Sherlogic Mystery
A storied logic puzzle. Read closely, every detail may matter.
Case File · Read Carefully
Who Stole the Crimson Comet?
An Empty Inspection Bay
On the evening before the Willow Creek Soapbox Derby, five drivers parked their homemade racers inside the exhibition barn: the Crimson Comet, Blue Barracuda, Green Machine, Lucky Lightning, and Thunder Wagon. Ellie Harper, Mason Reed, Nora Bell, Toby Grant, and Calvin Price watched as Inspector Hale checked every steering cable, brake lever, and wheel. He then locked the racers in their marked bays. At sunrise, the rear doors stood partly open and the Crimson Comet's red bay was empty. Two narrow wheel tracks crossed the barn floor before disappearing into rain-softened mud outside.
Five Late Visitors
The night watchman's log showed that all five drivers had returned to the fairgrounds separately after inspection. One claimed to be retrieving a helmet, another to be delivering an entry card, a third to be tightening a steering cable, a fourth to be taking a photograph, and the last to be returning a borrowed tool. Each visitor was also connected to one piece of evidence: a paint-stained rag, a dropped wrench, a muddy shoeprint, a torn sponsor ribbon, or a camera lens cap.
The Racers
Mason proudly identified Thunder Wagon as his racer, while Nora had built Lucky Lightning. Calvin's entry was the Green Machine. Ellie drove neither the Green Machine nor Lucky Lightning. Toby's racer was neither the Blue Barracuda nor Thunder Wagon. Inspector Hale also remembered that the Blue Barracuda's driver was the person who returned for a helmet.
The Claimed Errands
Mason said he had noticed a steering cable that needed one final adjustment, and the wrench was connected to the driver who gave that explanation. Ellie insisted that she had returned neither to deliver an entry card nor to return a tool. Toby also denied returning the borrowed tool. The person who delivered the entry card was later connected to the torn sponsor ribbon.
What the Barn Revealed
A camera lens cap was found beside the Crimson Comet's bay. The night watchman was certain it belonged to the visitor who came to take a photograph, and Inspector Hale confirmed that this visitor was the Crimson Comet's own driver. Calvin admitted that the muddy shoeprint matched his boot. That left the paint-stained rag, which bore traces of the same blue paint used on the Blue Barracuda.
The Other Half of the Clue
The Crimson Comet was soon discovered undamaged beneath a canvas in the old livestock shed. Inspector Hale found half of a torn sponsor ribbon snagged tightly around its rear axle. The matching half was the ribbon already connected to one of the five late visitors. That driver finally admitted moving the racer after mistaking its approved steering stabilizer for an illegal device. The plan had been to force a second inspection, not to damage the car, but hiding a competitor's racer was still cheating.
Detective’s note: There is no separate clue list. Circle the useful facts in your mind and transfer them to the grid.
Detective’s Deduction Grid
Record the relationships you uncover in the case file.
Eliminate is selected.
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