Mini Mysteries

by Acologic

The Dead Mare

Slipstar, though he was experienced, disliked the sight of blood, and the desk was coated in it. The pony to whom it belonged had been rushed to hospital and, shortly thereafter, pronounced dead.

Inspector Wormstead puffed out his cheeks. ‘Not a pretty scene.’

‘What happened?’ asked Slipstar, feeling light-headed.

‘Swift Snow and Tango had a fight, and the latter came off worse.’

‘You have Snow?’

‘Yes, and we questioned him. Something isn’t right,’ Wormstead added, frowning. ‘Snow claims that Tango suspected he was cheating on her. They had been arguing for weeks. An office romance turning sour, you know.

‘Snow says Tango was paranoid. Today she asked him the usual, and when he admitted to her that he’d danced with a pony at a club, she cracked. Pulled open the drawer there, took out a knife and charged. He tried to wrestle it from her, but the blade caught the poor devil in the neck.’

Slipstar opened the drawer carefully and saw that it was empty. ‘Has anything been touched?’ he said.

‘Nothing. Snow says he ran to get help the second he realised she was cut.’ Wormstead waited, but Slipstar was quiet. ‘What do you think?’ he prompted.

‘I think,’ said Slipstar slowly, ‘that Snow is lying.’

Why?

If Snow had run for help as he said, the drawer would not have been closed when Slipstar inspected it. Who, when she is attempting to stab a pony, would close the drawer once she has taken from it the knife?