The Fallen Scientist (And Last Week's Solution)

Solution:

(1) Lilly’s sister, Anne Kincaid.

(2) Lilly and Anne were playing a prank on the boys. Anne made them chase after an imaginary killer, then stabbed her sister for real.

(3) The fake knife had its handlegrip facing the feet, while the real knife was turned the other way.

Explanation:

The police noticed the discrepancy between Mark’s and Larry’s description of the knife’s position in Lilly’s chest and that shown in the crime scene photos. Someone had obviously removed the knife and reversed it. Or stuck in a new knife, one with a blade.

Anne was brought in for questioning. Eventually the 17-year-old confessed. For years, she had been jealous of her sister. Lilly got everything: praise and attention and, most galling of all, a first rate education that their parents had saved years for.

It was Lilly who had thought up the prank. They would lure their boyfriends into the old mansion and then scare them with a murder, just like in the movies. Anne instantly saw how this fake murder could be turned into a real one. Lilly and their parents would pay for their favoritism. And Anne would get to go to Princeton.

During their exploration, Lilly tiptoed away and set up the grisly scene, smearing herself with cat blood and sticking the broken-off knife into her blouse. Anne made sure the boys didn’t get too close to the “body”, at the same time making sure that she got a sufficient amount of blood on herself.

The only thing Anne needed now was a few moments alone with her sister. As soon as she’d tricked the boys into running off, Anne produced a real knife and stabbed Lilly to death. The second scream also came from Lilly, and this time she wasn’t acting. In the 30 seconds it took them to run back upstairs, Anne had wiped off the fake knife and thrown it out the window.

The “Fallen” Scientist

Doctor Madori, the “Biochemist of the Century” (according to Time Magazine) often spent fourteen hour days at the lab. In just two weeks, Madori’s prized discovery would be revealed to the AMA: an aspirin-size capsule that would virtually eradicate Diabetes. In its current composition, the drug was highly hallucinogenic, needing a few minor tweaks to the chemical makeup. The Doctor had put Lucille LaBoux, winner of this year’s “Young Scientist” internship, in charge of the task.

Just like all “Young Scientists” before her, Lucille lived in the run-down cottage just behind the Madoris’ home. There was no running water to the cottage, but at least it was rent-free. After all, interns received minimal compensation.

At first, living in such close quarters with her boss made Lucille very nervous. She became an unwilling witness to Doctor Madori’s dysfunctional marriage to Chris, a local elementary school Librarian. In Lucille’s opinion, this marriage was based more on dependency than love.

Shortly after Lucille’s arrival, the Madoris’ marriage began to fall apart. Lucille’s carefree, flirtatious personality invaded their home, turning it into a circus side show. Whenever Lucille needed a glass of water, or wanted to take a bath, she’d glide from the cottage through the house, wearing a scanty piece of lingerie. Madori was certain that Lucille was not the innocent young woman she pretended to be at the lab.

A few weeks later, Lucille began dating a mechanic named Rupert. Rupert was very taken with the striking woman, and tolerated her incessant criticisms of the Madoris’ marriage, which bordered on obsession. Lucille often said that Doctor Madori was going to make a lot of money from some Diabetes cure. She lamented how Chris and the Doctor didn’t belong together.

One evening, Rupert went into the kitchen to get Lucille her nightly tea. As he placed the last tea bag in the cup, and was pouring hot water from the kettle, he glanced outside the kitchen window. Chris was trimming roses in the back yard, although it was well after nightfall. Rupert noticed Lucille at her cottage window, watching Chris’ every move. Finally fed up, he returned to the cottage and placed the tea on the desk. He told Lucille to drop dead, and stormed out.

The next morning, when Doctor Madori did lab rounds, a technician noted that six of the Diabetes capsules were missing. Madori went searching for Lucille to see if she had noticed anyone suspicious in the building last night. But Lucille could not be found. The Doctor telephoned Chris, demanding to know of Lucille’s whereabouts.

“How should I know?” Chris retorted. “Maybe she’s at the beach.”

Madori tried again, “Seriously, Chris, I’m worried. Just check the cottage.”

“Fine, but I’ve got a library lesson to teach in thirty minutes. I can’t be late.” Chris hung up. Madori waited a minute for the return call. When it didn’t come, the Doctor hopped into the car, and sped home.

When Madori pulled up to the house, an ambulance blocked the driveway. Madori ran to Chris who was being questioned by a police officer. Lucille’s broken body lay heaped on the cement walkway.

“It appears as if Miss LaBoux jumped from the roof of the cottage,” the officer explained. “There are no bruises. No signs of coercion.”

“They’ve taken Rupert in for questioning. He was the last one to see her yesterday,” Chris added, wiping away a tear that was welling up.

“It’s possible,” said Doctor Madori thoughtfully, “that Lucille might have been experimenting with drugs. Some capsules with hallucinogenic properties were missing from the lab. Lucille was there last night.”

“We did a search of the cottage and the house for any drugs she may have been using,” said the Officer, “And we found a broken capsule at the bottom of some women’s vitamins.” The officer walked up to examine the corpse and inquired, “When did you last see Miss LaBoux?”

“Last night.” Madori answered. “Lucille and I were working late when the guard called to say that Rupert was waiting to take Lucille home. Lucille was irritated by his dropping in unexpectedly. I left at that point.”

“Did Rupert enter the lab?” Inquired the officer.

“Well, yes, I saw him head in as I was leaving. But Officer, theft has never been an issue at the lab. Lots of people have been inside. Chris has, and so have all the Significant Others of every lab technician in the entire company!”

“Rupert was a jerk,” spouted Chris angrily. “It hurts me to say this, but the girl was always looking for trouble –and she got it.”

“The pathologist should be here soon, and we’ll have the lab results by one,” said the Officer. “Don’t worry, we’ll get to the bottom of this!”

Who is responsible for Lucille LaBoux’s demise?

Doctor Madori

Miss LaBoux

Rupert

How did she die?

What was the motive?

Need some more help?

Lab Results (clue 1)

a) The cup found in the cottage contained a few tablespoons of tea.

Dissolved in the tea was a Hydrochlorozinian-based substance

(a strong hallucinogenic compound).

b) The partial pill discovered in the vitamins was a Hydrochlorozinian-based

substance. The Forty Six remaining pills were vitamins.

Coroner’s Report (clue 2

“Lucille LaBoux died from trauma resulting from a fall off a roof. However,

the toxic amounts of a hallucinogenic drugs found in her bloodstream would

have resulted in death within thirty minutes.”

Victim’s Possessions (clue 3)

“We discovered a silver locket in Miss LaBoux’s possession.” The locket,

a family heirloom from Doctor Madori’s grandmother, had been kept in a

safe deposit box. Only the Madoris had the combination.

Search of The House (clue 4)

A bag found in the house had three books in it: “Perennial Blooms,”

“The Rochester Guide to Library Cataloguing,” and “The Kama Sutra Way

to Female Pleasure.” There was a credit card receipt. The signature

on the receipt reads “C. Madori.”

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