Ockham's Razor: A Deductive Riddle

Chapter 6

Ian got off the bus five blocks away from his apartment. He decided that he needed to celebrate. He took twenty dollars of his research money into the off-sales beer store and got himself a twelve of the cheapest beer there was. He knew that it was going to taste terrible, but he could drink swamp water right now and have it taste like Perrier.

He walked back to his apartment and called Dave as soon as he got in the door. Dave, being equally broke as Ian, was over in a flash. Ian had told him that he had news, but Ian was not forthcoming on what the news was. When Dave crossed the threshold without knocking, as was his custom, he had a cold can of beer thrown to him.

"Cold beer? Who died and left you an inheritance?"

"You remember that gorgeous girl at Trailhead? The one with the straight dark hair and killer green eyes? Well her name is Kate, and I've got her phone number, and we, my good friend, are going to go out to a club. Can you believe it?"

Keeping a straight face, Dave responded without skipping a beat, "No, you're lying. There is no way a woman like that, who is incredibly out of your league, by the way, would even entertain going on a date with you."

Ian, was not being put out, "She likes men who are daring and take chances, which is the way I live my life. She likes me for my living life on the edge."

"Nah. She sees you as some freak of nature that requires constant study. You are the ticket for her PhD in abnormal psychology." Dave took a long swig from his beer. "Yeah, you can tell that she's not the daughter of a millionaire, you still buy the crappiest beer around." The two of them broke into a fit of laughter. Ian then set out to recount in great detail his meeting with Kate.

The twelve of beer lasted for about two hours. Dave left after he and Ian managed to burn some grilled cheese. Dave ordered a pizza and managed only one piece before deciding that he had to get some sleep. Ian, having eaten half the pizza, decided, despite being a bit tipsy, that he wanted to contact Kate that moment. Dave had dissuaded Ian during the evening when Ian had suggested it, but now his conscience was on his way back to his own apartment.

Ian went to his jacket and turned out the pockets. The note was not there. Of course, it was in the envelope, with the money. He checked his pants pockets. His change from the beer store was there, but no envelope. Cursing under his breath, he realised that the last time he saw the envelope was in the beer store. He must have lost it. He cursed his carelessness, contemplated going back to the store to see if he could still find the note, but thought against it. He would just have to go back to the university in person and see Kate himself.