The case

Difficulty3 of 48×8 · 7 suspects

The Broken Decanter

Case file

The storm took the bridge out at nine, so nobody left Ashcombe Manor that night. was found before the fire had gone grey. Everyone else was somewhere in the house — and exactly one of them was in the same room.

Why this one is tricky

Seven guests and a keyholder to name on an 8×8 house. The hidden role is the extra deduction; the decanter is only the incident.

Two rules close every case. One person per row, and one per column. The victim takes the last remaining legal square, and whoever shares that room did it.

A square with furniture drawn on it is taken. Bare floor is somewhere a suspect can stand. Rooms are patches of matching floor.

Start from the strongest clues. Stack two clues about the same person before you place anyone. Switch on Pencil when two or three seats remain — that is not a guess.

Underlined words in the clue list — alone, beside, north of — explain themselves if you tap them.

Full guide

Suspects

Tap a portrait for details. Tap below to select, then tap a square.

was with

was in the Pantry

was on the same diagonal as

was not in an armchair

was northeast of

was in a wing chair

No clue names them.

was an armchair

was the keyholder

was in a wing chair

Found in the room with the murderer.

Deduction board

0 of 8 placed.

Tools

What you are looking at

A square with furniture on it is taken. A square showing bare floor is somewhere a suspect can stand.

armchair· can stand here
wing chair· can stand here
club chair· blocked
window seat· blocked
oak table· blocked
bookcase· blocked
cabinet· blocked
longcase clock· blocked

Rooms are the areas of matching floor, with a black line with a gold stroke tracing where one ends and the next begins.

★ — a square marked for the keyholder, and only they may stand on one.

Small letters along the bottom of a square are your own pencil marks — a note, never a placement.

Clues

Every clue is load-bearing — drop one and the case stops being solvable.

  1. was northeast of
  2. was in the Pantry
  3. was in a wing chair
  4. was the keyholder
  5. was on the same diagonal as
  6. was in a wing chair
  7. was an armchair
  8. was with
  9. was not in an armchair

Everyone stands in a different row and a different column. The victim was with the murderer, so whoever shares 's room did it.