Lateral Thinking Questions

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ANSWER: L.T.Q. #23  !
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Date: Wednesday, November 22, 1995 3:19PM

Here is this week's question:

Mrs. Shady is lying dead on a bed, and on the floor beside it is a pair of scissors. The scissors were instrumental in her death, yet there is no trace of blood. Mrs. Shady's body reveals no signs of any cuts or bruises. How could she have been murdered with the pair of scissors?

ANSWER:

Mrs. Shady slept on a waterbed. Her assailant used the scissors to cut the bed open and drown her.

Incorrect but nonetheless interesting answers included:

  • Gord: She was electrocuted.
  • Margaret: Obviously Mrs. Shady was on some type of life support system (respirator / I.V. / dialysis ) and the scissors were used to cut the power (or tube) leading to her body.
  • Margaret (2nd try): She died from a heart attack brought on from fright at waking up to see someone poised over her about to stab her with the scissors.
  • Margaret (3rd try): She had the scissors in her hand when a freak lightning bolt struck her scissors and electrocuted her. (You said no cuts or bruises - you didn't mention smoke or burns or frizzled hair!)

    >Speaking of beds, one of the things I'm going to do to get over my post-I-didn't-get-the-house blues is to do some re-deranging

    I was going to mention having to drain the waterbed in order to move it, but I thought that would have been too much of a hint!

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