Clarifications · No killer revealed
Clue help.
Rules, definitions, and record-reading help without closing the file for you.
Use this when the wording trips you up. It should clarify the puzzle, not solve it.
Evidence glossary
Before you open the file.
Start here if the wording, page references, or letter-count clues are slowing you down.
What counts as a vowel?
A, E, I, O, U. Count every occurrence.
What is a repeated consonant?
A consonant appearing more than once in the first name.
How should I read the placement clues?
Some clues depend on where names appear on the suspect-record page. When a clue says someone is directly above or directly below, study the layout carefully. The records are not just a list — their positions matter.
What is a Suspect Records page?
The page number printed in the suspect records.
How do role codes work?
Use the Role Code Key in the book.
Are the clues in order?
No. Use them in whatever order helps you eliminate suspects.
Locked case file
Clue-by-Clue Help
The following section will not reveal the killer. It will clarify how to apply each clue, which means part of the challenge may become easier.
Some clues eliminate many suspects right away. Others only become useful after you have narrowed your list. If a clue does not seem helpful yet, come back to it later with a smaller group of suspects.
If you want to preserve the full puzzle experience, close this page and return to the case records before opening the clue file.
Clue file · 20 notes
Open only the clue you need.
Each section explains what the clue is asking you to do without giving away the final answer.
This clue separates people who had an active job, duty, or assignment during the gala from people who were simply present at the event. The killer was not just attending socially. They were there in a working capacity.
Look for: role descriptions, assignments, duties, or records that show a suspect was responsible for something during the gala.
Do not assume: every person at the gala was “working” just because they were physically present.
This clue points toward a suspect whose role involved forms, lists, records, logs, documentation, or other written/admin tasks. The paperwork may not be described with that exact word, so look for duties that naturally require written records.
Look for: suspects connected to checklists, files, records, registration, tracking, documentation, or official handling of information.
Do not assume: “paperwork” only means loose paper. It may also mean records, logs, or forms.
This clue eliminates suspects whose main gala assignment involved serving, preparing, managing, or overseeing food or beverages. The killer’s role was somewhere else.
Look for: role codes, job titles, or assignment descriptions connected to catering, refreshments, bar service, kitchen work, serving, or drink stations.
Do not assume: being near food or drink is the same as being assigned to food or drink. Focus on the suspect’s actual role.
This clue is about access. The killer had reason to interact with records that were updated, adjusted, checked, or changed while the gala was happening. This points toward someone whose job involved information that did not stay fixed all evening.
Look for: records that could be edited, updated, signed off, checked in, transferred, reassigned, or revised during the event.
Do not assume: the clue means the killer personally changed every record. The important part is that their role gave them access to records that changed.
This clue is about physical placement or duty area. The killer was assigned close to valuables that were on display, not merely someone who liked valuables or had a motive connected to money.
Look for: suspects stationed near display areas, collections, exhibits, auction items, jewelry, artwork, rare items, or anything valuable shown during the gala.
Do not assume: “near valuables” means the suspect stole something. This clue is about assignment location.
This clue eliminates suspects whose post or duty was at the entrance. The killer was not primarily assigned to the front door, check-in threshold, entry area, or arrival point.
Look for: roles connected to greeting, admission, entrance control, door duty, initial guest check-in, or front-of-house arrival.
Do not assume: passing through the entrance counts as being stationed there. The clue is about the suspect’s assigned position.
This clue asks you to pay attention to timing and location. Before the final speech, the killer was seen near the collection that was meant to close the evening. This points to a specific area or item group connected to the event’s closing sequence.
Look for: references to a collection, display, or valuable group associated with the end of the gala.
Do not assume: “close the evening” means the last page of the book or the final suspect listed. It refers to the event schedule.
This clue is a page-number filter. It removes suspects who appear on the earliest odd-numbered suspect pages. Count the odd-numbered suspect pages carefully and exclude the first ten of them.
Look for: suspect pages with odd page numbers, then identify the first ten odd-numbered suspect pages in order.
Do not assume: this means “not in the first ten suspect pages overall.” It specifically says the first ten odd-numbered suspect pages.
This clue sets an upper limit for the killer’s suspect page. Any suspect listed on a suspect page numbered higher than 209 can be eliminated.
Look for: the printed page number on each suspect page.
Do not assume: this clue refers to suspect number, list order, or entry number. It refers to the suspect page number.
This clue tells you the killer appears on a suspect page with an odd page number. Combine this with the previous page-number clues to narrow the page range.
Look for: suspect pages with odd page numbers only.
Do not assume: the killer’s position on the page must be odd-numbered. The clue is about the page number, not the row or suspect placement.
This clue filters suspects by the length of their first name. Count only the first name, not the last name, title, role, or initials.
Look for: first names with five or more letters.
Do not assume: nicknames, surnames, or role codes count toward the total. Use the first name as printed.
This clue is about the letters in the killer’s first name. Count the vowels in the first name and keep only names with exactly three vowels.
Look for: A, E, I, O, and U in the first name.
Do not assume: the total name length matters here. This clue is only about the number of vowels.
This clue eliminates first names where the same consonant appears more than once. The killer’s first name does not repeat any consonant.
Look for: consonants that appear twice in the same first name.
Do not assume: repeated vowels matter for this clue. It only mentions repeated consonants.
This clue removes any suspect whose first name includes the letter E. Check the spelling exactly as printed.
Look for: the letter E anywhere in the first name.
Do not assume: pronunciation matters. This is a spelling clue, not a sound clue.
This clue uses the layout of the killer’s suspect page. On the killer’s page, look at the suspect immediately above the killer. That suspect’s first name has five letters.
Look for: the suspect directly above each possible killer on the same page, then count that person’s first-name letters.
Do not assume: “above” means earlier alphabetically or earlier in the book. It means physically above on the suspect page.
This clue also uses page layout. On the killer’s page, the suspect directly below the killer has the role code SVR.
Look for: the suspect immediately beneath each possible killer on the same suspect page.
Do not assume: the killer has the role code SVR. The clue says the suspect below the killer has that role code.
This clue is about the whole suspect page, not necessarily the killer’s own role. The page where the killer appears includes at least one suspect whose role is Photographer.
Look for: any Photographer listed anywhere on the same suspect page as a possible killer.
Do not assume: the killer must be the Photographer. The clue only says the killer’s page includes one.
This clue eliminates any suspect page that includes a Doctor. The page containing the killer has no Doctor listed anywhere on it.
Look for: Doctor roles on the same suspect page as your remaining candidates.
Do not assume: this only applies to the killer’s individual role. It applies to the entire suspect page.
This clue tells you the killer’s first name includes the letter A. Check the printed spelling of the first name.
Look for: the letter A anywhere in the first name.
Do not assume: the letter has to appear at the beginning or end. It can appear anywhere.
This clue points to the nature of the killer’s assigned role. The role involved recording, confirming, logging, or documenting that something changed hands or moved from one person/place/status to another before the night was over.
Look for: duties involving custody, handoff, movement, assignment changes, item transfers, record updates, or final documentation.
Do not assume: “transfer” only means money. A transfer could involve an object, record, responsibility, collection item, or official handoff.