The Detective’s DeskBasil Cole
Printer
What happened from your point of view?
The ink was dry and water-resistant before display.
What should I check to test that account?
A special cleaning fluid removes it, unlike rainwater.
MEDIUM · CASE FILE
Ink before the Rain
Medium · A riverside print fair
A print is ruined during a shower, but its backing and ink tell different stories. Interview the stallholders and work out whether rain explains it.
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
All relevant print materials and examination findings are supplied. No chemistry knowledge is needed.
People and accounts
Omar Reed
Judge
What happened from your point of view?
I saw the damaged sheet under a dry cover.
What should I check to test that account?
I timed that inspection in my scorebook.
Faye North
Rival artist
What happened from your point of view?
The rain ruined the entry after I left it.
What should I check to test that account?
I only added a protective cover.
Lea Moss
Stall helper
What happened from your point of view?
Faye borrowed the cleaning bottle for her own rollers.
What should I check to test that account?
She returned it empty before the first rain.
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 · Print bench
Material examination
Rainwater does not remove the cured ink. Residue on the ruined print matches the supplied cleaning fluid.
Case record · Stall row
Weather and canopy log
The first shower begins at 11:52. The canopy stays closed over the entry until judging.
Case record · Stall row
Cover application record
Faye is the only person to handle the print between its intact 11:20 check and the dry covered judging inspection.
Case record · Judging desk
Judge’s first inspection
The ink is already stripped under a dry cover at 11:40. The backing and cover show no rain entry.
Case record · Print bench
Protective-material instruction
The loan label Faye signs says the cleaner strips cured ink and is not protective spray.
Case record · Print bench
Bottle loan note
Faye alone signs for the full cleaning bottle at 11:25 and returns it empty at 11:35.
Questions to resolve
Who has the documented exclusive handling interval for the damage?
Which cause fits the supplied examination and timing?
Who is established as knowingly helping the damage?
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.