Ockham's Razor: A Deductive Riddle

Chapter 10

"In other words, you pretty well guaranteed yourself a win."

"Sure did."

"I don't know brother; that is not like you. You usually need the challenge."

Ian, fearing that he was starting to act out of character responded sheepishly, "Well, I needed the money for rent. The Goat has been pressing me a lot lately." The Goat was Ian's nickname for his landlord. One of Ian's most puerile amusements was to give a nickname to just about everybody he met that did not immediately impress him.

"If you gave up on gambling as your only way of living, and came to work where I work, you could have two incomes" responded Dave with his usual pitch for Ian to come to work with him.

"Not me. Respectability is not something I seek, crave or deserve." This was one of Ian's continual responses to Dave's attempt to get him a real job. But, in reality, he wanted respectability. He just did not want to do it on someone else's terms.

They arrived at the Diner, Ian opened the door to Dave and whispered "Lunch is on me, just don't try to break the bank." Ian was hoping this was enough to put the thought of money and work out of Dave's head.

Dave responded "Don't worry, I'll only eat three platefuls."

Five minutes later, they were each with a cup of black coffee steaming in front of them, lunch ordered. Ian decided to go a bit bigger than usual, and ordered some tomato soup with his cheeseburger platter. At his urging, Dave ordered a plate of perogies and sour cream with his everything omelette.

Ian was glad he could do this. Dave, while wise, frugal and loyal to a fault, would rarely spend any extra money on anything that would seemingly be pleasurable. Ian did not try to determine why, he just accepted it. But sitting in the Diner, with the smells of fried food, spices and listening to the bustle of a small city coming to eat, Ian decided that he was going to ensure that Dave enjoyed his meal. Instead of trying to work his charm on Dave to get his favour, he waited until the food was delivered and they were well into their meal before he broached the subject of a map.

"Dave, I've picked up another bet for a bike and car race. The only thing is, I cannot pick the start point, but I need to pick a finishing point. I have a few weeks yet, but I was wondering if you had a rather detailed map of the city that I could use to help me plot out a route?"

Without stopping his chewing action, Dave replied with a question "Who bet you?"

This question knocked him off his patter. He anticipated no questions, and Dave was too quick to deflect. Ian started to panic. He took a bite from his burger, a spoonful of soup and finally, a sip from his coffee, all to give him time to think. After that lengthy delay, all Ian could come up with was a vapid answer involving his previous lie about the guy he "beat" standing on one leg. He could work out a double or nothing bet. But that would get needlessly complicated. Best to keep the lie as close to the truth as possible. "Someone who saw me when I won that race at Trailhead Monument. They thought that I would be an easy mark because I was so daring. But at least I get to negotiate the terms of the race. I am going to stack it."

"And you could not pass that up, wut."

"The money is good. However, the rules we agreed upon are more about trying to level the playing field so that I don't have a significant advantage. He chose the start spot. I get to choose the finish spot. He chose the distance, I chose the time of day. He chose the date and I chose the option of not having to travel the same route. We each hold a veto over the start and finish spots. Like, if I put my finish spot in the middle of the City Park Zoo, he will likely veto it. If he chooses a date when there is three feet of snow on the ground, I get to veto it." The more Ian lied, the more he looked forward to taking part in a challenge like this. It seemed very credible to him. After all, it was largely true. He was hoping that Dave was buying it. "So, what I'm looking for is whether you have a rather detailed map of the city. I want to pick out a finishing spot that he will not veto, but would be good enough for me to win."

Dave took all this in without showing any emotion on his face. He kept putting perogies into the sour cream and shoving them into his mouth during Ian's explanation, seemingly not breathing. When Ian was done, Dave cleared his throat, took a sip of his coffee and began "Ian, I have no map like this."

Ian was surprised and disappointed. He had been thinking that it was almost a sure thing that Dave would have such a map. Controlling his confusion and voice he shook his head. "No problems, brother. I was just hoping."

Dave interjected. "You did not let me finish. Why don't you try some of the online mapping programs? There are some with great imagery of Great Plains, and you can even see the back alleys and bike paths. Have you never heard of GoogleEarth?"

This news started Ian to thinking about this. "How easy are they to use?"

"GoogleEarth in particular is extremely easy to use. It is a virtual globe and you scroll in and out with your mouse and you get very detailed satellite and aerial photography on your screen."

Ian, who did not own, nor could he afford a computer, looked impressed. "Can I see this at your apartment?"

"Of course, but for that, you need to buy me dessert" Dave joked.

"Brother, if this program does what you say it will do, I'll buy you dessert for a week" Ian laughed.