The Scarlet Duchess

I know who did it
CASE NO. 61 · LEVEL 1 · CAR THEFT

THE SCARLET
DUCHESS

CLUE
1
OF 6
SCAN TO ANSWER
On the night before the Riverside Classic Car Show, Gordon Hale's red 1962 convertible, the ‘Scarlet Duchess’, was driven out of the exhibition hall. Find all 6 clues, compare the statements and the evidence, and work out who did it.
Gordon Hale
Owner of the car
”I parked her in Hall B at eleven and left the keys in the valet key box, like everyone does. This morning she was gone. And she had almost no petrol in her!”
WITNESS STATEMENT · GORDON HALE
EVIDENCE #1 · SCENE REPORT
Police report – Hall B, Riverside Showground
Last seen
23:00 – parked in Hall B
Missing
07:00 – empty space
Key box
Opened with the 4-digit code – not forced
Fuel gauge
Nearly empty when parked (owner)
Exit
Service gate – opened at 02:14
Whoever drove her away would need petrol very soon.
1
2
3
4
5
6
Find all 6 clues, then scan the code to name the culprit.
NEXT CLUE IS HIDDEN …
Read the clues as plain text
Clue 1 of 6

Gordon Hale Owner of the car

”I parked her in Hall B at eleven and left the keys in the valet key box, like everyone does. This morning she was gone. And she had almost no petrol in her!”

Evidence #1 · SCENE REPORT

Police report – Hall B, Riverside Showground
Last seen
23:00 – parked in Hall B
Missing
07:00 – empty space
Key box
Opened with the 4-digit code – not forced
Fuel gauge
Nearly empty when parked (owner)
Exit
Service gate – opened at 02:14
Whoever drove her away would need petrol very soon.
Clue 2 of 6

Pete Lowe Night guard

”I sat at the front desk all night. I'm on camera the whole time. The camera at the service gate has been broken since Tuesday – I reported it twice!”

Evidence #2 · CCTV LOG

Front desk camera · Saturday night
TimeOn camera
01:45Pete Lowe at desk – crossword
02:14Pete Lowe at desk – alarm panel: ‘service gate open’
02:20Pete Lowe on the phone
02:40Pete Lowe at desk
The service gate camera: out of order since Tuesday.
Clue 3 of 6

Diana Frost Rival collector

”Yes, I offered Gordon a fortune for that car, and he said no. So I tried again at the hotel bar – we argued about it until nearly three.”

Evidence #3 · HOTEL BAR BILL

THE GRAND HOTEL – BAR
Table 4 · Guests: D. Frost, G. Hale
01:31 2 x Whisky
02:05 2 x Coffee
02:38 Cheese plate
Bill closed 02:51 – paid by D. Frost
Clue 4 of 6

Sam Ortiz Show mechanic

”I'm only the mechanic – I don't know the key box code. I was asleep in my caravan behind Hall A. I didn't hear a thing.”

Evidence #4 · KEY BOX CODE

Showground office · Who knows the key box code
NameJobHas code
Gordon HaleCar ownerYes
Pete LoweNight guardYes
Jason ReedValetYes
Sam OrtizMechanicNo
Diana FrostVisitorNo
Mia ChenPhotographerNo
Clue 5 of 6

Mia Chen Show photographer

”I came in early to photograph the cars and found this receipt on the ground right by the service gate, at ten past seven. It wasn't there last night.”

Evidence #5 · RECEIPT FOUND

FUELSTOP · A61 NORTH
2 miles from Riverside Showground
Pump 3 – Super petrol 40.0 L
Time: 02:31
Loyalty card: J. REED
Clue 6 of 6

Jason Reed Valet

”I finished my shift at midnight and went straight home to bed. I never touched the key box after eleven. Ask the guard – he's the one with the gate.”

Evidence #6 · VALET SHEET

Valet sign-out sheet · Saturday
NameInOut
Jason Reed16:0000:05
Tom Byrne16:0022:00
Valets must return their gate pass when they sign out. Jason's pass was not returned.