# Solve A Mystery? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 7, 2023, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solve-a-mystery/979441 "2023-02-07T18:18:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solve-a-mystery/979441/1 "2023-02-07T18:18:34Z")
A serious crime was reported in a big neighbourhood, and so detectives went door to door to try to get leads and information. One became suspicious, we are assured, after interviewing a slovenly apartment dweller. After knocking on the door and seeing through the open portion, the detective could see a new shower curtain in place. He felt this was odd since nothing else in the apartment seemed new. **Have you ever seen an apartment where one could see deeply into the bathroom from the entrance?** ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solve-a-mystery/979441/2 "2023-02-07T18:25:45Z")
Yes. I lived in a one bedroom where the bathroom door and front door were on opposite sides of the living room. The bedroom was to the right of the bathroom and the kitchen/dining area was right of the front door. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solve-a-mystery/979441/3 "2023-02-07T18:30:15Z")
I lived in an apartment once where the front door opened into a small corridor with the bathroom door to the left of the entrance, so you could take a look at the shower from the front door if the bathroom door stood open. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solve-a-mystery/979441/4 "2023-02-07T19:16:43Z")
The first floor apartment in one of my rental properties is laid out so that the front door is directly in line with the bathroom door. Since the bathroom sink and toilet are off to the right side of the bathroom, you can’t see those from the front door (you can see part of the toilet but not much). But straight back is the shower, so you’d have an excellent view of the shower curtain from the front door. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solve-a-mystery/979441/5 "2023-02-07T19:25:14Z")
4thing that I lived in a apartment where the the bathroom was right by the front door. It would be an awkward angle but if both doors were wide open you’d be able to see the shower. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solve-a-mystery/979441/6 "2023-02-07T19:50:33Z")
I, myself, have never seen a set up like that. But as dopers have said, it happens. Seems to be an odd layout though. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solve-a-mystery/979441/7 "2023-02-07T19:54:03Z")
My friend lived in an apartment where the front door opened into the living room which was attached open-air to the kitchen and right next to the fridge was a bath tub with shower curtain around it. Supposedly the former bathroom space was converted into a second bedroom by the landlord previously because one bedroom was normal sized but the other was super narrow in his apartment. Apparently the open air bathroom now occupied where a kitchen table used to be. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solve-a-mystery/979441/8 "2023-02-07T20:00:56Z")
Yes actually. I lived in an old house that had been converted into apartments, and our kitchen window looked directly into the bathroom of our neighbors’ apartment, in the house next door, which had also been converted into apartments. Had I been inclined to look, I could have seen them undressing for the shower (I never did, nor did I ever want to). ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solve-a-mystery/979441/9 "2023-02-07T20:03:54Z")
I have lived in two apartments where the bathroom was easily visible from the apartment door although, in one, the viewer would need to be looking away from the apartment. I’m more curious why a new shower curtain would be suspicious. Don’t they cost like $10? ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solve-a-mystery/979441/10 "2023-02-07T20:14:08Z")
> [@74westy](#): > > I’m more curious why a new shower curtain would be suspicious. Don’t they cost like $10? The old one was used to wrap up the body. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solve-a-mystery/979441/11 "2023-02-07T20:17:35Z")
If they had used the new one it would have been the same $10 but there would have been no suspicion. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solve-a-mystery/979441/12 "2023-02-07T20:19:09Z")
Most murderers are not very rational when trying to cover up evidence. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solve-a-mystery/979441/13 "2023-02-07T20:21:56Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > If they had used the new one it would have been the same $10 but there would have been no suspicion. But they’d be stuck using the same old dirty shower curtain. It’s an opportunity to upgrade. But seriously, you have to get rid of the body. You use the shower curtain you have. You replace it later. You probably didn’t have the extra one on hand when you needed it. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solve-a-mystery/979441/14 "2023-02-07T23:14:30Z")
I doubt I am very good at estimating the age of shower curtains. But the few times I’ve had to buy one I went with patterns. ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solve-a-mystery/979441/15 "2023-02-08T04:10:56Z")
My one apartment was the upstairs half of a house. If you craned your neck you could see into the bathroom from the door. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solve-a-mystery/979441/16 "2023-02-08T16:53:25Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > If they had used the new one it would have been the same $10 but there would have been no suspicion. But then when the body was found, there is a possibility that the police would have seen the shower curtain was new, identified the store it came from, checked store records to find recent purchases of that shower curtain, found the camera footage of those purchasers, etc. So it introduces more possible ways that the police could trace back to you. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solve-a-mystery/979441/17 "2023-02-08T16:59:16Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > If they had used the new one it would have been the same $10 but there would have been no suspicion That kind of planning doesn’t jibe with a slovenly perpetrator.