The Detective’s DeskUma Ash
Proposed deduction
“The code is 364.”
MEDIUM · CASE FILE
The numbers on the lock card
Medium · CEDAR BOX WORKSHOP
A demonstration lock uses a three-digit code. Four box makers offered codes; the file contains enough constraints to identify one without guessing. Also reconstruct the review register: it records who examined which source, independently of whether their later proposed answer is correct. Review slots describe order, not travel or clock times.
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.
Your assignment
Whose code satisfies every condition?
- The analytical records answer the analytical question; worksheet records establish the review reconstruction. Candidate proposals and supplementary recollections are claims to test.
- There are 3 ordered events. Use each listed person, location and item once in its column. “A immediately before B” means A is in the row directly above B, with no row between them.
- 4 verified records support the complete submission. Keep the separate context note out of the proof.
- Supplementary recollections are context unless a task explicitly asks you to test one. Keep verified reconstruction records separate from untested claims.
People and accounts
Vico Reed
Proposed deduction
“The code is 637.”
Wina Cole
Proposed deduction
“The code is 631.”
Teri Grove
Proposed deduction
“The code is 634.”
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.
CONTEXT NOTE
Box carving
A leaf is carved into the box lid.
The carving has no numerical role in this demonstration.
PRIMARY RECORD
First lock note
The hundreds digit is twice the tens digit. The tens digit is 3. Repeated digits are allowed.
This determines the first two positions.
LINKED RECORD
Second lock note
The three digits sum to 13. Use an ordinary three-digit decimal code with the positions in the order stated.
This determines the remaining digit from the sum.
RECONSTRUCTION RECORD
Review register
This is the same investigation’s document review record. There are 3 ordered events, labelled Review 1, Review 2, Review 3. Each listed person, location and item occurs exactly once. These slots describe record order, not times from the analytical problem.
- The event reviewed by Uma Ash occupies slot 2 (Review 2).
- The event reviewed by Uma Ash occurs immediately before the event at Review bench (consecutive rows, with no event between them).
- The event at Reading desk is the same event as the event involving “Box carving”.
Use each column’s choices exactly once. Verified relationships govern the board; proposed answers and later recollections do not override them.
RECONSTRUCTION RECORD
Review cross-check
The relationships below were verified independently. “A immediately before B” means A is in the row directly above B, with no row between them. Keep relationships from all worksheet sources together. The following later recollections are claims to test, NOT verified facts. Exactly one disagrees with the reconstructed board; this alone is not proof of deliberate deception.
- The event at Reading desk occupies slot 1 (Review 1).
- The event involving “First lock note” occurs earlier than the event reviewed by Vico Reed, without claiming they are consecutive.
Use each column’s choices exactly once. Verified relationships govern the board; proposed answers and later recollections do not override them.
Questions to resolve
Match every recorded item to its handler or reviewer.
- Box carving
- First lock note
- Second lock note
Whose supplementary location recollection conflicts with the board?
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.