Yacht owner Richard Hale has been found dead in his cabin during a sunset cruise, anchored off the coast. Nobody has left the boat – except by the little tender. Find all 6 clues, compare the statements and the evidence, and write your answer on the answer card.
Clue 1 of 6
Claire Hale Richard's wife
”Richard went down to his cabin at ten past eight to ‘deal with a staff matter’. He was furious about something. I stayed on the sundeck with Oliver to watch the sunset.”
Evidence #1 · MEDICAL NOTES
Medical notes – Dr Anne Wells, guest on board
Deceased
Richard Hale, aged 62
Found
Owner's cabin, 20:50 – by the chef
Time of death
Estimated between 20:15 and 20:35
Cause
Blow to the head – brass sextant on the floor
Sextant
Normally kept on the bridge
Door handle
Smear of black engine grease on the inside handle
Whoever did this came straight from the machinery. – A.W.
Clue 2 of 6
Paolo Ricci Chef
”I was in the galley all evening – on video call with my daughter while I cooked. At about 20:25 I heard the owner's door slam and heavy footsteps running up the stairs towards the bridge.”
Evidence #2 · CREW DUTY SHEET
Crew duty sheet – Saturday sunset cruise
Crew
Duty
Keys held
Tom Becker
Skipper · bridge & engines
Bridge, engine room
Nina Vos
Deckhand · tender & deck
Tender, engine room
Paolo Ricci
Chef · galley
Galley, stores
Engine room keys: only the skipper and the deckhand. Everyone else must ask.
Clue 3 of 6
Nina Vos Deckhand
”At ten past eight I took Julian ashore in the tender – he wanted a drink in town. We were gone until twenty to nine. Before I left, Tom said he'd be in the engine room checking the generator.”
Evidence #3 · SHIP'S LOG
Ship's log · M/Y Estrella
Time
Entry
Signed
19:55
Anchored in the bay, wind light
T.B.
20:10
Tender out – N. Vos, J. Hale ashore
T.B.
20:15
Skipper in engine room – generator check
T.B.
20:40
Generator OK – skipper back on bridge
T.B.
20:42
Tender back – N. Vos
T.B.
20:50
Owner found in cabin – alarm raised
T.B.
Footnote in the logbook: entries 20:15 and 20:40 added afterwards · last edit T. Becker, 21:52.
Clue 4 of 6
Oliver Grant Old friend and business partner
”Claire and I never left the sundeck – I was taking photos the whole time. Richard and I had our disagreements in business, sure. But not the kind you kill over.”
Evidence #4 · OLIVER'S PHOTOS
Oliver's camera roll – Saturday
IMG_2041
20:18
Claire on the sundeck, sun just touching the sea.
IMG_2043
20:24
Panorama of the bay – the tender halfway to shore, two people on board.
IMG_2045
20:31
Selfie: Oliver and Claire on the sundeck.
Clue 5 of 6
Julian Hale Richard's son
”Fine, Dad and I argued about the will before we sailed. That's why I went ashore. I was in a beach bar when it happened – ask Nina, she dropped me off.”
Evidence #5 · ENGINE ROOM SENSOR
Estrella monitoring app · Engine room door sensor
Time
Event
Status
19:52:10
Door opened
–
19:58:44
Door closed
Generator: OK
20:00 – 20:40
No activity
Generator: OK
20:41:05
Door opened
–
20:58:31
Door closed
–
The generator reported no faults all evening. The sensor cannot be edited manually.
Clue 6 of 6
Tom Becker Skipper
”I was down in the engine room from quarter past eight to twenty to nine – it's all in the log. With the generator running you can't hear a thing down there. Richard was a great boss.”
Evidence #6 · RICHARD'S TABLET
Richard's tablet
Found on the desk in his cabin. Sent messages, Saturday.
To: Claire · 18:40
Champagne is on ice. See you on the sundeck.
To: Tom (skipper) · 19:30
I've seen the booking site. 11 charters this summer I never knew about – €60,000. My cabin, 20:15. We settle this before we're back in port.