(5-minute mystery) The Case of the Slow-Moving Ducks

[Politicalbeast]

Because I am keeping a competitive tally of correct answers on another board, and because some of said board's posters also post here, I am not going to acknowledge correct answers here until they are given on the other board. In the meantime, you all are free to post what you think are the correct answers...


The Case of the Slow-Moving Ducks


It was not just the smell of lawyers’ offices that bothered him, Geoff Dilley decided as he looked around the library. To be honest, there really was no smell anyway; these offices just seemed musty because of all those stacks and stacks of law books. What bothered him, Geoff realized, was the overwhelming importance of everything.

Starting with the books. That many books simply looked important. Then there were the secretaries. They always seemed so crisply efficient. And important. The furniture was important too: thick and solid and ordered, like the books. Then there were the lawyers themselves.

“They behave like high priests,” Geoff muttered aloud.

Geoff Dilley, private investigator, had worked himself up to the point of walking out of the library and chucking the whole thing, when the door swung wide at the urgent bidding of F.V. Douglas Doyle, barrister, solicitor, notary public and senior partner of Doyle, Feldstein and Sperazzini.

Geoff was just beginning to conclude that it was his imagination which had made the door open more majestically than an ordinary door, when Doyle spoke.

“You’re Dilley then, right?” No hello. No greetings. No preliminaries. Just a confirmation of identity. Geoff felt a bit like a hostile witness. Well, two could play that way, and he had been going to leave anyway.

“It was you that called me. My name is in your appointment book.” Geoff felt he’d scored a small point.

Doyle peered over his glasses. “Yes, but it was not my idea. Not at your fee anyway.”

“My fee!” Geoff almost came out of his seat. He knew he was the most expensive private investigator in town. More than one potential client had had a change of heart after the first discussion of daily rate and expenses. On the other hand, the reputation of Doyle, Feldstein and Sperrazini, although one of excellence, was also one of high fees, and extreme parsimony to boot.

“My fee!” Geoff repeated. “Look, if there’s going…”

“Gentlemen, please.” The soft voice commanded attention. “It was my request to involve you, Mr. Dilley. My name is Ben Paul.” From behind F.V. Douglas Doyle, a tall, graying man held out his hand to Geoff. “I’m told you are the best in the field. I asked Mr. Doyle to bring you in.”

Doyle took a seat and began talking as though nothing at all had happened. Geoff realized why the man was so good in court.

“Mr. Paul here is being sued. The case is wrong. It’s crooked. It’s trivial. It should be thrown out.” He paused uncomfortably. “We just can’t find the weak spot in the other side.” He looked at Ben Paul. “As yet.”

“I was rear-ended last spring on a country road,” Ben Paul explained in his soft voice. “A young man on a motorcycle hit me when I slowed to let a duck lead her little ones across the road. The young man was going very fast. When he hit me, he catapulted right over the top of my car. He was hurt very badly.”

“Wait a minute. Wait a minute.” Geoff was shaking his head. “First of all, I don’t do traffic. Too messy. Too piddly. And everybody lies. Secondly, if he hit you, shouldn’t you be suing him?”

“I’ve advised my client to countersue,” Doyle intervened. “At the very least we can delay the thing a year or more.”

Ben Paul continued in his soft voice. “Mr. Dilley, it’s not quite that way. You see, I’m being sued for half-a-million dollars over and above my insurance coverage. The young man has two witnesses who will swear that I stopped abruptly and with no reason. That makes me the cause of the accident.”

“Well, did you stop that way or not?” Dilley wanted to know.

“Mr. Paul slowed,” Doyle stated in his court voice. “He slowed because of his laudable commitment to wildlife preservation. He did not stop abruptly.”

“The young man is lying,” Ben Paul said in his quiet, authoritative voice.

Geoff Dilley saw what a powerful team these two would make in court: Doyle with his declamatory, stentorian style, contrasted with Ben Paul’s mellow but earnest sincerity.

“His witnesses are lying, too,” Ben Paul contined. “They are all family. Cousins by marriage, I think.”

“Here’s the police report.” Doyle handed it to Geoff, who began to skim the summary.


Lake Erie Division – June 10 – 9:05p.m. –
Concession 9 at Side Road…


“You can read it later,” Doyle said. “Everything’s there. The problem is simply the witnesses. If we can shake them…” He frowned in thought. “Remember that hot, muggy spell early last summer? You see, they were sitting out front. It happened almost in front of them. I’ve been there. They have a clear view of the road from their little front yard, but only right in front of the place.”

Ben Paul continued. “In fact three seconds earlier, or later, and they would not be able to claim seeing anything, because there’s swamp on either side of their farmhouse right up to the road, and big willow trees too.”

Geoff pursed his lips. “How come you’re so sure they’re lying?”

Doyle pulled his glasses farther down his nose and held Geoff Dilley with the look that had withered many a witness. “Because my client is telling the truth.” Then he softened. “Besides, their spiel is too pat, too rehearsed. They’re lousy actors. Even an amateur can tell they’re using a script.”

“And you need some way to crack the shell in court?” Geoff added.

“Right,” Doyle responded. “Just one simple thing. With amateur liars, you only need a nudge and they’ll roll right away.” He paused. “Why? You mean you’ve got something?”

Geoff Dilly smiled. “Yes. Do you want it? At my fee?”



What weakness has Geoff Dilley been able to detect in the witnesses’ story?

[Flame]

Here's my thought.....don't scroll down if you don't want to see my answer!







































The "witnesses" only had a small window to see the accident, any sooner or later, they wouldn't have seen anything.  So, How could they tell if he stopped upbruptly or gradually....they couldn't have seen him before the stop.  Also, how could they see if there was nothing in the road if they only had the small window.

Anyway, that my thoughts so far.

[Politicalbeast]

Not quite.

[Politicalbeast]

Anyone else want to hazard a guess?