The Detective’s DeskMara Bell
Witness
What happened from your point of view?
I saw blue-coated Ivo carry the token onto the ferry.
What should I check to test that account?
I watched through the customs office mirror.
HARD · CASE FILE
The Ferry Witness Who Faced Inland
Hard · A harbour customs exhibition
A witness says a blue-coated passenger carried the missing token onto a ferry. Rebuild the witness’s viewpoint and follow the engraved case through both sides of the pier.
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 object is an inert exhibition token with identifier Q4. All boats are held for inspection. The relevant pier plan, sight-line test and ferry manifest are supplied.
People and accounts
Tara Hart
Exhibition handler
What happened from your point of view?
I took only an empty token case to the inland storage cart.
What should I check to test that account?
The witness’s mirror faced that route, not the ferry.
Nico Moss
Cart driver
What happened from your point of view?
I accepted Tara’s sealed case for storage.
What should I check to test that account?
I was not told its contents.
Edda Cole
Display examiner
What happened from your point of view?
Q4 was inside its engraved case before Tara’s packing visit.
What should I check to test that account?
The case’s latch has a repaired corner.
Ivo Reed
Tourist
What happened from your point of view?
My blue parcel contains a model boat.
What should I check to test that account?
I boarded the seaward ferry steps.
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.
Case record · Customs desk
Pier and mirror plan
The fixed mirror reflects only the inland cart route. The seaward ferry steps lie outside its field of view.
Case record · Inland store
Driver’s complete assignment
Nico is instructed to store a sealed empty case. His route and receipts follow that instruction without a private buyer or opening interval.
Case record · Inland store
Cart case recovery
The same repaired-corner case is recovered unopened from Nico’s storage cart with Q4 inside.
Case record · Exhibition booth
Handler’s predeparture request
Tara asks a private collector to meet her at the inland store for Q4 after closing. No reply or agreement from that collector is established.
Case record · Inland store
Handler’s false contents slip
Tara certifies the sealed case empty before handing it to Nico. The case is not opened again before supervised recovery.
Case record · Customs desk
Controlled sight-line test
A blue coat at the ferry cannot appear in the mirror. Tara’s dark work coat looks blue under the mirror’s coloured awning.
Case record · Ferry steps
Tourist parcel inspection
Ivo’s opened blue parcel contains only his model boat and purchase slip. No case or token Q4 is present.
Case record · Exhibition booth
Initial display examination
Q4 is inside the repaired-corner case before Tara’s sole packing interval. The display token is missing afterward.
Questions to resolve
Who removes Q4 under a false empty-case description?
Which route does the mirror actually show?
Who else is established as a knowing participant in the removal?
What is established about the proposed collector?
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.