There are 26 clues to collect in Case 4. They are separated into three categories: names, murder methods, and methods the culprit used to sneak around the inn. The clues are:
Annie Ash Blair Boyton Breage Evans Green Henry John Maurice Oscar Parker Redruth Robert Willard Wright (names) door trapdoor window (escape methods) dagger knife navaja shear smallsword spear stiletto (murder methods)
Starting with this chapter, there is a much larger number of characters in the scene to identify. As always, you should start by identifying who is who.
Start with the three characters on the top floor of the inn. The corpse is Willard Wright – he looks the same as he did in the last chapter, and he is holding documents relating to the golden idol. There are two men outside the windows: a watchman and a fleeing criminal. The watchman is holding a rattle with his name on it, Henry Parker. The fleeing criminal’s face matches the one shown on a wanted poster in the inn, making him Robert Redruth.
Now, move on to the bottom floor of the inn. Annie Green is the only woman in the scene, so she is easily identified. The proprietor of the inn – the man standing behind the counter – is holding documents addressed to Oscar Boyton, so that is his name. The man playing the violin must be “The Amazing Evans” mentioned on the poster. Because his initials are “M.E.” on the gambling sheet, he must be Maurice Evans.
This leaves the two men gambling alongside Annie Green. According to the gambling sheet, they must be J.B. and A.B, and their last names according to the wine order sheet must be Breage and Blair. The man on the left is holding multiple glasses and acting much drunker, so he is Breage. He also is holding very little money, making it likely that he is the J.B. mentioned on the gambling sheet who lost a significant amount of money throughout the night. That makes him John Breage and the remaining man Ash Blair. If that name sounds familiar to you, you’re right – it’s the name of a tobacco brand seen in earlier chapters. Definitely an alias! (In particular, an alias for David Gorran, Edmund’s servant, who is frequently seen smoking the stuff.)
Now that you’ve identified everybody, you can fill in the gambling sheet using the initials provided. AG is Annie Green, OB is Oscar Boyton, ME is Maurice Evans, JB is John Breage, and AB is Ash Blair.
Finally, who killed Wright? Because Wright was present during the first game of cards, he must have been killed during the second game. Ash Blair and Maurice Evans both did not play that game, but Evans was playing his violin according to the sign. Thus, Blair – already suspicious because of his fake name – is the killer. He is staying in the room connected to Wright’s via a trapdoor, so he must have used that to ambush Wright. Lastly, the murder weapon, a dagger, is still in “Ash Blair’s” possession.
Using that information, you can fill out the chapter’s scroll so that it reads:
“Ash Blair crept into Willard Wright’s room through the trapdoor while Annie Green and John Breage and Oscar Boyton were playing cards with loud music. A fight ensued upstairs, and Willard Wright got stabbed with a dagger.”
This concludes Case 4 of The Case of the Golden Idol. With the Idol back in Edmund Cloudsley’s position, what misfortune will befall the Cloudsley family next? Check out GameLuster’s other The Case of the Golden Idol guides to help solve every puzzle and collect every clue in this unique mystery game.