The Detective’s DeskAda Bell
Cloakroom attendant
What happened from your point of view?
I accidentally put the two identical covers on the wrong hooks. I hid that mistake at first.
What should I check independently?
The check-in images show which hook labels changed.
HARD · CASE FILE
Two Identical Black Cases
Hard · A conference cloakroom mix-up
A guest leaves with someone else’s case, and the attendant lies about the hooks. Decide whether the evidence establishes a deliberate theft, a mistake, or a shared plan. Suspicious movement alone does not settle intent.
Read the case file below, or open the interactive desk to examine records, keep notes and submit your reasoning. These are the case materials, without the solution.
The scene
The case is returned unopened except for its outer address pocket. Its contents are inventoried intact. You are judging what the available evidence establishes, not assuming every missing object was stolen.
People and accounts
Nabil Reed
Shuttle driver
What happened from your point of view?
I took Celia only as far as the next entrance. She asked me to turn back before receiving any warning.
What should I check independently?
The vehicle message and route times are recorded independently.
Celia Ward
Conference guest
What happened from your point of view?
I picked up the wrong black case at the cloakroom. I returned it as soon as I opened the address pocket.
What should I check independently?
My return message was sent before anyone reported a theft.
Leo Moss
Case owner
What happened from your point of view?
My case vanished while Celia left, so I believed she stole it.
What should I check independently?
Both cases were the same brand, but only mine has a grey repair patch inside its outer pocket.
Case records
Read each record on its own terms. A claim made by a person is different from a fact established by an independent record.
Physical record · Shuttle entrance
Independent shuttle route
Nabil turns back at Celia’s request before any theft alert reaches either of them. The trip contains no stop at which contents could be exchanged.
Physical record · Cloakroom
Check-in and hook images
The two same-brand cases arrive separately. Ada puts their identical outer covers on opposite labelled hooks. Celia later takes the hook bearing her own ticket number.
Physical record · Duty desk
Case identification
The grey repair patch identifies Leo’s case inside the wrong cover. Celia’s own case remains under the other cover at the cloakroom.
Physical record · Cloakroom
Attendant’s original check-in sheet
Ada’s corrected hook entries match the images. Her first all-correct account is false, but the mistake occurred during ordinary check-in, before the guest selected a case.
Physical record · Duty desk
Supervised contents inventory
The main compartment’s numbered closure remains intact. All contents match Leo’s earlier inventory. Only the outer address pocket was opened.
Physical record · Shuttle entrance
Guest’s unsolicited return message
Celia messages the duty desk that the address pocket belongs to Leo and requests an immediate return. The message precedes the first missing-case report by six minutes.
Questions to resolve
Who is established as a deliberate thief on these records?
Whose check-in mistake explains the crossed hook labels?
Which fact distinguishes an unsolicited correction from a response to being caught?
Use the interactive case desk to select your finding and cite the records that support it. The answer is checked there, and your progress stays in your browser.
Build your finding
Compare the records with each account. Work out what the evidence establishes, then separate that finding from anything it does not prove.