Question

When Miss Moneypenny died, her nurse raced downstairs to call Miss Moneypenny’s attorney, Rufus Beam.

"She wanted you to know that she had written a new will. She wrote it this afternoon," the nurse told Mr. Beam when he arrived at the mansion fifteen minutes later. "After she wrote it, she sealed it in an envelope and asked me to take it downstairs and put it in this desk drawer. It was 1:45p.m. when I put the will in the drawer. Then I returned to Miss Moneypenny’s room. She was asleep. She died at 3:45p.m."
When Rufus Beam asked the nurse to get the will from the desk drawer, she was horrified to find that it wasn’t there. "Someone has taken it!" she exclaimed.
Who might have stolen the will?
Why might someone want to steal it?
When was it stolen?

Answer 1

Someone with a motive related to the content of the will and who had access between 1:45 p.m. and 3:45 p.m might have stolen Miss Moneypenny’s will. The will was likely stolen to alter the distribution of her estate.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the case of Miss Moneypenny’s missing will, identifying who might have stolen it requires us to consider motives for taking the will and the opportunity to do so. The fact that the new will was written not long before Miss Moneypenny died suggests that someone who might be adversely affected by the new provisions could have a motive to steal it, fearing they would lose an inheritance or benefit they previously expected. The presence of the nurse during the timing implied would indicate she is likely to be a suspect or a key witness. However, the real answer might be in the details of who else had access to the house or the desk in question.

Someone might want to steal the will to either conceal the true beneficiaries or perhaps to insert a different document more favorable to their interests. Considering the time frame the nurse provided, the will must have been stolen between 1:45 p.m., when the nurse put it in the drawer, and the time Miss Moneypenny died, at 3:45 p.m., and certainly before the lawyer asked for it.