Really the puzzle comes down to is how can you accidentally poison a person by doing the laundry? The case is real. The CIA really did suspect foul play. I should have simply posed the puzzle in this way.
Did the people get poisoned by laying in bed?
Was the poison one to which most typical people would be susceptible (as opposed to, say, an allergen, or something to which the diplomat had a hypersensitivity)?
Was the poison a substance which is typically used in the process of laundering clothes?
Did A and B mistake the poison for a different substance, which is typically used
Is the poison a substance which is typically found in nontrivial quantities on laundered clothes?
Is the poison typically used as a drug?
Was the poison transferred from some other cloth item that was being laundered at the same time?
Did it have anything to do with the vibration of washing and/or dryer machines?
Were A and B washing items that caused an imbalanced load or otherwise caused extra vibration?
Yes. Only one person poisoned though.
reply to Chronos:
Was the poison one to which most typical people would be susceptible (as opposed to, say, an allergen, or something to which the diplomat had a hypersensitivity)? Yes
Was the poison a substance which is typically used in the process of laundering clothes? No
Did A and B mistake the poison for a different substance, which is typically used
No.
Is the poison a substance which is typically found in nontrivial quantities on laundered clothes? No
Is the poison typically used as a drug? No
Was the poison transferred from some other cloth item that was being laundered at the same time?
No.
reply to Folly:
Did it have anything to do with the vibration of washing and/or dryer machines? Yes
Were A and B washing items that caused an imbalanced load or otherwise caused extra vibration? No, that is not my understanding anyway.
Did the vibration of the machine(s) knock loose some poisonous dust from somewhere?
Was the poison organic?
Was the poison produced by a living thing growing in or near the laundry machines?
Was the poison a part of something that was intended for non-poisonous purposes?
Was the poison a heavy metal?
You got it.
Clare Booth Luce was United States Ambassador to Italy in the mid-fifties, and a staunch anti-communist. She was found to be ill suffering from arsenic poisoning, and because Luce the only one in the Embassy to become sick , it was assumed she had been intentionally attacked and there was much outrage.
However further investigation found that the ceiling of the Ambassador’s room was covered with Scheele’s Green.
The ambassador’s room was directly below the laundry. A laundry machine became defective and shaky. However, it still worked and thus continued to be used. But the shaking sent lethal arsenic dust from the ceiling into the room below, and Luce became ill.
Interestingly enough, some believe Napolean may have died because of exposure to Scheele’s Green in his room.
There are a hundred lamps in the lobby of a company building. You are encouraged to come and look at them. Why?
Is it an art installation?
Are the lamps being used for lighting?
Does the company sell lamps?
Are all of the lamps lit? Any of them? Does the number of lamps lit change in any way?
Is it exactly one hundred lamps?
Is the number, one hundred, significant to the puzzle?
Do some of them have light bulbs?
All of them?
Is it related to a scientific experiment?
No to all
reply to Zyada:
Does the company sell lamps? No
Are all of the lamps lit? Yes Any of them? All Does the number of lamps lit change in any way? No
reply to Folly:
Is it exactly one hundred lamps? I think so. But it may be an approximation.
Is the number, one hundred, significant to the puzzle? No
Do some of them have light bulbs? Yes
All of them? Yes
Is it related to a scientific experiment? No.
Do the lamps spell anything?
Do they form any shape(s) meant to be viewed?
Each lamp next to something specific?
Do the lamps draw your attention to something else other than lamps?
reply to Folly:
Do the lamps spell anything?
Do they form any shape(s) meant to be viewed?
Each lamp next to something specific?
Do the lamps draw your attention to something else other than lamps?
No to all
Are the light bulbs approximately the size of a standard household lightbulb?
Larger?
smaller?
Is the age of the lamps particularly interesting?
the age of the light bulbs?
Do the lamps have a single designer?
If so, is the designer interesting?