Detective Leia played by her own rules. While the other gumshoes patrolled the perimeter, she went inside to get the lay of the mansion. That’s how you catch a killer, she reasoned, not by adhering to the mandates of a two-page pamphlet.

The usual suspects were there and living up to their colorful reputations; among them a retired Army colonel, a college professor and a live-in maid who, for some reason, had become a lightning rod for controversy in recent years. Any of them could’ve done it, but one sneaky scofflaw caught the glance of this feline private eye:

A lady called Peacock.

This elderly, avian-identified finagler had attempted to fly the coop last time these feathered friends flocked together, but now, Leia was ready to rattle some cages. She probably wouldn’t be able to get Peacock to sing, but Scarlett, Green and the other birds, she figured, might be willing to talk turkey.

As for the weapon? For the life of her, this slinky sleuth couldn’t figure out why this part was so hard to solve. If the body had a bullet hole, it was the revolver. If there was a stab wound, the knife. Hanging from the rafters? Must’ve been that rope around his neck. And while a knock on the noggin could be caused by a wrench, a lead pipe or a candlestick, you’ve still cut the possibilities in half. This particular corpse had a cracked skull with what appeared to be a little wax residue. You do the math.

Now, where did the crime take place? Well, where did they find the body? That seemed like the most obvious answer. It’s unlikely the perp would’ve done the deed in, say, the conservatory then move the body to the lounge. There’d have to be a secret passageway or something for that to happen.

Not likely.

By now, Leia had seen enough. It was time to roll the dice and lay her cards on the table. An evildoer was about to be exposed.

“It was Mrs. Peacock with a candlestick in the study,” she proudly revealed.

Turns out, it was Professor Plum, with a revolver in the kitchen.

But did I mention Detective Leia was averse to following rules? As the other sherlocks were skimming their notes, she covertly altered the evidence — she was inside the mansion, after all. Let’s just say the victim’s body had Peacock’s markings all over it. Changing the weapon and the location was just a matter of misdirection — a little sleight-of-paw, if you will.

Lady Elizabeth Peacock of Arlington Grange was sentenced to life in prison for the brutal murder of John Charles Boddy. She’s serving time in the Monopoly jail, pending appeal. Falsely accused, to be sure, but nobody outside of Detective Leia had even the slightest clue.