The Detective’s DeskMina Hart
Witness
What happened from your point of view?
I recognised Rhea’s red coat from the corridor.
What should I check to test that account?
I saw a tall shape lean toward the display.
MEDIUM · CASE FILE
The Witness at the Frosted Door
Medium · A conservatory competition
A witness names a saboteur through frosted glass. Check what could actually be seen and follow the damaged support instead.
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
A display falls after its support peg is removed. The hall’s frosted door reveals silhouettes but no face or clothing detail.
People and accounts
Noel Reed
Steward
What happened from your point of view?
I moved the support peg to hang my notice and forgot to return it.
What should I check to test that account?
I thought the display was secured by a second peg.
Ari Lane
Display builder
What happened from your point of view?
There is only one load-bearing peg.
What should I check to test that account?
My assembly sketch was fixed under the display.
Rhea Cole
Entrant
What happened from your point of view?
I did not remove the support.
What should I check to test that account?
My coat is red; Mina claims she saw red through the frosted door.
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 · Corridor
Door sight-line test
In the supplied controlled test the frosted pane shows motion and height, but no readable colours, faces or name badges.
Case record · Display hall
Steward’s notice board
The original support peg, identified by its painted notch, holds Noel’s new notice.
Case record · Steward desk
Noel’s task message
Before the collapse Noel writes to the builder: “I borrowed your notched peg for my notice; is the other pin enough?” He gets no reply before acting.
Case record · Display hall
Assembly sketch
The builder’s sketch shows one load-bearing peg. A second decorative pin does not carry the display.
Case record · Steward desk
Entrant’s attendance
Rhea remains at a demonstration in a separate room during the peg removal. Its dated attendance image confirms her presence.
Case record · Display hall
Support examination
The support peg is missing, with no cut or fracture. The display falls when that single peg is removed.
Questions to resolve
Who removed the support peg?
What is supported about the removal?
Which part of Mina’s claim exceeds the door’s visibility?
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.