Nell Avery, night managerInnocent
Det.Where were you when it happened?
Ans.In the cellar doing inventory with the porter. Check the delivery log on the front desk.
- → Names a witness and a record you can check.
- → Same story every time you ask.
Read it. Mark it. Name the killer.
Solve the murder. Find the crack in the alibi.
Every case is a fresh file: a victim, a weapon, a handful of clues and a lineup of sworn statements. You get a few questions. One statement can't be true.
- Checks out
- Motive
- Contradiction
Every file is new
No two cases are the same murder.
Open a case and the file is written on the spot: who died, how, where, the clues left behind, and every suspect's alibi. Exactly one suspect did it, and their alibi has a flaw. A few examples:
- File 0447Example
The Lantern Room
- Victim
- Vivian Hale, 41, club owner
- Weapon
- Brass candlestick
- Scene
- Back office of a jazz club, 11:52 PM
- File 0448Example
Cold Storage, Pier 9
- Victim
- Arthur Penhaligon, 58, shipping clerk
- Weapon
- Cargo hook
- Scene
- Locked freezer room, found at the 6 AM shift
- File 0449Example
The Ashcroft Reading Room
- Victim
- Dr. Mae Okonkwo, 36, rare-books curator
- Weapon
- Laudanum in the tea service
- Scene
- Private library, doors bolted from inside
The crack
One line won't match the evidence.
- Step 1 · Read
Read the statement against the clues.
- Step 2 · Checks out
Mark what a clue or witness confirms.
- Step 3 · Motive
Mark why they might have done it.
- Step 4 · Contradiction
Find the line a clue proves false. That's your crack.
Interview · Theo Marsh, bandleaderQ 3 of 10
Det.Where were you at 11:40, Mr. Marsh?
MarshLook, I owed Vivian four hundred bucks, everybody knows that. But I was on that stage till midnight. Ruby at the bar saw me.
- Clue 01Candlestick, wiped clean, behind the bar
- Clue 02IOU for $400, signed T.M.
- Clue 03Drummer's log: band on break 11:20 – 11:45
- Clue 04Office door key, missing from the ring
The budget
Every question costs you.
Questions come from one shared pool. Four spent on the bartender are four you can't ask the widow. Harder files bring more suspects and fewer questions.
| Level | Suspects | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Rookie | 3 | 12 |
| Detective | 3 | 10 |
| Hardboiled | 4 | 10 |
| Noir | 5 | 8 |
Out of questions? You can still file charges. You can also file early.
Reading people
The innocent give you something to check. The guilty give you someone else.
Celeste Moreau, singerGuilty
Det.A piece of your velvet cape was found by the body.
Ans.I haven't worn that cape in weeks. Ask Marcus about his gambling debts instead of hounding me.
- → Denies the physical clue outright.
- → Points you at someone else.
The verdict
A conviction takes three things.
- 01
The killer
Name the one suspect whose alibi broke.
- 02
The weapon
Say what killed the victim.
- 03
The evidence
Explain which clue and which line of testimony prove it.
Get all three right and the judge convicts. Spot the crack early and you can file before your questions run out.
Case request · Form 7-BLevel 2 of 4
Detective
- Suspects
- 3
- Clues
- 3
- Questions
- 10
KillerTries to stay calm but gets evasive on specifics. Subtle contradictions if pressed hard.