The Detective’s DeskIris Bell
Seller
What happened from your point of view?
I never saw a damage warning.
What should I check to test that account?
The price sticker was there when I bought it.
MEDIUM · CASE FILE
The Price Hidden by a Sticker
Medium · A second-hand instrument stall
A buyer pays for a “fully working” violin. Question the seller and compare what the removable price sticker concealed.
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 instrument’s supplied repair report explains its condition; the player does not need musical or legal knowledge.
People and accounts
Dan Cole
Stall assistant
What happened from your point of view?
Iris asked me to put on her new price labels.
What should I check to test that account?
She circled the exact position beside V14.
Suri Hart
Repairer
What happened from your point of view?
I returned it to Iris with an unrepaired neck warning.
What should I check to test that account?
I placed that warning beside serial V14.
Noah Vale
Buyer
What happened from your point of view?
I was told it was ready to play.
What should I check to test that account?
The sticker came off when the repairer checked the serial.
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 · Instrument stall
Sticker and warning
The new price sticker exactly covers the intact repair-warning label beside V14. Removal reveals the warning.
Case record · Repair desk
Repair condition sheet
V14 has an unrepaired damaged neck and must not be described as ready to play. Iris signs collection of that sheet.
Case record · Instrument stall
Sales description
Iris’s signed sale receipt calls V14 fully working with no outstanding repair.
Case record · Instrument stall
Label placement instruction
Iris’s signed layout circles the warning position and says “cover this text with price”.
Case record · Repair desk
Serial match
The warning, condition sheet and sold violin all identify V14, excluding confusion with another instrument.
Case record · Store table
Assistant’s job note
Dan is told to apply marked prices, not to certify condition. His copy does not include the repair sheet.
Questions to resolve
Who knew the warning when certifying the opposite condition?
What did the sticker conceal?
Who is established as a knowing assistant to the false condition claim?
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.