JaFanatic Posted May 3, 2014 Posted May 3, 2014 Deputy Sheriff John Morris arrived at the roadside hotel on the interstate thinking he was going to investigate an ordinary theft. Now he found himself receiving an art lesson from a dapper little man named Steve Richards, art expert from Durham's auction house in Chicago. "There were other antiques in the van, but it was the Audubons they were after. The market on Audubons has skyrocketed in recent years. There were two of them in a locked case inside the rear of the van, which is separated from the front seats by a barrier. Both were prints done by the master print-maker, Lawrence. I authenticated them myself. At auction they would have brought fifty thousand each, or more. The Shoveler Duck and the Purple Heron. Magnificent." "What time did you pull in here?" "Right at midnight. I was following the van in my car all the way. I blinked my lights for the driver to pull in here. We all needed a rest after driving for over twelve hours today." "How did you discover that the van had been broken into?" "The hotel security guard saw a car drive in and park next to the van, then speed out of here about ten minutes later. He got suspicious and checked. He found the van doors at the back were open and the lock busted by a crowbar or something. Inside the van, the case holding the prints was also broken open. Both Audubons were stolen." "Why was the van parked back there behind the hotel instead of the parking lot?" "Our security guy, Dave Solomon, was riding with the driver. He made the decision." The hotel security guard confirmed the story and added, "It was a funny thing. They had just gone in to register at the desk, and I looked out at the parking lot just as a car came in and drove around to the back lot.. It couldn't have been more than five minutes after they arrived. They were still registering. I didn't think too much of it, and went on with my rounds. Then about ten minutes later the car took off like a shot. That's when I went back out behind the hotel and investigated." The van's driver, Vince Stephen, said, "I was getting pretty sleepy, so I was glad when Mister Richards signaled to turn in here. But look, I sure wouldn't be part of stealing something now. I'm just a couple of years short of taking my retirement." "Do you carry a cell phone?" "Nope. Solomon has one. That's enough for security, I'd think." Dave Solomon, security Deputy for Durham, who had been up in the front of the van with Stephen, said, "I got out first when we got here. Mister Richards and I walked into the hotel together, and Vince stayed behind to get his gear out of the van. He came in no more than two minutes after we did. Then we all finished checking in and went to our rooms. I no more than got into my room when Mister Richards called me on his cell phone from outside and told me he was there with the hotel security guy and that someone had broken into the van. I used the hotel phone to call the Sheriff's office. I'd left my cell phone in the van." Did you notice a car following the van, by any chance?" "No. I glanced in the mirror as we started to turn in. All I saw was Mister Richards car." Morris returned to the art expert's room. "Mister Richards, did you at any time notice a car following you?" "No. There were mostly trucks on the interstate as the night wore on. And we weren't going fast. Cars passed us in the fast lane, but I could see no car following us. Frankly, I think someone just saw the Durham name on the van and knew there would be valuable items aboard. We're almost as well-known as Sothebys or Christies." "Was there any publicity about the Audubons and their being shipped by van?" "No. We would never advertise a find like the Audubons. We are very discreet." Morris returned to the driver, Vince Stephen, and asked him where his bags had been kept in the van. "Well, there's not a lot of room in the cab. We don't do a lot of overnights like this trip. Solomon kept his bag in the cab, so I had to use my key to open up the lock on the rear doors of the van. My bag was just inside the doors. I took my bag out and locked the van up again. Then I took my flashlight back to the cab, locked the cab up and came on in." Morris again questioned the Durham security man, Dave Solomon. "When the van left the highway and pulled into the parking lot, why did you have it parked in the area behind the hotel, rather than one of the areas that are better lit?" "Oh, that was Vince Stephen' idea. He knew how Richards felt about someone seeing the Durham name on the van and maybe trying to break in. I thought it wasn't the safest place, but I went along with it. Stephen has been working with Richards a lot longer than I have. But as a security guy, I'm interested in how you're going to solve this. It looks like a tough case to me." "Not as tough as some I've seen. I know exactly how this heist was pulled off." Who set up the robbery ? What clue points to the culprit ?? Pls use spoiler tags for your answers guys :two_thumbs_up: Case solved by Roshanrocks! :nice: The Stolen Necklace Case #5 : The murder caseIt was Richards who signaled the driver to pull into the hotel lot. Knowing the location of their stop, he then called the backup car lagging a few minutes behind. He knew that Stephen had parked in the area behind the hotel, and while the van was being parked, he finished the phone call. Stephen had a key to the cab and for the lock on the back doors of the van. But the two minutes in which he was alone at the van were not sufficient time to break the lock and also the case that held the Audubons. He only had the two minutes Simmons mentioned to get his luggage, re-lock the back and front of the van, then walk into the reception area of the hotel. Simmons could not have alerted the backup car while in the cab with Stephen, and Simmons had left his cell phone in the cab. So he could not have done it while walking across the parked van to join Richards. It was only the art expert, Richards, who had the time alone with his cell phone, during the brief period when the van was being parked, to inform the backup car of the van's exact location in the rear parking lot. The backup car did not have to be nearby. It could have been as far behind as five miles and have received Richards' signal on the cell phone permitting it to arrive within five minutes. Link for case #3
Roshanrocks Posted May 3, 2014 Posted May 3, 2014 I am confused... There is a car, then a van and then a cab...? The car was following the van.. WHere did this cab come from?
JaFanatic Posted May 3, 2014 Author Posted May 3, 2014 I am confused... There is a car' date=' then a van and then a cab...? The car was following the van.. WHere did this cab come from? [/quote'] It's the driver's compartment in the van
Roshanrocks Posted May 3, 2014 Posted May 3, 2014 Steve Richards... The driver and the security guard did not know that the van would stop at the hotel. Only Richards knew that. Also the driver and security guards did not have their phone with them to co-ordinate the heist with the thieves ... Is it right? :hmmm:
JaFanatic Posted May 5, 2014 Author Posted May 5, 2014 Congo RORO! Your too good for this case :nice: With full detail added to the OP It was Richards who signaled the driver to pull into the hotel lot. Knowing the location of their stop, he then called the backup car lagging a few minutes behind. He knew that Stephen had parked in the area behind the hotel, and while the van was being parked, he finished the phone call. Stephen had a key to the cab and for the lock on the back doors of the van. But the two minutes in which he was alone at the van were not sufficient time to break the lock and also the case that held the Audubons. He only had the two minutes Simmons mentioned to get his luggage, re-lock the back and front of the van, then walk into the reception area of the hotel. Simmons could not have alerted the backup car while in the cab with Stephen, and Simmons had left his cell phone in the cab. So he could not have done it while walking across the parked van to join Richards. It was only the art expert, Richards, who had the time alone with his cell phone, during the brief period when the van was being parked, to inform the backup car of the van's exact location in the rear parking lot. The backup car did not have to be nearby. It could have been as far behind as five miles and have received Richards' signal on the cell phone permitting it to arrive within five minutes.
JaFanatic Posted May 5, 2014 Author Posted May 5, 2014 easy one :asleep: Why didn you answer then ? :dontknow:
JaFanatic Posted May 5, 2014 Author Posted May 5, 2014 Next one please :) Will post one soon :two_thumbs_up:
JaFanatic Posted May 5, 2014 Author Posted May 5, 2014 ^Meanwhile see if you can solve the first case "Who is the killer ?" We're yet to confirm the solution for that case :P
Lord Posted May 5, 2014 Posted May 5, 2014 Why didn you answer then ? :dontknow: missed it.saw it today
Lord Posted May 5, 2014 Posted May 5, 2014 ^Meanwhile see if you can solve the first case "Who is the killer ?" We're yet to confirm the solution for that case :P post link for that :ohyeah:
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