5 MINUTE
DETECTIVE
Choose a case
Back to home

5 MINUTE DETECTIVEQUICK MYSTERY

The Missing Coat

All quick mysteries

Reading puzzle · Check the times on two clocks

A raincoat goes missing during dinner at a local hall. Check two clocks and three visits to find out who took it.

The story

Ruth hangs her green raincoat in the cloakroom at a local hall. When she comes back, its hook is empty. Her name is sewn inside the collar, so she can check it is her coat.

Three people went into the cloakroom while Ruth served dinner. A camera recorded their visits, but its clock shows a different time from the kitchen clock. You have the full list of visits and two checks of the coat.

The three people

Saira
A volunteer who went in for her scarf, then returned to serving dinner.
Maya
The pianist, who went in during a break from playing.
Leon
The organiser, who went in for his bag. Earlier, he had complained that his own jacket was damp.

The rules

  • One of these three people took the coat out of the room during their visit. They acted alone. The coat was not put back, left on another hook or hidden in the room.
  • The camera watches the only door. The table shows all three people's visits. Each went in once. Nobody else entered apart from Ruth during her two checks. The coat could not be reached from outside.
  • The records and coat checks are correct. Use the kitchen clock as the right time. The camera stays the same number of minutes fast or slow all evening. You do not need to guess whether anyone lied.

The clues

  1. Before dinner, a volunteer took a photo of both clocks at the same moment. Neither clock was changed later.

    Both clocks at the same moment
    Kitchen clockCamera clock
    19:5019:54

  2. These are the full visits, from arrival to departure. Both time columns use the camera clock.

    Visits shown on the camera clock
    PersonWent inLeft
    Saira20:0720:09
    Maya20:1420:17
    Leon20:2120:23

  3. At 20:08 on the kitchen clock, Ruth found her coat on its hook. She checked the name in its collar, then went back to serving dinner.

  4. At 20:16 on the kitchen clock, Ruth checked again. Her coat was gone from the room.

The question

Who took Ruth's coat? Using the kitchen clock, between which times must they have taken it? You do not need an exact minute.

Optional hints

Open one hint at a time if you need help. You can return to the clues before checking the answer.

Hint 1 — where to start

Use the kitchen clock for every time. Look at the photo of both clocks. Which one is fast?

Hint 2 — a stronger nudge

The camera is four minutes fast. Take four minutes off each arrival and departure. The coat was taken after 20:08 and before 20:16. Who was in the room then?

Ready to check your answer?

Show the answer and explanation

The answer

Maya took the coat during her visit, between 20:10 and 20:13 on the kitchen clock. We cannot tell the exact minute or why she took it.

How the clues fit

  1. At the same moment, the kitchen clock showed 19:50 and the camera showed 19:54. The camera was four minutes fast. Take four minutes off every time in the visit table.
  2. On the kitchen clock, Saira visited from 20:03 to 20:05. Maya visited from 20:10 to 20:13. Leon visited from 20:17 to 20:19. Ruth saw the coat at 20:08 and found it gone at 20:16.
  3. Only Maya visited between those checks. We know one of these three people took it during their visit. Saira was too early and Leon too late. That leaves Maya, during her 20:10–20:13 visit.

Why the other two do not fit

Saira
Saira left at 20:05. Ruth checked her own coat at 20:08 and found it still there. The rules say the coat was not taken and put back.
Leon
Leon arrived at 20:17. The coat was already gone at 20:16. His damp jacket might give him a reason to want a coat, but he arrived too late.

What to remember

Check which clock each time comes from. Put all the times on one clock before comparing them. The last check with the coat and the first check without it tell you when to look. They do not always give an exact minute.

Build your detective skills