Whereabouts

Miss Pell's case of the week · No. 3

The answer: The Churchyard Cat

A black cat had followed the club in at the lych gate, and nobody could catch it. When the lanterns were lit again, Clara lay in the Sexton's Hut.

Step by step

Every deduction, in order

  1. 1. Clue 1: Kit has 17 squares left.

    The plan after step 1.
  2. 2. Clue 3: Jack must be somewhere in column 2.

    The plan after step 2.
  3. 3. Clue 4: Peter must be somewhere in column 4.

    The plan after step 3.
  4. 4. Clue 2: Thomas has 7 squares left, and Martin has 7 squares left.

    The plan after step 4.
  5. 5. Clue 6: Kit has 13 squares left, and Lucy has 22 squares left.

    The plan after step 5.
  6. 6. Clue 7 settles it: Martin is at R1C5.

    The plan after step 6.
  7. 7. Clue 2 settles it: Thomas is at R2C7.

    The plan after step 7.
  8. 8. Jack has only one square left: R4C2.

    The plan after step 8.
  9. 9. Peter has only one square left: R7C4.

    The plan after step 9.
  10. 10. Clue 6: Lucy has 5 squares left.

    The plan after step 10.
  11. 11. Clue 8: Douglas must be somewhere in column 6.

    The plan after step 11.
  12. 12. Kit is the only suspect who can still stand in row 6, so they must be somewhere in it.

    The plan after step 12.
  13. 13. Kit has only one square left: R6C1.

    The plan after step 13.
  14. 14. Lucy is the only suspect who can still stand in column 3, so she must be somewhere in it.

    The plan after step 14.
  15. 15. Clue 5 settles it: Douglas is at R3C6.

    The plan after step 15.
  16. 16. Only one square is left for Lucy, so Lucy is at R5C3.

    The plan after step 16.

Who did it?

With the grid full, only Kit was in the Sexton's Hut with Clara. Kit is the murderer.

The finished plan, every suspect placed.

The Friday letter

Spend a Friday at Ashcombe Manor

Get a free sample case to print or solve on a tablet, with its answer step by step. Then the case of the week every Friday, with news and offers now and then. Unsubscribe in one click.

When one case is not enough

More murder mysteries from Ashcombe Manor

  • Murder in the Dark

    Twenty murder mysteries from one Halloween night at Ashcombe Manor, every suspect in costume.

    20 cases · Gentle to hard · PDF

  • Whereabouts: Murder Sudoku

    The book: fifty murder mysteries from Ashcombe Manor, with three levels of hints for every case and every answer step by step.

    50 cases · Gentle to expert

  • The Beginner's Casebook

    Twelve new cases to start with, six gentle and six standard.

    12 cases · Gentle to standard · PDF

  • The Expert's Casebook

    Twelve new hard and expert cases, for solvers who want a long evening.

    12 cases · Hard to expert · PDF

Every free case