A Body in the Mansion

The killer was Zeke (the farmer) — the only other person in the Rose Garden with Fern. Hugo: C6 · Lola: F2 · Vince: D1 · Zeke: B4 · Rufus: E5 · Fern: A3.

How to solve it, step by step

1. Sunday rule: exactly one statement is false — the killer's. Try each suspect as the liar in turn: every choice but one runs into a contradiction. Only Zeke works, so Zeke's statement is the lie and the truth is the opposite: “He was not beside the pond.”
2. Vince: “He was beside the grandfather clock.” Only one square on the whole plan fits: D1.
3. Fern, the victim, has no statement — but only one square is left in a free row and column: A3, in the Rose Garden.
4. Row B still needs someone, and only Zeke can still stand in it — so Zeke is somewhere in row B.
5. Row C still needs someone, and Hugo is the only one who can still stand in it. In row C, “He was beside a bed.” fits only C6.
6. Row E still needs someone, and Rufus is the only one who can still stand in it. In row E, “He was beside a sink.” fits only E5.
7. Zeke: “He was not beside the pond.” Of the squares that fit, only B4 is still open — the rest are ruled out above.
8. Lola: “She was beside the stove.” Of the squares that fit, only F2 is still open — the others are in rows or columns already taken.
9. Everyone is placed. Fern lies in the Rose Garden, and the only other person in there is Zeke. Zeke is the killer — and the one who lied.

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