The Case of the Golden Idol: Case 1, An Abrupt Termination of Contract — People and Location Hints

Hint 1: what is written besides the names?

Read the contracts carried by both people and look for the job titles beside their names. What tools would someone in each profession be likely to carry?

Before trying the map’s place names one by one, look at the distant scenery. Pay attention to the shape of the land and what is visible offshore.

Hint 2: tools that indicate a profession, and two distant islands

Check whether the falling person is carrying medical tools. Connecting that person with the doctor named in the contracts is the first step.

Look beyond the cliff for two small islands. Find the headland on the map that matches that view. Compare the surrounding layout rather than concentrating only on the candidate names.

Hint 3: the evidence to match

The person carrying a scalpel and medicine bottle is the doctor named in the contract. Once one identity is established, the remaining name can be assigned to the other person on the cliff.

For the location, the place name involving a “thumb” is the clue. Compare that part of the map with the two islands in the background again.

Check the answer: the first case only

The person on the cliff pushing the other person: Albert Cloudsley.

The falling person: Oberon Geller.

Location: Horn of Thumb.

The event is Albert pushing Oberon off the cliff at this location. When entering the names, check that you have not reversed the person doing the pushing and the person being pushed.

Review the reasoning before moving on

The identities are supported by matching the medical tools with the job title in the document. The location is supported by matching the background with the map. Rather than trying every name, make sure you can explain which evidence establishes each conclusion.

You do not need to explain the idol’s nature or the whole overarching story at this stage. The task here is to establish who did what at the first scene.