The Secret of the Night
A bold theft has shaken the calm of the court, and calm will not return until the truth comes out. The Chancellery has set every other file aside: until what was taken returns, no one sleeps easy. The testimonies keep returning to the same names: Father Nicodim, Damaschin the Healer, Toma the Cellarer and Zaharia the Spice Merchant. On the inquiry's table, like pieces in a game, lie the customs scales, the vial of belladonna, the ruby dagger and the ermine cloak. Study the testimonies at your leisure, fit them into the grid, and pronounce your verdict without haste.
From the Chancellery archive
The theft happened at night, which narrows the list of witnesses to those who were awake — and there the difficulty of this dossier lies: all four had good reason not to be asleep.
Father Nicodim keeps vigil. Damaschin the Healer is called at any hour, since illness pays no heed to clocks. Toma the Cellarer goes down to the cellar when all is quiet, so that nobody sees how much he takes. Zaharia the Spice Merchant counts his stock after the market shuts. Four lives that begin when everyone else goes to bed.
The places match: the cathedral crypt, the watchtower, the merchant's house, and that stretch of the north wall the watch skirts. Among the objects, a vial of belladonna sits beside an ermine cloak and the customs scales — a mixture that says by itself how far the threads of this dossier run.
Tier II. Mind the hours: in an ordered category, a single “before” cuts more than it appears to.
Suspects
He hears the confessions of the whole court. Forgetting, he says, is a gift from the Lord - one he sells dearly.
1.72 m
right-handed
blue eyes
greying hair
He knows the cure for any illness and the dose at which the cure becomes something else. He swears he has never mistaken the dosage.
1.71 m
left-handed
green eyes
grey hair
He holds the keys to every cellar in the castle. He claims the wine vanishes on its own, by "angelic evaporation."
1.73 m
left-handed
brown eyes
red hair
His ships bring pepper, saffron, and news no one asked for. All of it at the same price: steep.
1.74 m
right-handed
dark eyes
black hair
Locations
the cathedral crypt
The old kings sleep beneath crested slabs. Now and then, someone disturbs their rest.
the watchtower
The highest point of the fortress. From here you see everything - and from below, everyone sees who climbs up.
the merchant's house
Carpets brought from overseas and a desk with more secret drawers than drawers.
the north wall
The stretch of wall the patrol skirts when the wind blows. Everyone knows that.
Objects
the customs scales
Copper pans, sealed weights. One of the weights rings hollow.
the vial of belladonna
A small flask, a wax stopper, a label written with care. Three-quarters empty.
the ruby dagger
A short blade, its hilt set with a stone red as a frozen drop. It was sharpened recently.
the ermine cloak
White fur with black tails - only the royal family may wear it. It has a tear at the hem.
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.
- Every scout reports the same about the culprit: the culprit was there after matins.
- A maid whispered it at confession: the north wall and the customs scales go together.
- The customs register is clear: Toma the Cellarer never set foot in the cathedral crypt.
- The gate guard swears: the customs scales matches that hour: after matins.
- An honest-faced witness saw it plainly: Zaharia the Spice Merchant handled the customs scales.
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: the cathedral crypt matches that hour: at dawn.
- A maid whispered it at confession: Father Nicodim handled the ermine cloak.
- The chronicler notes drily: Damaschin the Healer handled the ruby dagger, whatever the court may say.
- However it may seem, at suspects, the ruby dagger and the hour "at noon" take different roads.
- The night watch saw Father Nicodim first, and only then Damaschin the Healer.
- The customs register is clear: the merchant's house does not match that hour: at dusk.