Original puzzle below created by me. The writing is... to be honest, not that good, but it's a puzzle. Focus on the puzzle part.
Your name is John D. Tectif, and you're looking for 4 notorious criminals. All you know is that they go by Aaron, Bruce, Chris, and Dean. Rumor has it that they’ve teamed up for the first time, and this is likely true, given that a bank was robbed by exactly two people last week, even though they usually go solo. It couldn’t have been anyone else, since they’re the only criminals in the neighborhood. Luckily, you and your men have your suspects trapped in a bar. In addition, your old friend, a bartender, is there. He knows who everyone is, but he won’t provide much help due to his policy of customer confidentiality. However, you know that he is completely trustworthy and will never lie. He’s also told you beforehand that on the night of the crime, exactly two of the suspects were in the bar with him.
Your job is to question the other 4 men in the bar and figure out who’s who, and which of them pulled off the heist. In addition, the criminals happen to have some very convenient mental gimmicks, so you know that when questioned:
Aaron will tell a lie.
Bruce will tell the truth.
Chris will not lie.
Dean will not answer truthfully.
Got it? Now, let’s begin.
You walk in, wary of any hidden traps. The bartender chuckles. “What a coincidence! All four of the criminals in town are right in front of me.” His eyes narrow. “You better not mess up my bar,” he warns. “I’m an innocent man.” What a shame. You were hoping to intimidate them with violence, but apparently that’s not allowed now.
“And who the heck are you?” asks one of the men.
“I’m John D. Tectif, and I’m going to solve this mystery.”
You bang your hands on the table. Intimidation might still be worth a try.
“Alright. Which one of you is Aaron?”
Both the first and third man from your left instantly decide to talk. “It’s not me!” they shout in unison. The second man snickers. “It’s actually him,” he says, gesturing to the first man. “I’m Bruce, by the way.” Alright then. That helps... maybe. The fourth man visibly squirms but stays silent. Not much help there. You decide to take a different route and bluff.
“I know that you were one of the thieves last week,” you say, pointing at the first man. The bartender raises his eyebrows. “Really? Because he was sitting right here, getting drunk at the time of the crime.”
...Come on, man. Can’t you help out a detective?
Suddenly, the fourth man yelps loudly. “It wasn’t me! I never robbed any banks!” The first two men turn on him immediately. “Liar!”“Stop lying!” Hmmm. Maybe you can get more information out of this fourth weak-looking guy. You ask him, “Who was the second guy here with during the crime?” you ask aggressively. The fourth man manages to get out “No one; he was alone-” before getting socked in the face. “Hey! We’ll rob you next! Do you want that?” says the first man. An empty threat. You stay silent, then repeat the question, “Who was the second guy here with during the crime?” this time addressed to the other three men. The first and third men simultaneously say “He was with me,” then glare at each other. The second man snickers again, more loudly this time.
“I was with him,” he says, pointing to the third man.
You’ve almost got enough information, so you decide to wrap it up quickly. “So these two pulled off the heist, right?” you say to the entire group, pointing to the second and third men. The second and fourth men quickly affirm “Yes,” which is followed by 1 growling, “Nope. They’re both lying.” Suddenly, the police chief busts his way in. “Hey! It's not safe in here! Tectif, get away while you handle them!” What a shame. Well, you’ve questioned them enough. Your job is done.
Who’s who and which two men pulled off the heist?
Hint 1:
Hint 2:
