FREE MURDER MYSTERY LOGIC PUZZLE · CASE 03
The Chandlery
Book.
Investigate Skye’s Chandlery, a harbor shop of charts, twine, and old disputes. Follow six clues to find who killed Martin Skye.
A complete Easy case from One Fair Solution. No account needed. Three hints and the full answer are here when you need them.
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CASE 03 · EASY
Your case file.
The Chandlery Book.
Meet the suspects. Read the evidence.
See if you can close the file.
EARLY OCTOBER · SKYE’S CHANDLERY
The Chandlery Book
Martin Skye was found at the foot of the loft stair. The cash box had not been touched.
The shop is unlocked, the cash box untouched, and the account book out of place.
Read the full case
Skye’s Chandlery still sold what the newer shops had decided were ornaments: rolled charts, sail twine in skeins, a fid worn smooth by other people’s hands. The front shop smelled of hemp and lamp oil.
A customer, coming for a caliper, found the shop unlocked and Martin Skye at the foot of the loft stair. The cash box had not been touched. The book, for once, was not at the desk.
Linnea Maki knew the chandlery the way she knew the ferry notices: as a place that had refused, courteously, to become a souvenir. Martin had corrected her once, years ago, on a point about the old range light, and had been right.
Arlo Finch had clerked the front counter and wanted a raise Martin had called premature. Bess Kwong drew and corrected the harbor charts; she and Martin had argued, not quietly, about a sounding she would not change. Dieter Solberg, a ships’ carpenter, bought his twine there and had been seen on the rope walk after closing, looking for a coil he claimed was already paid. Yvonne Paley inventoried the loft once a month and had found, the last time, a discrepancy she had brought to Martin in writing.
Linnea opened her notebook on the counter, among the dust and the brass.
The person who had the fid killed Martin Skye.
FOUR PEOPLE. FOUR POSSIBILITIES.
Arlo FinchClerk at the front counter
Bess KwongDraws and corrects harbor charts
Dieter SolbergShips’ carpenter who buys his twine there
Yvonne PaleyInventories the loft once a month
THE EVIDENCE
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YOUR DEDUCTION DESK
INTERACTIVEOne person. One object. One place.
Use the clues to find every match.
Each cell cycles: blank → × → ● → blank.
A nudge, not a spoiler.
Three hints, one step at a time.
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CASE CLOSED
Yvonne Paley.
The fid. The rope walk.
Clue 6 says either Arlo Finch or Bess Kwong had the account ledger, and never both. Nobody but Arlo can still have had the account ledger, so Arlo had the account ledger. Clue 1 already paired the account ledger with the front shop, so Arlo was in the front shop. The oilskin coat can only still belong to Dieter Solberg, so Dieter had the oilskin coat. Clue 3 had already taken the brass caliper off Yvonne Paley’s row, and Arlo has the account ledger and Dieter has the oilskin coat, so Yvonne had the fid. Clue 2 already paired the fid with the rope walk, so Yvonne was on the rope walk. Yvonne, Arlo, and Dieter already hold the fid, the account ledger, and the oilskin coat, so Bess had the brass caliper. Clue 4 already said Bess was not at the loft stair, and Arlo is already in the front shop and Yvonne is already on the rope walk, so Bess was in the chart room. Since Bess, Arlo, and Yvonne are already accounted for, Dieter was at the loft stair.
Known fact: the fid. That person is Yvonne Paley, on the rope walk.
Linnea slid Martin Skye’s folder into the box the way he had once slid a chart into its tube.
A FEW FIELD NOTES
Before you close the file.
How do I solve The Chandlery Book?
Each suspect has one object and one place. Use the 6 numbered clues to rule out impossible pairings and find the matches. The known fact tells you which object identifies the killer. The story sets the scene; all the evidence needed to solve the case is in the numbered clues.
What if I get stuck?
Reveal up to three hints, one at a time, or use “Check my grid” to check your current marks. When you are ready, open “Reveal the solution & walkthrough” for the complete explanation and finished grids.
Can I play the cases in any order?
Yes. Each case is self-contained. Visit the free puzzle archive to play The Last Ferry, The Copper Kettle, and The Chandlery Book. The first case also has a printable PDF.
40 CASES · EASY TO EXPERT
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From Easy to Expert, explore forty original mysteries set in Copper Narrows. Large pencil-friendly grids, three hints for every case, and a full walkthrough when you need it.