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  • Just One Little Mistake
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  • The detective has finally cracked the case, figuring out who committed the crime and how it was done. He gathers everyone together and delivers The Summation, describing in meticulous detail how the crime was pulled off, before finally fingering the perp by name. The accused looks down in bewilderment, and it's clear to the audience that he's the murderer. Just when you might expect him to break down, confess and launch into a Motive Rant, he looks up confidently, laughs, and calmly comes back with... "Interesting theory, detective, but where's your evidence?"
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  • The detective has finally cracked the case, figuring out who committed the crime and how it was done. He gathers everyone together and delivers The Summation, describing in meticulous detail how the crime was pulled off, before finally fingering the perp by name. The accused looks down in bewilderment, and it's clear to the audience that he's the murderer. Just when you might expect him to break down, confess and launch into a Motive Rant, he looks up confidently, laughs, and calmly comes back with... "Interesting theory, detective, but where's your evidence?" The implication is, of course, that while the detective's line of reasoning may be rock solid, and he may have successfully deduced how the Locked Room Murder was committed, he still doesn't have any strong evidence that proves the accused was involved in the crime. However, the detective can in fact prove it, and has an ace-in-the-hole piece of evidence in his possession that he was just waiting to trot out at the right moment. The detective will reveal that the perp made Just One Little Mistake, and then, much to the accused's chagrin, produce a decisive piece of evidence that completely buries him. Cue the Big No. This might happen in a Clueless Mystery. Also see Bluffing the Murderer, Pull the Thread. Examples of Just One Little Mistake include: