT
by Stan Smith
Lord Calinore was gunned down in his London flat by a robber, who then ransacked the flat. The case was placed in the capable hands of Inspector Gilbert Bodwin of Scotland Yard. Bodwin's investigation revealed that one man had planned the crime, another had carried it out, and a third had acted as lookout. Bodwin discussed the case at length one evening over dinner at his club with an old friend, Thomas P. Stanwick, the amateur logician, visiting from America.
"It's quite a case," Stanwick remarked. "Have you any suspects?"
Bodwin sliced his roast beef with relish. "Yes, indeed. Four. We have conclusive evidence that three of those four were responsible for the crime."
"Really! That's remarkable progress. What about the fourth?"
"He had no prior knowledge of the crime and is completely innocent. The problem is that we're not sure which of the four are the planner, the gunman, the lookout, and the innocent bystander. "
"I see." Stanwick took more Yorkshire pudding. "What do you know about them at this point?"
"Well, the names of the four are Merrick, Cross, Llewellyn, and Halifax. Halifax and Cross play golf together every Saturday. They're an odd pair! Halifax can't drive, and Cross has been out of Dartmoor Prison for only a year."
"What was he in for?"
"Forgery. We know that Merrick and Halifax kept the flat under surveillance for several days just before the day the crime was committed, the 17th. Llewellyn and Merrick, with their wives, had dinner together on the Strand on the 12th."
"An interesting compilation," said Stanwick, "but hardly conclusive. Is that all of it?"
"Not quite. We know that the gunman spent the week before the crime in Edinburgh, and that the innocent bystander was acquainted with the planner and the gunman, but not with the lookout."
"That is very helpful," said Stanwick with a smile. He raised his wine glass. "Bodwin, old fellow, your case is complete."
Who are the planner, the gunman, and the lookout?
Murder in a London Flat Solution
Since the gunman was not in London the week before the crime, he could not be Llewellyn, Merrick, or Halifax. Therefore the gunman is Cross. Neither Merrick nor Halifax, who kept the flat under surveillance, is the innocent bystander, so he must be Llewellyn.
Llewellyn knows Merrick, but not the lookout, so the lookout must be Halifax. Merrick, by elimination, must be the planner.