A Minister, a Doctor, and a Plumber

Jan 30, 1999

RAY: Ha! We're back; you're listening to Car Talk with us, Click and Clack the Tappet Brothers, and we're here to discuss cars, cars repair, and the new puzzler.

TOM: Yes. You got one?

RAY: I have a vague recollection that many years ago I used this puzzler, but --

TOM: So what?

RAY: First of all, I can't really remember.

TOM: So it doesn't matter.

RAY: Well, so I thought, what the heck. An off-duty policeman --

TOM: I remember it. No, I don't!

RAY: An off-duty policeman is working as a night watchman in an office building.

TOM: Oh, I remember it.

RAY: You do?

TOM: Yes.

RAY: Don't tell me about it! And he's doing his rounds, and he comes to a closed door. Behind the door, he hears voices; he hears people talking and an argument seems to be taking place. Raised voices; he hears one of them say, No, Frank, no; don't do it, you'll regret it. Bang! Bang! Bang! He bursts through the door; what does he see? A dead man on the floor.

TOM: And the proverbial...

RAY: And the proverbial what?

TOM: Smoking gun.

RAY: And in the room, are three living people; a minister --

TOM: And they're all named Frank!

RAY: -- a doctor, and a plumber. He walks over to the minister and says, You're under arrest. You have the right to remain silent... And I don't remember anything else. How does he know that it was the minister that pulled the trigger?

TOM: I like the name tag. It was a convention --

RAY: Conventioneers said, Hi, my name is Frank, and I'm armed.

TOM: And I'm the guy who just shot --

Answer: 

RAY: The answer is, only one of them could have been named Frank, because the other two, the plumber and the doctor, were women.

TOM: I was married to a Frank, once.

RAY: Don't go there. Who's our winner this week, Tommy?

TOM: Our winner today is Frank -- Mrs. Frank -- No, our winner is Robert Mandela.


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