the riddle answer is based on an " hart to hart " episode.
the episode was a reunion that jonathan and jennifer to jonathan's exployer's manison. jonathan's old boss, who own a detective magazine company that jonathan worked, when he was younger. other co-workers and jonathan, who was there. hate their old boss, the old boss knew it.
when they found the old boss's body on the floor of the elevator. the old boss was dying, he want frame one of his co-workers to murdered him. jonathan figure out that his boss was supposed hanging with a noose in the middle of the elevator. something cause the body to fall and the noose will not be there only around the boss's neck. it was nowhere the elevator.
jonathan found some papers that his old boss was dying, and his friends that he was blackmailing them, that a reason to kill him.
it took jonathan awhile, his old boss and friend, to set up as murder, but something happen to make an accident that could been the perfect murder!
jonathan's friend had set up that a noose was going coming down from the top of the elevator shaft.
parts of the elevator
as you can see an diagram of the elevator how it was done.
that night of the event, it was an thunderstorm. jonathan figure out, a lightng bolt hit the roof or somthing that cause the elevator jerked at the same time, as the boss was hanging himself.
the old boss rigged the noose to up the elevator shaft to the noose around the driving sheeve of the elevator. then now, the noose going up and down cable into inside of the elevator. he rigged an crowbar or somthing similar, to keep the trap door opened.
the crime:
the boss goes ino the elevator, before he pressed the button. he open the trap door to bring the noose. then he pressed the top button, and put the noose around his neck.
the perfect crime: that his own weight looses the crowbar enough to fall. closing the trap door and he would swinging back and fouth with the noose keeping him up.
what really happen:
the lightning bolt hit close the elevator shaft. then the shaft got a big jerk that
the noose to loose around to come off his neck. then, the cable that the noose was tried to went up to wrapped around the top of the elevator's shaft.
this cause the trap door to fall with the crowbar on top of it. the inside of the elevator will no noose in the elevator. but, a dead man lying inbetween the elevator's door that looked he was stangled!