CASE 007 · Murder mystery
An anniversary trip ends with a hotel owner's death. Meet the guests and staff before you investigate what happened at Blackwater Bay.
The story begins
Blackwater Bay Hotel glows above the sea as the sun sets. Dan and Kay are here for their anniversary. In the private lounge, owner Harlan Voss gathers them with the hotel manager and his business partner. He has news: he is selling the hotel.
At 19:50, a porter finds Harlan dead in the lounge. A photo seems to show him alive shortly before he was found. A quiet weekend has become a mystery involving four people and a hotel facing change.
A weekend away, with worries behind the scenes
Dan and Kay have come to celebrate their anniversary. But Kay also takes photos for the hotel's brochures. Ellis runs the hotel, and Mara borrowed money to help reopen it. Harlan's news matters to more than just the guests.
These four people visited Harlan's private part of the hotel. You will search the lounge, hear their accounts and explain his death. The file includes checks made the next day. What the photo really shows is for you to work out.
The four people you will question
Dan
The anniversary guest
Here with Kay for their anniversary.
Kay
The photographer
Dan's wife and the hotel's brochure photographer.
Ellis Vale
The hotel manager
Manages the hotel and its cash accounts.
Mara Quinn
The business partner
Borrowed money to fund the hotel's reopening.
Check the stories behind the sea view
A couple on holiday, a manager and a business partner each see the hotel differently. The sea view sets the mood. The clues and interviews tell you what happened. Take time to hear from all four suspects.
An image or a confident account can stick in your mind. Use the notebook to check the details again. Ask where each fact came from and what it tells you. You need an explanation of Harlan's death, as well as a name.
What to expect when you play
The coastal opening introduces the anniversary trip and planned sale. You then have a private lounge to search and four people to question: Dan, Kay, Ellis and Mara. The clues that solve the case are waiting in the game.
Choose untimed practice to explore and read without a clock. Timed mode gives you five minutes for the same case. Before submitting, check who acted, how and when. Then choose a statement and the clue that proves it wrong.
Choose your pace
Tap Begin investigation to start a new five-minute attempt. The clock keeps running if you leave or close the game. To play without a clock, choose Untimed practice on the case summary.
You can submit your final answer once per attempt. New to the game? Read how to play before you begin.
Content notes
This fictional story includes murder, money worries and an anniversary trip cut short. The opening shows a still hand and sleeve without visible injury.
Useful detective skills
These guides help you check clues and statements. They do not give away this case's answer.
- Check an alibi
Check the clues behind someone's account of where they were.
- Tell facts from guesses
Get into the habit of checking where a fact came from before you rely on it.
Other cases to explore
- The Last Carriage
Board a waiting train where another owner's planned sale worries four people.
- The Midnight Toast
Visit a restaurant where a private dinner about its future ends in death.