Can You Solve It? — The Case of the Emerald Room

The Casebook Co. · A 3-Minute Mystery

The Case of the Emerald Room

A priceless necklace. A locked study. Three guests who were never as far away as they claimed.

Free · No sign-up · Can you solve it?
The Briefing

At the stroke of midnight, the lights in Hartwell House flickered — and when they came back, the Emerald of Avadh was gone from its case in the locked study, and old Sir Edmund Hartwell lay dead beside it, a thin cord around his throat.

Only three guests had slipped away from the ballroom during that fatal minute in the dark. The study door was locked from the inside; the only other way in was the narrow servants' stair. Inspector, the room is yours. Tap each suspect and each clue to investigate — then name your killer.

The Suspects — tap to investigate
MotiveStood to inherit everything — and Sir Edmund had just threatened to change his will.
AlibiSays she was on the moonlit terrace. A footman confirms he saw her silhouette there until well after the lights returned.
DetailWore a floor-length silk gown with no pockets and elbow gloves — still spotless at midnight.
MotiveAppraised the emerald last week — and is drowning in gambling debt. He alone knew its true worth.
AlibiClaims he was in the wine cellar fetching a bottle. No one saw him there, and the cellar adjoins the foot of the servants' stair.
DetailHis shoes were dusted with pale plaster — the same plaster that coats the disused servants' stair.
MotiveSir Edmund had publicly accused him of cheating at cards an hour before. The Major left the table in a fury.
AlibiSays he stormed out to the front drive for air; the night-driver confirms the Major was arguing with him by the cars the whole time the lights were out.
DetailLoud, furious, and very visible — the worst way to commit a quiet, locked-room theft.
The Evidence — tap to examine

The study door was bolted from the inside. The killer entered and left another way — the servants' stair, the one passage that connects to the cellar below.

The disused servants' stair is thick with pale, flaking plaster. Anyone who climbed it would carry the tell-tale dust on their shoes. Only one guest did.

The murder weapon was a length of fine jeweller's cord — the kind used to string and display precious stones. An odd thing for a guest to be carrying at a midnight ball. Unless stringing stones was their trade.

The Verdict — who killed Sir Edmund?
Not quite, Inspector
She had the motive, yes — but a footman places her on the terrace through the entire blackout, and her spotless gloves and pocketless gown gave her nowhere to hide a stolen necklace or a cord. A red herring dressed in silk.
Case closed. You got it.
Felix Crane is your killer. He alone knew the emerald's true worth and was desperate for money. His “cellar” alibi had no witness — and the cellar opens onto the servants' stair, the only secret way into the locked study. The plaster dust on his shoes proves he climbed it, and the murder weapon was jeweller's cord — the tool of his own trade. Motive, means, and opportunity, all in one man.
Not quite, Inspector
The Major had the temper and the motive — which is exactly why he's the obvious suspect. But the night-driver puts him out by the cars, loudly arguing, for the whole blackout. He's the trap. A real detective looks past the loudest man in the room.

Enjoyed the chase?

That was the appetiser. Our full case files run 25 pages — real dossiers, evidence, and a sealed solution you solve at your own table.

Browse the Case Files →
The Casebook Co. · Murder Mystery Case Files