The Detective’s DeskHARD · CASE FILE
Hard · A disputed exhibition race result
A genuine finish photograph is used to announce the wrong winner. Work out what the image identifies, how lanes connect to people and whether the recipient of a medal actually agreed to the scheme.
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 event’s stated rule is simple: the first runner across the finish wins. The full official image establishes lane order, while the separately signed start board establishes who occupied each lane. No sports knowledge beyond these facts is required.
Race director
The published result follows the finish photograph. I authorised an ordinary spelling correction.
The sponsor had promised a bonus if Hugo was announced as winner.
Results clerk
I changed the result directory at Ciro’s request. It was not merely a spelling change.
The original lane board and the result-directory history are separate records.
Lane-three runner
I finished ahead of the other two runners. The published name order does not match the finish lanes.
Our names were assigned to lanes before the start and the signed board was photographed.
Lane-one runner
I finished third and saw the uncropped finish image at the desk.
The public version removes the lane-number strip from the bottom of the image.
Announced winner
I accepted the medal after the announcement but immediately asked the desk to check the lanes.
My message saying I finished behind Mira was sent before her complaint.
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 · Registration board
Before the start, lane 1 is assigned to Ada, lane 2 to Hugo and lane 3 to Mira. The signed board is photographed and locked before the race.
Physical record · Results office
Ciro tells Nia that if Mira wins, they will swap the directory rows so Hugo receives the sponsor bonus; they agree to divide a private payment. Nia explicitly accepts that arrangement before the finish.
Physical record · Results office
Nia applies the name reversal under Ciro’s instruction after the finish. The edit changes lane-person mappings, not spelling, and cites no authorised lane reassignment.
Physical record · Finish desk
Hugo writes that he finished behind Mira and asks the desk to check before the complaint reaches him. His message contains no agreement to a row swap or bonus share.
Physical record · Finish desk
The continuous official sequence shows lane 3 finishing first, lane 2 second and lane 1 third. The distant view identifies lanes, not readable faces or names.
Physical record · Registration board
The independent board seal shows no lane reassignment after registration. It authenticates the original mappings before the disputed result edit.
Physical record · Finish desk
The image published with the names omits the lane-number strip. It is a crop of the genuine finish frame, not a separate observation establishing the names.
Physical record · Results office
The post-race directory maps lane 3 to Hugo and lane 2 to Mira, reversing those two names. It is the source used for the medal announcement.
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.
Compare the records with each account. Work out what the evidence establishes, then separate that finding from anything it does not prove.