Sleuthic

The Black Files · September 28, 2026 · Difficulty: Cadet

Black File #101 — SolutionNight Shift

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The case

Daniel Ellison, health inspector, was found dead at Marlow's Restaurant at 11:15 PM. Seven people were at the scene. Exactly one of them was alone with Daniel in the same zone.

The evidence (10 clues)
  1. Blake was sitting on the sofa.
  2. Curtis was in the Back Alley.
  3. Curtis was standing on the stairs.
  4. Frances was in the Dining Room.
  5. Anita was sitting in a chair.
  6. Gloria was sitting in a chair.
  7. Daniel was the southernmost person at the scene.
  8. Edgar was the northernmost person at the scene.
  9. Curtis was the easternmost person at the scene.
  10. Anita was the westernmost person at the scene.

The answer

The killer: Blake Sullivan, alone with Daniel Ellison in the Kitchen.

Fixing rows and columns from the extreme-position clues cascades through the board and leaves Blake alone with Daniel in the Kitchen.

Step-by-step deduction

  1. Before placing anyone, each clue eliminates cells:
  2. • Anita: was sitting in a chair; was the westernmost person of all, and since there is one person per column somebody occupies column A: that is Anita; row 3 belongs to Gloria. Only A4 is left.
  3. • Blake: was sitting on the sofa; row 2 already belongs to Curtis; column G already belongs to Curtis; row 7 belongs to Daniel; row 1 belongs to Edgar; nobody else can occupy row 6, so it must be Blake. Only D6 is left.
  4. • Curtis: was in the Back Alley; was on the stairs; was the easternmost person of all, and since there is one person per column somebody occupies column G: that is Curtis. Only G2 is left.
  5. • Daniel: was the southernmost person of all, and since there is one person per row somebody occupies row 7: that is Daniel; column G already belongs to Curtis; nobody else can occupy column F, so it must be Daniel. Only F7 is left.
  6. • Edgar: was the northernmost person of all, and since there is one person per row somebody occupies row 1: that is Edgar; column G already belongs to Curtis; column A belongs to Anita; nobody else can occupy column C, so it must be Edgar. Only C1 is left.
  7. • Frances: was in the Dining Room; column A belongs to Anita; row 7 belongs to Daniel; nobody else can occupy row 5, so it must be Frances. Only B5 is left.
  8. • Gloria: was sitting in a chair; row 2 already belongs to Curtis; column G already belongs to Curtis; column A belongs to Anita; only Daniel and the killer were in the crime zone (the Kitchen), and those are already Blake and Daniel; column B already belongs to Frances. Only E3 is left.
  9. That already places Curtis at G2, Blake at D6, Daniel at F7, Edgar at C1, Frances at B5, Anita at A4 and Gloria at E3.
  10. With all seven placed, the only people in the Kitchen are Daniel and Blake: Blake was alone with the victim.
Solved map of Black File #101: Anita A4, Blake D6, Curtis G2, Daniel F7, Edgar C1, Frances B5, Gloria E3
The solved map: Anita A4, Blake D6, Curtis G2, Daniel F7, Edgar C1, Frances B5, Gloria E3.

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