Riddle: A man was found dead on a Sunday morning. His wife immediately called the police. When the police arrived, they questioned the wife and staff, who provided the following alibis:

• The wife said she was asleep.
• The cook said he was preparing breakfast.
• The gardener said she was picking vegetables.
• The butler said he was cleaning the closet.
• The maid said she was collecting the post.

Upon hearing these alibis, the police immediately arrested the murderer. Who was the murderer?

Breaking Down the Clue

To solve this riddle, we need to pay close attention to the maid’s alibi. She claimed that she was “getting the post”. However, in many places, especially in Western countries, mail is not delivered on Sundays. Therefore, her alibi is false, and she couldn’t have been getting the post as she claimed.

This discrepancy immediately points to the maid as the murderer.

Solution:

The murderer is the maid. Her alibi was flawed because there is no mail delivery on Sundays, exposing her lie and making her the prime suspect in the murder.

Key Takeaway:

This riddle teaches us to carefully examine each alibi for logical consistency. The maid’s alibi stood out as impossible, leading to her identification as the culprit. Always pay attention to the small details when solving riddles!