The Seating Chart

The case file

Four witnesses waited in the courthouse hallway, seated left to right in chairs 1 through 4. The bailiff jotted down four facts about the seating chart -- but the page is smudged where one chair should be. Who sat in chair 2?

The rule: Each person sat in exactly one chair, and each chair held exactly one person. All four facts are true.

The clues

1. Grace Ivers sat immediately to the left of Lena Brooks.
2. Lena Brooks sat right next to Grace Ivers.
3. Grace Ivers sat right next to Caleb Frost.
4. Lucy Fern sat right next to Caleb Frost.

Who did it?

1. Caleb Frost
2. Lena Brooks
3. Lucy Fern
4. Grace Ivers

The verdict

Caleb Frost

Only Caleb Frost fits in chair 2. Not Lena Brooks: if Lena Brooks sat in chair 2, "Grace Ivers sat right next to Caleb Frost" could not be true. Not Lucy Fern: if Lucy Fern sat in chair 2, "Grace Ivers sat right next to Caleb Frost" could not be true. Not Grace Ivers: if Grace Ivers sat in chair 2, "Grace Ivers sat immediately to the left of Lena Brooks" could not be true.