The Case of the Golden Idol/The Intoxicating Dinner Party
A dinner party at a mansion ends with disaster when a guest ends up dead.
The people[edit]
There are some familiar faces this time.
The victim[edit]
The first familiar face. This is Rose Cubert.
The host[edit]
Another familiar face. This is Edmund Cloudsley, this is confirmed by his embroidered handkerchief.
The man with the fork[edit]
Our last familiar face. This is Peter Bately
The young woman[edit]
The butler is carrying a note from Peter asking that he is sat next to the beautiful lady. This combined with the letter from him in the pink gown makes the gown hers. And that letter is addressed to Mary. The other letter in the gown addresses her as Miss Richards. The letter from Peter in the trashcan further collaborates this. Her name is thusly Mary Richards.
The old man[edit]
One of the letters on the work desk speaks of a Lady Mary and her father Lothar. Since we know from Peter's letter that their last name is Richards, this is Lothar Richards.
The butler[edit]
The note on the wall in the kitchen says that Mr Walker is in charge of waking up the master and providing the newspaper, duties of a butler. The left woman in the kitchen speaks of a Brian being in charge of serving the dinner, another butler duty. Thusly, the name of the butler is Brian Walker.
The left woman in the kitchen[edit]
The woman to the right addresses her as Lucia.
The right woman in the kitchen[edit]
She is carrying a letter addressed to Ada. The note on the wall in the kitchen says that a Mrs Baker is in charge of cleaning, just like this woman. Thusly, this is Ada Baker.
The young boy[edit]
He is carrying a note addressed to Little Pip, which is his name.
The seating arrangement at the dinner table[edit]
The picture of the seating arrangement in the thinking screen summarizes the facts that can be gained by examining the items on the table and cross referencing the items on the side table.
Top left[edit]
A fork is missing, and Peter Bately is holding a fork. It's quite obvious that he sat at this spot.
Top right[edit]
The letter on Lucia tells that Ms Richards doesn't enjoy meat, so this could be her seat. The note on the butler has Peter asking to be seated next to the beautiful lady, and he is indeed sitting next to this spot.
End of the table[edit]
The locker in the study has a doctor's note to abstain from alcohol and recommending a glass of tonic. The note can be presumed to be addressed to the master of the house, which is Edmund. Only this seat has a tonic as well as a non alcoholic drink. The tradition of putting the master of the house at the end of the table is also followed. This is clearly the seat of Edmund Cloudsley.
Bottom left[edit]
Bottom right[edit]
The servant quarters[edit]
Five servants each has a room of their own.
The left room[edit]
The bed is rather small, so only a short person would fit in it. The only one small enough is Little Pip.
The top room upstairs[edit]
The bottom room upstairs[edit]
The book in the locker has a title that sounds like a trashy romance novel. The right woman in the kitchen is speaking of a scandalous novel. While the other woman is claiming that she threw it out, she's lying. The fact that the woman to the left is asking for some candles combined with which room lacks candles in the locker further makes it clear that this is the case. This is the room of Lucia Smith.
The top room downstairs[edit]
The locker contains a note addressed to David as well as a punch of tobacco. Little Pip is carrying a note asking for tobacco of that same brand. The note is signed David. Finally the note on the wall in the kitchen mentions a David Gorran. This is clearly his room.
The bottom room downstairs[edit]
Judging by the book in the locker and caricature in the secret compartment, this is the room of someone who is frustrated with their job. The butler is carrying a note about being frustrated while working. This is clearly the room of the butler, Mr Brian Walker.
Filling out the scroll[edit]
The first part pertains who wanted who dead and how an attempt was made on their life.
The second part simply states who actually ended up dead, Rose Cubert.
