Thursday 29 December 2011

The Interrogation Game

Instructions
- read the notes about the murder case below and interrogate the suspect
- choose from a selection of responses; go to the appropriate number written beside the question
- try to break the suspect and get the truth!


Case Notes
- at 0628 this morning, the police were called to the scene of a crime in King Henry's Park
- an unnamed rambler had discovered the body of a young man, Drew Layman, among some bushes. He had been killed by an overdose of morphine injected into his right arm
- preliminary tests show that he had been knocked unconscious by some blunt object to the back of the head minutes before his death
- Drew Layman was a newspaper reporter for Daily News, and was currently working on a project surrounding a drug ring known as the Tuuns. He had no family apart from a sister living in Hong Kong, and was a loner, unpopular at his work
- you are now interviewing his ex-girlfriend Sara Nate, who is rumoured to be involved with a member of the Tuuns and who had a significant motive to kill him. A witness claims to have seen someone matching her description walking quickly from King Henry Park at 10.30pm. It is your job to find out the truth.
- the only news made available to the public was that a Drew Layman, 35, a journalist, had died of an overdose of morphine at 10pm yesterday evening.


Start of Interrogation:


(1) "I hope you won't keep me long, Detective. I have a lot of work to do."

- Where do you work? Go to (2)
- I'll get straight down to it, then. Where were you at 10 pm last night? Go to (3)
- Do you know Drew Layman? Go to (4)
- So do I. I'll keep you here as long as need be. Go to (5)




(2) "I work at Carli's Cafe on Minder Road, near King Henry's Park. I'm also studying for my A Levels at night school. So you see detective, I don't have a lot of spare time. You're barking up the wrong tree - I'm innocent here."

- Innocent? Of what? I didn't accuse you of anything. Go to (6)
- Where were you at 10 pm last night? Go to (3)
- Do you know Drew Layman? Go to (4)




(3) "I was at home. Asleep."

- Is there anyone who can verify that? Go to (7)
- Do you know Drew Layman? Go to (4)
- Whereabouts do you live? Go to (8)




(4) "Of course I know Drew Layman. He used to be my boyfriend. But we split up... about a month ago. I haven't seen him since."

- Why did you split up? Go to (9)
- Are you sure you haven't seen him since last month? Go to (10)
- He was found dead last night after an overdose of morphine. Go to (11)
- So you're not in a relationship? Go to (12)




(5) "If it's going to be long, I think I'll exercise my right to have a lawyer present."

When Sara's lawyer arrives, he insists that Sara does not have to answer any questions unless you have cause to arrest her. As you have not collected enough evidence to arrest her yet, you are forced to let her leave.




(6) "I don't trust the police. You brought me in here because you think I committed some sort of crime. I'm innocent, detective. I can't help you."

- You're not under arrest, I just need you to answer some questions. Go to (13)
- I don't believe you are innocent! Go to (14)




(7) "No. I live alone. And I didn't have any visitors last night, if that's what you're suggesting. I left my work at half past nine, someone there will verify that."

- So you're not in a relationship? Go to (12)
- Where do you work? Go to (2)
- Someone said they saw you near King Henry's Park at around 10.30 pm. Are you saying that this wasn't the case? Go to (15)




(8) "A few miles out of town. I got the bus home when I left work."

- Where do you work? Go to (2)
- Can anyone verify your alibi? Go to (7)
- Do you still have your bus ticket? Go to (16)




(9) "That's a very personal question." You wait for an answer. "He was a lying, cheating, violent toerag who deserved everything that was coming to him."

- Sounds like you have a pretty good motive for murder. Go to (17)
- If he was violent, why didn't you go to the police? Go to (18)
- And yet you went out with him for a year and a half... Go to (19)




(10) "Of course I haven't seen him. Do you think I'd lie to you? To be honest, I didn't want to go anywhere near him... he scared me. He was often abusive during our relationship and I just wanted to get away from him."

- If he was violent, why didn't you go to the police? Go to (18)
- I think you're lying to me right now. Go to (20)
- Where were you at 10 pm last night? Go to (3)




(11) "I know. I read it in the papers... such a dreadful case! Do you have any leads yet, detective?"

- Do you know have any ideas as to what might have happened? Go to (21)
- Where were you last night at 10 pm? Go to (3)
- Leads? What makes you think I'm investigating this case? Go to (22)




(12) "Are you asking, detective?"

- Yes, I'm asking. And waiting for an answer. Go to (23)
- Not in the way you mean. Only someone said that you were seen near King Henry's Park at around 10.30 pm. Are you saying that this wasn't the case? Go to (15)




(13) "Well, hurry up and ask them, or I'm leaving."

- You can't leave until I've finished with my questioning, Miss Nate. Go to (24)
- Where were you at 10 pm last night? Go to (3)
- I can't guarantee this won't take a while, Miss Nate. Go to (5)




(14) "If you have enough evidence to arrest me, do it. If not, I'm leaving."

You can do nothing as Sara gets up and leaves. As she walks out, you notice she gets into a car driven by a tall bald man with tattoos marking him out as a member of the Tuun gang. You curse, realizing how close you got.




(15) "They must have been mistaken. I took the bus home and was home by ten o'clock. Maybe they got the time wrong... I was around there at 9.30, when I left work. Or it might not have been me. It gets dark early at this time of year."

- Do you still have your bus ticket? Go to (16)
- Don't lie to me! Go to (25)




(16) "Let me see... nope. I must have thrown it away. What? It's not a crime to throw away a used bus ticket, is it, detective?"

- No. But murder is. And since you no longer have an alibi, Miss Nate, I arrest you for the murder of Drew Layman! Go to (26)
- Do you know Drew Layman? Go to (4)




(17) "Murder? You're accusing me of murdering him?"

- Exactly. Thank you for summarising. Go to (27)
- I'm just speculating, Miss Nate. Go to (28)




(18) "Because I was scared, that's why. Drew may be a loner, but he has powerful friends. Well, not friends... but people who owe him. Big time. And when they find out I've been talking to the police... what with him being dead and all... I'm going to need police protection."

- Dead? How did you know he was dead? Go to (29)
- But you still went out with him for a year and a half. Go to (19)
- I can't offer you police protection until you give me some more useful evidence. Go to (30)




(19) "Drew was so very sweet... he took me in. I was lonely and he was so kind to me. But then he turned violent, and I was scared of leaving him. At first it was just little things, but they escalated... once he threatened me with a gun. I was so scared, I'd had enough. I ran away... changed my numbers, moved house... tried to stay away from him. I won't lie to you, detective... his death has released me from a great fear."

- Why didn't you go to the police? Go to (18)
- How did you know he was dead? Go to (29)
- Where did he get a gun from? Go to (30)




(20) "If you think I'm lying, prove it. Arrest me... when you have the evidence. For now, I'm leaving."

You can do nothing as Sara gets up and leaves. As she walks out, you notice she gets into a car driven by a tall bald man with tattoos marking him out as a member of the Tuun gang. You curse, realizing how close you got.




(21) "Drew did a lot of drugs... I suppose he must have taken an overdose."

- Where did he get his drugs from? Go to (31)
- Had he taken an overdose before? Go to (32)




(22) "Aren't you investigating his murder, detective? That's what I had assumed... I hope you've got someone looking into the matter."

- How did you know that Drew was murdered? Go to (33)
- Yes, I am. And I'm investigating now. I'm investigating you. Go to (27)




(23) "I'm currently... involved. With a friend of Drew's. He looked after me... whenever Drew got violent. I can't see what bearing this has on the case, detective."

- If Drew was violent, why didn't you go to the police? Go to (18)
- I need a name, Miss Nate. Go to (34)




(24) "If you have enough evidence to arrest me, do it. If not, I'm leaving."

You can do nothing as Sara gets up and leaves. As she walks out, you notice she gets into a car driven by a tall bald man with tattoos marking him out as a member of the Tuun gang. You curse, realizing how close you got.




(25) "If you think I'm lying, prove it. Arrest me... when you have the evidence. For now, I'm leaving."

You can do nothing as Sara gets up and leaves. As she walks out, you notice she gets into a car driven by a tall bald man with tattoos marking him out as a member of the Tuun gang. You curse, realizing how close you got.




(26) "Don't be ridiculous. You don't have any evidence. I'm calling my lawyer."

When Sara's lawyer arrives, he insists that Sara does not have to answer any questions unless you have cause to arrest her. As you have not collected enough evidence to arrest her yet, you are forced to let her leave.




(27) "I'm no murderer. Don't be ridiculous. You don't have any evidence. I'm calling my lawyer."

When Sara's lawyer arrives, he insists that Sara does not have to answer any questions unless you have cause to arrest her. As you have not collected enough evidence to arrest her yet, you are forced to let her leave.




(28) "Hmm. Well, get on with it, then."

- If he was violent, why didn't you go to the police? Go to (18)
- If he was violent, why did you go out with him for a year and a half... Go to (19)




(29) "I read about it in the paper of course. Do you have any leads yet, detective?"


- Do you know have any ideas as to what might have happened? Go to (21)
- Where were you last night at 10 pm? Go to (3)
- Leads? What makes you think I'm investigating this case? Go to (22)




(30) "His dealer provided him with whatever he needed. He took a lot of drugs. Say he owed Gre- I mean, his dealer, a lot of money. His dealer might have given him too much, so he took an overdose. Come to think of it, he had access to morphine, so he could have killed Drew easily."

- I need a name, Miss Nate. Go to (34)
- How did you know he died from morphine? Go to (29)
- Do you think it was murder, then? Go to (22)




(31) "His dealer provided him with whatever he needed. He took a lot of drugs. Say he owed Gre- I mean, his dealer, a lot of money. His dealer might have given him too much, so he took an overdose. Come to think of it, he had access to morphine, so he could have killed Drew easily."

- I need a name, Miss Nate. Go to (34)
- How did you know he died from morphine? Go to (29)
- Do you think it was murder, then? Go to (22)




(32) "He had taken an overdose once or twice before. It was only a matter of time before he killed himself, everyone knew it."

- Where did he get his drugs from? Go to (30)
- Everyone? Who's everyone? Go to (35)




(33) "I read about it in the papers, of course. Are you stupid?"

- The police control what information goes to the media, and at no point did any newspaper mention the possibility of Drew being murdered. An innocent person might assume he took an overdose, or an accident... not murder. Go to (36)
- Where were you last night at 10 pm? Go to (3)
- Do you think it was the first time Drew had taken morphine? Go to (32)




(34) "I can't give you a name. Why do you think Drew was killed? I need protection!"

- How did you know Drew was murdered? Go to (33)
- I can't promise protection. Go to (37)
- All right. We'll give you protection... provided we get names. Go to (38)




(35) "Drew's... friends. His dealer. Everyone."

- "Who was his dealer?" Go to (34)
- Where did he get his drugs from? Go to (30)




(36) "Okay, fine. You win. I'll tell you what happened."

"I didn't go straight home after work. I went to the park to meet Greg. My boyfriend. Only he didn't turn up. I hung around there for half an hour, but, you know, it's not safe there for a girl on her own. So I started to go, but at about ten past ten, he turned up. He was all in a panic, pushed me into his car and drove me home. Said he'd been waiting around for me when he'd seen Drew lying in the bushes, blood pouring from his head. He didn't think, he just ran, cos he thought I'd be suspected. Please, don't hurt me... I had nothing to do with this, honest!"

Well done! You have successfully proved that Sara had something to do with the murder. You can complete the storyline in Part Two - still to come!




(37) "No protection - no names. I'm outta here."

You can do nothing as Sara gets up and leaves. As she walks out, you notice she gets into a car driven by a tall bald man with tattoos marking him out as a member of the Tuun gang. You curse, realizing how close you got.




(38) "You're going to promise me protection from these killers for the rest of my life? I don't think you can keep that promise, detective. I'll be killed just like Drew if they ever see me again.

- Maybe I can't promise protection. But we'll do our best. Go to (37)
- How did you know Drew was murdered? Go to (33)

----THE END----

Did you enjoy this new type of mystery? Please leave your feedback - I'd love to know!

Sunday 25 December 2011

Best Mystery Games

Happy Christmas everyone!

As a little holiday present, I thought I'd give you a list of my favorite detective and mystery games to occupy yourself with over the Christmas period. Enjoy, and don't forget to eat lots of mince pies!

(10) Sleuth


In Sleuth you, as a private investigator, are assigned a murder case to solve, and must find the murderer by proving everyone else's alibi false. A fun murder mystery game, but involves a (free) signup, and the game does get a little repetitive after a while.

http://www.playsleuth.com/

(9) Detective Wombat


A fun point and click adventure game; not the great story-line but I enjoyed playing it. You play as an art detective trying to find a forger.

http://www.shegame.com/view/9264/Inspector-Wombat

(8) Nick Bounty


The two parts of the Nick Bounty adventure are both amusing and light-hearted; not too challenging but requires a little bit of thought.

http://www.otterarchives.com/cotc.html
http://www.otterarchives.com/bounty2/bounty2.html

(7) Detective Grimoire


This is a fun little interactive murder mystery game with a nice script and fun characters. It's not a particularly challenging game, but good fun all the same. Rumour has it that a Detective Grimoire 2 is not too far away, so keep your eyes peeled!

http://armorgames.com/play/200/detective-grimoire

(6) Popcorn, Soda... Murder?


One of the best amateur detective stories I've played! This text-based murder mystery game is quite a challenge, but really enjoyable. If you ever get stuck, there's a walk-through available on Youtube - but do your best without help first!

http://www.choiceofgames.com/user-contributed/popcorn-soda-murder/

(5) Daily Witness


Daily Witness has a great storyline with two very believable detectives (almost as good as Carlton and River!). The game itself isn't particularly exciting, but definitely worth playing anyway for the cool script. One of my favourites, but I couldn't put it any higher as the game itself isn't brilliant.

http://www.agame.com/game/daily-witness.html
http://www.agame.com/game/daily-witness-2.html


(4) Stickville Murder Mysteries


I admit to being skeptical of this at first, as it consists of stick men. Admittedly, the graphics are pretty poor, but the mysteries are great and it involves a nice bit of a challenge. Plus, there are five different cases, to keep you occupied for ages.

http://www.normandcompany.com/STICKMAN/

(3) Jack French


I've enjoyed the Jack French series a lot - it's challenging enough to be exciting, but not so difficult to be getting stuck every two minutes. They also include some nice graphics and I enjoy the storylines. Not suitable for younger players, though.

http://johnnybdesign.com/paradise.html
http://johnnybdesign.com/doctor.html
http://johnnybdesign.com/7dwarfs.html

(2) Ambition


This is a great interactive murder mystery where you work through several stages, both before and after the crime. You work through as different characters making decisions, from the victim trying to escape, to the detective solving the case, to the lawyer defending an innocent victim. There are ten excellent episodes to this interactive drama, the only flaw being that to find out the ending, you have to pay to find out the ending (which I have no intention of doing!). Nevertheless, it's a fun game, so enjoy.

http://www.zapdramatic.com/dramas.htm

(1) Fugitive Hunter


And in first place...

Despite not being a murder mystery as such, I can't recommend this game highly enough. It has a very realistic  feel, allowing you to play detective. Read the rules carefully first, and work through this with notebook and pencil in hand! There are plenty of mysteries for you to have a crack at, and hints in case you get stuck.

http://www.fugitivehunter.com/

Have fun playing all these games this winter: Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all!

Saturday 17 December 2011

Driving Death

The paramedics, having cut away a large section of the wrecked car door, pulled the distraught girl out of the driver's seat. Despite a two-inch long cut on her forehead that was bleeding freely, she was otherwise uninjured.

"Lydia," she sobbed, as they prepared to stitch her cut, "Let me see Lydia!"

A paramedic with a short grey beard touched her shoulder gently. "I'm sorry, Kara," he said, "Lydia's dead."

"No!" She shoved him away violently. "No, no, no, she can't be, she can't be!"

Another paramedic brought an oxygen canister forward and placed the mask over Kara's mouth and nose. After a few deep breaths, she began to calm down.

"My name is Max," said the grey-haired paramedic. "We've called the police and they're on their way. But we need to ask you, how much can you remember about before the crash?"

Kara took another deep gulp of air and removed the mask. "We were driving back from the auditions," she recalled. "We rounded the corner and the sun was low in the sky so it dazzled me."

She gestured back towards the town, and Max squinted against the sharp orange rays of the setting sun, silhouetting the city skyscrapers against the sky.

"I squinted and couldn't control the car properly. I felt a bang, and suddenly we were off the road. Then - I don't remember anything, until you started cutting me from the car."

Max nodded reassuringly. "Was that your car?" he asked her, looking at the smoking wreck.

Kara shook her head. "Mine and Lydia's shared. We took it in turns - she drove us in, and I drove back. We were so happy - we'd each got a part in this pantomime, she was the lead and I was her understudy. We have ourselves a flat in the next village along. Best friends, ever since primary school..." she trailed off, another tear snaking down her face.

Max patted her hand, comforting yet somehow unconvincing, and rose to talk to the police who had just arrived on the scene.

"I think you need to question Kara further," he said slowly to one of the men in uniform. "Something tells me this wasn't an accident."

How did he know?

Answer (highlight to read): Kara said she was driving from town to her flat in a village when she was blinded by the sun. However, the setting sun would have been behind her, as Max saw it against the city.

Sunday 11 December 2011

The Assassin

Apologies, yet again, for the lack of posts. Here is the latest one - one of my favourites - which is only semi-fictional!

Professor Whyte sat back in his leather armchair and poured himself a glass of wine. He swirled it gently around the glass, absorbing its fine fragrance, before taking his first sip. Perfect.

He opened his eyes and sighed at the state of the room. Stacks of papers filled his office, leaving only a small track of clear floor space to which led from the door to his desk, and the metal safe at the back of the room was almost obscured. He really would have to do something about it soon. Maybe tomorrow. Or next week.

He closed his eyes and enjoyed another sip of his wine.

An almost inaudible squeak made them snap open again in confusion. He glanced at his watch - a quarter past one in the morning. Probably someone returning from a late night, he thought to himself, shutting his eyes again. Nothing unusual.

It wasn't until he felt a cold draft from the opened window that he decided to investigate. Rising, his eyebrows creasing into a single line over his forehead, he pulled the black figure from his window-frame into his room. Calmly, he shut the door, and pulled off the man's balaclava.

"Well, young sir, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

The man straightened up, a terrible scowl on his features, and raised a gun to waist height. "I've come to kill you, Whyte," he growled.

"Of course. Whereabouts would you like me?" replied the elderly professor.

"Eh?"

"To make your alibi look strong. So the police aren't going to catch you."

The face relapsed back into a scowl. "The police'll never catch me!"

"Excellent." Whyte eased himself back into his chair. "Then we have something to celebrate."

The assassin looked confused. "Huh? I'm going to kill you!"

"Oh, I know," replied Whyte. "Have a drink with me?"

"Come again?"

"A drink. With me." Whyte poured out another glass of the excellent claret. "I highly recommend it."

"Oh." The assassin peeled off his thick black gloves and took the slender stem of the wine glass, draining it in one.

Whyte smiled to himself, knowing now that the assassin would not kill him.

How come?

Answer (highlight to read): Whyte took the assassin's wine glass and placed it in his safe, knowing that should the assassin kill him, the police break open the safe and find his fingerprints. To retain his freedom the assassin was forced to leave Whyte unharmed.