The Case of the Desert Caper

It was a long and almost unbearable drive out into the desert as the hot sun beat down on Detective Nose’s face. As luck would have it, his air conditioning had broken down only two days earlier and despite having all the windows open, the heat was simply excruciating. As the inspector sipped on some of the water that he brought for the trip, the thought that he may have somehow missed his destination was beginning to penetrate his mind. Just as he was about to turn around and head back, a small sign appeared that read “Ross Expeditions Here”. With a silent sigh of relief, he turned his car towards the small cabin that could be seen in the distance.

As Nose reached the front door, Jason Ross introduced himself and motioned for the detective to come inside. The interior of the cabin consisted of one very large, but cozy room. In the right-hand corner, all the camping supplies were piled including an axe, one five-liter jug of water, some canned food, a lantern and other various pieces of camping equipment. To the back of the room was a small fireplace, and a wooden table with a couple mismatched chairs.

The most notable item in the cabin could be seen in the middle of the floor; a body, evidently lifeless, sprawled on top of two sleeping bags that were casually laid there. The cause of death was not obvious.

“Can you tell me what happened?” said Detective Nose.

“I wish I knew,” Jason said quietly. “I run a desert camping expedition business, providing tours to a variety of people. I have been trying for years to get my brother to come and join me, but being the city person that he was, he would always scoff at the idea. He used to joke that if he wanted to be without the convenience of phones, running water, or electricity, he’d simply skip paying his bills. Anyways, last week we were having a few drinks together, and we made a silly bet in which if he lost, he would have to spend a week out here with me. As you can see, he lost.”

Jason then paused for moment and took a long deep breath before continuing.

“I woke up early this morning and since my brother was still sleeping, I decided to do a little dirt biking. I was gone for about two hours. When I returned, I found my brother dead in the middle of the floor. I really do not know what happened. Other than his wallet that was on the table, nothing seems to be missing.”

“I think you may know more than you’re telling me!”

Why did Detective Nose suspect that Jason was not being completely honest?

ANSWER: Had Jason really intended on camping out in the desert for the week, he would have brought more than five liters of water. Remember, Jason ran an expert camping business in the desert, and he would have known that five liters of water was not nearly adequate for the week.