Play The Tape is a short riddle about a man who is found dead under mysterious circumstances. See if you can figure out the answer to this riddle. If you can’t get it, you’ll find the answer in the comments section below.
Play The Tape
Many years ago, there was a rich old man who lived alone in a mansion on top of a hill. One night, the police received a call saying that the man committed suicide. When they arrived at the scene, the old man’s butler opened the door. He said that he had been working late, cleaning up in the kitchen when he heard a shot ring out. He ran upstairs and was horrified to find his employer had killed himself.
The police asked to see the body and the butler led them upstairs, to the old man’s bedroom.
The old man was sitting, slumped over on his desk. There was a pool of blood around his head and there was a bullet wound in his temple. A gun was resting on the desk, just beside the old man’s right hand. Near his left hand, there was a tape recorder. After dusting the gun for fingerprints, they found only the fingerprints of the old man on it.
One of the policemen pressed the play button on the tape recorder. They heard the old man’s voice saying, “My name is Samuel Richardson, I’m lonely and unhappy so I have decided to leave this cruel world. I’m sorry. May God have mercy on my soul.” A second later, they heard the sound of a gunshot.
After listening to the tape, the police arrested the butler for murder.
Why did they arrest the butler?
… I think it’s because someone would have had to turn off the camera, and as the butler was the only person there who was alive, he murdered the rich man, forcing him to say those words before shooting him. Not very smart though, because obviously someone had to end the recording lol
meh I was only a little wrong. . .
The butler’s name was Samuel Richardson! He didn’t like how is boss was treating him so he decide to “leave this cruel world” so he shot his boss!
This was sorta easy. . .
You can’t record yourself shooting yourself. Who would turn it off??????? Can’t fool me B*TCHES!!!!!!!!
BUT WHO STOPPED THE RECORDING??? THAT’S SOME SPOOPY STUFF RIGHT THERE!!!
First, the gun was on the table? he certainly, after shooting himself did not place the gun on the table. Second-who stopped the recording?
WHAT?! Who uses a tape recorder these days?
Yes! I knew my answer was right! I read SFK’s answer & I was right!
I thought it was because how could the recorder stop if he was dead? It would keep recording . . .
The man couldnt have stopped recording if he was dead, so someone must have killed him.
It was easy, the hands of the victim. if you read the riddle the gun was resting on the table, but a suicide victim should be holding the gun and since it was resting beside his hand therefore it was an act to pretend it is a suicide, another thing the man was probably left handed because the tape was near the left hand, which would contradict to the gun placed beside the right hand. Even if we said that the gun was fallen from the hand of the victim the tape recorder will clearly clarify the real situation. probably this is what happened, the butler aimed a gun on the victim and threaten him to record the message and after he shoot him. Hurrying he put the gun on the table not realizing his master was left handed. Also there is no statement about a burn in the temple
Guys, “Living alone” can simply mean not living with a significant other. He could have a butler and still be living alone. Like SFK said, the tape was rewound before the police arrived. That’s not possible, unless the old man wasted a bullet by shooting randomly, but then a bullet hole would be somewhere else in the room.
Posibility #1. The man lived alone so there couldn’t have been a butler, maybe someone broke into the house and forced him to commit cuicide…….?
Posibility #2. Or the butler shot the police after they listened to the tape…….?
aw. good old sherlock holmes tales
after the cops stopped listening to the tape, the butler shot the cop from behind, effectively killing him. he didn’t go to prison for killing the first guy, he went to prison for killing the cop.
The tape was rewound. If the Employer had shot himself, the police would have had their voices recorded on the tape too.
cuz the old man lived alone
the tape recorder have to be re-winded to play from the beginning. thus making the butler the murder.
The “butler” is the man.After all,they said that he lived alone.It’s his ghost that rewinded.I think.
To everyone questioning the butler living there. The butler probably didn’t LIVE there. Some people have live-in butlers(meaning they live at the mansion they work at. Alfred in Batman is an example of that) Others have butlers that live elsewhere as this butler clearly did.
The butler did it. Typical.
I know I watched to much Sherlock Holmes XD so I say he is left handed and it’s hard to shot at the right side of your head if you are :D people who watched the Sherlock Holmes series get me ;P though now I see after reading the comments how stupid my theory is XD
The butlers name is samuel
@sam derp
stupid butler >.< thats mean.
O.o