The Mystery of Vespers
A disappearance troubles the citadel, and rumor grows faster than truth. Every passing hour erases another trace, and the traces were few to begin with. Before you, one by one, will stand Captain Vlaicu, Mother Evghenia, Ilinca the Baker and Mihu the Archer. Among the things spoken of in whispers are the customs scales, the ruby dagger, the guild seal and the vial of belladonna. Open the grid, weigh every clue, and pronounce your verdict: the Chancellery awaits only your signature.
Suspects
He has guarded the fortress gates for twenty years. Who enters and who leaves - he decides what the ledger records.
1.84 m
right-handed
brown eyes
brown hair
She runs the abbey with an iron hand and a golden pen. The register of donations has pages she shows no one.
1.60 m
right-handed
dark eyes
black hair
She weighs flour to the gram and people at a glance. No one stays in her debt twice.
1.62 m
right-handed
brown eyes
chestnut hair
He hits a coin tossed on the wind from a hundred paces. At questions, though, he always misses.
1.76 m
left-handed
brown eyes
brown hair
Locations
the castle cellar
Barrels as big as carts and corners the lantern never reaches.
the wharf
Moored boats, wet ropes, and goods that prefer to arrive in the fog.
the hunting lodge
The royal cabin in the heart of the forest. Far from the eyes of the court - which is exactly what suits some.
the queen's garden
Roses trimmed to a line and paths you may walk only by invitation. At night, the hedge has ears.
Objects
the customs scales
Copper pans, sealed weights. One of the weights rings hollow.
the ruby dagger
A short blade, its hilt set with a stone red as a frozen drop. It was sharpened recently.
the guild seal
The stamp that turns any goods into goods "of certified quality." Worth a mine of gold.
the vial of belladonna
A small flask, a wax stopper, a label written with care. Three-quarters empty.
Moments
at dawn
When the citadel is barely waking and the guards still doze.
after matins
The hour after the morning service, when the abbey empties.
at noon
Midday, with bustle in the markets and silence in the alcoves.
at dusk
When the shadows lengthen and the lanterns are not yet lit.
Open the Grid (below) to solve the case, with the testimonies at hand.
Touch a cell: blank → ✗ (excluded) → ✓ (certain) → blank. Each pair of categories meets exactly once.
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Verdict
The culprit always lies; everyone else tells the truth.
- In the gate ledger, the tallest suspect stands higher, the left-handed suspect lower.
- Every scout reports the same about the culprit: the culprit was there at dusk.
- A maid whispered it at confession: the castle cellar and the guild seal go together.
- In the Chancellery's ledger it stands in black and white: the ruby dagger matches that hour: at dusk.
- Whatever the market gossips: Captain Vlaicu never set foot in the wharf.
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: the queen's garden and the ruby dagger go together.
- The chancellor deduced it coldly: if the suspect with dark eyes was there at dusk, then Ilinca the Baker was there at dawn.
- The bell-ringer remembers well: Mihu the Archer came earlier than Mother Evghenia.
- The chronicler notes drily: the vial of belladonna matches that hour: at noon, whatever the court may say.
- An honest-faced witness saw it plainly: Ilinca the Baker handled the guild seal.