Monday Madness

Police were called to the home of Reginald Brewster in the wee hours of the morning, one day before Christmas. Mr. Brewster was dead on the floor in his den with a single gunshot wound in his forehead.

Police were called to the scene by a neighbor, Jimmy John. Mr. John states that he was out walking his dog, when he thought he heard a "sharp report" from the direction of Mr. Brewsters home. He then saw a black BMW, similar to that driven by Mr. Brewsters' girlfriend - Linda Landis - come "flying" backwards out of the Brewster driveway, and then heading east - at an "excessive" speed for the road conditions. Mr. John saw Mr. Brewsters den light on. He approached the window, and after rubbing the frost from it so he could see inside, believed he saw Mr. Brewster lying in, what appeared to be a puddle of blood. Mr. John then kicked in the front door, verified what he had seen from outside, and phoned the police.

Police questioned Linda Landis, who admitted that she had been at Mr. Brewsters home last night/this morning. Yes, she does drive a black BMW and did leave the Brewster residence rather abruptly. According to Miss Landis, she had been invited to the residence by Mr. Brewster. He had asked her to come to his home where he said that he wanted to share with her some "exciting" news that he said that he knew she had been "waiting" to hear. Miss Landis shared that she was expecting Mr. Brewster to finally propose, as he had indicated last year that "this might be her last Christmas as Miss Landis." However, she stated that his "exciting" news was that he believed he was getting a promotion at work, which would include the coveted corner office on the 24th floor that he had always dreamed of. When she asked him about his "promised" proposal, she says that he stated that he was going to need some time to "settle in" to this new position, so therefore any wedding plans would have to wait for at least another year. Linda Landis admitted to police that she left there "very upset" and states that she told him she "hated him" and that she "never wanted to see him again". But she was adamant that he was still very much alive when she left.

Police then made an arrest on suspicion of murder.

Who did they arrest and why?

they arrested mr john, because he kicked in the door and shot mr brewster. if he had seen the body through the window like he claims, he wouldn't of kicked in the door but gone to his own house next door to phone the police.

The "suspicious circumstance" that led to an arrest was not related to the kicking in of a front door, nor was it related to Mr. John calling the police from the home of the deceased.

The police arrested Mr. John for the murder of Reginald Brewster. Mr. John was in line for the promotion given to Mr. Brewster and had coveted that corner office on the 24th floor. Mr. John also coveted the affections of Miss Landis, who preferred the company of Mr. Brewster. So, Mr. John murdered Reginald Brewster and framed Miss Landis for the crime.

There is a blatant "mistake" in one of the statements given to police by either Mr. John or Miss Landis. What was/is it?

Folks aren't normally out walking their dog in the "wee hours" of the morning.

They arrested Mr. John. If she were invited that night and it were cold enough for the windows to be frosted over than the same would have been true for her car windows. she would not have been able to shoot, clear off windows and "fly" out of the driveway in enough time. There is a problem with the time frame that Mr. John is giving.

Folks aren't normally out walking their dog in the "wee hours" of the morning.

Apparently there are people who let their pets live in their home with them. When said pet needs to complete the final stage of the digestive process… they will whine/bark until their owner lets them outside to do their business. Do to leash laws, the person responsible for the dog is not allowed to let the dog just take care of itself, but rather must remain on a leash throughout the process. Another possibility is that the owner of the dog may have been out at a Christmas Party and did not arrive home until the wee hours of the morning. It would be necessary for such a person to exercise the animal prior to calling it a night… even though it is morning.

If she were invited that night and it were cold enough for the windows to be frosted over than the same would have been true for her car windows.

How long was Miss Landis' car at Mr. Brewsters abode? How long does it take for the windows to frost over in a car that is warm? What causes a cars windows to freeze over? Is it the same with a window in a heated home?

What floor was the den located on?

What floor was the den located on?

Ground floor

I think they arrested Mr. John. Normaly frost is on the inside of a house window.

He approached the window, and after rubbing the frost from it so he could see inside,

Ding, Ding, Ding!

Well done oldman960!

The frosted window was the piece of information that led the police to arrest Jimmy John. It is virtually impossible to get a window in a heated home to build frost on the exterior of the glass.

Everyone gets used to "frosted" windows on their car… which occurs on the exterior - which is totally different from a frosted window on a heated house. On a car windshield the "frost" that must be scraped off to allow visibility, is actually moisture that has "landed" on the glass, freezing in place. This will usually not occur if the interior of the car is heated, as the glass itself will stay above the temperature of required for ice to form.

The ability of air to hold moisture is directly related to the temperature of the air. The warmer air is, the more water it can hold. Air temperature below the freezing level can hold very little moisture, and whatever moisture is in it, will condense onto anything cooler than the air that holds it. This is how rain forms. When particles of dust, smoke, whatever… contained in a cooler air mass comes into contact with a warmer (therefore more moisture laden) air mass - the water vapor in the warmer air condenses into water drops on the colder particles, becoming to heavy for the air currents to keep suspended, and therefore falls to earth.

Glass is not a very good insulator. What happens to windows in a heated home is… the class cools below the dew point of the warmer, moister air inside the home. The water vapor then condenses onto the cooler glass. Let's say that the window frame is made of wood. Wood is a good insulater. The center of a pane of glass will remain warmer than the edges because more heat is escaping through the glass. On the edges, the insulating effect of the wood stops allow the glass to become colder which is why condensation will start on the edges… especially the corners. Water is a pretty good insulater so the moisture on the glass actually allows the glass to receive less heat from the heated air in the room and the glass gets even colder - to the point that the temperature is below the freezing level - which allows the water droplets to begin to freeze - creating frost on the inside of the window. Over time, the insulating qualaties of water droplets and ice continue to allow more and more of the glass to reach the freezing level until the entire window is frosted over - on the inside. The outside will remain clear.

Rubbing the exterior of a frosted window will have no effect on a persons ability to see what is happening inside the home.

Great Job oldman960!!

oldman960

oldman960