THE CASE OF THE ELECTROCUTED PLUMBER

    The Stedley mansion was in the final stages of construction. 
Some last minute plumbing, painting and wiring were all that 
remained before John Stedley and his family finally got to move 
into their lavish new home. But on that last day of work, 
everything suddenly had to be put on hold. There was a death to 
investigate. 
    When the police drove up in response to the 911, they found 
all the lights on, the sprinklers going full blast, and Joe Lovitt, 
master plumber, dead from a massive jolt of alternating current. 
They also found three witnesses: John Stedley, the owner, Richie 
Powell, the electrician, and Herb Gross, the painter. "Who got 
here first?" the homicide captain asked. 
    "Me," Herb Gross volunteered. "I drove up at about 8 A.M. Joe's
 car was the only other one in the driveway. Right after I got 
inside, there was a summer shower. But five minutes later, the 
sun was out again. It was a few minutes after the rain stopped 
that the lights sputtered and all the power went out. I was 
painting the trim in the dining room. I yelled out for Joe. When 
he didn't answer, I wandered upstairs where I knew he was working. 
Joe was lying in the master bathtub, like he'd fallen in. In the 
bottom of the tub were a few inches of water. The taps were still 
on, like he'd been working on them. In the tub, too, was a hair 
dryer, still plugged in like it had fallen off the shelf and into 
the tub." 
    The captain thanked Herb for his analysis, then turned to the 
others. "Who arrived next?" 
    Richie Powell raised his hand. "I pulled up right during the 
storm and parked behind Herb. Just running up to the porch, I got 
drenched." The captain could see that Richie's hair and clothes 
were still damp. "I was in a downstairs bathroom drying off when 
the lights went out. I heard Herb calling out for Joe. I got to 
the bathroom maybe a minute after Herb. I found him there, standing 
over the tub with this wet hair dryer in his hand." 
     John Stedley, the owner, had been the last to arrive. "The 
shower was long over when I got here. The driveway was full of cars, 
so I parked by the rear garden. Once inside, I noticed that the 
place was dark. I wandered around the first floor, looking for the 
workmen. Then Richie came down and told me the news." 
     All three men agreed about what happened next. John ran back 
outside to roll up his windows. "The darn sprinklers had switched 
on and the inside of my Mercedes was soaked." Meanwhile, Richie 
went to the basement to check the fuse box and Herb used his cellular 
phone to call the police. 
     "An accident," muttered a rookie officer as he surveyed the 
scene of the electrocution. "The guy's working on the plumbing and 
stumbles into the tub. He reaches out for something and accidentally 
pulls in the hair dryer." 
     The captain was dubious. "Looks like murder to me. I can't prove 
anything right now. But I know for a fact that one of our witnesses 
is lying."