mediumlogic

A man was found dead in his study. He was slumped over his desk and a gun was in his hand. There was a cassette recorder on his desk. When the police entered the room and pressed the play button on the tape recorder they heard: "I can't go on. I have nothing to live for." Then there was the sound of a gunshot. How did the detective immediately know that the man had been murdered and it wasn't a suicide?

Someone had to have rewound the tape.

Why this works

This riddle plays on the logical sequence of events surrounding the tape recorder. If the man had truly committed suicide, he wouldn't have been able to rewind the tape after recording his final message; it would have played straight through to the end. Since the police found the tape ready to play from the beginning, it indicates that someone else must have been there to rewind it, suggesting foul play rather than a self-inflicted death. This clever detail highlights how the small actions of a potential murderer can reveal the truth behind a seemingly straightforward scenario.

Common Wrong Answers

“The man accidentally shot himself while recording.”

If it were an accident, there would be no reason for the tape to be rewound; the recording would have stopped at the moment of the gunshot.

“The man was depressed and decided to end his life.”

While the man's statement suggests he was depressed, the key detail is the rewinding of the tape, which indicates someone else was present to rewind it after the gunshot.

“The tape was pre-recorded and played back.”

If the tape was pre-recorded, it wouldn't contain the sound of the gunshot at the moment of his death, which is crucial evidence that points to foul play.

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