Case of the Murdered Husband

“It was terrible,” Mrs. Johnson was saying to a uniformed officer as Detective Nose arrived on the scene. “I had just got home from the grocery store and was coming in to ask Steve to help me get the groceries in. I could tell something was wrong the minute I opened the back door, but before I could do anything, someone slapped something over my mouth and nose. The next thing I knew, I was waking up on the kitchen floor. Steve was stabbed to death in the living room – there was nothing I could do, so I called the police right away and waited out here for you to get here.”

“You haven’t touched anything in the living room at all?” the detective asked Mrs. Johnson. She shook her head firmly.

“I knew that if I touched anything, I might disturb clues, and I really want you to catch the scum that killed my husband!” she said fervently.

“I’m sure we will,” Detective Nose assured her. He started into the living room to look over the scene of the crime. As he entered, he noticed the victim’s feet sticking out from the other side of the couch, and noted that he was in his stocking feet. It wasn’t until he walked around the end of the couch that he could see Mr. Johnson, lying on his stomach on the floor. Two uniformed officers stood by, waiting for him to arrive.

“Help me turn him over,” Detective Nose told one of them. The man was definitely dead. The bloodstain had seeped into the carpet, and soaked the kitchen knife that was hidden under his body. Without a word, he turned and headed back into the kitchen.

“Mrs. Johnson,” he said, “I’m ready to arrest the scum that murdered your husband. Please stand up and turn around,” he added, unhooking the handcuffs from his belt.

How did Detective Nose know that Mrs. Johnson had killed her husband?

More Two Minute Mysteries

Comments

30 Responses to “Case of the Murdered Husband”

  1. Brainiac on January 9th, 2011 7:50 pm

    Wouldn’t she have disturbed the clues when she killed him?

    Not bad, except for that. .

    Sincerely, Ha Ha. Weee

  2. daniel smith on February 10th, 2011 9:51 am

    wow y would she kill her own husband thats dumb

  3. F David on February 22nd, 2011 8:45 pm

    The “Case of the Murdered Husband” was so simple the murderer could have easily been overlooked. I liked it.

  4. Troller on March 16th, 2011 6:12 pm

    Brainiac, your name is misleading. She killed him then she didn’t touch anything. You’re right, except for that.

  5. El Caliente on April 15th, 2011 8:50 am

    If she would have layed him on his back it would have worked.

    Ree Ree

    Love, El Caliente

  6. Bethany on May 1st, 2011 3:17 pm

    I really liked, but she should have thought it through a lot more! but I super, super liked it!!

  7. ciara on June 24th, 2011 1:49 pm

    that case was reall y good i loved it

  8. Procritic on July 23rd, 2011 11:05 pm

    Is there the answer somewhere? I can guess the answer but don’t know for sure. Confirmation please.

  9. Aven on August 15th, 2011 11:58 pm

    Erm I couldn’t find the answer but I think that the reason is because she said,” Steve was stabbed to death in the living room”. BUT, how could she have seen the knife if it’s hidden underneath the body??

  10. admin on August 16th, 2011 12:09 am

    If you have flash installed in your browser, you’ll see a hint and answer option.

  11. Adil on September 18th, 2011 7:26 am

    Great site, great stories, I’ve been looking for stories like these for such a long time.
    Thank you for your amazing work, I hope you won’t stop writing such stories.
    I’m going to use them in class with my students who are learning English as a second language in France.
    Thanks again.

  12. admin on September 18th, 2011 7:33 am

    Thanks for your kind comments! Hopefully, your students will enjoy them as well.

    ~Jane

  13. Tiula on October 15th, 2011 5:28 am

    Love these mysteries! Thanks so much for this site :)

  14. SUSANNAH ROGERS on October 25th, 2011 10:09 am

    ;)

  15. melvin moore on December 7th, 2011 8:00 am

    wow she killed him man women des days lol

  16. shirley Munafo on January 17th, 2012 3:58 am

    I f I would have come home and seen my husband on the floordead with blood I would have automatically said he was stabbed to death without really knowing that for sure

  17. Constance on February 7th, 2012 5:01 pm

    Brilliant we need more of these!

  18. allan on April 27th, 2012 3:34 am

    maybe the knife is obvious… something like that…

  19. Alina on June 16th, 2012 6:24 pm

    this shouldn’t be placed in the easy two minute mysteries section.
    But question, is there a hard two minute mysteries section?

  20. Brendan on November 26th, 2012 12:00 pm

    2 things,1:Alina, I don’t think there is I’ve been looking for one,2:THAT WAS A GREAT MYSTREY! :)

  21. Gwynn on December 12th, 2012 10:25 pm

    I thought part of it was that she didn’t disturb the clues so they couldn’t find finger print evidence it was her. Oh well! Pretty Good!

  22. Shelby Bailey on January 28th, 2013 11:03 am

    i cant believe that she killed him, what does she want to be alone for the rest of her life!!! GEES! she crazy. but good story. good story.

  23. josiah omweno on March 25th, 2013 7:52 pm

    the first paragraph contradicts the passage,how could she come from the store ,and the next thing was waking from the kitchen floor, and there is nothing she could do ,meaning that she had not gone to the store but she was the one who killed her husband

  24. Matthew Paulson on November 16th, 2014 7:14 pm

    He would of known that the body was tampered with because stabbing victims almost always fall forward is stabbed from behind. If they are stabbed in the front then they will topple backwards and if it is a slower death may go into fetal position; or stumble forward if there is less force behind the attack (This scenario also has the possibility of the victim rolling into a fetal position)

  25. chip on November 28th, 2016 10:39 am

    what the this was kinda easy and kinda hard but pretty cool bye!!!!

  26. brynn gilliam on November 28th, 2016 10:39 am

    she is so stupid she called the copps on herself

  27. Tara Crisan Sweatt on May 1st, 2017 6:14 pm

    I do not mean to sound arrogant. But that was too easy. She said she saw he was dead just by looking at him but the police had to turn him over? Not a challenge.

  28. hi on December 10th, 2018 5:35 pm

    oh nose she hates her husband

  29. Admin on April 4th, 2019 10:16 pm

    Very good story. If you want answer click read more

    Read more

  30. Admin on April 4th, 2019 10:17 pm

    if you want the answer, click read more. BTW very good story.

    Read more

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