MobileRead Spring Contest: Discussion

[lovestoreadalot]

*****

[omk3]

Hmmph.
I thought very similarly to Tom. I entertained the possibility that MTH meant that he could not see himself, but that thinking could not get me any further, there were other things that seemed too important to ignore, and I could find no strong motive for MTH.
I paste here my theories as I sent them in the email, for anyone who has nothing better to do while waiting for their prize

the murderer: nekokami

my reasoning (well, you wanted to know):

I'm working on two assumptions:

ASSUMPTION 1
-Pilotbob is telling the truth (because we really don't have enough to stand on if he's not, he's the only one that gives any real information.)
-From that follows that MTH is telling the truth, but also that MTH was right at the scene of the crime, the glass cases. (I'm ignoring the little lie about moderating, though I'm painfully aware of it.)
-MTH says that he definitely did not see the killer (and here I'm hoping that he doesn't mean that he did not look in a mirror), and that he was entirely focused on the new reader (first I thought he meant the thread about the new reader, but now I believe he either meant a new reader in a glass case, or possibly the nook).

So how come MTH was there but didn't see the killer? Because he was focused on the reader, and because the killer seems to have mastered the Art Of Not Being Seen (TM). (that's ASSUMPTION 2)

FACT: SOMEONE IS MISSING
11 moderators are questioned, including Zelda, total 11
But when Lobster enters the suite, he counts 9, excluding Zelda, total 10
Verencat says there were 10 moderators in the room, including Zelda I suppose, total 10 again
Pilotbob describes the whereabouts of 10 moderators, including Zelda. Neko is missing from his account.

It follows that:
1) either Neko wasn't really there, and materialized the moment the red button was pressed (but that seems a little far-fetched) or
2) she has mastered the Art Of Not Being Seen (TM) (which is slightly less far-fetched?)

Option 1 is supported by the fact that she is the only one that seems to have no idea that there has been a murder. That would make her innocent, and I would have to assume that MTH is the killer, but I can find no plausible motive for that. Pilotbob is also an option, but still no motive. As for Ravenne, whose alibi is in conflict with what Pilotbob says, she may have a motive in protecting the prizes, but I can't see why Pilotbob would lie to protect her. Plus, she's really not all that violent to VR, who supposedly also keeps trying to steal things. Rock Lobster does say at the end, "Fifth, there was the fact that all of you were here, ...", so I'm going to believe that no one was away.

ASSUMPTION 2
is that I choose to go with option 2

Option 2 gives neko the means to commit the murder without being seen. She is furthermore suspicious because
1) She acts nervously when denying that she committed the murder
2) Unless she was really away it is very suspicious that she has no idea of the murder
3) For a pacifist she really seems to hold a grudge against pshrynk
4) She is very quick to anger, as implied by the shouting at Lobster
5) She is *violently* opposed to violence, and I'm assuming the use of a crowbar against a glass case, or the breaking of a nook, can be regarded as violence
6) She did say "Oh, what a giveaway!"

I rest my case!

Well, at least I gave the twisted mods a headache too, if they actually tried to read all that

[GeoffC]

At one stage I thought it was Neko, described as non-violent etc - and then went and shouted suggesting that she had a temper ... usually a clue on Miss Marple I remember ...

Patricia was very busy; I can imagine how interruptions could readily descend into murder .....

[FlorenceArt]

Well, that was fun! I didn't try very hard to solve this as I'm no good at this kind of thing. The only answer I came up with was that pshrynk accidentally bashed himself in the head while trying to pry open a glass case with the crowbar I didn't bother sending that though

[omk3]

I made a poll here:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=83791

Let's all vote our own murderer and claim the prizes for ourselves (or maybe just vote)

[Bratzzo]

The answer is 42!

If you spell "mtravellerh" in numbers,

m=13
t=20
r=18...

and you add the numbers, you receive these

134

If you subtract 8 (the number of different letters) you receive

126

If you divide this by 3 (the number of letters, which occur twice) you recieve

42!




Bratzzo

[beachwanderer]

Originally Posted by Bratzzo

The answer is 42!

Of course! Remember: Towel Day is coming up next week!

[LCF]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

Nekokami killed pshrink!

* She had motive: Not only was she incensed by pshrink charging her $300.00 for advice she considered unnecessary, but she may have been jealous of his success as a writer as well.

* She has no alibi. No one saw her during the time of the murder, and she avoided the question when Rock asked her.

* Pshrink implicated her by the Yellow Star with the Red Q he was clutching. She said, “I’m a BLOODY QUAKER!”, and what better way for the dying man to implicate a Bloody Quaker than by pulling out his old avatar? Red Q = Bloody Quaker. Oh, what a giveaway!

I chose Nekokami as the murderer because she had motive, no alibi, and was a “Bloody Quaker” who was implicated by pshrink by his clutching of the Yellow Star with the Red Q.

Case closed.

(I hope!)

Ah, exactly my logic. I guess the case "WT Sharp and LCF having claim for the prises" is really closed.

Originally Posted by Davimee

Sweet! My 9-year old daughter and I had fun with this one. We poured over all the evidence this afternoon, and came to the conclusion it was MTH! Except our reasoning was a little different... Here's what we came up with...

He was busy dusting off the cases of the free ereaders at the time of the murder, according to PilotBob. MTH stated he would give a vague and misleading answer. When asked what he was doing at the time of the murder he stated, he was “moderating.” “There is a new thread on a new reader that has been getting heated and I was keeping tack of possible trolls.” My daughter and I believe the thread was placed there by Nate the Grate, as he was putting string on everything. The new reader was one of the prizes on the wall. Pshrynk was going to steal the reader, and mtravellerh clubbed him with the crowbar to protect it, in essence, he was moderating, or protecting the new ereader.

This was fun!

So that's what I missed! I had to ask my little sister!

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

Catire & I seem to be the only people who got it wrong. Must be lots and lots of geniuses here at MR, or else some folks just aren't bothering to show their face!

Nah, it's not only you

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

Pshrynk, now that it's over, how about clearing up a few loose threads?

* Pilotbob said that MTravellerH was polishing the prize cases, but MTH said he was “busy with the new reader at the time.” Was BOb lying or just distracted? And earlier, Zelda was seen by Rock to be absent-mindedly dusting the cases. Why bother to dust recently polished cases?

'Cause it's Zippy. The "absent-minded" Zippy, trying to hide her big secret and probable eavesdrop.

* Pilotbob said that Ravenne was spray-painting a dog at the time, but she said she was trying to get the next contest ready for the members. Was he lying about what she was doing, or does the next contest involve a spray-painted dog? Since the next contest is now out (a drawing for an iPad), it seems as if Ravenne was lying. Why?

Well, we"ll know when the next contest comes

* What were the significance of the printed words “Moby Dick” on the Nook?

To make you think it was the Blue Thing Next to the white Whale!

* Why did Patricia say that “Zelda never touches the Red Button,” when during the course of the story, Zelda pressed the Red Button twice, and was obviously quite familiar with its operation?

To confuse us, I guess.

* Why did Nate the Great say, “I understand that pshrynk took one on the head. Nasty business. But then, he didn't know that much about electronics.” What's that got to do with the price of tea in China?

42 answers available for that Question.

Just curious...

Originally Posted by omk3

I made a poll here:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=83791

Let's all vote our own murderer and claim the prizes for ourselves (or maybe just vote)

Hey, we are winning now! The poll I mean...

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by Bratzzo

The answer is 42!

If you spell "mtravellerh" in numbers,

m=13
t=20
r=18...

and you add the numbers, you receive these

134

If you subtract 8 (the number of different letters) you receive

126

If you divide this by 3 (the number of letters, which occur twice) you recieve

42!




Bratzzo

Originally Posted by beachwanderer

Of course! Remember: Towel Day is coming up next week!

Why didn't I see that? It's all so obvious now!

[GeoffC]

I bet if you had the answer 42 you couldn't work it back to mth ....

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by GeoffC

I bet if you had the answer 42 you couldn't work it back to mth ....

42 is the answer to everything!

[Bratzzo]

Originally Posted by GeoffC

I bet if you had the answer 42 you couldn't work it back to mth ....

m+t+h = 41 +1 (there is only one culprit!) = 42!

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by Bratzzo

m+t+h = 41 +1 (there is only one culprit!) = 42!

That's pretty much how the Masons arrived at the conclusion that Napoleon was the Antichrist in Tolstoy's War and Peace!

[ShortNCuddlyAm]

Originally Posted by FlorenceArt

Well, that was fun! I didn't try very hard to solve this as I'm no good at this kind of thing. The only answer I came up with was that pshrynk accidentally bashed himself in the head while trying to pry open a glass case with the crowbar I didn't bother sending that though

That was my original thought!

Then I settled on MTH...

[GeoffC]

Originally Posted by ShortNCuddlyAm

That was my original thought!

Then I settled on MTH...

exactly so ....