Case 10: Murder at Huxley Station

Solution

To win, you must have:

1. Named Roland Fournier as the murderer.
2. Explained Roland's motive by stating that he believed Bob O'Neil and Leslie, Roland's wife, were having an affair.

The Story

Ever since his humiliation over the fraudulent Tablet of Knossos affair, Roland Fournier had been going downhill, drinking heavily and unable to get a new teaching position. Roland's self image was further eroded by his wife's professional success at a time when his own career was a shambles.

As Roland's drinking increased, his grip on reality began to slip. He began inventing things to blame on his wife, Leslie, thereby justifying his hostility towards her success.

On Wednesday, August 28th, after a bitter argument with Leslie about relocating if Roland found another job, he retreated to his bedroom and began drinking. In his stupor, he imagined that while he'd been struggling to keep his life together, Leslie had been having an affair with Bob O'Neil. That's why she didn't want to move. While in this alcoholic haze, he called Patty O'Neil, then wrote a note, which he gave to Ray Short, Bob O'Neil's secretary. Putting Leslie’s pistol into one pocket and a bottle of whiskey in the other, he drove to the station to wait for his midnight appointment.

When Bob O'Neil arrived, his headlights awakened Roland, who was asleep on the ground between his car and the fence. Roland walked up to O'Neil's open car window and fired three shots, one catching O'Neil squarely between the eyes. Roland then threw his gun over the fence, stumbled back to his car and drove off without noticing that his whiskey bottle had slipped out of his pocket.

Roland awoke from a deep sleep in his car at 3:00 P.M. Thursday, the 29th. He was parked near Woodley Lake. After reconstructing how he had gotten there, he remembered what he had done. He immediately drove to the Huxley Police Station and turned himself in.